Monday 28 November 2016 12:39, UK
We are now at the business end of the NFL season and each result takes on added significance for those who are chasing the 12 spots in the January play-offs.
There were several key games played on Sunday as we were back in the Sky Sports studios for another thrilling eight hours of live American football action.
And we were treated to some high drama and more spectacular plays than you can shake a stick at!
Catches win matches
In all my years covering the NFL, I have never seen a night quite like Sunday for the sheer number of spectacular, breath-taking catches around the league. We had two on Atlanta's opening drive as they went on to beat Arizona 38-19, and we were off-and-running.
As the night unfolded, the big catches were reeled in from sea to shining sea and, more often than not, the players making the grabs (there are too many to name individually) were being quite well defended. But the quarterbacks were simply putting the ball up where only their guy could get it and letting the receivers win contested throws. And the receivers were putting their bodies on the line, leaping, twisting and falling hard after the grabs.
Towards the second half of the 9.25pm game on Sundays, we normally start to compile top five plays of the week lists to roll out later in the show - rushing, passing and defence/special teams. In the end, we simply gave up with that task for passing plays and must have shown close to 20 stupendous receptions.
Hats off to the receivers of the NFL - you put on quite a show in Week 12.
The OBJ Factor?
I find it fitting that Week 12 marked the two-year anniversary of Odell Beckham Jr's jaw-dropping and life-changing one-handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys. The receivers of the NFL certainly paid their respects with their inspirational performances on Sunday.
Beckham Jr also got in on the act as he scored twice to help the New York Giants record a 27-13 victory over the 0-12 Cleveland Browns. OBJ has now scored eight touchdowns in his last seven games and the Giants have won six in a row to improve to 8-3 on the year.
With Beckham Jr and Eli Manning clicking on offence and the defence making more big plays as the season unfolds, not many are going to want to face the Giants come play-off time.
Bucs deliver another upset
The Falcons improved to 7-4 with their win over Arizona but they still don't have a lot of room for error in the NFC South - and that's because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sprung another upset with a 14-5 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
The Bucs jumped out into an early lead behind fast-developing young quarterback Jameis Winston - and a couple of special Mike Evans catches. And then the defence made that lead stand up, holding the Seahawks to a safety and a field goal - and no touchdowns - on a miserable afternoon for Russell Wilson.
The Seahawks quarterback was sacked six times by a marauding Tampa Bay defence, which received some outstanding play from cornerback Alterraun Verner, just two days after his father passed away. This win came a week after Tampa knocked off Kansas City, proving that neither was a fluke. This was supposed to be a year of progress for the Bucs, but at 6-5 we cannot write them out of the play-off race by any means.
Carr and Raiders dig deep
Oakland Raiders' 35-32 win over the Carolina Panthers was one of the more entertaining games of the 2016 season. First it looked like the Raiders couldn't lose, then it looked like there was no way they were going to win and eventually Derek Carr dug deep with some outstanding fourth quarter play to grab the spoils.
This game was a reminder that in-game adjustments can be key in the NFL and when momentum is on your side, you can achieve wonderful things.
Carolina quarterback and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton played the worst first half of his career, completing just three of 12 passes for 18 yards and an interception that was returned for a Raiders touchdown by Khalil Mack. That gave the Silver and Black a 24-7 lead at half-time.
But Newton unloaded touchdown passes covering 88 and 44 yards after the break to put Carolina on top by eight. And then Carr took over the game, mounting his own case to be considered the league's MVP for 2016.
Nursing a nasty hand injury and forced to wear a glove and take every snap out of the shotgun, Carr was spectacular down the stretch and eventually led the Raiders to a touchdown, two-point conversion and late field goal. It was yet another heart-stopping win for Oakland, which has kind of been their mantra in what is shaping up to be a special season.
Could Kap be the answer?
I have been very critical of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick over the years and I still question some of his accuracy, his decision-making and his ability to truly succeed on a week-to-week basis.
But when I look at the numbers he posted in Sunday's 31-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins, I suspect that should be more than enough to win with in the NFL - providing you get a little bit of help from those around you.
Kaepernick played his part as he threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns and added 10 runs for another 113 yards. It was not enough to secure a win as San Francisco lost for the 10th weekend in a row, but it did give me pause for thought.
Hopefully, this is just a 24-hour thing that is going around and then I can revert back to not believing in Kaepernick. But, for now, he looked pretty good to me on Sunday. What is wrong with me?
Thanks to the fans!
For my final offering on Week 12 I want to go back to Thursday night when we had NFL fans join us in the studio for coverage of the Thanksgiving Day games. Thanks for all those who came and joined us - and for those who offered positive reviews on Twitter.
It was a lot of fun having fans in the studio and I hope this is something we can explore further in the future. It certainly added to the overall energy in the building and fingers crossed we can get more of you along in the future.
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