NFL Week 12 Recap: Dolphins Stick a Fork in Jets on Black Friday

The Cowboys also dominated their Thanksgiving game over the Commanders, while the Lions struggled and fell to the Packers.

There’s arguably nothing more American than football on Thanksgiving.

And, frankly, there are few traditions more annual than the Lions hosting on Turkey Day and infuriating the entire city of Detroit. But, coming in at 8–2, the 2023 Lions seemed poised to buck that trend, only to play horribly against a determined Packers (5–6) team.

In the second portion of the holiday tripleheader, the Commanders (4–8) visited the Cowboys (8–3), with Dallas easily covering the spread despite laying almost two full touchdowns. Thursday’s win puts the Cowboys within 1.5 games of the Eagles in the NFC East. Philadelphia hosts the Bills on Sunday afternoon.

Finally, the Seahawks (6–5) hosted the 49ers (8–3) in a battle for first place in the NFC West, but only fell further behind in the race. With San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas coming up over the next three weeks, the Seahawks are in dire shape.

(This story will be updated throughout the week.)

FRIDAY

Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert led Miami with 94 rushing yards on 20 attempts and put away the Jets by scoring his team’s final two touchdowns on Black Friday :: Chris Pedota/USA TODAY Network

Dolphins 34, Jets 13

• What it means for the Dolphins: Miami (8–3) is in the midst of a five-game stretch against subpar teams, and so far, so good. The Dolphins smoked the Jets, holding them under 100 yards until the fourth quarter. However, the loss of Jaelan Phillips is significant. Phillips is an excellent edge rusher who had 6.5 sacks and an interception, providing a great tandem with Bradley Chubb. Without Phillips, blocking Chubb becomes easier. Now, Miami needs its terrific interior to step up even further with Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler penetrating up front.

• What it means for Jets: This might be the worst offense we’ve ever seen when you contextualize the situation. The expansion-era Buccaneers of 1976 and ‘77 were atrocious, but they were in their infancy with castoffs. The Jets (4–7) spent significantly this offseason both in free-agency dollars and draft capital, bringing in a litany of new starters including receivers Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman and Randall Cobb, running back Dalvin Cook and center Joe Tippmann. While Aaron Rodgers’s injury is obviously devastating, New York is still an incompetent mess, completely hopeless on a weekly basis.

THURSDAY

McCaffrey rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the first half for the 49ers :: Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports

49ers 31, Seahawks 13

• What it means for 49ers: San Francisco (8–3) may have stumbled last month with a three-game losing streak, but that’s a distant memory. Once again, Brock Purdy played great sans a fluke, deflected pick-six. The quartet of weapons in George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey is the league’s best group, and accounted for 302 total yards and four touchdowns on Thanksgiving night. When the Niners are healthy and clicking, there’s no team more dangerous. Right now, it’s San Francisco and Philadelphia in the NFC. That’s it.

• What it means for Seahawks: The NFL picture can change quickly. Five days ago, Seattle (6–5) was tied atop the NFC West with a real chance to contend for the second seed. Now, the Seahawks will be lucky to be .500 after 14 games, with the Cowboys, 49ers and Eagles up next. While the talent is there for Seattle, so is a sudden urgency. Geno Smith has been good but not great this season. He’ll need to have the best stretch of his year to help get the Seahawks through this span without being completely overwhelmed. 

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Cowboys 45, Commanders 10

Prescott is leading a Dallas team that seems unstoppable at home :: Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports

• What it means for Commanders: Washington (4–8) has entered the evaluation phase. With new ownership taking over before the season, only a successful 2023 campaign was going to prevent a housecleaning. The big question is whether the Commanders’ brass believes in quarterback Sam Howell, who leads the NFL in passing yards, sacks taken, attempts and completions. What to make of this? The last five games are about figuring out who has a place in 2024 and beyond.

• What it means for Cowboys: When Dak Prescott is hot—and he’s played very well this year—Dallas (8–3) can challenge anybody in the league. Prescott threw for 331 yards (10.4 YPA) and four touchdowns against Washington, doing a nice job of going downfield and finding results. However, we’re going to find out just how consistent Prescott and the Cowboys can be as they face the Seahawks, Eagles, Bills, Dolphins and Lions in their next five games. Also, DaRon Bland. Whew.

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Packers 29, Lions 22

Christian Watson had one of the Packers’ three receiving touchdowns Thursday :: Junfu Han/USA TODAY Network

• What it means for Packers: Green Bay (5–6) is alive in the playoff chase. The Packers appeared finished less than a week ago, but now with wins over the Chargers and Lions, they’re suddenly a factor in the NFC wild card race. The defense has stepped up considerably under beleaguered coordinator Joe Barry, limiting Los Angeles and Detroit to 42 combined points. Offensively, Jordan Love has been excellent in those two wins, throwing five touchdowns and totaling 590 passing yards without a turnover. Next up, a Sunday night showdown at Lambeau against the Chiefs.

• What it means for Lions: Detroit (8–3) is still in terrific shape in the NFC North, but this is its second bad performance in five days. The Lions were able to pull off a miracle last Sunday in their comeback victory over the Bears, but no such luck against the Packers. Jared Goff has been a mess in both games, turning the ball over three times in each affair. If Detroit reels in the turnovers and can reassert itself defensively, the Lions have a chance to finish with 12 or 13 wins. If not, every game becomes an adventure.