NFL Week 12: Key Takeaways from the NFL's Top Games

What a bizarre Week 12 in the NFL.  

This past weekend saw multiple injuries to key players as Jimmy Graham went down for the rest of the season with a right knee injury as did Rob Gronkowski—although Gronkowski is reported to only have a bruised knee after Sunday night's game against the Denver Broncos and should return within a few weeks' time, according to Adam Schefter. 

In addition, Ben Roethlisberger suffered a concussion in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.  

But beyond the injury report, many teams took Week 12 in their stride and put themselves in poll positions for the postseason.  

The Oakland Raiders are now in the playoff hunt along with the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots are no longer undefeated and the Minnesota Vikings control their own destiny down the stretch.  

Sure, it was only one week out of 17 in the NFL, but it might just be a week that the league and fans alike look back upon as the defining period of the season.  

Without further ado, here are the key takeaways from Week 12:  

The Raiders are relevant once again 

The last time the Raiders made the playoffs was back in 2002, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.  

With a nail-biting win over the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday, Oakland finds itself with a 5-6 record on the year, just one game out of the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. 

Behind a seven-catch, 115-yard performance from rookie standout Amari Cooper and another strong performance from Derek Carr under center, who threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, the Raiders are poised to make a strong push for a playoff spot in the final weeks of the season.  

It's a tough schedule remaining for Oakland as they play the Kansas City Chiefs twice, the Denver Broncos, the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers, but at least the Raiders have something to cheer about. 

There is finally hope in Oakland.  

 

Houston Texans' defense playing to its potential  

It's no secret that J.J. Watt is the most dominant defensive player in the NFL, but for the first time this season, Watt is not alone. 

The Texans defense was hyped up all offseason with Hard Knocks following every step of their training camp, the return of Jadeveon Clowney and the acquisition of Vince Wilfork. It took a while to get things going, but the Texans are not a team that anyone wants to play right now. 

According to ESPN Stats and Info, since Week 8, the Texans defense ranks first in the NFL in points allowed, sack percentage (9.4), third-down percentage (21.2), total QBR (23.3) and estimated points added per game (plus-12.2). 

"We just kind of came together and decided enough was enough," linebacker Brian Cushing said after Sunday's 24-6 win over the New Orleans Saints in an interview with ESPN. "To lose like that is obviously extremely embarrassing and something that we wanted no part of. We just decided right there, that was it."  

Undefeated no more 

And then there was one.  

The Patriots and the Carolina Panthers came into Week 12 as the only undefeated teams in the NFL. After an overtime game in the snow at Mile High Stadium, the Denver Broncos came away with a victory behind backup quarterback Brock Osweiler.  

The Broncos came out and ran the ball on the Patriots, who weren't able to set the edge in the run game, which was evident on the game's final play.  

This is simply a speed bump for the Patriots as they begin preparations for another playoff run, but the loss showed weakness for New England—something they haven't shown all season.  

But even though they aren't perfect, they are still one of the best teams in the NFL. As Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola recover from injury, the Patriots will be as dynamic as ever. 

And that's bad news for the rest of the AFC.  

The Minnesota Vikings are in first place, and they are in control  

It's like Adrian Peterson never missed a second. 

On 29 rushing attempts, Peterson scorched the Atlanta Falcons defense for 158 yards and two touchdowns, which coming into Week 12, was one of the more stout run defenses in the league.  

Peterson leads the NFL with 1,164 yards on the ground and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry this season. But the Vikings aren't sporting a 8-3 record just because of Peterson.  

The Vikings defense is second in the NFL on defense, allowing 17.6 points per game to its opponents, according to NFL.com. Head coach Mike Zimmer has carried over his defensive reputation from Cincinnati and brought it to Minnesota where they hold first place in the NFC North division.  

How strange would it be to see the Raiders, Vikings and Texans in the playoffs in a month's time? It's a very real possibility, and the surprises won't stop there this season. Osweiler has been very solid in place of Peyton Manning, and he should be given the keys to the offense even when Manning is healthy, but are the Broncos better than the Patriots will be when they'll have Tom Brady's top receivers back in the fold?  

Thanksgiving weekend gave the NFL the most entertaining weekend of the season through 12 weeks, but the best is yet to come.