John beats Jim in Ravens-Chargers, New York collapses. Sean Payton’s masterpiece in Denver. Phila’s running back asphalt the Rams
The older brother has the final say in the family. This is the response on Monday Night which saw John Harbaugh, coach of Baltimore, prevail over Jim, the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. We also need to talk about Saquon Barkley’s runs, the pride of the Cowboys and Titans, the profound evils of the New York Giants, the masterpiece that coach Payton is painting in Denver. Here are the 5 things we learned from the NFL week 12 games, including balance sheets and perspectives. And then the prediction of the week from a Super Bowl perspective, as usual.
HARBAUGH BOWL
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It’s spelled Monday Night, pronounced Harbaugh Bowl. At SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, the Ravens (8-4) beat the Chargers (7-4) 30-23. John Harbaugh’s third “fratricidal” victory in as many direct NFL matches, including the 2013 Super Bowl, the one in New Orleans, where Baltimore prevailed over the San Francisco 49ers. Times change and the teams coached by “little brother” Jim, extraordinary as head coach at Michigan University before returning to professional coaching, do not change the result: John always wins the family challenge. This time thanks to the 140 yards run by Derrick Henry, an impossible tractor for the Los Angeles defense to contain. Justin Herbert throws for 218 yards compared to Lamar Jackson’s 177, but the Ravens run for 212 yards overall. And so they win the old fashioned way, with the strength of the offensive line and the traditional ground game.
PAYTON’S MASTERPIECE
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Quietly the Denver Broncos have a 7-5 record. Raise your hand if you imagined it before the start of the season. Bo Nix is proving to be a reliable quarterback, improving game after game. He will probably never have the special effects of Williams, Daniels and Maye, the equal role freshmen chosen before him in the 2024 Draft, but he is solid and above all a perfect fit for the schemes of his coach, one of the beautiful offensive minds of the game. In less than two seasons in Colorado, Sean Payton has brought the Broncos back to being protagonists, a first step that was not at all obvious. Nix and Patrick Surtain, a fabulous cornerback, are the foundation on which to build the future. And in the meantime, the playoffs are already within reach, along the way.
BOYS AND TITANS PRIDE
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Dallas winning in Washington with Cooper Rush, the backup quarterback, Tennessee winning in Houston thanks to Will Levis, the controversial second year QB… who could have ever imagined it? This is the NFL, this is the beauty of it. Unpredictable. Never underestimate the pride of teams already excluded from the playoff race and yet capable of winning at home against opponents who seem destined to play the post season. The Cowboys defense made a great impression for the first three quarters of the game, then the special team took care of it with kick off and on side kick returns for touchdowns by Turpin and Thomas. Levis does and undoes that not even Penelope for the Nashville team, but when he has the button in the ON version he reminds of Brett Favre.
CALVARIO GIANTS
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Humiliated at home by Tampa Bay who conceded 30 points in the first 45 minutes of football, in East Rutherford. There’s worse. They dumped Daniel Jones, but they still owe him a lot of money on a guaranteed contract and they let the paisa DeVito play in his place, who is a silhouette, but better than Jones only in sympathy. New York’s problems go far beyond the quarterback. Freshman wide receiver Malik Nabers has publicly complained about the lack of supplies and it’s hard to blame him. In short, the Giants don’t get one right, but the original sin remains having let Barkley leave. Then the domino effect…unwanted was never too much.
MVP’S BARKLEY
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So let’s talk about Saquon Barkley. The running back in his first year with Philadelphia, after too many seasons lacking in satisfaction, ran for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams. The 1392 yards accumulated so far earn him the category record. He then adds 10 touchdowns. He deserves the MVP, the best player of the season award, more than any other candidate. But it is customary recognition given to quarterbacks and then Josh Allen, of the Bills, is probably the man to beat. But if Barkley continues like this…
SUPER BOWL OF THE WEEK
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Buffalo-Detroit. Kansas City’s last-gasp victory over mediocre Carolina makes us turn towards the Bills as representatives of the AFC. And then how impressive would a Super Bowl between two teams that have never won it be?
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