NFL Week 12 big questions and takeaways: Five wild endings, huge upsets and division-race shake-ups

Week 12 of the NFL season kicked off Thursday with the Cleveland Browns winning a snowy battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sunday started with a handful of thrillers. The Dallas Cowboys snapped their five-game skid, beating the Washington Commanders, and the Tennessee Titans upset the Houston Texans. The Minnesota Vikings earned an overtime win against the Chicago Bears, and the Kansas City Chiefs narrowly beat the Carolina Panthers.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.

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Dolphins

Can Miami’s offense continue to be efficient at Green Bay on Thanksgiving? The temperatures for the Dolphins’ game against the Packers are expected to drop below freezing — which has historically been the Dolphins’ kryptonite. But with a convicted emphasis on high-efficiency passes and ball control this season, Miami appears to be better equipped to play in frigid temperatures than it was in either of the past two seasons. If it can overcome the weather, Thursday night presents an intriguing matchup for Miami against a Packers defense that ranks 22nd in defensive expected points added since Week 8.

What we learned about the QB today: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has matured as a passer and that was on full display Sunday with a four-touchdown performance. He completed 72.5% of his passes against the Patriots — not far from his career-high 74% this season. It’s clear he is less insistent on attempting deep passes and more willing to take what defenses give him.

Early prediction for next week: Tight end Jonnu Smith will have another big game against the Packers. He has scored three touchdowns in his past two games and faces a Green Bay defense that’s allowed the 13th-most yards to opposing tight ends this season (entering Sunday). Miami’s intention to run the passing offense through Smith is no secret, but Green Bay is still more likely to shade coverage toward receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: at Packers (Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

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Patriots

Was this no-show effort an outlier or a sign of things to come in the final five games? The Patriots had played competitively in four games since coach Jerod Mayo called the team out for “playing soft,” so this was a big step back. It was a poor reflection on Mayo and his staff, as well as the players. The Patriots return home to face the Colts on Sunday, then they have their bye week before finishing the season against the Cardinals, Bills, Chargers and Bills again. Mayo has said he hopes to be a team that no one wants to play coming down the homestretch. They hardly looked like that against Miami.

Describe the game in two words: Undisciplined mess. The Patriots had nine penalties in the first half, six of which were pre-snap infractions — four false starts, one offensive offside and one defensive neutral zone infraction. Before a team can beat an opponent, it has to not beat itself.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Was there a game plan? The Dolphins ran circles around them, especially in a 24-0 second quarter, which was the largest margin in any NFL quarter this season. Tackling on defense was also shoddy. — Mike Reiss

Next game: vs. Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Chiefs

What does the emergence of more receiver options mean for the rest of the Chiefs’ season? The Chiefs can’t have too many threats, so having another reliable receiver is a welcome development for them. It’s unlikely their passing game will feature as many big plays as they envisioned before the start of the season, but the Chiefs showed against the Panthers they can be effective with mostly shorter gains. Wide receiver Hollywood Brown could return later in the season, which would give the Chiefs yet another threat.

Eye-popping stat: Tight end Noah Gray had 11.9 yards of separation on his first touchdown, which is the most yards of separation on a Chiefs receiving touchdown in the past two seasons. He was wide open.

Most surprising performance: The Chiefs’ defense had more trouble with quarterback Bryce Young and the Carolina offense than expected. The Panthers entered the game averaging 281 yards (last in the league) and 17 points (30th). But the Chiefs failed to contain them. Carolina had 249 passing yards, allowing them to tie the game with less than two minutes left. — Adam Teicher

Next game: vs. Raiders (Friday, 3 p.m. ET)

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Panthers

Did Bryce Young earn the right to start the rest of the season? Coach Dave Canales has been careful not to name Young the starter each week until evaluating the film. No further need. The top pick of the 2023 draft had his best game, considering the opponent, and deserves to play out the season. He handled the blitz in particular like a seasoned pro. He was blitzed on 38% of dropbacks. He was 11 of 13 for a season-high 135 yards with a touchdown against five or more defenders.

Describe the game in two words: Turning point? Despite the loss, Carolina went toe-to-toe with the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. This may have been a bigger confidence booster than the consecutive wins against the Saints and Giants entering the day. Young looked great. The defense created pressure (5 sacks). This team had an identity.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Defending the Chiefs’ second tight end, Noah Gray. He had four catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns, including a 35-yarder on the first series. The Panthers did a decent job on star Travis Kelce, but Gray made them pay throughout the afternoon. — David Newton

Next game: vs. Bucs (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)

Lions

Are Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery the NFL’s top rushing duo? Nicknamed “Sonic & Knuckles,” Gibbs and Montgomery combined for three rushing touchdowns against the Colts, becoming the first duo in NFL history with 10 rushing touchdowns each in consecutive seasons. Sunday’s game also marked the 11th time the duo has each scored a touchdown in the same game — including the playoffs — which is the most such games by an RB duo in NFL history, per ESPN Research. At this point, it’s not a question of whether they’re the best in the league; the production speaks for itself. It’s now time to decide their place in league history if they can keep it up.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Defending the deep ball. Dealing with a groin injury, rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold was ruled out for Sunday’s game and didn’t travel with the team. His absence was felt. Detroit’s defense allowed Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson to connect with Michael Pittman Jr. for a 30-yard pass and another 39-yard bomb to Alec Pierce.

