NFL Week 12 winners and losers: Jaguars stay in first, Mac Jones benched (again), Tommy DeVito celebrates

26/11/2023

Here are all the winners and losers from Sunday afternoon's action in the NFL

The NFL’s Thanksgiving slate on Thursday and Friday was a biz of a snoozer thanks to four lopsided games and all of that tryptophan in the turkey.

The Detroit Lions looked like the Lions of old in a loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys’ rout of the Washington Commanders will be best remembered for Dolly Parton’s halftime show, the Seattle Seahawks were no match for the San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Jets introduced the “Fail Mary” into their NFL vernacular during a loss to the Miami Dolphins in the league’s first Black Friday game.

On Sunday, the 11-game slate featured much more competitive matchups and intriguing finishes.

Here are all the winners and losers from Sunday’s afternoon action in the NFL…

Winner: Josh Allen, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the crossbar

The Jacksonville Jaguars held on for a 24-21 win over the Houston Texans by a matter of inches. And it was linebacker Josh Allen who helped create that gap.

Allen sacked Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud twice on the final drive, the first for a loss of 15 yards and the other, during which he combined with Travon Walker, for a loss of nine. The Texans ultimately ended up attempting a potential game-tying 58-yard field goal with 34 seconds remaining and Matt Ammendola’s kick hit the crossbar to end the game.

The Texans were this close to tying the game on a 58-yard field goal. #JAXvsHOU pic.twitter.com/w5P2AAg2Nj

— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2023

With the win, the Jaguars remained atop the AFC South at 8-3 and avenged their 20-point loss to the now 6-5 Texans earlier this season.

Loser: Matt Ammendola

A potential C.J. Stroud comeback story was a few pages short.

The Houston Texans rookie quarterback nearly helped erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit but Matt Ammendola’s 58-yard field goal attempt with roughly 30 seconds remaining struck the crossbar to give the Jacksonville Jaguars a 24-21 victory.

Ammendola also missed a 50-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. Not exactly a chip shot on either attempt by any means but missing both proved to be the difference between winning and losing…and between first place and second place. Stroud threw for over 300 passing yards for the fourth-straight game and nearly orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback.

Winner: First-place Atlanta Falcons?

Only one team in the NFC South was victorious in Week 12: the Atlanta Falcons.

That doesn’t mean it was a pretty win, but it was a win, nonetheless. And it put the Falcons in first place with a record of just 5-6.

The Falcons snapped a three-game losing streak with a 24-15 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Jessie Bates III had a 92-yard interception return to put the Falcons on the board late in the first quarter. Bijan Robinson’s two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, helped the Falcons take a 21-12 lead. Quarterback Desmond Ridder got the start but threw two interceptions in Saints territory, one of which was in the red zone. Still, he did enough to get the win.

Loser: Jake Browning and the Cincinnati Bengals

Such is life without Joe Burrow.

The Bengals offense struggled under Burrow’s replacement Jake Browning in a 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, mustering just 222 total yards. Browning, who took over as starting quarterback with Burrow set for season-ending wrist surgery, competed 19 of 26 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Following Browning’s third-quarter red zone interception, the Steelers went down field for a go-ahead touchdown. The ensuing Bengals possession then came to an end when forced to punt after Browning ran into a sack. Browning very much resembled a backup quarterback, but it wasn’t exactly a banner day for the Bengals defense.

Cincinnati was outscored by one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the league as the Steelers had more than 400 yards of total offense for the first time in 58 games.

Loser: Mac Jones and the New England Patriots

Mac Jones starts games but doesn’t always finish them.

For the fourth time this season, and for the second-consecutive game, the New England Patriots quarterback was replaced during a game by backup Bailey Zappe. Bill Belichick elected to give Jones the start Sunday despite having benched him late in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ Week 10 loss after Jones threw an interception that thwarted a potential go-ahead drive.

Jones then struggled in the first half on Sunday against the New York Giants, throwing two interceptions as the Patriots were shut out. His second pick, which came as the Patriots were approaching the red zone, set up the Giants’ only touchdown of the half. Jones attempted to throw the ball rather than take a sack and the pass went directly to Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke, who returned it to the Patriots’ 26-yard line.

Bobby Okereke has the @Giants second INT of the half📺: #NEvsNYG on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/1dOevJjoZZ pic.twitter.com/5y1Ytmcgvr

— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2023

Jones was replaced at the start of the second half by Zappe, who completed his first six passes during an 11-play, 60-yard drive that was capped with Rhamondre Stevenson’s seven-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7-7. But it would be the only points the Pats put on the scoreboard as Chad Ryland missed what would have been a game-tying 35-yard field goal with seconds remaining in a 10-7 loss.

Winner: Tommy DeVito and his touchdown celebration

Is there a better touchdown celebration in the NFL? Fuhgeddaboudit!

Tommy DeVito has given the New York Giants reason to celebrate over the last two weeks. The undrafted rookie free agent and New Jersey native earned his first career victory last week and was named the NFL’s rookie of the week. This week he made his first home start, playing just 12 miles from the New Jersey house where the 25-year-old still lives with his parents.

DeVito completed 17 of 25 passes, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins in the Giants’ 10-7 victory over the New England Patriots. He and his family celebrated the occasion and the touchdown with what has become DeVito’s trademark Italian “finger purse” hand gesture.

Tommy DeVito has arrived 🤌🤌🤌 pic.twitter.com/I14yk2HfXW

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 26, 2023

Tommy DeVito's family turning up for his first start at home 🤣🤌
(via @NFLonFOX)pic.twitter.com/TCCjjmpsY9

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 26, 2023