NFL Week 12 Storylines: Can Packers replicate their 2016 run?

After Thursday’s triple-header on U.S. Thanksgiving that saw the Bills, Cowboys, and Vikings emerge victorious, we’re ready for seconds.

With no teams on bye this week, we have a full plate of football ahead. Here’s a storyline we’re watching in each Week 12 matchup to come.

Texans @ Dolphins | Sunday 1 p.m. ET

At 1-8-1, there awaits the tanking Texans an off-season of many changes. But it looks like we’ll see a fairly significant one this Sunday against the streaking Dolphins, as the team is rumoured to be turning to Kyle Allen at quarterback over season-starter Davis Mills.

Bengals @ Titans | Sunday 1 p.m. ET

The last time these two teams met, with a berth in the AFC Championship on the line, the Titans’ mighty pass rush sacked Joe Burrow a whopping nine times – and yet Burrow and the Bengals still won, on the foot of kicker Evan McPherson.

The Titans are once again finding success this season on the power of Derrick Henry and the strong line play – including a powerful defensive line and pass-rush unit that’s registered 30 sacks so far this season. And the Bengals, once again, haven’t been doing a good enough job of protecting Burrow – he’s been sacked 32 times this season, second most in the league behind Justin Fields.

Broncos @ Panthers | Sunday 1 p.m. ET

Carolina’s quarterback carousel continues this week, with interim head coach Steve Wilks naming Sam Darnold as Sunday’s starter over Baker Mayfield, with P.J. Walker sidelined with injury.

Darnold started 11 games for Carolina last season. The last time the Panthers had a full season with just one starting QB was 2017, Cam Newton’s second-last season with the club. Since then, they’ve had eight different starting QBs (including Newton) and made more than a dozen QB1 changes rotating between them.

Bears @ Jets | Sunday 1 p.m. ET

After a terrible offensive game from Zach Wilson last Sunday and equally offensive remarks post-game, the second-year QB has been benched. Head coach Robert Saleh announced the change Wednesday, saying Wilson’s fundamentals are "really out of whack" but also making it clear this is simply a setback and a learning moment, not a career-ending one.

Wilson, too, spoke on Wednesday, telling reporters he has apologized to the team for his remarks and admitting his play hasn’t been good enough to be the Jets’ starter right now.

"The way that I handled the situation wasn't right,” said Wilson, who also noted the criticism he’d received since Sunday was “deserved.” “I've got to be a better football player and then I've got to be a better leader for these guys. I have an opportunity to turn the page here as a player and a leader."

Backup Mike White gets the start against Chicago.

Falcons @ Commanders | Sunday 1 p.m. ET

Who’d have thought, at the start of the season, that we’d be circling a Week 12 matchup between the Falcons and Commanders as one of the most important games of the week? The surging Commanders, who have won four of their last five since starting 1-4 with Carson Wentz, are currently sitting juuust outside the NFC playoff picture, knocking on the door and waiting for a loss to, say, the Seahawks to let them in.

A win for the Falcons would certainly make things extra interesting as unlike the Commanders, whose only reasonable shot at the playoffs is via a wild card spot, Atlanta is still very much in the mix to steal away the Buccaneers’ hopes of another NFC South division title…

Buccaneers @ Browns | Sunday 1 p.m. ET

Every game is a must-win for Tampa Bay, whose hold on the NFC South crown is slipping. The Browns, meanwhile, haven’t been mathematically ruled out but let’s be honest: There’s a long line of teams waiting to get into the post-season, and Cleveland’s closer to the back of it than the front.

This likely marks the final start for Jacoby Brissett, as Deshaun Watson is expected to make his Browns debut in Week 13 against the Texans following a lengthy layoff and 11-game suspension handed down amid dozens of sexual misconduct allegations.

Ravens @ Jaguars | Sunday 1 p.m. ET

Talk about a well-placed bye week. The Jaguars had a week off after their loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, giving head coach Doug Pederson extra time to gameplan for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, who head into this matchup on a four-game win streak.

His pregame quote ahead of that Chiefs game earlier this month still rings true:

A hip injury held Jackson out of practice on Wednesday, but Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said he doesn't think it'll affect his status as starter for Sunday's game.

