Several scary statements were made amid Week 12’s Sunday action, which featured comebacks, overtime, and more.
Sunday scaries … a feeling of anxiety or sadness one may feel when the weekend is almost over, either because the work/school week is about to begin, there is no more time for fun or relaxing weekend activities, or both. (h/t Merriam-Webster.com, slang section)
Whether it’s on social media, Hinge profiles that ask for the perfect Sunday or on the minds of school-bound children who haven’t completed that project that was assigned three weeks ago, Sunday scaries no doubt jostle the imagination. The origins of the concept are unknown but were perhaps felt and understood long before a term for them was coined, and it now has a bit of a stranglehold on the American imagination. It perhaps multiples fortyfold on the fields of the NFL, even if its participants would never admit.
TFB7 merges these concepts with the thrills of the NFL’s recently wrapped Sunday, finding one scary from each game whether its to the bearer’s horror … or the league at large to give the protagonist(s) sweet relief.
Bears 31, Steelers 28
The biggest Black Friday gift could belong to the Bears.
With their win over the Steelers, a team that came into the weekend with their division’s lead, the Bears bought themselves an early Black Friday special: pressure. No one wanted to admit it, but it was perhaps a bit difficult to take the Bears’ winning streak seriously with most of their tallies stacked against not-so-sterling competition (New England, at the very least, has wins over Buffalo and Tampa Bay in their active gauntlet).
But in a game where so many things could’ve gone wrong, Chicago saw fantastic outputs from its investments, whether its three scores from Caleb Williams or clutch grabs from rookies Luther Burden and Colston Loveland (not to mention another rushing score for Kyle Monangai). That puts the Bears in a bittersweet position where their holiday matchup against the Eagles suddenly becomes one of the more anticipated showings on the NFL calendar and one of the most important Chicago games in quite some time.
Browns 24, Raiders 10
Did Kevin Stefanski go bust in Vegas?
The positive end of the Shedeur Sanders overreaction spectrum got its moment in the spotlight this week, as the rookie quarterback shined in his first start and kept mistakes to a minimum. It was enough to earn another start, as Sanders will reprise his role as QB1 when Cleveland hosts San Francisco this week. Of course, all things Sanders generate takes ranging from the bizarre to the uncomfortably true, and the latest could center on the embattled Browns coach, Stefanski.
Last week’s admission that Sanders did not get first-team reps drew both criticism and leeway from his supporters when it came to analyzing his brutal debut. The Sanders discourse has rendered something as innocuous as game-ball granting must-see television, as some observers took issue with Stefanski handing it to Myles Garrett instead. Granted, the Browns’ franchise face deserves his due props (breaking his own franchise single-season records in sacks on Sunday and well on pace to shatter Michael Strahan’s national mark) but it bears wondering if Sanders’ progress helps or hurts Stefanski’s case to stay for a seventh season.
Chiefs 23, Colts 20 (OT)
The Chiefs will be trouble when they walk in (to the playoffs).
The headliner of Sunday’s early slate was no doubt the clash in Kansas City, which could’ve served as either a changing of the guard or a re-establishment of the status quo in the AFC. It took a few more minutes, but the Chiefs made it the latter and then some. Though the “In the Hunt” column is uncharted territory for the modern Chiefs, it was forever foolish to count them out.
Sunday’s effort against the Colts, one of the primary suitors for their top seed throne, allowed the Chiefs to start compiling such receipts, as a team effort in the fourth quarter somewhat restored Arrowhead sanity. Kansas City outgained Indianapolis 213-18 in the fourth quarter and overtime and completed their final scoring two drives with nary a yard of penalty assistance. The Chiefs now face the Dallas Cowboys in Thursday’s Thanksgiving festivities in a game that could set viewership records never heard of before.
Cowboys 24, Eagles 21
The Cowboys may have a sheriff worth fighting for.
