NFL Week 12: Tom Brady, Peyton Hillis and This Week's Top 5 Performances

Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means teams all over the NFL are gearing up for some of the most important games of their seasons. 

Before we turn to next week and some of the key matchups that are upcoming, let's take a look at the most dominant performers from Thanksgiving weekend. 

Some of these players have tasted postseason success in the past, while others are trying to lift their team to heights unseen in recent years. Others still are looking to make history. 

Did your favorite player make the cut as one of Week 12's prime time performers? Click ahead and find out!

Tom Brady

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DETROIT - NOVEMBER 25: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots gestures during the first quarter of the game at Ford Field on November 25, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

As far as QB ratings are concerned, Tom Brady played perfectly on Thanksgiving Day at Detroit. 

Despite the fact that you need a PhD to calculate the statistic, it doesn't take a GED to figure out that if someone has a perfect rating of 158.3, they played pretty well.

Brady completed 21 of 27 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. Going into halftime, the Patriots found themselves in an unexpected situation; the Lions were leading by seven and Brady had yet to throw a touchdown. 

Whether it was a team turkey dinner at halftime or a rousing pep talk from Bill Belichick, the Patriots came out as a different team in the second half. 

The Patriots scored quickly coming out of the tunnel, though the Lions hung tough as they matched the touchdown with one of their own. 

After that, it was all Brady. 

Brady threw another touchdown in the third quarter to take the lead and the Pats never looked back as he threw two more in the fourth.

Thanks to the amazing performance of their superstar QB, New England managed to escape Detroit and deny the Lions their first Thanksgiving Day win since 2003. 

Peyton Hillis

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CLEVELAND - NOVEMBER 28: Running back Peyton Hillis #40 of the Cleveland Browns scores a touchdown in front of safety Sherrod Martin #23 of the Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns Stadium on November 28, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sulliva

All he needed was a shot. 

He couldn't crack the lineup as a halfback at the University of Arkansas because future first round picks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones were crowding the backfield.

He didn't get a chance in Denver because Josh McDaniels thought a third string QB would be more valuable. 

Eric Mangini has given Hillis a shot, and he's delivered. 

All season long, Hillis has been dominating defensive fronts with his bruising style and admirable speed. He had one of his best games this week against Carolina, as he rushed for 131 yards on 26 carries and caught six passes for 63 yards. 

And by the way, he had three rushing touchdowns...in the first half. 

Hillis is the definition of a workhorse, as he got an astounding 32 touches, 33 if you count the one pass he attempted. 

Right now, he stands at 905 rushing yards for the season, making him on pace to eclipse the 1,300-yard mark. If he breaks 1,000 yards, which he almost certainly will, he will become the first white player in 25 years to do so since Craig James for the New England Patriots. 

And to think, Josh McDaniels, coach of the worst rushing offense in football, couldn't find a spot on the field for Hillis. 

Jamaal Charles

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SEATTLE - NOVEMBER 28: Running back Jamaal Charles #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes against Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on November 28, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. The Chiefs defeated the Seahawks 42-24. (Photo by Otto Gre

Which running back is averaging the most yards per carry this year?

Chris Johnson? Nope.

Adrian Peterson? Guess again. 

If you guessed Jamaal Charles, you are correct.

Charles, the third-year man from the University of Texas, is averaging 6.3 YPC and is second in the NFL in rushing with 1,021 yards. 

He had a monster game on Sunday, as he rushed for 173 yards on just 22 carries. Seattle ranks near the bottom of the league in rushing defense, but 173 yards is 173 yards. 

The most impressive thing about Charles is how well-rounded he is as a runner. Not only can he rack up yards with his breakaway speed, but also he can go between the tackles and run with power.

His vision and cutback ability makes him dangerous on the edge and his strength allows him to shrug off tacklers with a stiff arm that would make LaDainian Tomlinson proud. 

Sunday marked one of the best games of Charles' season thus far, and I expect him to continue running wild for the rest of the season. 

Dwayne Bowe

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SEATTLE - NOVEMBER 28: Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe #82 of the Kansas City Chiefs makes his first touchdown catch against Kelly Jennings #21 of the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on November 28, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. The Chiefs defeated the Seahawks

Perhaps the only Chief that had a better game than Jamaal Charles on Sunday was wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. 

Bowe reeled in three grabs in the end zone as he caught 13 passes for 176 yards at the Seahawks this weekend. 

The Seahawk defensive backs had no answer for the dangerous Bowe, as he mixed streaks, comebacks and crossing routes together in the defensive secondary of Seattle. 

He's got the speed to burn cornerbacks, the leaping ability to out-jump safeties and the hands (and feet) to reel in sideline darts from Matt Cassel. 

He's on pace for an astonishing 20 touchdown catches this season, a number that would have seemed unattainable until Bowe caught 13 touchdown passes in his past seven games.

The Chiefs are experiencing a serious rebirth this season, and it can be attributed in large part to the play of Dwayne Bowe. 

New York Giants: Second Half Defense

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 28: Antrel Rolle #26 of the New York Giants celebrates his fumble recovery against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the final minutes of their 24-20 win on November 28, 2010 at The New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford,

The Giants entered the second half down 17-6, staring a three-game losing streak directly in the face. 

If they were to salvage their season, they had to come out dominate on defense in the third and fourth quarters. 

Thanks to a spirited pep talk by Justin Tuck and a renewed interest in blitzing, the Giants defense came out guns blazing in the second half. 

They allowed only 39 rush yards, 17 pass yards and three points after halftime as Big Blue's offense scored 18 points to secure a win at home against the Jaguars. 

The Jaguars' last possession allowed the Giants to showcase a collection of blitzes that were simply unstoppable.

On first down, the Perry Fewell sent a safety blitz from the left side that resulted in a sack shared by Antrel Rolle and Justin Tuck. 

Second down saw two linebackers come on a trail blitz that resulted in a sack by Jason Pierre-Paul that forced a fumble recovered by Garrard. 

Third down brought the coup de grace.

The Giants overloaded the right side and sent a blitz that allowed Terrell Thomas register a sack and force a fumble that Rolle scooped to win the game. 

Three downs, three blitzes, three sacks and two forced fumbles. 

The Giants needed this game, and the defense made sure that they got it.

Mike Osterberg is a student at Penn State University and Featured Columnist for the New York Giants. Follow him on twitter @Mike_Osterberg.