Raiders @ Seahawks | Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET

On the eleventh week of the season, the dynamic Raiders offence we all anticipated pre-season finally showed up, with BFFs Derek Carr and Davante Adams connecting on seven throws for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns in an overtime win against the Broncos and their highly rated defence.

They now take on a tough cornerback duo in Seattle, which features lockdown pass defender Michael Jackson and rookie Tariq Woolen, whose five interceptions on the season are second-most league-wide.

Now that they have company at the top of the NFC West, the Seahawks are no longer pacing the division. Every game will be must-win if the wild-card club is to keep up with the streaking 49ers and stave off clubs like the Commanders and Falcons.

Chargers @ Cardinals | Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET

“Dangerous when healthy” should be the tagline for the Chargers, who once again entered the season with grand expectations and once again find themselves on the playoff bubble thanks to a long list of injuries to top players.

Last weekend’s loss to the Chiefs, though, brought a silver lining in the form of a healthy Keenan Allen, whose presence dramatically shifted this offence and brings a boost of hope.

“Dangerous when healthy” can also be applied to the other side of this matchup, as quarterback Kyler Murray returns to the lineup after a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury. But for the 4-7 Cardinals, it’s probably too little, too late.

Saints @ 49ers | Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET

Three straight wins have the 49ers sitting atop the NFC West and looking just about unbeatable, with last Monday’s dominant win over the Cardinals showing us why.

Kyle Shanahan is faced with the best problem in football – too many weapons, and not enough opportunities to feed them all – but against Arizona struck the perfect balance.

But don’t let that distract you from their real foundation: Defence. The unit that hasn’t allowed a single second-half point in three consecutive games.

Rams @ Chiefs | Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET

This time last year, L.A. was 7-3, in the midst of a cold stretch (two November losses and another on the way) but about to heat up again before going on to win it all.

The only thing these Rams, who’ve flipped last year’s record on its head, have in common with last year’s club is the winless November.

And things are only getting worse. News of Matthew Stafford returning to concussion protocol and dealing with a “neck issue” is bleak, and the team’s surprise release of three starters this week tells us they’re already making off-season plans.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, haven’t lost a November game since 2019 and it doesn’t look like that’ll change any time soon.

Packers @ Eagles | Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET

Let's turn the clock back for a minute:

It's 2016, and the Packers are coming off a Week 11 loss to Washington – their fourth straight defeat – and the sky is falling in Green Bay. And then Aaron Rodgers says three magic words that by season's end would prove iconic: Run the table.

"I feel like we can run the table," he said at the time. "I really do."

You know how this story ended, of course. They did run the table, finishing the campaign with six straight wins for a 10-6 record and a playoff berth, where they finished one win shy of a Super Bowl berth.

That win streak started in Week 12 with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles – the team they just happen to face this Sunday night of Week 12.

While the similarities are impossible to ignore, it's also impossible to ignore the differences: This year's Eagles squad is 9-1, not 5-5 like they were in 2016, and this year's Packers team, while sitting at four wins, has an extra loss to their name and a roster far more banged up and with far fewer experienced weapons than the 2016 edition. And then there’s the issue of Rodgers’ broken thumb to deal with.

“When I said it in 2016, how many people actually believed then? Probably not many," Rodgers told reporters this week. "But then we got the first one. Then we came home and got the second one. We beat Seattle, got the third one and I think there was a lot of momentum that started in the locker room and guys started realizing this was a possibility."

Steelers @ Colts | Monday 8:15 p.m. ET

The last time Indianapolis beat Pittsburgh, Jeff Saturday was playing for the Colts, not coaching them. It's been 14 years since that 2008 victory, with all seven matchups since then going the Steelers' way. Mike Tomlin was in his second year as Steelers head coach at the time – a true testament to his longevity as leader of the franchise.

Another testament: Since he first took the helm in 2007, Tomlin’s Steelers have never finished a season with a losing record. The way this season is going, it looks like it’ll be his first – the team will need to be nearly perfect down the stretch to avoid ending his streak of excellence.