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NFL Week 12: 10 Best Plays From Sunday

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:29 p.m. ET

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From LeSean McCoy to Khalil Mack to Willie Snead, these were the 10 best plays from Sunday’s action in NFL Week 12.

Prior to the first kickoff on Sunday in NFL Week 12, there was an impending sense of disappointment. No, football is still fun and a day watching games is better than one spent not. However, it simply felt like it was going to be hard for the Sunday slate of games to live up to the bar set by the trio of Thanksgiving Day games.

Thankfully, that sense of doom was ill-founded.

From start to finish on Sunday, the action was jam-packed. In the early slate of games, you had the Miami Dolphins trying to hang on against the San Francisco 49ers while the Tennessee Titans tried to do the same against the Chicago Bears. In the late-afternoon, we were treated to a shocker between the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Additionally, the Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers put on a show in one that went down to the wire.

All of this was capped off by the Sunday Night Football matchup as the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs saw a grinding affair early have the doors blown off late. That led to overtime and one of the most improbable last-second game-winners that you’ll ever see as Cairo Santos banked it off the upright and somehow saw the deflection sneak behind the opposite post.

Suffice it to say that Santos’ game-winning kick wasn’t one of the best plays from Sunday. However, there were other plays throughout the afternoon and night that left every fan impressed. These are the 10 best plays from Sunday in NFL Week 12.

Nov 27, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston (50) forces a fumble against Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian (13) in the second quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

10. Houston’s Third Sack Results in Fumble, Safety (Chiefs at Broncos)

Kansas City Chiefs star edge-rusher Justin Houston was playing in just his second game of the season on Sunday Night Football. After playing a limited role and looking somewhat uncomfortable in his first game back, no one knew when he’d bounce back. The answer to that question was whenever he got to face the tackles of the Denver Broncos.

Houston came out of the gates firing on Sunday night and recorded two quick sacks in the first half. He would then add a a third and it was undoubtedly the most impressive of the trio of of first-half takedowns:

From the jump he gets on the snap to the bullying he dishes out to Donald Stephenson, this is just so dominant from Houston. And then he lays an absolute wallop on Trevor Siemian to jar the ball loose and ultimately force the safety. Granted, part of the reason this is up there because it was his third sack of the half. But that doesn’t discredit the fact that this was a damn impressive display in his second game back from injury.

Nov 27, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Taylor Gabriel (18) runs for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Cardinals 38-19. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

9. Taylor Gabriel Scores Twice on Same Play-Call (Cardinals at Falcons)

If the only thing I were to tell you about Atlanta Falcon wide receiver Taylor Gabriel is that he was cut by the Cleveland Browns in early December, you might assume he’s the worst wideout in the league. However, the fact of the matter is that Gabriel’s release was simply a mistake on the part of the front office. Though he hadn’t played a significant role the in the Falcons offense since signing with Atlanta, he certainly did on Sunday.

Late in the second quarter of a tie game with the Arizona Cardinals, the Falcons were looking to try and get a lead going into the locker room. Though they were driving, they needed to break off a big chunk of yards to make something happen. Gabriel took it upon himself to simply just get all of the yardage needed to make the play. The speedster took a quick screen to the left side and turned on the jets. If nothing else, the receiver can absolutely fly and he torched Arizona en route to a touchdown:

As if he didn’t embarrass the Cardinals defense enough the first time around, Dan Quinn dialed up the same play in the second half. And though Gabriel had to take a different route, he still had the same destination on his second scamper off of a screen: the end zone. That’s an impressive showing for a player who even the Browns didn’t want to keep around at the start of the year.

Nov 27, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) makes a one handed catch against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Brian Poole (34) in the first quarter of their game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

8. Larry Fitzgerald Requires Just One Hand (Cardinals at Falcons)

There were reports early in the 2016 season that Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is considering retirement following this year. While he’s had a fantastic career already, it’s hard to believe that he’d hang ’em up when he’s still clearly got so much left in the tank. Yes, the Cardinals have been bad and so too has Carson Palmer. However, that’s no fault of Fitzgerald who’s been the only other consistent force on the Arizona offense outside of David Johnson.

When I say that Fitz still has something left in the tank, that means a lot of things. Not only is he still able to beat his man and get open to make plays in the passing game, but he’s also sure-handed and just as reliable as ever. More importantly from Sunday, though, Fitzgerald is also still capable of making the ridiculous play on the ball and hauling in a throw that looks like a sure incompletion. His one-handed grab early in the first quarter against the Falcons was a prime example of that.

