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| Hey, didn't you used to be one of the NFL's perennial playoff contenders? |
| After Sunday night's loss to the Vikings, the Packers are trending toward a second consecutive season without making the postseason. That's likely not a good development for Mike McCarthy's status as Packers coach. |
| But while things aren't going well for Aaron Rodgers, a couple of the NFL's other top gunslingers had milestone moments Sunday. Philip Rivers completed his first 25 pass attempts against the Cardinals to set an NFL record -- and not his only one of the day. Meanwhile, Tom Brady passed Peyton Manning for most career passing yards (regular season and postseason). |
| The Broncos continue to be streak busters. A week after ending the Chargers' win streak at six games, the Broncos snapped the Steelers' six-game winning streak. Ben Roethlisberger had a brutal interception to seal Denver's big win. |
| Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the Browns are in the AFC playoff chase. Let that sink in. The Browns also had some fun at the expense of their former coach in a beat down of the Bengals. |
| Before we dive into the moments you can't miss from Sunday's action, here's the updated NFL playoff picture through Sunday's action, the winners and losers from Week 12 and 32 other things we learned. |
Quick hits: Must-see NFL moments |
| - Mayfield gives former coach the cold shoulder: Well, that was awkward. After Baker Mayfield and the Browns tore through the Bengals in a 35-20 win , the quarterback and former Browns coach Hue Jackson met at midfield to exchange pleasantries after the game. Well, Mayfield was in no mood for pleasantries. |
| - Troll job? Baker Mayfield's diss wasn't the only message being sent to ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson. After picking off Andy Dalton, Browns defensive back Damarious Randall handed the ball to Jackson. Was the gesture a sign of mockery? |
 | | Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) spikes the ball to celebrate the touchdown by tight end David Njoku (85). | | Aaron Doster, USA TODAY Sports | |
| - Jaguars, Bills players ejected for brawl: The Jaguars' Leonard Fournette and Bills' Shaq Lawson were ejected after a nasty brawl broke out after a touchdown that was overturned after a review. The bitter feelings weren't left on the field either, as Fournette and Lawson could be seen yelling at each other in the tunnel on their way to the locker rooms. |
| - Bills roast Ramsey: Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey called Bills rookie QB Josh Allen "trash," then doubled down by calling the entire Bills sideline "trash." Well, the Bills beat the Jaguars on Sunday, and the team's official Twitter account dug up an old tweet by Ramsey to rub it in. After the game, however, Ramsey did show some respect to Allen. |
| - Steelers pull off glorious fake field goal: The Steelers were lined up to attempt a short field goal against the Broncos. Rather than kick, the Steelers direct snapped to kicker Chris Boswell, who then connected with offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva for a touchdown. Villanueva, astute football fans might recall, played some wide receiver during his college career at Army. |
| - Another amazing Seahawks TD celebration: Tyler Lockett and the Seahawks have had some pretty creative TD celebrations this season. That only continued in Sunday's win over the Panthers, when Lockett recreated a memorable move by NBA legend Allen Iverson. |
 | | Carolina Panthers strong safety Eric Reid knocks Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson in the air during a Week 12 game at Bank of America Stadium. | | Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports | |
| - Head over heels: Speaking of the Seahawks, running back Chris Carson tried to hurdle a Panthers defender but got upended in a major way. But he somehow landed on his feet -- and was nearly able to gain more yards. |
| - Browns player crowd surfs into end zone: Browns tight end David Njoku went airborne at the 5-yard line and then got escorted into the end zone. |
| - Week 12 awards: Some great things happened during Week 12. Some bad things happened, too. But mixed in there are some hilarious things as well. |
| TOP SHOTS: Best pics from Week 12 | Cheerleaders | Celebrations | Fans |
Key storylines from Week 12 |
| - NFL playoff picture: With five weeks remaining in the regular season, each conference's field of six is slowly coming into focus. Take a look at how things stack up, if the season ended today. |
| - Rivers sets records: Philip Rivers' pinpoint passing in a 45-10 rout of the Cardinals on Sunday earned him a place in NFL history in multiple categories. |
| - Rookie RB emerges as Patriots' X-factor: In Sunday's win over the Jets, it was a rookie RB - not Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski - who carried the offensive load for New England. Now a vital piece of the Patriots' offense, Sony Michel could be integral to New England's playoff outlook. |
