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The Chicago Bears and their coach Matt Nagy won on the final play of the game against the Detroit Lions to start the 12th week of the NFL season.
The Las Vegas Raiders broke a three-game losing streak with an overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys, who have lost three of four, to keep themselves in the thick of the playoff race. The Buffalo Bills defeated the New Orleans Saints in the night game.
The reporters of the NFL Nation are reacting to the questions. They look at the bigger picture with their current team confidence rating, which is a 0-10 grade of how they feel about each team's outlook coming out of the week. Let's get to it.
Jump to a match.
BUF-NO, CHI-DET, LV-DAL, and BUF-NO are all part of the same entity.
Buffalo defeated New Orleans.
The Bills.
The Bills had a dominating victory, but they didn't play their best football. Josh Allen had a career-high 82.1% completion rate, despite throwing two picks, and also had the first of his career in the red zone. It is indicative of a Bills' season that has featured inconsistent play, but still has them primed for a fight with the New England Pats down the stretch. The Bills defense has been a big part of that success, limiting five opponents to 12 points or less. Sean McDermott gave special recognition to the kickoff coverage after the game. The Bills are hard to beat when they are rolling. The key is to do so consistently.
What is the impact on the defense if White misses time? White left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. They will know more about the injury in the coming days. White is one of the top five coverage corners in the league this season, but there is no one on the roster that can replace him. He talks to everyone in the right way. He does the little things well, that's why he's so good. The Bills' defense will take a hit if he is out for a long time, but should be able to adapt under new defensive coordinatorLeslie Frazier.
Getzenberg's confidence rating increased from 7.2 to 7.8. The Bills put together an all-around dominant win, even though it was against a banged-up team, and showed an ability to bounce back from tough losses, although stacking wins will be required to stretch this rating.
Next game is against the Pats on Monday, December 6. The time is later.
The Saints.
It's getting worse for the Saints and their offense, now 0-4 since the injury to Jameis Winston. The replacements weren't nearly good enough because they were also without the two running backs and the right fielder. They could be back by next Thursday against Dallas, and the Saints could consider a change to the quarterback. They're dangerously close to "too little, too late" at 6-7.
Will they consider a switch to Hill at quarterback? After a promising start, Siemian's performance has fallen off. Even though Sean Payton made it clear he was one of many problems on a night when the Saints couldn't run, pass protect or return kicks, he acknowledged, "We'll look at everything right now." We have to. Hill has been limited by a foot injury since Week 10 and has been demoted to the emergency backup role the past two weeks. He practiced fully this week, so his role must expand quickly.
Triplett's confidence rating was 4.5, down from 5.5. A full point drop for the second week in a row. A better version of this team exists after it started well. Even a Week 8 win over the Buccaneers feels like a distant memory.
The next game is against the Cowboys. The time is later.
Las Vegas had a 36-33 win over Dallas.
The Raiders.
The Raiders are not done. Not yet, anyway. Hunter Renfrow said he felt like the team showed the heart of the team. The Raiders ended a three-game losing streak and improved to 5-5. "But I think we felt it a little bit worse than 5-5," Renfrow said. It gives us a lot of confidence going forward, but we have a long road ahead of us.
Is DeSean Jackson still a part of the offense? He needs to be. Jackson's presence opened things up underneath for the likes of Renfrow, who had eight catches for a game-, and he took the top off the defense with three catches for 102 yards, including a vintage 56-yard catch-and-run touchdown down the left sideline. With another 10 days before Las Vegas' next game, Jackson has more time to learn the Raiders' system. "It's fun to throw him the ball," said Carr.
The confidence rating for Gutierrez was 7.5, up from 5.5. A full two-point jump from last week? Yes, when you take into account how much the season is. It should be a huge confidence boost to beat the Cowboys in prime time. The Raiders getting their running game going to the tune of 143 yards is a good sign, especially Josh Jacobs who went for 87 yards on 22 carries. Stay aware for an update on Pro Bowl tight endDarren Waller's injured left knee.
The next game is against Washington. The time is later.
The Cowboys.
The Cowboys have lost three of four and two of their last four games. The offense did not get going until the fourth quarter. The defense allowed a lot of big plays. Complaining about the officials is pointless. The Cowboys need to play better. The team has lost its swagger, was the question posed to the player. "Just gotta focus," he said. We have to fix what happened today and become a better team by next week.
How can the Cowboys limit their penalties? Penalties have been an issue all season and the best hope is to not have Shawn Hochuli's crew again. They have been flagged at least seven times this season, including 14 for 166 yards against the Raiders. He doesn't want the defense to change its style. There is a line between aggressiveness and carelessness. Bill Parcells used to say he didn't coach penalties. This is an issue that needs to be fixed. "We need to self-reflect and keep the officials out of the game," said the quarterback. We have to be better one way or another.
The confidence rating of Archer was down from 8.4. There is something off with the team at the moment, but they can talk about the returning players. The run game is not going well for the offense. The defense can't stop the big plays. The Cowboys have to change quickly.
The next game is at the Saints. The time is later.
Play.
The Bears defeated the Lions 16-14 on a field goal by Cairo Santos in the final second.
Chicago 16, Detroit 14.
The Bears.
In relief of Justin Fields, Andy Dalton played well. He became the first Bears quarterback to pass for more than 300 yards in a year. Cairo Santos kicked a game-winning field goal after Chicago's Dalton led an 18-play drive. You would expect a player with that level of experience to play with confidence and composure. Fields is expected to regain the starting job when his ribs heal, but he can't do it alone.
Will the Bears fire coach Matt Nagy? No. Not yet. The Bears have never fired a head coach in their history. The Bears decided not to extend the contract of their head coach. Same with John Fox. Three years ago, Nagy was named coach of the year. He has led the Bears to the playoffs in two of his three seasons. Nagy deserves better. There's still a lot of football to be played, but he may be fired after the season. Hopefully, the win over Detroit will allow Nagy and the Bears to regroup before the Arizona game.
Dickerson's confidence rating went up from 2 to 3.5. The Lions are 0-10-1.
The next game is against the Cards. Sunday, December 5th.
The Lions.
The Lions lost for the third time this season on a walk-off field goal. It happened in Week 3 against the Ravens, then in Week 5 against the Vikings, and now on Thanksgiving against the Bears.
Should the Lions be concerned about Dan Campbell's playcalling? Certainly. The Lions got off to a good start with quarterback Jared Goff completing his first five passes, but the conservative approach of short passes and short gains since Campbell took over playcalling from Anthony Lynn continued in front of the national audience. If the team wants to win a game, Lynn may be allowed to take back playcalling responsibilities.
Woodyard's confidence rating was 2, down from 2.3. The Lions play hard but they don't have enough skill players to bail them out when they make mistakes.
The next game is against the Vikings. Sunday, December 5th.