It’s probably too late for the Dallas Cowboys to stage a playoff run. Reality could arrive in Arlington on Thursday in the form of the Kansas City Chiefs. But Sunday’s comeback victory over the mighty Eagles may be one of the most monumental triumphs that the franchise has earned in quite some time.
Previous teams led by Jason Garrett and Mike McCarthy were well-known for intriguing comebacks that would fall just short. But Dallas may be rallying around first-time boss Brian Shottenheimer, who has had to deal with both the typical issues that the Cowboys face and challenges that no coach deserves to face. The Cowboys appear to have a trust in Schottenheimer, who has been embedded in the franchise since 2022. Like the deadline acquisitions of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, the progress may not be immediately apparent on the leaderboard but could paints a rosier sunset for the Cowboys down the line.
Falcons 24, Saints 10
Kyle Pitts gives them fits.
A rare joyful day in Atlanta was, perhaps appropriately and at least partly, derailed by the uncomfortable realization that the Kyle Pitts bit has officially run its course. With Drake London injured and the Falcons left with little, if anything, to play for (the win and the Buccaneers’ struggles leave the bizzarro division title door open a crack), Sunday had an aura of now or never for the embattled tight end, the fourth overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Alas, The Big Easy was anything but for Pitts, who was limited to two receptions for the third consecutive week. A third fell out of his hands and into the arms of Justin Reid, whose subsequent pick six created the lone New Orleans touchdown of the afternoon. Pitts couldn’t even settle for being Atlanta’s most consistent tight end of the day, as Charlie Woerner caught all three of his Sunday targets. The Falcons have plenty of work to do to return to prominence but parting ways with Pitts feels like a no-brainer at this point.
Jaguars 27, Cardinals 24 (OT)
The endeavor for Trevor could be game manager.
Jacksonville’s rollercoaster affairs are downright heaven compared to the way it has started the decade. But, sitting at the cusp of the playoff picture (and wins over Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers looming particularly large), one can’t help but wonder how things would look with a different quarterback at the helm.
The Jaguars got both ends of the Trevor Lawrence spectrum on Sunday: the franchise face lost four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble) on Sunday but came through when it mattered most, recovering from his mistakes to the tune of three touchdowns. As Jacksonville continues to push for contention in both the past and present, perhaps its time to simply invest further in blocking and rushing while letting Lawrence be more of a game manager. At this point, the reality could well be that Lawrence’s ceiling is that of Alex Smith rather than Peyton Manning … and that’s perfectly okay.
Lions 34, Giants 27 (OT)
Be prepared to Gibb it your all.
The Lions were able to move forth from their fourth down struggles on Sunday, averting an egregious disaster against the woebegone Giants. At the forefront was running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who dealt the final blow of the Giants’ Shane Bowen era with a 264-yard, three-touchdown performance partly headlined by a long touchdown on the first play of overtime.
Of course, any Gibbs gifts come with the unfortunate caveat that he’s due to hit free agency at the end of the year. That places Detroit in the uncomfortable position over whether it wants to, or is even capable of, become/becoming a team headlined by a running back. Gibbs’ output hints it may not have a choice: with his career-best performance added to the tally, Detroit has posted a 17-4 record when Gibbs reaches at least 100 yards from scrimmage. That could lead to some uncomfortable departures for the team’s architects behind this run of prosperity, such as effective, yet aging, lineman Taylor Decker ($11.9 million in cap savings upon release).
Packers 23, Vikings 6
SOS on JJ McCarthy.
So much has transpired during this NFL season that McCarthy’s heroics to open the Monday night slate feel as distant as his endeavors in Ann Arbor. McCarthy endured the wrath of the Packers defense on Sunday, getting dropped for five sacks and amassing just 87 yards in the air. To make matters worse, the brutal day subjected McCarthy to postgame concussion symptoms, so it may be better for Minnesota to just call it quits on this season and see what it has in undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
The truly scary part is that the Vikings may be in too deep and might have no choice but to commit to the McCarthy bit: Minnesota, after all, let both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones walk and might wind up improving its defense at its current draft fate (12th overall entering Monday night action). Granted, a few more losses could place it right back into the quarterback logjam in the top five, but the McCarthy mistake still looms particularly large.