| - Have Cardinals quit on their coach? Arizona's 45-10 loss in Los Angeles might have been its worst loss of the season . Worse than losing the opener at home to Washington by 18 points, the 34-0 bludgeoning by the Rams, the 45-10 drubbing at home to the Broncos and last week's loss to the Raiders. |
| - 49ers cut player arrested on domestic violence charge: Linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested Saturday night on suspicion of domestic battery. On Sunday, the 49ers released the 2017 first-round draft pick. |
Q&A: Get your NFL questions answered! |
| Each week, USA TODAY Sports' NFL experts answer questions from you, the fans of the NFL. |
| Submit your question either through our Facebook group, The Ruling Off the Field, or here (be sure to leave your name!). Then, make sure to check the Friday edition of this newsletter to see if your question got answered! |
Week 12 rundown |
| Vikings 24, Packers 17: The Vikings scored a very important win while at the same time further damaging the playoff hopes of their division rival. |
| Broncos 24, Steelers 17: Ben Roethlisberger's costly interception late in the loss to the Broncos could have major playoff implications down the road. |
| Colts 27, Dolphins 24: Indianapolis pushed its winning streak to five games after some late-game heroics from Andrew Luck. |
| Chargers 45, Cardinals 10: Philip Rivers was unstoppable, as the Chargers quarterback broke two NFL records and tied another. |
| Browns 35, Bengals 20: The Bengals were punked by the Browns, who are in the AFC playoff race after Thanksgiving. |
| Bills 24, Jaguars 21: Josh Allen's return gave the Bills a boost, and had Jalen Ramsey putting his foot in his mouth. |
| Patriots 27, Jets 13: New England might have finally found its offensive identity in Sunday's win. |
| Ravens 34, Raiders 17: Lamar Jackson was back doing when he does best, using his scrambling ability to befuddle opposing defenses. |
| Seahawks 30, Panthers 27: As far as playoff tiebreakers go, this come-from-behind win for Seattle in Carolina could be huge down the line. |
| Eagles 25, Giants 22: With games coming up against the Redskins and Cowboys, the Eagles might have saved their season with this victory. |
| Buccaneers 27, 49ers 9: Jameis Winston made the most of his first start in a month. |
| Bears 23, Lions 16 (Thursday): Eddie Jackson's pick six delivered the Lions' fourth loss in five games. |
| Cowboys 31, Redskins 23 (Thursday): Amari Cooper had his best game with the Cowboys, who improved to 3-1 since the trade with the Raiders for the receiver. |
| Saints 31, Falcons 17 (Thursday): Drew Brees' four touchdown passes went to four different players whose NFL careers started as undrafted free agents. |
Join the conversation in our NFL Facebook group! |
 | | The Ruling Off the Field - USA TODAY Sports NFL Facebook group logo | | USA TODAY | |
| If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join The Ruling Off the Field to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Don't forget to send in questions to our experts . We'll answer them in Friday's 4th & Monday newsletter! |
Eyes on the (fantasy) prize |
| With the fantasy football playoffs looming, here are some options to add to your roster: |
| With Melvin Gordon's status up in the air, Chargers running back Austin Ekeler becomes the primary waiver wire target this week in fantasy leagues where he's available. Ekeler just had his best game of the season - with 103 total yards, 10 receptions and a touchdown. |
| Jets wide receiver Jermaine Kearse caught six of his 12 targets from Josh McCown for 66 yards and a touchdown. Regardless of whether the Jets have McCown or Sam Darnold at quarterback, Kearse should be the top option. |
| And even though he hasn't been active all season because of a neck injury, Patriots running back Rex Burkhead is eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 13. He could be a rushing/receiving threat out of the backfield down the stretch. |
| MORE: Week 12 takeaways, plus the Broad Shoulders Award |
Coming this week |
| Monday: Week 12 concludes when the Houston Texans host the Tennessee Titans in an AFC South showdown with playoff implications (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN). The Texans - who are riding a seven-game win streak - will take the field just three days after team owner Bob McNair passed away. |
| Tuesday: USA TODAY Sports' NFL experts update their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 12. Don't agree with our rankings? Speak up! Submit your own rankings to tell us where our experts got it wrong with our NFL Fan Power Rankings. |
| Thursday: The Dallas Cowboys host the New Orleans Saints (8:20 p.m. ET on FOX, NFL Network and Prime Video) to kick off Week 13. The Cowboys have won three in a row to take over first place in the NFC East, while the Saints are riding a 10-game win streak. Before Thursday's game, make sure to visit USA TODAY Sports to check out our expert picks for every Week 13 game. |
| Want to keep this conversation going? Head to Facebook, and/or give a Twitter follow to your friendly neighborhood USA TODAY Sports football guy who put together this newsletter, @jimreineking. |
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