Week 12 is in the books. The Eagles are in the driver’s seat. They were the first team to clinch a playoff berth last season and went to the Super Bowl. Two years back, the Green Bay Packers clinched first, yet lost in the divisional round, at home. Philadephia will have to wait a week or two more to clinch this year. The 49ers are coming to town this weekend and they need a few other things to happen first.
In the other conference, the AFC North is still holding the most spots, but that can switch with the AFC South creeping up on them. Take this all with a grain of salt. It’s only Week 12. With the recent expansion to 17 games and seven playoff spots, anything can happen in the 2023 NFL season.
AFC – Week 12
East
🏈🏈 Miami Dolphins: (8-3) #4 seed. Still haven’t beaten a real contender.
Buffalo Bills: (6-6) Brutal loss. Those are the games you must win to make the playoffs. Will be tough to climb above .500.
New York Jets: (4-7) Imagine if this team had a healthy Aaron Rodgers all season.
New England Patriots: (2-9) Belichick has six more post-game pressers to go. He knows how to tank a game better than his old coaches in New York.
North
🏈🏈 Baltimore Ravens: (9-3) #1 seed. Road is not easy, but division should be theirs.
🏈 Pittsburgh Steelers: (7-4) #5 seed. Defense. Defense. Easy road to Tomlin’s 20th consecutive non-losing season.
🏈 Cleveland Browns: (7-4) #6 seed. Can Flacco save the season?
Cincinnati Bengals: (5-6) If only they had given the superstar QB the rest he needed in the early weeks. Oh well, live and learn.
South
🏈🏈 Jacksonville Jaguars: (8-3) #3 seed. Playing football at top level. Lawrence and Ridley finally finding their stride.
🏈 Indianapolis Colts: (6-5) #7 seed. Came out of bye week and finished another game strong. Playoff-bound.
Houston Texans: (6-5) Rookie looked frustrated and disappointed in loss. Let’s see how he shakes off adversity.
Tennessee Titans: (4-7) Can play spoiler in upcoming weeks, besides that, season is over.
West
🏈🏈 Kansas City Chiefs: (8-3) #2 seed. Not much in their way, except Hollywood distractions.
Denver Broncos: (6-5) From 1-5 to …
Las Vegas Raiders: (5-7) Back down to reality. They are not good.
Los Angeles Chargers: (4-7) It’s time! You know what you need to do.
NFC – Week 12
East
🏈🏈 Philadelphia Eagles: (10-1) #1 seed. They always find a way. 49ers come to town next week.
🏈 Dallas Cowboys: (8-3) #5 seed. Beat up another “B” team. Competition now begins through December.
New York Giants: (4-8) Belichick yet again flexed and outsmarted his old foolish coach on the tank. Fire the whole staff.
Washington Commanders: (4-8) Same thing year in and year out.
North
🏈🏈 Detroit Lions: (8-3) #3 seed. Did they peak too early?
🏈 Minnesota Vikings: (6-6) #7 seed. Back-to-back losses with the bye coming up. Some questions need to be answered during the rest week.
Green Bay Packers: (5-6) Love finally showed flashes of being a starting QB. Let’s see how he follows it up.
Chicago Bears: (4-8) QB showcasing for new club.
South
🏈🏈 Atlanta Falcons: (5-6) #4 seed. Arthur Smith woke up and gave their top 10 pick the ball.
New Orleans Saints: (5-6) Awful. Trick play offense only good for five FGs as they couldn’t convert in a game that was handed to them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (4-7) Doesn’t make sense. They are right there, but can never get to the finish line.
Carolina Panthers: (1-10) Every loss helps the Bears.
NFC West
🏈🏈 San Francisco 49ers: (8-3) #2 seed. Defense held on. Best team in football when healthy.
🏈 Seattle Seahawks: (6-5) #6 seed. The road is tough through December. Can’t figure out which team will show up year-after-year. Cowboys next in their make-or-break part of the schedule.
Los Angeles Rams: (5-6) Still can’t count them out.
Arizona Cardinals: (2-10) Time to just finish the season healthy. Kyler has shown that he is the player to build around.
Thank you for reading my NFL Week 12 article. Our NFL page is your premier destination for all things this NFL season. Head to my Belly Up Sports Page and follow me on Twitter. For NFL and all other sports articles go to Belly Up Sports. Featured image credit Cooper Neill/Getty Images.