Fitzgerald’s extension on this catch is ridiculous and, even knowing the result of the play, it still feels like there’s no way he’s going to catch it when you see the throw and his positioning. But that’s really what he does still. He makes plays out of what’s given to him and does it week in and week out. Whether he walks away at the end of the year or not, Fitz looks like he could play for several more years with the level he still performs at.

Oct 16, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Lions won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

7. Aaron Donald Annihilates Drew Brees on Sack (Rams at Saints)

The majority of casual discussions about the best defensive players in the NFL often go to the guys like Von Miller and Khalil Mack and rightfully so. What those guys on the edge are capable of doing and the pressure they bring is unreal. With that said, perhaps even more unreal is what Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is able to do up the middle for the LA defense. He’s on another plane when it comes to his position around the league and it shows often.

Despite the fact that the Rams defense as a whole would get torched by the Saints before the end of the 60 minutes on Sunday, Donald was a problem early on. He was dispatching the interior linemen of New Orleans at will and getting after either the run or Drew Brees. On one play in particular, though, he looked like a man among boys. Donald literally engages and throws the guard to the side before unleashing a bone-crunching hit on Brees for the sack.

There’s one player in the NFL capable of making a play like that consistently and that’s Donald. As I said, he’s on a different level than any other defensive tackle in the league right now. He can do it all and is a nightmare for opponents to deal with. It’s a shame that he gets overlooked because his teammates around him can’t consistently even put in adequate work.

zNov 27, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews (18) catches a 29 yard touchdown pass over Chicago Bears free safety Adrian Amos (38) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

6. Rishard Matthews Lays Out for Insane TD Grab (Titans at Bears)

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Whenever you talk about the big-name receivers in the NFL such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones, you expect to see those players leading in statistical categories or at least somewhere near the top. That’s why it’s shocking for a lot of people to look at the touchdown reception numbers from around the league and see Tennessee Titans wideout Rishard Matthews in the top-five. However, he’s emerged as a viable deep threat for Marcus Mariota and this offense and has been scoring continuously.

With all of that said, their prettiest effort of the season to date came on Sunday in Chicago.

Matthews burned his coverage right from the start on a skinny post, which isn’t hard to believe. However, he showed even more speed when he was able to run right past the back line of safeties into open space in the end zone. His second-year quarterback had a bomb coming his way, but even the speedy Matthews couldn’t get there in stride. Instead, he had to extend fully as he dove for it. Sure enough, he made the right play on the throw and hauled it in for six as he slid through the end zone.

This Titans team at their best can really be something special and Matthews is a part of that. Mariota has looked better and better as the season has gone on and his accuracy on deep balls is on-point at least eight out of 10 times. Subsequently, you can bet we’ll see more plays like this out of Tennessee in the future.

Nov 27, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs the ball during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at New Era Field. Buffalo defeated Jacksonville 28-21. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

5. LeSean McCoy Breaks Off 75-Yarder (Jaguars at Bills)

Throughout his two stops in his career, there have really been two characteristics abut current Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy. First off, he’s one of the best in the league when it comes to making guys miss. Whether that’s in traffic or in open space, McCoy is elusive to absurd degrees. What’s more, if you give him space at the second level, he’s going to make you pay for it in a big way. The Jacksonville Jaguars learned this the hard way.

After the Bills struggled somehow against Jacksonville in the first half, Buffalo got the ball to start the second. They took a touchback and were ready to start a drive. However, it only required one play for the Bills to be able to find the end zone. Tyrod Taylor gave the ball to Shady McCoy, he busted up in the middle where he shedded a pair of tackles and then broke free. Once there, he only had a pair of defensive backs really to beat. So naturally he turned on the burners and ran right past them for 75 yards and the score.

And to think that there was a chance that McCoy wasn’t going to play in this one. I’m sure that Buffalo is glad that he did. That run was vintage Shady and set the tone for the second half. This Bills team—the offense in particular—goes as McCoy does. So when he’s making plays like this, the rest fall in line.

Nov 27, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa (81) catches a touchdown pass over New England Patriots corner back Malcolm Butler (21) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

4. Quincy Enunwa Keeps His Butt Inbounds, Literally (Patriots at Jets)

Though we might be at least slightly desensitized to it at this point, it’s always impressive to see the awareness that many of the great NFL wide receivers have. The wherewithal it takes to jump up and make a catch and know exactly where your toes need to come down inbounds seems almost impossible. Yet we still see it almost every week.

However, New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa pulled off something you certainly don’t see every week. In what was a shocking heated battle between these AFC East rivals, Ryan Fitzpatrick was trying to go for it all. He found Enunwa with a bit of separation down the right sideline deep and threw it to the back-right corner of the end zone. That would be when Enunwa went up and made a hell of a play to just turn and secure the pigskin. Even more incredible, though, was how he stayed inbounds.

