NFL Scores Week 12: AFC, NFC Results, Playoff Standings and Top Fantasy Stars
The 12th week of the 2016 NFL season saw huge performances from all over the league, many of them coming on Thanksgiving Day.
In the second game of the holiday, Dallas Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott added to his MVP campaign with 120 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. And he wasn't even the biggest fantasy star of that game.
That honor went to Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who went off for 449 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. In his last three games, the soon-to-be free agent is 84-of-116 (72.4 percent) for 1,086 yards (362 per game), eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. His passer rating over that stretch is 124.4.
Later on Thanksgiving, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown put on a show with five receptions for 91 yards and three touchdowns.
On Sunday, several more stars followed up Thursday's feast with some big performances of their own:
| Steelers | 28-7 | Colts | Antonio Brown | 5 rec., 91 yds, 3 TDs |
| Redskins | 26-31 | Cowboys | Kirk Cousins | 41-of-53, 449 yds, 3 TDs |
| Vikings | 13-16 | Lions | Matthew Stafford | 23-of-40, 232 yds, 1 TD |
| Cardinals | 19-38 | Falcons | David Johnson | 161 total yds, 8 rec., 1 TD |
| Chargers | 21-13 | Texans | Philip Rivers | 22-of-30, 242 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Bengals | 14-19 | Ravens | Justin Tucker | 4-of-4 FGs, 1-of-1 XPs |
| Titans | 27-21 | Bears | Marcus Mariota | 15-of-23, 226 yds, 2 TDs |
| Jaguars | 21-28 | Bills | LeSean McCoy | 103 rush yds, 2 TDs, 31 rec. yds |
| Rams | 21-49 | Saints | Drew Brees | 28-of-36, 310 yds, 4 TDs |
| Giants | 27-13 | Browns | Odell Beckham | 6 rec., 96 yds, 2 TDs |
| 49ers | 24-31 | Dolphins | Colin Kaepernick | 296 pass yds, 3 TDs, 113 rush yds |
| Seahawks | 5-14 | Buccaneers | Mike Evans | 8 rec., 104 yds, 2 TDs |
| Patriots | 22-17 | Jets | Tom Brady | 30-of-50, 286 yds, 2 TDs |
| Panthers | 32-35 | Raiders | Cam Newton | 246 pass yds, 2 TDs, 1 rush TD |
| Chiefs | 30-27 | Broncos | Trevor Siemian | 20-of-34, 368 yds, 3 TDs |
Playoff Standings
| Team | W | L | T |
| Patriots | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Raiders | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Ravens | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| Texans | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| Chiefs | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Dolphins | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Team | W | L | T |
| Cowboys | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Lions | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Falcons | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Giants | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Redskins | 6 | 4 | 1 |
Notable Week 12 Performers
Kirk Cousins
Cousins hasn't been good for just his last three games. No, this streak extends back much further, according to NFL Network's Melissa Stark:
His performance Thursday solidified that rating. And it did so in historic fashion, per Katie Sharp of River Ave. Blues:
Cousins has become one of the best passers in the NFL over the last few years. Whichever team secures his services this offseason will have to pay a hefty price.
Antonio Brown
Few people feasted as much as Brown did on Thanksgiving Day. Just ask the man himself:
Brown's three receiving touchdowns Thursday tied the high for any player this season, per Pro-Football-Reference.com:
| Michael Crabtree | OAK | BAL | W 28-27 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 88 | 12.57 | 3 |
| Martellus Bennett | NWE | CLE | W 33-13 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 67 | 11.17 | 3 |
| Doug Baldwin | SEA | NWE | W 31-24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 59 | 9.83 | 3 |
| Antonio Brown | PIT | IND | W 28-7 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 91 | 18.2 | 3 |
The NFL shared video of all three scores:
If he and Ben Roethlisberger continue to improve their chemistry over the course of the year, it's tough to imagine much more of the inconsistent play that led to the Steelers' five losses.
As long as both are healthy, the AFC North should be theirs.
LeSean McCoy
When healthy, LeSean McCoy is always a threat to break a game open for the Buffalo Bills. Sunday, he registered his third 20-plus-point fantasy performance of the season.
His final line? Two touchdowns and 103 rushing yards on 19 carries to go along with 31 receiving yards. The NFL shared his second score, a 75-yard run:
At 6-5, the Bills still have playoff hopes. They may need someone in the AFC East to stumble, but McCoy should give them a puncher's chance.
Trevor Siemian
On Sunday Night Football, second-year quarterback Trevor Siemian did what he could to keep the Denver Broncos in the playoffs with 368 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
In the fourth quarter, he threw what looked like the game-sealing score to Bennie Fowler. The 76-yard strike marked career longs for both Siemian and Fowler. NFL Network shared video of the play:
Despite going up eight with less than three minutes to go at that point, the Chiefs would go on to win the game on a field goal that hit the upright and bounced in as time expired.
Tyreek Hill
If you're looking for reasons the Broncos lost, you might want to start with rookie Tyreek Hill. He had one rush for three yards and a touchdown, nine catches for 52 yards and a touchdown, and one kick return for 86 yards and a touchdown.
See the theme? So did ESPN Stats & Info:
Hill's receiving touchdown may have been the biggest. With 10 seconds left and the Chiefs down eight, Hill snagged this dart from Smith, setting up the game-tying two-point conversion.
The NFL shared video of the play:
Without that grab, we likely don't get the full 15 minutes of overtime and the game-winning field goal.
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