NFL: WEEK 12, STATUS REPORT; BRONCOS & CHIEFS
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“SPORTS NOTEBOOK” will continue to post its columns Tuesday and Friday of each week---Ed. & Publ., Marvin Leibstone.
NFL: LAST night, the 10 wins and one loss Houston Texans defeated the four wins and seven losses Detroit Lions, 34-31, becoming this NFL season’s first franchise to own double-digit wins. Now being the winningest 2012 NFL franchise as Week 12 approaches, thus one game up on the 9-1 Atlanta Falcons, the Texans are surely a post season contender for February’s Super Bowl.
And, the Texans have four games to go that they can win possibly by 14 or more points each, keeping them as the NFL’s 2012 best team, finishing the year at 15-1.
But dominance may not be all that easy for the Texans, for two of its final challenges will be against the 6-4 Indianapolis Colts, a team that’s been rising steadily and holds second place behind the Texans in the NFL’s American Conference South.
Also, the last two wins purchased by the Texans were in overtime after experiencing a deficit, suggesting a Houston
The Falcons are also in a mostly safe but not necessarily cool and justifiably ready-to-celebrate position, though sure to be a post-season threat. Of the team’s six games left, it could find that going against the 6-4 New York Giants can be troublesome. The Giants, last season’s Super Bowl winner, holds first place, National Conference East, a game above the 5-6 Washington Redskins, which defeated the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers last night, 38-31.
Week 12’s third winningest franchise, the 8-2 Baltimore Ravens, will be facing the 4-6 San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
The Ravens remaining six games can qualify as an uphill struggle, similar to that up ahead for the NFL’s fourth winningest franchise, the 8-3 New England Patriots. In addition to vs. the Chargers, the Ravens will be facing the Redskins, then the AC West’s first place/7-3 Denver Broncos, soon the Giants. Meanwhile, the Patriots six games starting Sunday will include bouts vs. the Texans and the 7-4 San Francisco
Favoring the Patriots for end of season value is that they have the only four game lead among the eight division-leading franchises, above second place in the AC East, the 4-6 Buffalo Bills. The Falcons have a three game lead, too, above NC South’s 6-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The only other division leading team that has three games up are the Broncos, ahead of the 4-6 Chargers.
The teams way at the bottom, that is, those having won only one game during 11 weeks of play, are the 1-9 Kansas City Chiefs and the 1-9 Jacksonville Jaguars.
As to which of the eight NFL divisions has the most wins accumulated during those 11 weeks, within the AC it appears that the AC South and AC North are tied, 21 wins each.
Fewest total division wins within the AC belongs to the AC West, 15.
Within the NC, the NC South leads with 22 wins, fewest belonging to the NC East, 19.
Among Week 12’s nail biters will be the 7-3 Packers against the Giants, and the 7-3 Chicago Bears vs. the 6-4 Minnesota Vikings, in that the Packers and the Bears are tied for first place, NC North.
Broncos vs. Chiefs, Week 12 --- FOR the Chiefs, defeating the Broncos on Sunday will take lots more than motivation and grit for ending the team’s seven game losing streak and putting a stop to Denver
Too, while the Chiefs will do all that they can to exploit the loss of Broncos running back, Willis McGahee, to injury, those replacing McGahee are by no means fresh from a high school team---the differences will be slight, providing that QB Manning and those replacements have had sufficient practice time in the past week (hard to imagine that Manning hasn’t run them to ad nauseam by today).
Also, no team since-mid October has been able to undo enough of Manning’s drives from inside opposition territory for end-zone occupation and TD or field goal range, largely dependent on the well-timed pass connects of Manning to his wideouts, Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas.
And, since mid-October the Broncos defense hasn’t shown signs of limits to improvements in the pass rush, and in the secondary’s blocks and tackles vs. opposition wideouts, as well.
Probably the best, if not only chance that the Chiefs have for continued exploitation vs. the Broncos will be discovery of vulnerabilities within the pass protection unit that allows QB Manning to select and employ his throws and handoff options. While not perfect, that protection is much more swift and sealable than in early 2012 Broncos games, even with the sacks that occur vs. QB Manning, many from this QB hardly ever being risk averse.
This page’s take, Broncos, 27, K.C., 10.
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