• Mahomes Magic for the Chiefs: The Chiefs' star quarterback was excellent against the Panthers, carrying them to victory.
• Seahawks defense shows up: The Seahawks defense showed some resilience against the Cardinals.
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Cleveland Browns 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 19
Why the Browns won: Myles Garrett was the star of the show on the night, racking up eight total pressures and three sacks while earning an 81.6 pass-rushing grade. However, the Browns had 28 total pressures, and Dalvin Tomlinson led the way with 10 pressures, while Jordan Hicks added a fourth sack for the defense. The pass rush was a force and disrupted Russell Wilson while beating up the Steelers' offensive line.
Why the Steelers lost: The defense gave up a healthy 12.2 yards per reception, with Jameis Winston completing 18-of-27 pass attempts for 217 yards. Joey Porter Jr. recorded a 39.4 coverage grade, allowing five catches for 52 yards, while safety DeShon Elliott permitted four catches for 75 yards. Winston targeted the hot hands and took advantage of the matchups, and the Steelers had a poor night in coverage.
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Detroit Lions 24, Indianapolis Colts 6
Why the Lions won: The Lions dominated the time of possession, and ran 23 more offensive plays than the Colts. They just kept finding ways to move the ball, and it started with the run game. Jahmyr Gibbs carried the load with 90 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, earning a 78.9 grade. Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 127 yards, three touchdowns and eight missed tackles forced between them.
Why the Colts lost: The 10 penalties called against the Colts didn’t help, but the Lions found ways to disrupt Anthony Richardson in the pocket and put him under pressure, which forced him off his game and shut the Colts’ passing game down. Richardson was pressured on 43.3% of his dropbacks and completed just 1-of-12 such attempts for nine yards, averaging 0.8 yards per attempt. The second-year QB was credited with two turnover-worthy plays, generating a 37.9 overall grade when pressured.
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Kansas City Chiefs 30, Carolina Panthers 27
Why the Chiefs won: Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times by the Panthers, but he diced up the defense when he was kept clean. The Chiefs quarterback was kept clean on 72.3% of his dropbacks and completed 25-of-33 pass attempts for 221 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for 14 first downs. His 83.4 overall grade in pocket was excellent, proving that you can’t give the best quarterback in the business time to work.
Why the Panthers lost: The Panthers were plagued by the Chiefs hitting on explosive plays throughout the game. The defense allowed 10 total explosive plays, with Kansas City averaging 5.8 yards per play. The big moment came on a Mahomes 33-yard scramble to set up the game-winning field goal, but the Chiefs picked up chunk yards all game.
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Minnesota Vikings 30, Chicago Bears 27
Why the Vikings won: Sam Darnold notched five big-time throws against the Bears, but it was in play-action where he and the offense really shone. Darnold completed 7-of-10 play-action pass attempts for 181 yards and a touchdown, adding three big-time throws and averaging 18.1 yards per attempt. The Vikings were able to rip big plays down the field thanks to the space created through play action, which culminated in a 93.8 overall grade for Darnold.
Why the Bears lost: The Bears leaned on Caleb Williams for most of the game, but there was no balance due to a real lack of rushing attack. The Bears averaged 3.5 yards per attempt, rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown. Williams led the team with 33 yards, but running back duo D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson just couldn’t effectively move the ball, with Swift averaging 2.3 yards per carry.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30, New York Giants 7
Why the Buccaneers won: The Buccaneers utilized rookie running back Bucky Irving to full effect. Irving rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries while forcing four missed tackles and breaking off a huge 56-yard rush. But, he was just as prominent in the passing game, catching a team-high six passes for 64 yards and earning a 90.5 receiving grade. Todd Bowles knew he had to get the ball to the hot hand, and Irving continued to show why he can be a real force.
Why the Giants lost: The Giants’ offensive line has been up and down all season, and the unit could do little to protect new starting quarterback Tommy DeVito against the Buccaneers’ pass rush. The offensive line allowed 18 pressures and five sacks in the game, with stand-in left tackle Chris Hubbard surrendering seven pressures and posting a 36.7 pass-blocking grade.
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Miami Dolphins 34, New England Patriots 15
Why the Dolphins won: The Miami offense is at its best when Tua Tagovailoa is getting the ball out fast and on time. On average, Tagovailoa threw after an average of 2.21 seconds, and that contributed to a strong game from the Dolphins’ offensive line. The unit allowed just seven pressures and zero sacks in the game.
Why the Patriots lost: The Dolphins blitzed Drake Maye on 32.6% of his dropbacks, but the rookie quarterback struggled whenever those looks came around. Maye earned a 72.1 passing grade when he wasn’t blitzed, but his overall grade dropped to 40.8 when the Dolphins sent extra rushers. Maye averaged just 2.6 yards per attempt and threw an interception on 15 blitzed dropbacks, completing just 6-of-12 pass attempts.
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Tennessee Titans 32, Houston Texans 27
Why the Titans won: Will Levis recorded his third-highest passing grade of the season against the Texans (64.6), and it was in the play-action game where he and the Titans were able to make their mark. Levis completed 7-of-8 pass attempts for 130 yards and a touchdown in play-action dropbacks, earning an 82.5 overall grade.
