Week 12 NFL Preview

NEW YORK – For the second time since 1970 (2017), six teams enter Week 12 on a winning streak of four-or-more games: Detroit (eight consecutive wins), Buffalo (six), Philadelphia (six), Pittsburgh (five), Arizona (four) and the Los Angeles Chargers (four).

Arizona (6-4) and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) are two of the six teams that are above .500 in 2024 after missing the postseason last year, along with Atlanta (6-5), Denver (6-5), Minnesota (8-2) and Washington (7-4).

Additionally, six teams have eight-or-more wins through Week 11: Detroit (9-1), Kansas City (9-1), Buffalo (9-2), Minnesota (8-2), Philadelphia (8-2) and Pittsburgh (8-2). It marks only the third time in the past 35 seasons (1990-2024) that six-or-more teams had at least eight wins at this point of a season, along with 2019 (seven teams) and 1999 (six).

Here’s a look at a few interesting storylines entering Week 12:

• Detroit (9-1) at Indianapolis (5-6) (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): The Lions have won nine of their first 10 games of a season for the first time in 90 years, since starting 10-0 in 1934. Including the postseason, Detroit has rushed for a touchdown in 24 consecutive games, the longest such streak in NFL history.
  • The Lions lead the NFL in scoring offense (336 points scored, 33.6 points per game), the most points scored by a team in its first 10 games of a season since the 2019 Baltimore Ravens (341 points).
  • Detroit quarterback Jared Goff completed 24 of 29 pass attempts (82.8 percent) for 412 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions for a 158.3 passer rating – the highest attainable mark – in the team’s Week 11 win. Goff is the first player in NFL history with multiple career games with at least 400 passing yards, four touchdown passes and a 158.3 rating, also reaching the marks in Week 4 of the 2018 season with the Los Angeles Rams. There have only been seven such performances all-time.
  • Goff ranks second among qualified passers in completion percentage (73 percent, 197 of 270) and passer rating (112.1) and became the first player in NFL history with a completion percentage of 80-or-higher in five games in a single season (min. 15 attempts in each game).
  • Detroit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 receptions for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns in Week 11 and has a touchdown reception in eight consecutive games, tied for the third-most consecutive games with a touchdown reception in a season since 1970. With a touchdown reception in Week 12, he can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth (nine consecutive games in 1963) and A.J. Green (nine in 2012) for the third-longest such streak all-time in a single season, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (12 in 1987) and Elroy ‘Crazy Legs’ Hirsch (10 in 1951).
  • St. Brown (nine scrimmage touchdowns in 2024, 10 scrimmage touchdowns in 2023) and running backs Jahmyr Gibbs (nine in 2024, 11 in 2023) and David Montgomery (10 in 2024, 13 in 2023) can become the second trio of teammates in NFL history to each record 10-or-more scrimmage touchdowns in consecutive seasons, joining Minnesota’s trio of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss, and running back Leroy Hoard (1998-99).
• AFC Leaders: There are six teams in the AFC with seven-or-more wins heading into Week 12 – the Baltimore Ravens (7-4), Buffalo Bills (9-2), Houston Texans (7-4), Kansas City Chiefs (9-1), Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) and Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2). With Buffalo on a bye this week, the Chiefs can become the first AFC team with 10 wins this season.
  
  • Pittsburgh (8-2) at Cleveland (2-8) (Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): The Steelers have won five straight games, the first time Pittsburgh has won five games in a row in a single season since 2020. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has a .500-or-better record in each of his 18 seasons as the Steelers head coach since being hired in 2007. With a win on Thursday night, he can extend his streak for the most consecutive seasons with a .500-or-better record by a head coach to begin a career.
    
  • Kansas City (9-1) at Carolina (3-7) (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Chiefs sit atop the AFC at 9-1, marking the seventh time in franchise history and fourth occurrence under head coach Andy Reid (since 2013) that Kansas City has won nine of its first 10 games in a season. With another win this season, Reid will record his 19th 10-win season as a head coach, becoming the third coach all-time with 19 such seasons, joining Bill Belichick (20 seasons with 10-or-more wins) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula (20). Reid has nine-straight seasons with at least 10 wins, the second-longest streak in NFL history, trailing only Bill Belichick (17 consecutive seasons from 2003-19 with New England).
    
  • Baltimore (7-4) at the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) (Monday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): The Chargers lead the NFL in scoring defense this season (14.5 points allowed per game) while the Ravens lead the AFC and rank second in the NFL in scoring offense (30.4 points scored per game). This marks the first time since Week 13 of the 2019 season [San Francisco (14.9 points allowed per game) at Baltimore (35.1 points scored per game)] that a team averaging 30 points per game and a team allowing 15-or-fewer points per game will meet in Week 12 or later.
    • Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh will face each other for the third time in their careers and first since Super Bowl XLVII, following the 2012 season. The Harbaughs are the only set of siblings to face each other as head coaches in the NFL.
    • Last week, Baltimore running back Derrick Henry recorded his 13th rushing touchdown in 2024, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to reach the mark in four career seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson (six seasons), Jim Brown (four) and Emmitt Smith (four) as well as Shaun Alexander (five). Henry also became the third player in NFL history to record a rushing touchdown in 70 games in his first nine career seasons, joining Tomlinson (87 games) and Smith (83).
      • With a touchdown on Monday night, Henry can become the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to record a touchdown in each of his first 12 games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers O.J. Simpson (first 14 games in 1975), Jerry Rice (first 12 in 1987) and John Riggins (first 12 in 1983).
      • With two rushing touchdowns against the Chargers, Henry can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown (27 games) for the fourth-most games with at least two rushing touchdowns in NFL history.
    • Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has 19,409 career passing yards since entering the NFL in 2020. With 329 passing yards on Monday, Herbert will surpass Jameis Winston (19,737 passing yards) for the second-most passing yards by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history and tie Winston (27 games) for third-most games with at least 300 passing yards by a player in his first five seasons all-time.
• NFC West: For the first time since 2002, all four teams in the NFC West have a .500-or-better record through Week 11.
  
