Hopefully everybody enjoyed their Thanksgiving weekend! May it have been filled with tons of football, family, and food! Hopefully your favorite team was also on the winning end! With that being said, here are my winners and losers from Sunday’s slate of games from Week 12.
Winner – Josh Jacobs
Well this was to be expected after Sunday’s overtime win against the Seahawks. Josh Jacobs put the Raiders on his back totaling over 300 yards of offense and finding the end zone twice! That is including the game winning touchdown in overtime. The Raiders’ running back was unstoppable, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. I would say the real winner here are the fantasy owners who were highly criticized early on for drafting Jacobs in the first place.
Josh Jacobs just could not be stopped on Sunday with 162 of his rushing yards coming after contact, further proving that this Seattle defense just could not find a solution for his dominance. With this being a contract year for Jacobs, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the former Alabama running back. As of right now he currently sits atop of the list for free agent running backs in 2023.
Loser – Russell Wilson
This feels long overdue as the Broncos quarterback could have made an appearance several times this season. But it seems as if frustration is starting to boil over for the Denver Broncos as the offense has seen zero improvement. Meanwhile the defense has been dominant just about all season. If the Broncos offense could have scored more than 18 points in regulation in every game this year their record would be 9-2.
This ride for Broncos country has not been a fun one to say the least as the team is currently 3-8 on the season. To pin the blame solely on Russ may be a bit harsh as what is going on around him is not ideal. The team currently has the most injuries in the league and on top of that they have a rookie coach. Hackett has been criticized throughout the year for various things including clock management and play calling. One of them has got to go, but Russell Wilson would be the more expensive option to get rid of. After this weekend it is safe to say the Broncos will already be looking ahead to next season.
Winner – Jacksonville Jaguars
What a win it was for the Jacksonville Jaguars, upsetting the Baltimore Ravens 28-27 in a nail-biter! Much of this is in thanks to gutsy play calling that happened to pay off. Late in the game, Doug Pederson elected to go for a two-point conversion set up by late game heroics by Trevor Lawrence. With Justin Tucker missing the 67-yard field goal attempt that set the Jaguars up for a massive victory over Baltimore.
Trevor Lawrence was great on Sunday completing 29/37 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns. The second-year quarterback out of Clemson is finally starting to answer many questions that fans entered the season with. Meanwhile quarterbacks from his same draft class like Zach Wilson are beginning to plummet. Trevor Lawrence has been great over the last month and is first in completion percentage over that period. On top of that he ranks second in passer rating and second in passing touchdowns to interceptions ratio.
Loser – Todd Bowles
What a season it has been for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who currently sit atop of their division at 5-6. The NFC South will have to have somebody come out on top, even if none of the current teams want it. Yet here we are after 12 weeks and this Bucs team has underperformed significantly, appearing several times on our losers column for various reasons. But this week that reason is simply their coaching, the team is an absolute mess under Bowles.
For starters this offense has taken a significant step backwards since the last season. Even under the lead of the greatest of all time Tom Brady. When you have wide receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin you should enter the week as a clear favorite. Instead you put up just 17 points against the Cleveland Browns. When outpaced in the run game, the Buccaneers seem to be unable to end up on top. The defense for the most part has played quite well, but is it enough to keep this struggling Bucs team afloat?
Winner – Houston Texans
This might come as a surprise to see the Houston Texans as a winner on this list, but here they are. The Texans recently benched quarterback Davis Mills, which seemingly means that the tank is on. Right now, Houston look like they will be the winners in the Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud sweepstakes. So, what else does this Texans team have going for them? Nico Collins has seemingly stepped up in light of the rocky relationship with wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Dameon Pierce has slowed down a bit, but the highs from the rookie from Florida is one that many fans should be excited about.
The Houston Texans should seemingly hold onto that first overall pick for dear life as this is a potentially generational draft class. The pieces are there, and it is too early to give up on head coach Lovie Smith. This upcoming offseason will be very important in Houston.
Loser – Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks seem to be slowing down just a little at possibly the worst time, with a playoff spot seemingly becoming less likely in the current state of the NFC. The defense this past weekend was very rough to say the least. Josh Jacobs, featured in our winners column, ran crazy against them. The defensive line seemingly could not generate enough pressure all game and could not stop the run either. The offensive line was also not something to write home about. Geno Smith was hit 10 times during this game and did not generate any holes for Kenneth Walker.
Lucky for Seattle the NFC is fairly weak, and they are definitely one of the better teams as of now. But with back-to-back losses now they will look to bounce back against a terrible Rams team. A loss here would be quite worrisome for this magical run for the Seahawks, who are still in the wild card picture at 6-5.