Why the Texans lost: The Texans offense has struggled when there hasn’t been a consistent running game, and the Titans swallowed up Joe Mixon on Sunday. Mixon carried the ball 14 times for 22 yards and averaged just 1.6 yards per attempt. Without that threat on the ground, the Texans offense was too one-dimensional.
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Dallas Cowboys 34, Washington Commanders 26
Why the Cowboys won: The Cowboys defense has shown signs of life since Micah Parsons returned from injury. The defense pressured Jayden Daniels 22 times on Sunday and sacked the rookie quarterback four times. Parsons earned three pressures, while DeMarvion Overshown and Osa Odighizuwa combined for 11 pressures.
Why the Commanders lost: The Commanders' running game struggled outside of what Daniels gave the team. Daniels averaged 10.6 yards per attempt and led the team with 74 yards, but Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson combined for 35 yards on 14 attempts while averaging just 2.5 yards per attempt. That put more of a load on Daniels’ back, and the Cowboys defense took over from there.
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Denver Broncos 29, Las Vegas Raiders 19
Why the Broncos won: The Broncos defense has been exceptional all season, and the unit beat up a struggling Raiders offense. The Denver pass rush tallied a season-high 36 pressures and added seven sacks. Fourteen separate defenders earned a pressure, while seven different rushers tallied a sack. It was a strong performance from all over.
Why the Raiders lost: The Raiders gave up 10 explosive plays against the Broncos but specifically struggled against the pass. Bo Nix completed 4-of-7 throws of over 20 yards for 91 yards and a touchdown, but the Raiders’ secondary allowed eight explosive pass plays for a total of 182 yards. Chunk plays beat defenses, and it proved significant in Las Vegas’ loss.
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Seattle Seahawks 16, Arizona Cardinals 6
Why the Seahawks won: This was an all-around exceptional performance from the Seahawks defense. Seattle amassed 23 total pressures and sacked Kyler Murray five times, with Leonard Williams tallying seven pressures. But, the unit was just as potent against the run, holding the Cardinals to just 49 rushing yards and earning 10 defensive stops. Altogether, Seattle totaled 20 stops.
Why the Cardinals lost: Kyler Murray earned a 90.2 grade from a clean pocket, but the Seahawks pressured him on 39.5% of his dropbacks — and his grade in a pressured pocket dropped to 26.7 overall. On those pressured dropbacks, Murray completed just 2-of-11 pass attempts for 29 yards and an interception and was sacked five times.
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Green Bay Packers 38, San Francisco 49ers 10
Why the Packers won: The Packers were effective on the ground against the 49ers, with Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson combining for 147 yards on 35 attempts, with Jacobs adding three rushing touchdowns. The Packers’ running back duo both registered an explosive rush, while Jacobs forced 12 missed tackles and compiled an 80.2 rushing grade.
Why the 49ers lost: The 49ers defense was extremely sloppy against the Packers, especially against the run. The defense permitted 147 yards in the game but glaringly missed 14 tackles in run defense. Fred Warner, who is one of the best linebackers in the NFL, accounted for four missed tackles, while the team missed 20 in total against the run and pass. Week 12 proved an uncharacteristic performance when it was needed least.
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Philadelphia Eagles 37, Los Angeles Rams 20
Why the Eagles won: Saquon Barkley. The answer is obvious. Barkley put together one of the most dominant running back performances ever, rushing for 255 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts, averaging 9.8 yards per carry and adding another 47 receiving yards. Barkley earned an 87.9 overall grade and forced four missed tackles while averaging six yards after contact per attempt.
Why the Rams lost: Matthew Stafford turned in a strong performance against the Eagles defense but suffered when Philadelphia pressured him. The Rams quarterback was sacked five times, and his grade dropped to 28.4 overall when pressured. He was pressured on 31% of his dropbacks, completing just 1-of-7 pass attempts, and averaged 1.1 yards per attempt while getting sacked five times when pressured.
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Baltimore Ravens 30, Los Angeles Chargers 23
Why the Ravens won: The Chargers did a number on Lamar Jackson to shut down his scrambling, but they couldn’t account for the entire rushing attack. Derrick Henry carried the ball 24 times for 140 yards and had 101 yards after contact. Henry just finds ways to beat defenders, and he earned a 90.1 grade and had four rushes for over 10 yards, while Justice Hill scored on a 51-yard touchdown run. The entire offense is great, but it’s the rushing attack that took over.
Why the Chargers lost: The Chargers' passing game wasn’t at its best on Monday night, and couldn’t take advantage of a struggling Ravens defense. Justin Herbert played a solid game and earned a 76.6 grade, but he suffered from four dropped passes on the night. The Chargers had a drop rate of 16%, their highest of the season, and former first-round pick Quentin Johnston dropped three passes in the game, including on a wide-open third down conversion. Opportunities to capitalize and create big plays on offense were squandered.
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