Conclusions in the NFL after the Week 12 game day

The first batch of Sunday games had some exciting duels, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts showdown that went down to the wire. Running back Leonard Fournette won the game for Tampa Bay in the final minute with his fourth touchdown of the day. The Colts’ main competition for the AFC South crown, the Tennessee Titans, fell to the New England Patriots, who continue to impress with rookie quarterback Mac Jones.

The Cincinnati Bengals turned on their offense against the Pittsburgh Steelers, scoring 41 points. The Miami Dolphins won their fourth straight game to move to 5-7, while the New York Giants shocked the Philadelphia Eagles. The Atlanta Falcons offense finally reached the diagonals and the New York Jets defeated the Houston Texans.

In the evening games, the Green Bay Packers handed the Los Angeles Rams their third consecutive loss, the Denver Broncos overcame the Los Angeles Chargers in a duel between AFC West rivals, and the San Francisco 49ers rolled over the Minnesota Vikings.

In the nightcap, the Baltimore Ravens overcame four interceptions by Lamar Jackson after their defense held off Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns.

The Seattle Seahawks and Washington do not appear on the list because they face each other later on Monday Night Football, nor do the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals who have their bye week.

NFL Nation reporters react to it all, with key takeaways and lingering questions from this week’s action and what it all means for the future:

Cleveland Browns
What you should know: This Browns offense officially sucks. Despite a valiant defensive effort against the Ravens, Cleveland couldn’t overcome another inept performance on offense. Even with one last chance late in the fourth quarter, Baker Mayfield and company went four-and-out, making Baltimore the first team since 2013 to win even after their quarterback threw four interceptions. Since Oct. 10, the Browns have scored more than 17 points just once. As a result, their once-promising playoff hopes are fading fast.

Can the Browns make the playoffs? Mathematically, sure. But the Browns will probably have to win four of their last five games to have a chance. And every game left on Cleveland’s schedule is against another playoff contender. At this point in the season, the Browns are what they are. And with this offense in shambles, they are no longer a serious playoff contender.– Jake Trotter

Baltimore Ravens
What you should know: The Ravens control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. In what has been a revolving door at the top of the conference, Baltimore now takes the top spot with six games remaining, though this team has been more resilient than dominant. Last week, the Ravens won without quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was sidelined with an illness. On Sunday night, Baltimore won despite Jackson. The Ravens found a way to overcome Jackson’s four career worst interceptions, becoming the first team in the last seven seasons to win when their starting quarterback was intercepted four or more times (Teams had a 0-37 record since 2015). This game was won by the Ravens’ defense, which slowed down the NFL’s best ground attack and forced two turnovers.

What is going on with this Ravens offense? The Ravens have gone from explosive to slow. Baltimore has only scored two offensive touchdowns in Jackson’s last two games. This was a team that had led the NFL in touchdowns the past two seasons at 31.2 points per game. But the Ravens are struggling to get into the red zone these days because of Jackson’s turnovers and lack of consistent production from their running backs. Jackson threw three interceptions on his final five first-half passes Sunday night and has thrown 12 interceptions this season, which is three more than any of his previous three campaigns. Outside of Jackson’s 13-yard touchdown delivery, this was another performance to forget for the offense.

Can the season be saved? Mathematically yes. The Steelers have a 5-5-1 record with six games to play, including three against AFC North opponents. But realistically, the road to the playoffs is getting tougher. The Steelers have been going in the wrong direction since nearly allowing the Bears to come back in a two-point victory on Monday Night Football. After that, the Steelers tied a winless Lions this year and lost to the Chargers. But with so many players sick and injured in the last two weeks, it has been difficult to gauge the true level of the team. However, against the Bengals, the Steelers were closer to having their full roster than they have been in weeks. And yet, their decline accelerated. With games against the Ravens, Vikings, Titans and Chiefs on the horizon, the Steelers are running out of time to stop their slide.