Patriots 26, Bengals 20
Maye or Maye not? Now the real Patriot games begin.
The curious case of the Patriots continued in earnest on Sunday: New England handled business and became the first 2025 NFL team to reach 10 wins to the tune of a comeback victory over the reeling Bengals. It came, however, at a sizable price: the Patriots lost both of their blocking anchors on the left side, as both guard Jared Wilson and tackle/newly-crowned fourth overall pick Will Campbell had to be carted off.
For what it’s worth, Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offensive leftovers conducted themselves fairly well: Maye was sacked only once, though the 3.5 yards per carry will leave plenty to be desired. It’ll now be up to a steady diet of veteran depth (i.e. Ben Brown, Vederian Lowe, Caedan Wallace) to pick up the slack. The schedule is, admittedly, rather kind if Campbell and Wilson’s injuries prove lasting: the Patriots face a Giants group that just fired its defensive coordinator on Monday night before enjoying their late bye week.
Rams 34, Buccaneers 7
Time for a new captain in Tampa?
All things considered, Todd Bowles has done the most with his second chance at head coaching in Tampa. It was definitely one of the more unenviable positions in the league, considering he had to keep the Buccaneers’ Tom Brady-induced momentum alive, but Bowles has kept the team in the NFL’s penthouse, or least in the hallway leading to it.
But the Buccaneers have larger expectations than just appearing on the playoff bracket and, after three consecutive losses, even that’s not a guarantee anymore. Bowles is supposed to be a defensive anchor of sorts considering his offensive oversees (i.e. Liam Coen, current Panthers pursuer Dave Canales) keep getting head coaching jobs, but the Rams played Sunday Night Football on easy mode in the first half. The spotlight on Bowles will only heighten as the Panthers potentially inch closer to the NFC South lead and the playoff spot that comes with it.
Ravens 23, Jets 10
Nevermore? Much more than just Lamar Jackson.
It didn’t take long for the purple status quo to be re-established in the AFC North, as the Ravens have won five in a row to leap back into the division lead. The last four have been earned with Jackson back under center but it’s clear that something isn’t quite right in the Chesapeake.
In hindsight, the Jackson injury might’ve been the least of their woes, as the Ravens’ homegrown projects on the offensive line (i.e. Daniel Faalele, Andrew Voorhees, the inactive Ben Cleveland) have struggled to bloom. That allowed a pesky Jets defense to keep things in check for about three periods though Derrick Henry’s antics allowed them to pull away. Since his return, Jackson has averaged 2.8 yards on 25 carries, the lowest he’s had in any four-game span in his career. It’s one thing to ask Jackson to be a game manager. But if his rushing abilities when healthy were masking issues on the Ravens’ line this whole, Baltimore’s lead in the North could prove fleeting.
Seahawks 30, Titans 24
Sam They Are.
Seattle might have the NFL’s top receiver and the consensus No. 1 in 2026 fantasy drafts in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who needed but 11 games to pass DK Metcalf for the most prolific receiving season in Seahawks history. The Seahawks, however, may live and die by the antics of his passer.
It was great to see Sam Darnold take advantage of the tumultuous Titans and recover from last week’s divisional disaster against the Rams to the tune of a 244-yard, two-touchdown day. But it’s one thing to show up like that against the Titans … the surging Seahawks have higher aspirations. Darnold has a sterling 116.2 rating in the Seahawks’ eight wins this season, but that plummets to 86.7 in the losses to San Francisco, Tampa Bay, and Los Angeles. Only adding to Darnold’s shootout plight is Seattle’s rash of defensive injuries, as it had to finish Sunday’s game without Ty Okada and Chazz Surratt, which allowed Tennessee to somewhat beautify the final.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags