NFL Standings, Week 12: Chiefs enjoy bye, Broncos start late season surge

Week 12 is in the books and the Kansas City Chiefs remain in clear control of the AFC. Let’s take a look at the rest of the NFL standings.

The Kansas City Chiefs had a much-needed bye week in Week 12, and they remain in clear control of the AFC. In the AFC West, this week, the Oakland Raiders took a trip to Baltimore and lost to the Ravens. The Denver Broncos pulled off a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Denver. The Los Angeles Chargers stayed home and picked up an easy win against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Chiefs enjoyed the bye to get healthy and prepare for the playoffs. Not much happened over the week, as the players took the full week off, but good news emerged that Eric Berry is expected to return to practice this week. The Chiefs will continue to control their own destiny of claiming the first AFC playoff seed as they prepare to play the Raiders next week.

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The Raiders had a lead over the Ravens early but were unable to maintain it. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr completed less than 50% of his passes for 194 yards and 1 touchdown. Carr suffered two injury scares, having to be evaluated for a concussion in the first half and an ankle injury in the fourth quarter; however, he cleared concussion protocol and did not let the ankle injury keep him off the field. On the ground, running back Doug Martin carried the ball 11 times for 51 yards and 1 touchdown. The Raiders were ultimately shut out in the fourth quarter and lost 34-17.

Fun fact, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell threw for as many touchdowns as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger against the Broncos. However, the Broncos were able to fend off the Steelers despite Boswell’s touchdown pass and Roethlisberger’s 462 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interception performance. Broncos quarterback only completed 15 of 28 passes for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Broncos are finally realizing that running back Phillip Lindsay is their best back, as he rushed 14 times for 110 yards and 1 touchdown. Ultimately, the Broncos were able to pull off a 24-17 victory.

The Chargers stayed at home for an easy game against the Cardinals. Though they were shutout in the first quarter and trailed 10-0, they didn’t allow the Cardinals to score a single point after that. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers only had one incompletion, completing 28 of 29 passes for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, the Chargers easy win came at a cost as running back Melvin Gordon suffered a sprained MCL. The Chargers won the game 45-10 and ended up pulling their starters towards the end of the game.

Here are the NFL standings around the league: