My Week 12 NFL Notebook

posted 11/25/19

1. They’ve still got their doubters, but the 49ers don’t care. San Francisco allowed just 198 yards to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense, didn't allow a single completion longer than 15 yards, and sacked Rodgers five times in a dominating 38-8 victory. 

A good running game and a strong defense can get a team far in the NFL and the 49ers have both. But with Jimmy Garappolo coming into his own and throwing to George Kittle and the newly acquired Emmanuel Sanders, San Francisco can add a big play passing attack to their arsenal. 

They'll be tested in consecutive weeks with games against Baltimore and New Orleans, and will probably be doubted by the national media then too...just the way the 49ers want it.

2. The Cowboys/Patriots game wasn’t pretty to watch by any definition whether it was in the freezing stands or from my favorite chair at home, but New England showed once again how they play chess while the rest of the league plays checkers. 

They knew the weather was going to be bad for the game, so New England practiced all week in the elements. (Dak Prescott didn’t even wear gloves until after halftime.) The Patriots knew bad weather put an emphasis on field position. Enter Matthew Slater with a key punt defection that lead to the game’s lone touchdown. And when the Cowboys forced the Patriots to punt with two minutes left, it was Slater again who downed the ball at the Dallas six.

Great players make great plays, but truly smart teams make it so that anyone on the roster can make the great play when the team needs it the most. That’s what the Patriots have exemplified for the last two decades.

3. How in the world did Dallas’ Travis Fredrick get called for tripping on this play?

4. Do you remember Daniel Jones’ fast start? Yeah, me neither. This is why everyone outside of the New York area hates all New York sports. Undeserved coverage for inconsequential sports stories.

5. Who stiffed the stiffest stiff arm? Rashard Penny, James Washington or Derrick Henry?

6. Steelers bench the effective Mason Rudolph and put in Delvin “Duck” Hodges who promptly beats the hapless Bengals. Hodges got his nickname because he won a duck calling contest.

7. Minkah Fitzpatrick = Ed Reed. He’s always around the ball.

8. The Bills 8-3 record is their best start since 1996. Josh Allen started as a wild stallion, but credit Sean McDermott for corralling him. Allen has 10 touchdown passes to just on interception in the last six weeks. And with all the fanfare surrounding the 49ers and Patriots defenses, the Bills are 3rd in total defense this year.

9. Frank Gore moved to 3rd on the All-Time rushing list, but according to the Washington Post, he’s not a future Hall of Famer. And as much I admire his longevity and durability, I tend to agree.

10. Once upon a time, the only way to get a ticket to a Redskin game was to have it passed down in a will. Yesterday, tickets for the Lions game sank to $4.00. And still, the stadium was nearly empty.

11. Dwayne Haskins forgot about the last three seconds of the game and took selfie instead on taking the last knee. Why? He could’ve taken one with every fan in the stands after the game. It  would have taken five minutes. 

12. I know this is after a Tampa Bay win but Jameis Winston has 100 career turnovers in 67 career games (78 INT, 22 fumbles.) Yikes. 

13. 347 lb Vita Vea became the biggest player to score a touchdown in NFL history. The former University of Washington Huskie played running back in high school. Can you imagine being a high school safety and having to tackle a runaway armored truck?