Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
Despite the odds stacked against them, the Chicago Bears gathered their third NFC North win in 12 days. After beating the Lions 12 days ago, the Bears faced the Vikings 4 days ago and then faced the Lions again today. The big difference today, though, was that they were without their starting quarterback, Mitch Trubisky. Backup Chase Daniel performed admirably in his absence as he threw for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns. Taylor Gabriel (7 catches, 49 yards) and Tarik Cohen (7 catches, 45 yards, 1 touchdown) led the way in receiving yards while the ground game was quiet with Cohen leading the way with just 14 yards rushing. The defense played well despite the short rest. Kyle Fuller picked up his 5thinterception of the season while safety Eddie Jackson also had one.
For the Lions, they have fallen to 4-7 on the season. Matthew Stafford had a very rough day, throwing for 236 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Kenny Golladay led all receivers with 90 yards on 5 catches. The most productive player for the Lions was LeGarrette Blount, who rushed for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19 carries.
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Dallas moved to over .500 (6-5) with a 31-23 win over the Washington Redskins in the second game of the day. Dak Prescott went for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns in the air while adding another one on the ground. Ezekiel Elliott had a really nice game going for 121 yards and a touchdown while the player of the game might have been Amari Cooper. The wide receiver, who the Cowboys gave up a first-round pick for at the trade deadline, went for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 receptions on the day.
For the Redskins, they also sit at 6-5 after the loss. With the absence of Alex Smith, Colt McCoy had his struggles today. While he threw for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns, he also had 3 interceptions. The leading receivers were Jordan Reed (6 receptions, 75 yards) and Vernon Davis (2 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown). Davis’ touchdown was on a 53-yard pass from McCoy in the first quarter. The ground game was relatively non-existent as Adrian Peterson led the Redskins’ ground game with just 35 yards on 12 carries.
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints improved to 10-1 after beating the Atlanta Falcons 31-17 in the Thanksgiving nightcap. For the Saints, they were led by quarterback Drew Brees who only threw for 171 yards, but had 4 touchdowns. His touchdowns targets were certainly not the usual suspects, though. Michael Thomas (38 yards on 4 catches) and Benjamin Watson (1 catch, 20 yards) were relatively silent. Instead, Dan Arnold (45 yards, 1 touchdown), TommyLee Lewis (28 yards, 1 touchdown), Austin Carr (12 yards, 1 touchdown), and Keith Kirkwood (5 yards, 1 touchdown) were the benefactors. Alvin Kamara ran for 89 yards while Mark Ingram ran for 52. After losing the very first game of the season, the Saints have now rattled off ten in a row and look relatively unstoppable in the NFC.
For the Falcons, they fall to a disappointing 4-7 after this loss. Matt Ryan played admirably in this one, going for 377 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the Falcons could get no running game going. In fact, Ryan’s 16 rushing yards led all rushers for the Falcons. Julio Jones (11 catches, 147 yards), Calvin Ridley (8 catches, 93 yards, 1 touchdown) and Mohamed Sanu (4 catches, 74 yards) were the leading receivers.
Alex Smith Out For Season
It was a disappointing end to what was shaping up to be a pretty good season for Washington Redskins’ quarterback Alex Smith. Last Sunday, he had to be carted off the field after breaking his tibia and fibula, requiring immediate surgery. On the season, Smith had thrown for 2,180 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. In his absence, Colt McCoy now takes over the reins of the offense.
Jimmy Graham To Play Through Fractured Thumb
I don’t think anyone can question Jimmy Graham’s toughness. In week 11, Graham was unable to finish the game versus the Seattle Seahawks after fracturing his thumb. Fast forward to week 12 and he is planning to play. On Thursday Graham was a limited participant in practice but according to Josh Tolentino of The Athletic, he was out catching passes from Aaron Rodgers during drill work. After sitting much of the week, it will still be interesting to see if Graham has any setbacks or if there is a change of mind prior to the game against the Minnesota Vikings but for now, Graham is going to try to tough it out.
Tom Brady Limited In Practice This Week
A bit of interesting news came out of New England on Wednesday as quarterback Tom Brady showed up on the day’s injury report with a knee injury. While the expectation is that Brady will play Sunday against the Jets, it is definitely something worth monitoring for the aging quarterback. Supposedly, Brady hurt the knee on his reception against the Tennessee Titans in the week 10 contest. Ultimately, Bill Belichick probably learnedHere;s that it is best to just keep Brady in the pocket where he is comfortable.
Condoleezza Rice For Head Coach?
Sometimes thinking “outside the box” can be beneficial for an organization, but the Cleveland Browns might be taking it to a new extreme. Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that the Browns were considering former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their head-coaching job after the season was over. While Rice has been a lifelong Browns fan, she has no real football experience. For the record, GM John Dorsey released a statement refuting the report, but as always, the Browns always remain an interesting team to keep your eye on.
