NFL Week 12 Recap: What We Learned from a Big Football Week

Another week of football has come and gone, save for a Monday Night Football game that is far from a big impact game on tap.

With this week's set of games in the books, some things are becoming clear as crystal, while other things are as cloudy as a Sunday evening in October in England.

Week 12 has put some teams ahead of the pack, set others back into the pack and left the world unsure of what countless teams are capable of.

There are teams who have put forth performances that make them seem Super Bowl-worthy, and still others whose records don't reflect the way they're playing right now.

So, here is a handful of things that we have learned, observed or just have no clue about going into Week 13 and the final month of the NFL season.

The Falcons Are the Best NFC Team

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ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 28: Michael Turner #33 of the Atlanta Falcons rushes rushes upfield away from Nick Collins #36 of the Green Bay Packers at Georgia Dome on November 28, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The notion that Atlanta is a great team has been doubted all season. They are a good team, that much was sure, but there was still a question of whether they were a great team or not.

They are now sitting as the only 9-2 team in the NFC, and they have beaten some of the best teams in the NFL.

Their two losses have come at the hands of the Steelers in Pittsburgh in Week 1 and at Philadelphia. Otherwise they have been nearly flawless.

They have pieces that mesh together as a team that create a great running attack, a formidable defense and a quarterback who is becoming a top-tier passer.

This week they beat the Green Bay Packers in a close game with a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the game, improving to a nine-win count.

With the win over Green Bay on Sunday, the Falcons have beaten four teams with at least seven wins, along with a victory over the NFC West-leading Rams.

They are a team with a slew of talented players and are clicking as a team at the right time, with just five weeks left in the season and few challenges left in the season.

The Bears Aren't Who We Thought They Were

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CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 14: Brian Urlacher #54 of the Chicago Bears awaits the start of play against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on November 14, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Vikings 27-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Coming into the season, the Chicago Bears were pretty much the same team as the one that went 7-9 a season ago.

Their biggest addition was that of Brian Urlacher, who was down a year ago with a dislocated wrist, but now they have surpassed their win total from a year ago.

They have a quarterback who is streaky at best, a run game that is in the bottom third of the league and an average pass defense, yet they are still leading the NFC North at 8-3.

Coming into the season, the fight was expected to be between Minnesota and Green Bay, but Chicago has supplanted the Vikings and surpassed the Packers, much to everyone's surprise.

From here on out, I promise that I will no longer doubt the Bears, even if it baffles me that they are winning as easily as they are.

The Colts Aren't Getting Back to the Super Bowl

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INDIANAPOLIS - NOVEMBER 28: Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts waits for a play to come from the sidelines during the NFL game against the San Diego Chargers at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 28, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Chargers won 3

For most of the season, Peyton Manning has been marvelous, as usual, but the fact is that he can't do everything by himself.

The Colts have been devastated by injuries this season, and week after week, Manning's play has elevated a previously unknown wide receiver or tight end to notoriety, making every offensive player on that team a touchdown threat.

Unfortunately, they have zero running game and are unable to stop their opponents from stopping the run.

Their run game is so bad that it would possibly be more beneficial to scrap the run game altogether and give Peyton full-time ownership of that offense.

They have been able to win the games that they are supposed to win, but when it comes to good teams, they have struggling, losing to New England, Philadelphia and San Diego in three of the past four weeks.

The Colts could still very well make the playoffs, but there is little to no chance that they make it back to the big dance after being devastated by injuries.

Jon Kitna Will Join the 30,000-Yard Club

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ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 21: Quarterback Jon Kitna #3 of the Dallas Cowboys looks for an open receiver against the Detroit Lions at Cowboys Stadium on November 21, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys beat the Lions 35-19. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Get

It's going to be a sad day near the end of this season for football fans of the world who consider 30,000 yards as a milestone for quarterbacks.

Jon Kitna came into this week needing just under 1,500 yards to join the 30,000-yard club. If he were to average 250 yards per week over the final six games of the season, he would just make it in.

Well, Thursday against the Saints, Kitna grabbed 313 yards and showed that it's all over but the crying.

With the Cowboys playing from behind quite often and their running game lacking, they are going to throw the ball, and Kitna will get at least that 250-yard average over the final five games.

The only way he doesn't squeeze into the 30,000-yard club is due to injury or if for some crazy reason the Cowboys decide to put Tony Romo back into the starting role for the final few games of the season.

Next Week's Steelers-Ravens Game Will Be a Monster

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CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 21: T.J. Houshmandzadeh #84 of the Baltimore Ravens against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on November 21, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Next Sunday night, on NBC, under the bright lights and TV cameras in Baltimore, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are going to meet in one of the best games of the season.

Atop the AFC North, the Ravens are 8-3, and the Steelers are 8-3, with both teams boasting top 10 defenses and more than capable offenses.

They met once before this season, in a barn-burner in Week 4, with the Ravens coming out on top with a 17-14 victory.

Both teams come in winning three of their last four games, with losses coming to teams that are 9-2 currently, and have played some rough and tumble games in the past week.

Baltimore is 5-0 at home, and Pittsburgh is 5-1 on the road. Something's got to give, and next Sunday there will definitely be an explosive game, with the winner likely winning the AFC North.

The NFC West Is Heading Toward a Sub-.500 Division Winner

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NEW ORLEANS - NOVEMBER 21: Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck #8 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts after a turnover to the New Orleans Saints that was overturned into an incomplete pass on a coach's challenge at Louisiana Superdome on November 21, 2010 in New Orle

In the NFC West, there are two teams sitting at 5-6 and two teams sitting at 3-7, with both of those 3-7 teams meeting on Monday Night Football tonight.

Arizona has lost five games in a row and is most likely out of the hunt for the division title but is still a threat to win a game or two against any of the teams in this division.

San Francisco is also at 3-7, but with Troy Smith looking good at quarterback, winning two of his three starts, don't count them out just yet. With a game each against St. Louis and Seattle still left, the 49ers are more than capable of playing spoiler against either of those teams.

Seattle, currently second in the division at 5-6, has five games left, four of which they could easily lose, as they play against San Francisco, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and St. Louis.

St. Louis, also at 5-6, has games against New Orleans, Kansas City, San Francisco and Seattle left, all of which are losable games for them.

So congratulations to whichever team gets the NFC West winner in the first round of the playoffs—you have a de facto bye week.