NFL midseason winners, losers: Who's made the most of first months of 2021 season?
With every NFL team at least halfway through its regular-season schedule, it's time to take stock of the first few months of the 2021 campaign.Every club has at least two losses, yet 19 check in at .500 or better, and just five are more than 1½ games removed from holding a playoff spot – only the Lions completely out of the running in the NFC. And the field is compressing, division-leading teams suffering eight losses over the past two weeks to opponents that did not have winning records.
At a time to give thanks, the NFL serves up quite the smorgasbord of football on Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe you'll pass on that Bears-Lions relish, the first offering on the table Thursday. But Raiders-Cowboys and Bills-Saints later in the day should be more filling than appetizers, if not Week 12's main courses.
Sunday, we get to nosh on Buccaneers-Colts, Titans-Patriots, Steelers-Bengals, Chargers-Broncos, Vikings-49ers and Browns-Ravens, all matchups with potentially significant playoff implications.
But the most delightful entree will be served at Lambeau Field on Sunday, when the Green Bay Packers host the Los Angeles Rams in a battle of NFC powerhouses. Both clubs appear destined for postseason, yet have issues. The Rams lost two in a row before their bye and have heard plenty about getting beaten up by more physical teams lately.
Packers lose Pro Bowl offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins for season to torn ACL, per report
Left tackle Elgton Jenkins suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the Packers' 34-31 loss Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings.Elgton Jenkins, the third-year star offensive lineman who has protected Aaron Rodgers' blindside all season, tore his ACL on Sunday in Minnesota, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. An MRI on Monday confirmed the Packers' initial fears, Schefter reported.
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Meanwhile, the Packers have lost two of three themselves – fumbling the conference's No. 1 seed twice in the process – and Aaron Rodgers has revealed he's playing on a fractured toe, which he must do behind a new left tackle after Elgton Jenkins' season-ending knee injury. Not ideal with legendary defenders Aaron Donald and Von Miller coming to town.
Hurricanes' Ethan Bear enters COVID protocol
In the second season of a two-year, $4 million deal signed in 2020, Bear will be looking for another raise this offseason when he hits arbitration-eligible restricted free agency. His current back-loaded deal means he’ll be owed a $2.4 million qualifying offer, and strong play could even have him in line for a multi-year extension.With that in mind, any absence from the lineup is a notable one, as the Hurricanes will have to look elsewhere for Bear’s minutes on the back end. Because he is a confirmed positive case, if he experiences any symptoms, he’ll miss a minimum of 10 days.
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32. Lions (previously: 31): Now that Houston's latest victory has all but secured the No. 1 pick of the 2022 draft for Detroit, will the Lions reach for one of the quarterback prospects? Or play it safe by snagging another Oregon product, DE Kayvon Thibodeaux in this case?
31. Texans (32): When you're paying your only superstar to not play while constantly churning the roster, no wonder David Culley can't afford to issue any game balls. Nice win, though, Coach.
29. Jaguars (28): They've got five takeaways this season, three fewer than any other team.
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28. Bears (27): With Khalil Mack shelved, OLB Robert Quinn somehow managed a career-best 3.5 sacks Sunday. At least something's going right in Chicago.
27. Giants (26): Just a shame what's befallen RB Saquon Barkley, easy as it was to miss his 12 mostly irrelevant touches as he returned to the field Monday night.
26. Dolphins (29): Their next three are in Miami against the Panthers, Giants and Jets. Legitimate chance the 4-7 Fins could be back at .500 going into home stretch.
25. Falcons (25): They were the first team in 21 years to have three quarterbacks serve up an interception in the same game. Matt Ryan's still the only one to throw a TD pass this year, but he hasn't done that in nearly nine quarters.
24. Seahawks (23): QB Russell Wilson has lost three in a row for the first time in his 10-season NFL career after a record 150 consecutive starts without such ignominy. Frustrated coach Pete Carroll is prematurely walking out of press conferences. Just feels like this is an organization fraying at the seams.
23. Washington (24): Why did no one make a bigger deal of QB Taylor Heinicke's Carolina revenge tour last week? Were there really more prominent prodigal sons in Charlotte?
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22. Broncos (22): If nothing else, they're clearly happy with their wide receivers, extending Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick in the last week. Nice selling point for their next quarterback.
20. Saints (18): Now that they've once again paid part-time QB Taysom Hill, isn't it maybe time to play him behind center, too, given team is now 0-3 with Trevor Siemian as the starter?
19. Panthers (17): Really need their next two games (at Miami, Atlanta) if they're going to be relevant during season's final month. Good thing QB Cam Newton and RB Christian McCaffrey have baked-in chemistry as both try to navigate an offense neither has played in much.
18. Eagles (21): They're now the No. 1 rushing team in the NFC (153.4 yards per game) and no longer have a goose egg in the win column at Lincoln Financial Field. Fortunately, their next two are in New Jersey against the lowly Giants and Jets -- a golden opportunity to vault Philadelphia into wild-card position.
17. Steelers (13): No team has a tougher seven-game lineup left on its schedule, none of Pittsburgh's remaining opponents owning a losing record. OLB T.J. Watt and S Minkah Fitzpatrick can't return soon enough.
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16. 49ers (19): They're lying in the weeds after beating the Rams on a Monday night before securing a win in Jacksonville despite a 1 p.m. ET kickoff and a cross-country flight during a short week. Sunday's home date with Minnesota could have major playoff ramifications.
