This league man. This league. We go from the Titans losing to the Texans to the Cowboys losing a game on national television. So I guess we at least went back to some normalcy. The Pittsburgh Steelers got smoked again, we saw arguably the worst Thanksgiving game ever & Kirk Cousins is hilarious. Let’s get into it.
1. What’s going on in Dallas?
After starting 6-1, the Dallas Cowboys have only won one of their last four games. I’m not hitting the panic button just yet, I still think they will win their division. However, it is worth saying that this is not a good time to start losing focus as a team. This is the home stretch and if the Cowboys want to achieve some meaningful success this year, they’ll have to lock in. Obviously it is hard to win without Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. They play on Thursday night again this week in New Orleans. If they can’t find a way to win against Taysom Hill and the Saints, then I’ll start to be a little concerned. Hopefully they figure it out because playoff time is coming soon.
2. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in trouble
The Steelers have won five games this season. In all five of their wins, they have not won by more than one score. No convincing wins and a wonderful record of 1-2-1 in their last four. And it is not going to get any easier on this team. T.J. Watt was just placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list today, immediately nerfing this defenses’ impact. Their next four games include bouts against the Ravens (home), Vikings (away), Titans (home) and the Kansas City Chiefs (away). It is very possible that they go 1-3 or 0-4 in that span. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 14 touchdowns to go along with six interceptions and eight fumbles (four lost). This is looking like the last year in the black and yellow for Big Ben.
3. Enough of the Leonard Fournette disrespect
Imagine the Jacksonville Jaguars taking a star running back out of LSU with the fourth overall. In his rookie year, you guys go to the AFC Championship and he rushes for 1040 yards and 9 touchdowns. He gets hurt after eight games the next year, but comes back for his third year and does even better. He rushes for 1152 yards and 3 touchdowns while catching 76 passes for 522 yards. What’s the Jaguars solution to this? Let’s cut him. Fournette signs with the Buccaneers and plays a crucial role in their Super Bowl run, scoring four touchdowns. In 11 games this year Fournette has rushed for 621 yards and 7 touchdowns while catching 51 passes for 354 yards. He erupted this week against the Colts running the ball 17 times for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns, including the game-winner. But that was not all, as he also caught seven passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. Leonard Fournette would like to say four words. Thank you Tom Coughlin.
4. The New England Patriots are looking serious
I don’t want to set anything in stone, because of possible jinx, but come on. The Patriots are in the midst of a six game winning-streak, putting them on top of the AFC East. The offense hasn’t scored under 20 points since their week four loss against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Mac Jones is top 10 in passing yards and third in COMP%. The sky is the limit right now, but the biggest test of the year is coming up next Monday. Monday night football away at Buffalo. We’ll see how Mac Jones & Co. perform under the bright lights. This game will have major implications in both the division race and the first-round bye race. I believe in my boys of course, but they need to win over the rest of the football world in this game.
5. What is going on with the Los Angeles football teams?
Both teams started off hot, with a clear identity to sling the rock and make big plays on defense. However, both teams have been pretty inconsistent over the last few weeks. On the Chargers side, they have lost four of their last six. After starting with a strong 4-1, Herbert & Co. are currently sitting at a record of 6-5. A lot of it has to do with their 32nd ranked rushing defense. On the Rams side, I don’t even know what the hell is going on. They are 0-3 in the last three weeks, losing to the Titans at home (without Derrick Henry), the 49ers and the Packers (after a bye week). In this three game span, Matt Stafford has thrown five touchdowns and five interceptions while being sacked a whopping nine times. If they don’t have a convincing win this week at home against the Jaguars, then I’ll start to get a little concerned. At least Odell got his first touchdown this week. The Chargers on the other hand will be taking on the red hot Bengals this week. The Chiefs are making up ground for the division race after their early struggles, so if the Chargers want to have a chance they need to get right and get right quickly.
Well there you have it folks. Week 12 of the NFL season is in the books. It’s almost that beautiful time in football called the “playoffs”. A lot of divisional games are soon to come. The biggest one of the year (in my humble opinion) is coming up this Monday with the Patriots traveling to Buffalo to take on the Bills. We say a prayer for the city of Detroit, Michigan and its surrounding suburbs. Y’all know the drill. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
