With just six weeks remaining in the 2023 NFL regular season, contenders have largely separated themselves from contenders. With postseason races in the AFC and NFC rounding into shape, playoff positioning and seeding possibilities will begin to lead the NFL conversation.
Which teams and players looked the best on Sunday, and who’s already looking ahead to next week? Here are all the winners and losers from Week 12.
Winners and Losers From NFL Week 12
Winner | Philadelphia Eagles
Although the Philadelphia Eagles haven’t looked quite as electric as the team that nearly won last year’s Super Bowl, they’re still 10-1 and in the driver’s seat to earn a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.
The Eagles always seem to find a way to win, and Jalen Hurts — who only strengthened his MVP case on Sunday — is usually at the center of that effort. Hurts tossed three touchdown passes in the second half, then got Philadelphia into game-tying field goal range with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
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After Jake Elliott hit one of the best kicks you’ll ever see (a 59-yarder into the wind on a rainy evening) and the Buffalo Bills converted a field goal in overtime, Hurts brought the Eagles down the field in nine plays, capping the game with a 12-yard TD run.
Philadelphia has now beaten the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Bills over the past three weeks, but the schedule isn’t about to let up. The San Francisco 49ers and a rematch against the Dallas Cowboys are next on the docket.
Loser | Buffalo Bills
Losing to the Eagles in overtime is hardly a sin, and the Bills largely outplayed Philadlephia. Josh Allen and Co. posted more than 500 yards of offense, while Buffalo’s defense held Hurts to fewer than 200 passing yards.
But Allen couldn’t get the Bills in the end zone in OT, and Buffalo’s depleted D failed to stop Hurts when it counted. It’s becoming a familiar story for the Bills, who are 0-5 in overtime games during Allen’s career.
At 6-6, Buffalo is now the 10th seed in the AFC. The New York Times’ Upshot model gives the Bills worse than one-in-five odds of making the playoffs. This was supposed to be a Super Bowl season in Buffalo — but they might not even make the dance.
Winner | Jacksonville Jaguars
A late November Jacksonville Jaguars-Houston Texans matchup having playoff implications would have been unthinkable in recent seasons, but Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud have helped turn their respective teams into contenders.
While the Texans steamrolled the Jags in Week 3, Jacksonville held on in a back-and-forth game on Sunday, pulling out a 24-21 when Houston kicker Matt Ammendola’s game-tying 58-yard field goal hit the crossbar.
Week 12’s game determined control of the AFC South. The Jaguars’ win gives them a two-game lead with six weeks to go, and Jacksonville still gets to play a Cincinnati Bengals team without Joe Burrow, a Cleveland Browns club with its own QB issues, the one-win Carolina Panthers, and the struggling Tennessee Titans.
Jacksonville will almost surely claim the division title — how about the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed? As part of the NFL’s quartet of four-win teams (the Baltimore Ravens will have the chance to get to nine on Monday night), the Jaguars have as good of a chance as any AFC team of grabbing a first-round bye.
Winner | Kyren Williams and the Rams
Kyren Williams must have used his time off wisely. Sidelined by an ankle injury since Week 6, Willams made a triumphant return on Sunday.
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The former fifth-round pick picked up right where he left off, taking 16 carries for 143 yards on the ground while adding six catches, 61 yards, and two touchdowns through the air. Royce Freeman mixed in for 13 attempts, but it won’t be surprising if Williams — who was playing nearly every snap before going down — starts to take on ever more work as the season concludes.
And don’t look now, but the Los Angeles Rams are right back in the NFC Wild Card race following two straight wins. At 5-6, they could be just a half-game back of the Minnesota Vikings after Monday night.
Loser | Patriots QB Mac Jones
It’s probably time to officially close the book on the Mac Jones era. The New England Patriots had already benched Jones several times this season, but never when a game was still within reach.
That changed on Sunday when Jones was pulled in favor of Bailey Zappe after completing 12 of 21 attempts for just 89 yards and two interceptions in the first half.
It’s not as if Zappe was any better, managing 54 yards on 14 attempts while tossing a pick of his own. Bill Belichick had to make a change, even if altering the identity of his starting quarterback probably won’t make a difference to his job security.
Winner | Bijan Robinson and the Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are this week’s default winners in the NFC South. The only team in the division to post a win on Sunday, the Falcons are now in first place at a resounding 5-6.
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It’s hard to feel good about any team in the NFC South, but at least head coach Arthur Smith is giving Bijan Robinson more opportunities after leaning on other offensive options earlier in the year. Robinson, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, totaled more than 100 yards and two touchdowns as the driving force of Atlanta’s offense.
Loser | New Orleans Saints
While the New Orleans Saints lost their Week 12 game and the division lead to the Falcons on Sunday, injury issues are an even more pressing concern than the club’s results.
Wideout Chris Olave went down with a concussion, which could put his Week 13 availability in question. Fellow pass catcher Rashid Shaheed suffered a thigh injury and never returned. Backup RB Jamaal Williams picked up his own unspecified injury, while WR Michael Thomas is already on injured reserve.
And that’s just on offense. The Saints also put CB Marshon Lattimore on IR this week, while pass rusher Cameron Jordan spent time in the medical tent on Sunday. New Orleans has one of the oldest rosters in the NFL, and it’s starting to show.
Winner | Steelers, Colts, and Broncos’ Wild Card Odds
The AFC playoff race is one big muddled mess. Not only is the race for the top seed totally wide open, but every team currently holding seed Nos. 5 through 12 has between five and seven wins. Every week will have significant implications, and Week 12 was no different.
The Pittsburgh Steelers took down the Burrow-less Bengals, shaking off their ugly Week 11 loss to the Browns. Gardner Minshew has helped the Indianapolis Colts to three straight wins, even if two were over the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots.
While the Steelers and Colts would be in the postseason if the playoffs started today, the Denver Broncos are the hottest team in football. After starting the year 1-5, Sean Payton’s club has reeled off five straight victories, including impressive wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Bills.
Denver took down Cleveland on Sunday and will face two more AFC Wild Card contenders — the Texans and Los Angeles Chargers — over its next two games.
Loser | Panthers HC Frank Reich
Almost nothing has gone right for the Carolina Panthers this season. They traded for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, then might have selected the third or fourth-best QB available. The Panthers are the league’s only remaining team with a sole victory, and they’re probably going to hand over the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft to the Chicago Bears.
Is anyone really surprised Panthers owner David Tepper was heard yelling “F–k!” while leaving Carolina’s locker room after yet another loss on Sunday?
Frank Reich was supposed to lend an air of credibility to a Panthers franchise that had become a laughingstock under former head coach Matt Rhule, but Carolina couldn’t even beat a team like the Tennessee Titans today, who are going through their own rebuild. Will Reich make it through the season?
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