Initially, the officials ruled that he had come down out of bounds and waived off the score. With another look, though, Enunwa timed his jump absolutely perfectly. So even with his back turned to the ground, his butt hit first when he came down and the entirety of it was in the end zone to get the six points. Enunwa most likely couldn’t do that again. But it happened in Week 12 and it’s quite incredible to watch time and again.

Nov 27, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead (83) throws a flea flicker pass for a touchdown to running back Tim Hightower (not pictured) against the Los Angeles Rams during the fourth quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Rams 49-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

3. Willie Snead With the Touchdown Throw, Yes Throw (Rams at Saints)

Despite what you might’ve expected to happen, the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams were actually quite evenly matched in the first half. Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff threw for three scores in the first two quarters and looked to really be on to something. Of course, thinking you’re going to keep pace with the Saints in the dome is always a fool’s errand.

Goff and the Rams went quiet coming out of the locker room. Meanwhile, Sean Payton and the Saints came out of the half ready to beat LA into the ground. They did so quickly and with relative ease. After putting up 21 points in the second quarter to get things started, New Orleans was up big after 14 more were added in the third quarter. However, that didn’t stop them from pulling out all of the stops.

Some coaches, I’d imagine, take a bit offense to that. I mean, the Saints were already up three scores whenever Payton called the wide receiver pass on the fake. However, that doesn’t take anything away from how perfectly everyone from Willie Snead, to Tim Hightower, to Brees, to the offensive line executed the trick play. It went off flawlessly and was a beautiful thing to watch.

Nov 27, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) celebrates a touchdown with wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas (13) in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

2. Tyreek Hill Takes Free Kick 88 Yards to the House (Chiefs at Broncos)

Remember at No. 10 when we talked about Justin Houston destroying offensive tackles and then making strip-sacks in the end zone for safeties? Well, obviously that means that the Broncos had to put a free kick in the air on the next play. Though the Kansas City offense may not always be flashy or even all that close, it is when Tyreek Hill has ball and he was back to receiver the free kick after getting two points.

Apparently Hill wasn’t satisfied with just the two points, though. The speedy youngster took the kick and turned on the afterburners down the right sideline. He got some fantastic blocking along the way, but his moves and ability to get into that lane and then show off his elite speed is incredible. In the end, he and the Chiefs’ other return man, De’Anthony Thomas, running across the goal line for the score.

Not only does Hill get style points here for high-fiving Anthony just under 10 yards away from the goal line, but the return itself really was a thing of beauty. What’s more, it spearheaded a monster night for the Chiefs rookie as he had more big moments throughout. However, no moment or play matched the electric atmosphere Hill’s return started.

November 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) grabs the football on a fumble by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1, not pictured) during the fourth quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Panthers 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

1. Khalil Mack Gives Cushion, Ends it For Oakland (Panthers at Raiders)

Through the first few games of the 2016 NFL season, the Oakland Raiders were severely missing the impact of one of their biggest playmakers. Khalil Mack was touted as a superstar on the rise coming into the year. As the Raiders defense struggled early, though, a big part of that was the shortcomings of Mack.

In Week 12, though, he was everywhere he needed to be in more. Late in the second quarter, Mack came up with a monster play for the Raiders. The powerful, lightning-quick rusher absolutely dismantled his man and got right in the way of Cam Newton’s throw. He came down with the ball and then took the open lane to the house for his first career pick-six:

Mack wasn’t done having an impact on the game, though. Due to a bit of lackadaisical second half effort by the defense, the Panthers took a second-half lead. Soon after, though, Carr got back in rhythm with his injured and was able to tie it up. Mack and the defense forced a quick drive on the next Carolina possession and Carr led the go-ahead field goal drive.

The Panthers got the ball once more, though, with a chance to get into range and kick for the tie. after conceding a bit of yardage, though, it gout to fourth down. Newton took the snap on that play and Mack immediately went to work. He beat his man with relative easy and the exploded towards the quarterback. Mack laid a solid hit on him, forcing the fumble and recovering it himself to seal the huge win.

After the slow start that the Buffalo product got to this season on the field, he’s turned it around greatly. Through his last six games, he has eight sacks now to his credit and now nine overall on the year.

With Mack hitting his stride and both he and Carr making plays in the clutch, Oakland looks potentially dangerous as a Super Bowl threat out of the AFC West. At the very least, they’re a team you never want within striking distance in the fourth quarter if you’re going to beat them. Not only is Carr clutch with his arm, but these plays like Mack show they have a star to anchor them when it matters on defense as well.

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