The NFL Roundup 2017: Week 12 - What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Ben Margot/Associated Press)

There is only one word that keeps coming to mind when I think about this past weekend of football, and that word is…wow. Because in between the unexpected upsets and unexpected unsportsmanlike conduct, this was a weekend filled to the brim with surprise after surprise. So, with this much to talk about, let’s not waste any more time today, and get right down discussing what we learned from Week 12 in the NFL.
 
The league is more or less done with on field fighting.
Look I get it. The men that play this game are passionate and prideful and will defend their squad to the bitter end. But too many players this season have taken their passion too far and we’ve seen quite the rash of ejections because of it, and clearly the league has had enough. Because following the Talib/Crabtree fight on Sunday, the NFL handed down quite the nasty punishment for their altercation by suspending both of them for two games and when all is said and done, while the NFL may be imperfect when it comes its punishment system, this is one of the times where they’ve gotten it right. Talib and Crabtree conducted themselves in stupid fashion and are paying the proper price for their actions and hopefully, this finally sends the message to every player in the league that if you’re looking for revenge, settle the matter on the field and on the scoreboard.
 
Dak Prescott is hitting a sophomore slump after all.
It really seemed as though early on in this season that Dak was going to enter his second year in the league without missing a beat and I’m one of many who firmly believed that the sophomore slump was simply not going to happen for the young man, and lo and behold, I was totally wrong. He’s clearly regressed in his play, and for proof look no further than his last two games where he’s thrown five interceptions and seen his accuracy go all over the place and to top it off, he seems confused and frustrated on the field and all of this has spelled disaster for the Cowboys. Which means that if Dallas wants to finish their season on a high note, the coaches need to get him focused and fast, or this sophomore slump is going to end in further disaster.
 
The Atlanta Falcons appear to be getting their season back on track.
It’s been an ugly year for the Atlanta Falcons. They blew a 25-point lead in the Super Bowl, came out strong to start the season and then blew more games in embarrassing fashion. That kind of stuff wears on a team through and through but it would seem that the Falcons have finally pulled their heads out of the clouds in order to get their season back on track by winning three in a row and this win streak just goes to show that they have finally buried their fear for the time being and are focused on the next play and the execution of that play and if they can stay in that mindset there’s a chance they can head back to the playoffs and potentially wash away the ugly memories of Super Bowl LI.
 
The Los Angeles Rams rebounded in spectacular fashion.
You can always tell a lot about a team when it comes to how they respond to adversity and my goodness, did the Rams respond in epic fashion. Because after being beat down by the Minnesota Vikings on the road, the Rams responded by not letting that loss get under their skin in the slightest. In fact, they used that loss as fuel to propel their team to a hard-fought victory over the surging New Orleans Saints and well, this win was impressive to say the least. Because regardless of what the Saints threw their way, they hung in there and found a way to win and that’s the kind of stuff that takes a team far in the playoffs and I’m fairly certain the Rams will continue to exhibit this kind of grit as the postseason draws near.
 
Brett Hundley came to play on Sunday night.
Admittedly, I’ve been quite critical of Packers QB Brett Hundley, pointing out that he has been quite the disappointment over the past few weeks while filling in for Aaron Rodgers. But, I’m always happy to give credit where credit is due and on Sunday night, Hundley was damn impressive on the field. I don’t know what finally clicked for this young man, or what he did differently in practice, but whatever it was finally made a difference because not only did Hundley complete 65% of his passes and toss for three touchdowns, he commanded that offense, and while I fully understand that there are no moral victories in the NFL and a loss is a loss, there has to be some serious satisfaction when it comes to Packers fans and the Green Bay front office over the fact that Brett Hundley has finally arrived.

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