Week 12 NFL results and recap.

With all of today's games now done, it's time to recap all the Sunday action from Week 12 of the NFL: Buccaneers 17 @ Falcons 20 -- The injury to Matt Ryan had Falcons fans holding their collective breath. As Chris Redman stepped onto the field, naturally everyone was a little nervous. But fear not as he threw 23/41, for 243 yards and 2 TD's. Not bad. If the Falcons can just remember that they have three good backs to play with then maybe they will recover some semblance of pride from an otherwise under par season. The Buccaneers just looked like, well the Buccaneers. Dolphins 14 @ Bills 31 -- Yesterday when I made my pick I was worried that the Dolphins might turn into the Panthers (I hate the Panthers) and try to throw to win. I was confident however that they would realise the Bills have the worse rush defense in all of football and that throwing the ball with essentially a rookie QB against dangerous safety Jairus Byrd would be stupid!! Unfortunately, I was wrong, as Chad Henne's 31 pass attempts and three interceptions prove. The Dolphins did run it 27 times with Ricky Williams (who added another pick on a Wildcat play) but for some reason didn't think to make more use of Lex Hilliard or Pat White. Meanwhile the star of the show was Ryan Fitzpatrick. His 246 yards with a TD didn't stun, but his 7 carries for 50 yards and a TD helped keep the Bills ticking. Redskins 24 @ Eagles 27 -- The Eagles found their run game again while the Redskins lost theirs. Again. Couple that with big plays in the passing game and some superb ball hawking by Asante Samuel and you have a recipe for an Eagles win. They'll probably be a bit worried about having to constantly fight from behind though. Seahawks 27 @ Rams 17 -- Justin Forsett continues to impress for the Seahawks and amazingly won the battle of the running backs, even though Steven Jackson was on the other side. The fact that the Seahawks contained Jackson to 89 yards off 23 carries is probably the most miraculous thing about this game. Panthers 6 @ Jets 17 -- At times like this, I'm reminded of the scene in the film "Speed" when Dennis Hoppers' character says to that piece of wood, sorry, Keanu Reeves, "You think you're so smart huh Jack?". It's like he was saying that to me personally, after I claimed yesterday that the Panthers would stick to their normal tradition of being run heavy one week and pass heavy the next. This week they were due to be run heavy and win. But they craftily tried to break the trend and be pass heavy.... and threw 4 picks and lost. 34 passes against a mere 25 runs. Honestly, it's like they conspire deliberately to screw up my picks. Worse, the Jets did the opposite. Normally they are so excited about Mark Sanchez that they abandon their rushing attack too and end up throwing picks a plenty. But instead they threw just 18 times against 39 rushes. I think they were colluding with the Panthers to do me over. I hate the Panthers. Browns 7 @ Bengals 16 -- Brady Quinn went aerial this week... and completed just 15/34 for a nice, round 100 yards. At least he didn't get picked off this week. Carson Palmer meanwhile continues to slump a little, completing just 13/24 for 10 more yards than Quinn and a TD. The big story was the Bengals rushing attack. Bernard Scott chalked up 18 carries for 87 yards and Larry Johnson notched 107 yards off 22 carries. Proof that the Bengals O-line can make anyone look good. Colts 35 @ Texans 27 -- Honestly, it wouldn't be the 2009 Colts unless they waited till the last quarter to pull out a win. Both QB's were razor sharp in their accuracy and the Texans can take a lot of promising things out of this game. Sadly a W isn't one of them. With the Jaguars losing to the 49ers this win wraps up the AFC South for the Colts. Chiefs 14 @ Chargers 43 -- The Chargers went mental again by rushing the ball with 8 different people. The only person that mattered though was LaDainian Tomlinson, who clocked up another 2 touchdowns on his all time tally. Add another two through the air courtesy of Philip Rivers to Antonio Gates and you have a rout. The Chiefs look like their offense is finally ready to come off life support and start breathing for itself..... but they need to draft big on defense next year or they'll be spending another season in the morgue. Jaguars 3 @ 49ers 20 -- There is a golden rule in San Francisco. That rule is to only win when I pick them to get beaten badly. The Jaguars hardly helped me out, determined to each week give Rashad Jennings his mandatory two carries and nothing more, while confining Maurice Jones-Drew to just 15 carries (which he converted into 75 yards). David Garrard didn't do too bad passing (25/36, 307 yards) but he failed to find the end zone even once, which.... is kinda bad. Alex Smith found it twice however. But still, he threw the ball 41 times and hit just 27, for 232 yards. It took most of the game to pass before they decided to give Frank Gore anymore than just 10 carries, finally finishing with 16. This is a RB who not long ago ran for over 1,600 yards in one season. As good as the progress of Smith, Crabtree, Davis and Walker has been, the 49ers key weapon is being discarded by the wayside. I'd want out if I was him. Bears 10 @ Vikings 36 -- If it wasn't for the 1 in their loss column, the Vikings would be the front runners to win the big prize. It's that simple. And in my opinion, they are. Favre is almost flawless these days. The weapons he has around him are stunning. And their defense is more than a match for most offenses these days. Contrast that with the Bears. Cutler hands out interceptions like confetti, has few real tools to work with, no run game for support, and the Bears defense couldn't stop a 3 year old from rushing for 100 yards against them. It really was a game of opposites. Cardinals 17 @ Titans 20 -- The big concern for the Titans recently has been whether Vince Young can grab his team by the horns and drag it kicking and screaming across the finish line. Not just managing a game, but taking it over. Today, that question was answered. 27/43, 387 yards and a TD. Most importantly, the TD came right at the death, boosting Youngs clutch credentials. After the score the whole team was celebrating with each other, congratulating themselves on a hard won victory. The team spirit and camaraderie they displayed gives you a glimpse into why they are now 5-6 and possibly a glimpse into why they may finish the regular season 10-6. With Chris Johnson chalking up 154 yards and a TD on the ground as well, that's a mean looking offense to compliment a mean looking defense. If not this year, then next....... Steelers 17 @ Ravens 20 -- The Steelers and the Ravens went toe to toe in a physical, grind it out type of defensive contest that I just loved every minute of. They were determined to copy the above score though, even to the extent of taking it to overtime. And while I picked the Steelers to win I'm comforted by the fact that they nearly did even without 'Big Ben', and that my analysis of the Ravens was spot on. They just can't generate any meaningful offense lately. Every now and again they'll spontaneously explode with a big play, but most of the time they just tick along, chugging and choking like a battered old Ford. The Steelers have issues without Roethlisberger. Dennis Dixon was ok, he even made some good runs (one for a TD, one hauled back for a penalty). Ultimately though, either he or the coaching staff were nervous about him drop back passing. The almost complete lack of a pass threat and the under utilisation of play-action meant the Ravens could stack up heavy on the run without too much fear of getting torched. They were right. So, that's all the games covered until the Patriots play (read: beat) the Saints. Including the games from Thursday, I'm 10-5 this week for picks. Here's hoping the Pats will make it 11.