As the world has begun to feel the impact of the third wave of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, so too has the NFL in Week 12. The AFC North rivalry game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, which was supposed to take place on Thanksgiving during primetime, has been postponed three separate times in response to a significant COVID-19 outbreak in the Ravens camp that has relegated 19 of their players to the Reserve/COVID-19 list, including reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson. The game was played on Wednesday afternoon, making Week 12 of the 2020 season the longest week in NFL history.
The NFL was less forgiving with respect to the outbreak in the Denver Broncos camp that left the team with no eligible quarterbacks on its active roster for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. With no opportunity to reschedule, practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton, who served as a backup quarterback for three seasons at Wake Forest University, became perhaps the unlikeliest starting quarterback in NFL history when he got the call for the Broncos on Sunday.
Finally, the San Francisco 49ers were left without a stadium following the issuance of a three-week ban on contact sports by Santa Clara County health officials. Arrangements have been made for San Francisco’s next two home games to be played at the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium, but the team is still without a practice facility following Sunday’s last-second victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
As the NFL survives the third wave of the pandemic, let’s look at some teams that survived tough cross-conference opponents in Week 12 and the implications that these results have on the AFC and NFC playoff races.
Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots
Prior to the game against the Cardinals, the Patriots sat in third place in the AFC East with a 4–6 record and once again found themselves in desperate need of a win following last week’s surprise loss to the flailing Houston Texans. The Cardinals jumped out to a 10–0 lead in the first quarter because of an interception thrown by Patriots quarterback Cam Newton that gave them excellent field position for running back Kenyan Drake’s first rushing touchdown of the game. The Patriots offense needed all the help they could get to remain competitive in this game, and they got it from a variety of sources. Wide receiver Donte Moncrief’s 53-yard punt return gave the Patriots offense good field position for running back James White’s first rushing touchdown of the game for New England. Later, the Patriots defense came up with a huge stop on the goal line, holding the Cardinals offense to no points on their seven-minute drive to end the first half. The Patriots defense continued to hold the Cardinals offense scoreless in the third quarter and an interception thrown by Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray meant the Patriots once again found themselves with good field position for another White rushing touchdown. The Cardinals would tie the game at 17 points with Drake’s second rushing touchdown of the game. They, however, could not capitalize on Newton’s second interception of the game, as Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 45-yard field goal attempt that would have given Arizona the lead with under two minutes remaining in regulation. An unnecessary roughness penalty by Cardinals rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmons gave New England 15 crucial yards to set up Nick Folk’s 50-yard field goal to win the game as time expired, 17–20. The Cardinals dropped to 6–5 and now hold only a one-game lead for the last NFC wild card. The Patriots remain on the outside looking in and, at two games behind for the last AFC wild card with two teams ahead of them, will continue to face an uphill battle toward clinching a playoff berth.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The first quarter in Tampa Bay showed just how much the Kansas City Chiefs offense is capable of achieving in a flash against top opponents. Chiefs quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes only needed one throw for his top wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, to take it 75 yards to the house for an early 10–0 lead. The two reconnected on the next Kansas City drive, this time for a 44-yard touchdown that gave the Chiefs a 17–0 lead and gave Hill an astonishing 203 receiving yards in the first quarter alone. Two receiving touchdowns by Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans in the fourth quarter cut the Chiefs’ lead to three points, but they were able to run out the clock to win the game, 27–24. Mahomes finished with an outstanding 462 yards and three touchdowns to remain the league leader in passing yards while Hill and tight end Travis Kelce jump to first and second, respectively, in the league in receiving yards. The Chiefs improved to 10–1 and inched closer to another AFC West title. The Buccaneers dropped to 7–5 and could find themselves only one game ahead for a playoff spot after next week’s bye, as their prospects of winning the NFC South slip away.
New York Giants vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Needing a win to take the lead in the flailing NFC East, the New York Giants traveled to Cincinnati with a much clearer path to victory than was perhaps anticipated in past weeks as a result of a season-ending knee injury to Bengals quarterback and first-overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft Joe Burrow. The Giants jumped out to an early lead with a rushing touchdown by running back Wayne Gallman. The Bengals, however, tied the game immediately with a 103-yard kickoff return by safety Brandon Wilson, which became the longest touchdown in Bengals franchise history. Four field goals by Giants kicker Graham Gano would gradually pad the Giants lead to two scores down the stretch, meaning a late touchdown was not enough for the Bengals to reclaim the lead. The Giants held on to win, 19–17. At 4–7, the Giants now hold the NFC East division lead due to a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Washington Football Team.
