Week 12, or Thanksgiving week was one of the most unique weeks this season. We witnessed great successes (Tyreek Hill’s monster game) and great failures (Kendall Hinton’s attempt to play QB). The Titans ran over the Indianapolis Colts and the Steelers got a somewhat easy win against the Baltimore Ravens. Let’s see how our featured players performed this week.
How far can Philip Rivers lead the Colts?
Answer: Only as far as his defense and run game can. Philip Rivers regressed significantly in his last season with the Bolts. This season surely isn’t Rivers’ best but no one really knew how good he was. The Colts have, in my opinion, the second-best defense in the NFL. Their run-the-hot-hand run game hasn’t been particularly nice to fantasy owners of Nyhiem Hines and Johnathan Taylor, but it has surely worked for the Colts. The Colts were unable to stop Derrick Henry (but then again no one can), and their run game just couldn’t get going. This forced Rivers to throw the ball around 66% of the time. This may not seem too bad, but for a team that has a strong running game and passes on less than 50% of their offensive plays, it shows that something didn’t go well.
Can Brady prove he’s still a dominant force in the NFL?
Answer: Nope, he did the opposite. There’s so much hype about Tyreek Hill’s 200-yard game that people forget a very important fact. The Buccaneers kept up with the Chief’s offense. And it makes me wonder if this was a winnable game for Tampa Bay. The two interceptions thrown by Brady could have been the deciding factor in this football game. Brady, who was so reliable in New England, seems to be on a turnover spree in his new home. Brady has thrown 11 interceptions already, and the last time he threw for more than 11 was way back in 2011. Perhaps Bellichick really was what made the Patriots tick.
How will Kendall Hinton fare in his first NFL start?
Answer: Bad, like really BAD. I have to cut Hinton some slack, it’s tough having to play QB with less than a week’s notice. But Hinton’s numbers of 1/9 for 13 yards, 2 interceptions, and understandably no touchdowns, just seem off. It’s not as though Hinton has never played QB. He played QB in high school and also in his freshman year of college at Wake Forest. I wasn’t expecting anything special, but it seems like the Broncos should’ve just stuck with their emergency QB, Royce Freeman. I mean he can’t be much worse.
That’s it for this article. Check back before Sunday’s game to know all that you need to watch for in the Week 13 matchups.