15. Bengals (15): Only two road games left for a team that's rebounded into the AFC's top wild-card slot. And comforting to know what a deadeye rookie K Evan McPherson is after he drilled three FGs from 50+ yards, a team record, in Sunday's walkover at Las Vegas.
14. Browns (14): A much-needed Week 13 bye week is sandwiched by two games against Baltimore -- meaning a careening Cleveland team will get little respite much as Baker Mayfield and Co. need it.
13. Chargers (12): In yet another remarkable performance Sunday night, QB Justin Herbert became the first player in the Super Bowl era to pass for 350 yards and rush for 90 in the same game. And he's definitely breaking the mold for the Bolts, who'd never had a QB run for at least 90 in the team's 62-season history.
12. Bills (6): Scrutiny on a struggling crew was already building, and now Buffalo will have to figure out its issues on a national stage -- their next two games on Thanksgiving night (at New Orleans) and a Monday nighter against New England in Week 13 ... preceding a road trip to Tampa.
10. Colts (16): RB Jonathan Taylor’s ascendance into NFL superstar -- he just became the fifth player in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to collect 200 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in one game -- occurs just as HBO's cameras began rolling to document "Hard Knocks" during the regular season for the first time.
10. Vikings (11): Even QB Kirk Cousins is looking for room on Minnesota's bandwagon. Not much room on the Cousins bandwagon either, Pro Football Focus justifiably ranking him as the league's second-best passer after Sunday's upset of Green Bay, in part due to his 0.5% interception rate.
9. Ravens (9): They're holding steady at No. 2 in the conference even if they've been fortunate to split the last four contests. Now AFC North leaders enter crucial stretch as they face each of their formidable divisional foes over the next three weeks.
7. Titans (3): The absence of RB Derrick Henry was bound to hurt eventually, but give them credit for what they’ve overcome from a personnel perspective. Tennessee has played a league-high 82 players this season, eight more than any other team.
6. Patriots (8): You can question how many quality wins they have, but when you're beating NFL competition by an aggregate 94-13 score over a three-week period, that speaks volumes. Their next four games are against Tennessee, Buffalo (twice) and Indianapolis, a stretch that should put New England into clearer perspective.
5. Cowboys (2): Losers of two of their past three and incredibly beaten up going into a short Thanksgiving week against Las Vegas. The good news is Dallas' adversity has come against AFC West competition, which should limit any damage suffered on the tiebreaker front.
4. Chiefs (10): A defense that's given up 47 total points over the past four weeks (all wins) while taking the ball away eight times is what's really ridden to the rescue of the AFC West leaders.
3. Packers (1): So for their upcoming date with the Rams, Green Bay won't have OL Elgton Jenkins (torn ACL) or LT David Bakhtiari (ACL recovery) as QB Aaron Rodgers tries to evade DT Aaron Donald and OLB Von Miller while on a bum toe. Nothing to see here.
1. Cardinals (4): Give them their flowers as the league's lone nine-win team reclaims the top spot for the second time in the past four weeks. Give them a full bouquet as the league's only 6-0 road team -- all those victories coming by double-digit margins. Yet if Arizona can maintain its current position, as QB Kyler Murray (ankle) and WR DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) continue to heal into the bye week, the Cards won't have to leave the desert after Jan. 2.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA TODAY Sports' Week 12 NFL picks: Do Los Angeles Rams or Green Bay Packers prevail in battle of NFC powers?
Colts coach Frank Reich: Few regrets over not running the ball in loss to Buccaneers .
The Colts ran 26 passing plays in a row, despite having the NFL's leading rusher Jonathan Taylor, in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers.Twenty-six or twenty-seven passing plays in a row, depending on whether or not a Carson Wentz scramble that was nullified by a holding penalty is included in the total.
With every NFL team at least halfway through its regular-season schedule, it's time to take stock of the first few months of the 2021 campaign.Every club has at least two losses, yet 19 check in at .500 or better, and just five are more than 1½ games removed from holding a playoff spot – only the Lions completely out of the running in the NFC. And the field is compressing, division-leading teams suffering eight losses over the past two weeks to opponents that did not have winning records. 
Left tackle Elgton Jenkins suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the Packers' 34-31 loss Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings.Elgton Jenkins, the third-year star offensive lineman who has protected Aaron Rodgers' blindside all season, tore his ACL on Sunday in Minnesota, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. An MRI on Monday confirmed the Packers' initial fears, Schefter reported. 
In the second season of a two-year, $4 million deal signed in 2020, Bear will be looking for another raise this offseason when he hits arbitration-eligible restricted free agency. His current back-loaded deal means he’ll be owed a $2.4 million qualifying offer, and strong play could even have him in line for a multi-year extension.With that in mind, any absence from the lineup is a notable one, as the Hurricanes will have to look elsewhere for Bear’s minutes on the back end. Because he is a confirmed positive case, if he experiences any symptoms, he’ll miss a minimum of 10 days. 
With every NFL team at least halfway through its regular-season schedule, it's time to take stock of the first few months of the 2021 campaign.Every club has at least two losses, yet 19 check in at .500 or better, and just five are more than 1½ games removed from holding a playoff spot – only the Lions completely out of the running in the NFC. And the field is compressing, division-leading teams suffering eight losses over the past two weeks to opponents that did not have winning records.
© Evan Russell, USA TODAY Sports Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and the Rams' Matthew Stafford will lock horns Sunday in Green Bay. 