  • Arizona (6-4) at Seattle (5-5) (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX): The Cardinals have won four consecutive games and have won six of their first 10 games for the first time since 2021. Since Week 7, Arizona is ranked second in the NFL in scoring defense (14.3 point allowed per game), including holding its opponents to fewer than 10 points in each of its last two games.
    • In Week 10, Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray became the fourth quarterback in NFL history with three-or-more rushing touchdowns in each of his first six seasons. He has 30 career rushing touchdowns and became the fifth quarterback in NFL history with 30-or-more rushing touchdowns in his first six seasons.
    • Arizona wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. had his sixth-career touchdown reception in Week 10, the most among rookies. With 10 touchdown catches in 2024, Harrison Jr. would join Jordan Addison (10 in 2023), Ja’Marr Chase (13 in 2020)and Calvin Ridley (10 in 2018)as the fourth rookie wide receiver in the past 10 seasons with 10 touchdown receptions.
    • Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba recorded 10 catches for 110 yards in Week 11 and seven catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9. Smith-Njigba can become the first player in franchise history with at least 110 receiving yards in three consecutive games.
      
  • San Francisco (5-5) at Green Bay (7-3) (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX): The 49ers rank second in the NFL in total offense (398.9 yards per game) this season while the Packers rank fourth (388.1). San Francisco defeated Green Bay, 24-21, in the 2023 NFC Divisional playoffs as running back Christian McCaffrey recorded 128 scrimmage yards (98 rushing, 30 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns.
    • McCaffreyhas 100-or-more scrimmage yards in each of his past five games including the playoffs, the longest active streak in the NFL. Since the start of the 2023 season, McCaffrey has 14 games with at least 100 scrimmage yards, the most in the NFL.
    • Last week, Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs recorded 134 scrimmage yards (76 rushing, season-high 58 receiving) and a rushing touchdown in the Packers’ Week 11 win, his fourth rushing touchdown of the season. Jacobs has 1,024 scrimmage yards in 2024 and is one of three (Derrick Henry and Alvin Kamara) with at least 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of the past six seasons. With two rushing touchdowns, he can become the eighth player in NFL history with at least 800 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in each of his first six seasons.
      
  • Philadelphia (8-2) at Los Angeles Rams (5-5) (Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): The Eagles have won six consecutive games since their Week 5 bye, tied for the second-longest active winning streak in the NFL. Since Week 6, Philadelphia ranks first in scoring defense (13.8 points per game allowed) and total defense (211.3 yards per game allowed) and have a +90-point differential, the second-largest in the NFL in that span, trailing only Detroit (+137).
    • Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts recorded his 52nd career rushing touchdown in Week 11, his fifth-straight game with a rushing touchdown. Hurts has a rushing touchdown in each of his past five games and can join Justin Fields (2022 with Chicago) as the only quarterbacks ever with a rushing touchdown in six straight games.
    • Eagles running back Saquon Barkley leads the NFL in scrimmage yards (1,347) and ranks second in rushing yards (1,137), his fourth career season with 1,000 rushing yards. Barkley is the one of two players in 2024 (Joe Mixon) with 100-or-more rushing yards in six games.
    • Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is set to play in his 99th career game and in Week 11, became the first player ever with 600 receptions (614), 7,500 receiving yards (7,554) and 50 touchdown receptions (55) in his first 100 career games. Last week, Kupp tied Anquan Boldin (614 receptions) for the fourth-most receptions by a player in his first 100 games in NFL history.
• Denver (6-5) at Las Vegas (2-8) (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS):  Denver quarterback Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers, the No. 13 overall pick, have excelled in their first NFL seasons.
  • Nix completed 28 of 33 attempts (84.8 percent) for 307 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions for a 145.0 rating in the Broncos’ 38-6 win over Atlanta in Week 11, becoming the second rookie quarterback all-time with at least 300 passing yards, four touchdown passes and a passer rating of 140-or-higher in a game, joining C.J. Stroud (Nov. 5, 2023).
  • Nix recorded three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and a 117.2 rating in Week 5 against Las Vegas and over the past seven weeks (Weeks 5-11), ranks fifth in the NFL in passing yards (1,615) and is one of two quarterbacks with at least 10 touchdown passes (13) and two-or-fewer interceptions (two) over that span, along with Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (20 touchdown passes, two interceptions).
  • Bowers had 13 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown in Week 11, the most receptions by a rookie tight end in a game in NFL history. He ranks second in the NFL with 70 receptions this season and joined Odell Beckham Jr. (71 receptions) as the only players all-time with at least 70 receptions in their first 10 career games.
  • Bowers leads all tight ends with 706 receiving yards this season and surpassed Kyle Pitts (635 receiving yards) for the most receiving yards ever by a tight end in his first 10 career games.