Derek Anderson takes this $@*# seriously in the Week 12 recap.
So the San Francisco 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-6 in a less-than-entertaining Monday night game.
Unless you are into Schadenfreude, then you really enjoyed watching Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson get booed out of his own stadium because he stunk so bad. To be fair, Anderson seemed to be enjoying himself on the Cardinals sideline late in the game. He wasn't in such a good mood when reporters asked him about his good mood after the game.
The real story in the game is the 49ers are now 4-7 on the year, only one game out of first place in the NFC West. Meaning a team with a 7-9 record might actually win a division in the NFL and host a playoff game!
Time now to take a look back at what happened in Week 12.
Star of the week
Tom Brady receives a ton of votes for his near-perfect performance at Ford Field on American Thanksgiving. Brady went 21-of-27 for 341 yards and four touchdowns and ended up with a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 in the Patriots’ win over the Lions. But the ultimate star of Week 12 is Dwayne Bowe. The Kansas City Chiefs’ go-to receiver shredded the Seattle Seahawks with 13 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Bowe now has seven touchdowns in his last three games and 13 touchdowns in his last seven games and leads all NFL receivers with 14 TDs. Facing the Denver Broncos next week, there's a good chance that Bowe will add to those incredible numbers.
Stiff of the week
There are a lot of candidates this week. Lions cornerback Alphonso Smith was abused by Brady and the Patriots. Peyton Manning threw two pick-sixes in Sunday's 36-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers and he now has back-to-back games with at least three interceptions for the first time since his first two games as a rookie back in 1998. But the ultimate stiff is Steve Johnson. The Bills receiver had a dream set-up for an NFL receiver in Buffalo’s overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bills coach Chan Gailey called the perfect play; the offensive line had the right protection called; QB Ryan Fitzpatrick made the perfect throw, right into Johnson’s waiting hands in the end zone. Instead of the Bills winning in overtime, Johnson dropped the perfect pass and the Steelers went on to win.
Team on the rise
I think it’s time to start giving the Chicago Bears a little bit of respect. Lovie Smith was able to lead the Bears to Super Bowl 41 with Rex Grossman as his quarterback. Now he has Jay Cutler running his offence. Cutler has his faults, but as his four-touchdown performance against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday reminded us, he has a great arm. The combination of a healthy Brian Urlacher and the addition of Julius Peppers have rejuvenated the Bears defence. Add in Brandon, MB’s Israel Idonije and the scary-good Lance Briggs and the Bears have become too nasty a team to play against.
What were they thinking?
Cortland Finnegan of the Tennessee Titans and Andre Johnson of the Houston Texas received a lot of votes this week for their wild brawl. Helmets were torn off, haymakers were thrown; about the only thing missing was a flying elbow.
It wasn’t all bad: Texans head coach Gary Kubiak gave Johnson a game ball afterwards. It wasn’t for the fight; it was for the fact Johnson is now the first receiver in the history of the NFL to have at least 60 catches in each of his first eight seasons.
The ultimate winner this week is Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. He started his head coaching career in 2009, going 6-0. Since then, the Broncos have gone 5-16. Under McDaniels, the Broncos have traded away Jay Cutler, their best receiver Brandon Marshall and power running back Peyton Hillis, a sixth-round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012 for Brady Quinn. Now, a member of McDaniels staff was busted for illegally video taping the 49ers’ walk-through before the game at Wembley Stadium in England. McDaniels, however, claims he never looked at the tape. Even if he is telling the truth, the Broncos have become a complete mess since he took over in Denver.
The Race for No. 1
Oh Carolina, you boys are inventing new ways to lose. Just when it looked like the Panthers were going to pull off a comeback win over the Browns on the road in Cleveland, disaster struck. John Kasay shanked what would have been the game-winning, 42-yard field goal with five seconds left to play in the fourth quarter. The Panthers’ only shot at winning a second game this year will come in Week 15 when they host the Cardinals.
The Ronnie Lott Award
My Ronnie Lott Award this week goes out to one of the best linebackers in the NFL: Patrick Willis of the 49ers. Making the most of a confused Cardinals offence, Willis shot the gap and landed a nice hit on a confused and frightened Derek Anderson.
The Unsung Hero Award
The Unsung Hero this week is one of the best-kept secrets in the AFC this year: Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams. The big man from LSU had a huge game against the Steelers on Sunday with 10 tackles and two sacks.
Big injury of the week
Frank Gore’s hip and Cody Grimm’s ankle. Russ Grimm’s son Cody, a safety for the Buccaneers, is done for the year after breaking his left ankle in their loss to the Ravens. Gore, starting running back for the 49ers, could be done for the year after suffering a hip injury in the Monday night game.
Rex Ryan Watch
After the New York Jets’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Rex Ryan was in a very talkative mood (Isn’t he always?). Someone asked Rex if he watched the Patriots beat the Lions earlier in the day and what he thought of New England. His answer is what you would call a back-handed compliment: “They look pretty darn good right now. There’s no busting about it. I’m not going to tell that lie. But when you look at it, the only thing that matters is that they are 9-2 and we are 9-2. I think you have to put us ahead of them because we beat them here.”
Hot Cheerleaders Award
When the Houston Texas win, we all win.
What to watch for next week
The red-hot San Diego Chargers against the Oakland Raiders. The 6-5 Chargers have won four straight and since 2006, they are 18-0 in the month of December. First place in the AFC North will be on the line as the Steelers take on the Ravens in Baltimore. Of course, the big game in Week 13 takes place Monday when the 9-2 Jets take on the 9-2 Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
Your information will not be collected or used by sportsnet.ca for any marketing purposes.