Most surprising performance: Lions wideout Tim Patrick. In Detroit’s previous four games, Patrick logged five receptions for 38 yards, but he found a groove against the Colts. He grabbed four receptions for 55 yards, including a 27-yard catch at the end of the first quarter, which helped the Lions offense find an early rhythm. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: vs. Bears (Thursday, 12:30 p.m. ET)

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Colts

Do the Colts still have a realistic shot at the postseason? The Colts entered the day in the eighth position among AFC playoff contenders and didn’t help their case with a loss. After starting the day with a 34% shot at the playoffs, according to ESPN Analytics, the defeat lowered those chances to 27% independent of other outcomes. On the other hand, the Colts have one of the more favorable schedules down the stretch, with four of their five remaining opponents currently under .500. In any case, it will take significant work for them to reverse the damage done to their postseason hopes by losing four of their past five games.

What we learned about the QB today: Sunday demonstrated that Anthony Richardson needs more help from his supporting cast. Indianapolis was flagged for a season-high eight offensive penalties, several of them proving to be crushing by negating big plays from the quarterback. Richardson also had some underwhelming performances from his pass targets, including a dropped touchdown by tight end Drew Ogletree.

Eye-popping stat: This was the first loss in a game in which the Colts did not commit a turnover since a loss to the Raiders on Jan. 2, 2022. In the past five seasons, the Colts have 22 games in which they have avoided a turnover. They are now 19-3 in those contests. The Colts’ six points Sunday is the fewest scored in any of those three losses. — Stephen Holder

Next game: at Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Buccaneers

Is this the jolt the Bucs needed to ignite a playoff push? Yes, as long as quarterback Baker Mayfield‘s stinger isn’t serious and these late-game fumbles stop. Getting franchise leading scorer Mike Evans back was huge. So was having both starting cornerbacks in Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum, and the waiver wire pickup of safety Mike Edwards, who came in on third-down passing situations and then to relieve Jordan Whitehead after he had a pectoral injury in the fourth quarter. Only one of their remaining opponents — the Chargers — has a winning record.

What we learned about the QB today: Mayfield still has some of that Oklahoma swag, or “spavalderia” if we’re speaking Italian. Never mind the Bucs came into Sunday’s game on a four-game losing streak. He hurdled Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott, did Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito‘s signature celebration and sprinted downfield to deliver a block on Bucky Irving‘s 56-yard run.

Eye-popping stat: The Bucs had 11 different receiving targets catch passes, tied for their most in a game in franchise history. This was last done Week 16 of 2020, when Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns in a 47-7 win over the Lions, according to ESPN Research. — Jenna Laine

Next game: at Panthers (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)

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Giants

How much did the release of Daniel Jones lead to this blowout loss? It’s hard to imagine it wasn’t a significant factor. The Giants benched their starting quarterback, saw him step in as a scout-team safety during a walk-through period at practice Thursday, and he was released by Friday. Players such as captain Dexter Lawrence II said publicly they thought Jones was still the team’s best quarterback. Clearly, it had an effect. DeVito hardly provided the “spark” or energy that coach Brian Daboll thought it would while his team fell behind 23-0 by halftime.

What we learned about the QB today: DeVito wasn’t the answer. He went 3-of-5 passing for 31 yards with three sacks in the first half. He finished 21 of 31 passing for 189 yards. He was also sacked four times. Not that DeVito stood a chance. The Giants lost left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor on the opening drive. That put third-string left tackle Chris Hubbard into the game opposite Evan Neal for what was already the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL.

Most surprising performance: A no-show by the Giants defense coming out of the bye week. Inexcusable. At points, Lawrence stood despondent, by himself, on the sideline. Perhaps it was because the defense barely sniffed Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield during a sackless afternoon while allowing 400-plus yards of offense. — Jordan Raanan

Next game: at Cowboys (Thursday, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Steelers

Is this loss a wake up call for the Steelers offense? Don’t be distracted by the first part of Russell Wilson‘s stat line. Yes, the quarterback completed 21 of 28 attempts for 270 yards and a touchdown, but he was also sacked four times. And the offense had six empty possessions that ended either with a punt, turnover on downs or a turnover. Wilson had some moments of field-stretching brilliance, firing off three deep balls on third-down completions to Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson and George Pickens, but he also struggled against pressure. Winning like they did against the Ravens, with six Chris Boswell field goals, isn’t sustainable. It wasn’t against the Browns, and it won’t be as the gauntlet of AFC North games continues.

Describe the game in two words: Trap game. Hindsight is 20/20, but this had all the makings of a trap game. Though the Steelers said they didn’t overlook the hapless Browns, they were clearly overpowered and outwitted by a motivated team playing with nothing to lose. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski took risks that paid off, while Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did the opposite.

Eye-popping stat: Though they briefly erased their 12-point deficit, the Steelers are the only franchise that hasn’t overcome a deficit of 12 or more points in the fourth quarter of a regular season game since 2000, per ESPN Research. — Brooke Pryor

Next game: at Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

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Browns

Will the Browns play spoiler during the final stretch of the season? Thursday night’s win over the Steelers marked the Browns’ second upset victory over a divisional opponent, coming weeks after they stunned the Ravens. With four of its final six games coming against teams with winning records, Cleveland has the opportunity to play spoiler a few more times and a strong finish could raise optimism heading into the offseason with a roster that disappointed in the first half of the season.

Describe the game in two words: No quit. Four days after giving up 21 points in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the Saints — their seventh defeat in their previous eight games — the Browns delivered a gritty victory at home against the division-leading Steelers.

Most surprising performance: Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin. The veteran lineman held outside linebacker T.J. Watt to just one pressure across 24 matchups. It was just the second game this season that Watt was held to one pressure. — Daniel Oyefusi

Next game: at Broncos (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)