Cincinnati Bengals
What you should know: The Bengals took the lead in the race to end their six-year playoff drought by beating the Steelers with a blowout win at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati led 31-3 at halftime, correctly indicating the competitiveness of Sunday’s game. Even though Cincinnati was in playoff spots going into the weekend, the win over the Steelers creates a bit of separation and is a result that could prove invaluable as the schedule gets tougher in December.

Is Joe Mixon currently the team’s top offensive weapon? Yes. After all the talk about the team’s aerial game and rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s strong start to the season, the ground game has been the key to the Bengals’ two straight wins after their bye week. Cincinnati leaned on Mixon early in Sunday’s win, and he responded with his most effective half of the season. Mixon had a personal-best 117 first-half ground yards and finished the game with 165 total on 28 carries. Mixon should have a reliable usage rate the rest of the season as the Bengals continue their playoff push.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What you should know: Bucs running back Leonard Fournette beat the Colts defense on a 28-yard carry with 20 seconds to play to seal the win in Indianapolis, overcoming a slow start as a visitor that has plagued them all season. Fournette had 131 yards on 24 touches with four touchdowns on a day when quarterback Tom Brady struggled to find his rhythm and turned the ball over twice, leaving the locker room in the first half down 24-14. In the second half, the defense caught fire. Outside linebacker Shaq Barrett made a direct catch against Colts quarterback Carson Wentz, deep Antoine Winfield Jr. anticipated Wentz on a handoff to Michael Pittman Jr. wide receiver Scotty Miller recovered a lost clearance by Nyheim Hines and corner Pierre Desir sealed the win with an interception in the end zone as time expired.

Where are the Bucs in the playoff conversation? The Saints lost to the Bills, 31-6, to take a 5-6 record and tie with the Panthers, so the Bucs have breathing room in the NFC South. In terms of their seeding, because the Cowboys lost to the Raiders, 36-33, to fall to a 7-4 record and lost to the Bucs in their Week 1 head-to-head matchup, the Bucs would still be the third seed and the Rams would still be the fifth seed because the Cardinals (9-2) are on track to win the NFC West. But the Bucs need to take at least the No. 2 seed to secure home-field advantage for two rounds in the playoffs (assuming they win in the Wild Card Round). The No. 3 seed is guaranteed a home game during the playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts
What you should know: The Colts had the Buccaneers and the rest of the NFL right where they wanted them. Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champs were down 10 points in the third quarter with the Colts knocking on the door to increase their lead stopped running the ball and protecting it. The Colts dropped back to throw 27 straight and, thanks in part to two interceptions and five total turnovers, were quickly overmatched and their playoff aspirations took a substantial hit. The Buccaneers entered Sunday with the NFL’s toughest ground defense (78.4 yards per game), but the Colts had the league’s leading rusher in Jonathan Taylor and one of the best offensive lines. Coach Frank Reich’s stubbornness to have Carson Wentz drop back to throw 27 straight times between the end of the first half and early in the fourth quarter went against his coaching style of leaning on the ground game, and it cost the Colts.

Can the Colts make the playoffs relying more on Wentz’s arm than Taylor’s legs? No. They proved it Sunday when they abandoned the ground game for most of the second half and went from being up 24-14 to losing 31-24. Indianapolis’ best chance to make the playoffs rests with Taylor.

Carolina Panthers
What you should know: Cam Newton asked everyone to “support” him and “trust” him after last week’s loss to Washington. There wasn’t much to trust on Sunday. If anything, Newton proved he might not be the Panthers’ long-term solution. The 32-year-old quarterback looked more like the player who lost his last eight starts for Carolina. He was indecisive, inaccurate and sloppy. He completed 5 of 21 pass attempts for 92 yards with two interceptions for a passer rating of 5.8.

What changes should the Panthers make during their bye week? They don’t have many options in terms of players, although an ankle injury to Christian McCaffrey could force something at the running back position. And an argument could be made that P.J. Walker is the best option at quarterback after Newton’s disastrous day. Maybe it’s time to look to the coaching staff. Carolina (5-7) looked unprepared in its second straight loss, which could have ended any playoff hopes. Players continued to make mistakes and inopportune penalties, and that falls on the coaches.