Final NFL 2023 Week 12 Observations ... With Dolphins Angles

Checking out the biggest storylines around the league involving Dolphins opponents and former players

There was a time early in the 2023 regular season when Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons was so dominant it was suggested he might be able to get himself into the MVP conversation.

While that idea no longer seems even remotely plausible — if it ever was — there's another player on that team making a big move in the MVP conversation who's also now become the player to watch when the Cowboys come to Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 24 — quarterback Dak Prescott.

While Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts looks like the new NFL MVP front-runner, Prescott has been the most productive QB in the league since the middle of October.

In the Cowboys' past six games, Prescott put up incredible numbers: a 70.5 completion percentage, an average of 312.3 yards per game, with 18 touchdowns against only two interceptions, for a ridiculous passer rating of 122.6.

Prescott's latest big game came on Thanksgiving Day against Washington, the Dolphins' next opponent, when he passed for 331 yards and four touchdowns in Dallas' 45-10 victory.

He had a 142.1 passer rating in that game and now stands second in the NFL at 107.4, trailing only Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers.

Parsons, meanwhile, might not be an MVP candidate anymore, though he's still have a big year (11.5 sacks), though not as big as Dallas DB DaRon Bland, who set an NFL record on Thanksgiving with his fifth interception return for a touchdown of the season.

CHIEFS BACK IN CHARGE

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Yes, for a little while Sunday at Las Vegas it looked like the Kansas City Chiefs looked like they were in trouble or at the very least very vulnerable coming off a loss against the Eagles and getting blown out early by the Raiders.

But after Josh Jacobs' 63-yard touchdown run put the Chiefs in a 14-0 hole at the 12:41 mark of the second quarter, it was vintage K.C. from that point on.

And while outscoring the Raiders 31-3 and outgaining them 347-137 over the final almost three quarters of the game, the Chiefs once again looked like the team that's hosted the past five AFC title games.

And with the favorable remaining schedule — at Green Bay, vs. Buffalo, at New England, vs. Las Vegas, vs. Cincinnati, at L.A. Chargers — it sure looks like the road to the Super Bowl for the Dolphins and the other AFC contenders once again will go through Kansas City.

TITANS TROUBLE

The big story around the NFL this week was the firing of Frank Reich a little more than halfway through his first season as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, and it came after a depressing 17-10 loss against the Tennessee Titans.

For the Titans, who come to Hard Rock Stadium in Week 14, the win snapped a three-game losing streak, but it's not like they exactly impressed.

While rookie QB Will Levis has shown flashes since taking over former Dolphins first-round pick Ryan Tannehill as the starter, the fact remains that Tennessee has failed to score more than 17 points in any of their past four games — with Derrick Henry at running back and DeAndre Hopkins at wide receiver.

Henry and Hopkins are  on pace for 1,000-yard seasons, but they're not dominating games the way they once did.

RAVENS ON A ROLL

The Baltimore Ravens went into their bye with an AFC-best 9-3 record following their Sunday night victory against the Chargers that was more about their defense than Lamar Jackson and their offense.

One player quietly having a very good year for that defense, now ranked second in the NFL, is former Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

He batted down a pass in the open field Sunday night and his third on the team in sacks with six, behind Justin Madubuike with 10 and former first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, who is enjoying a resurgence and has 7.5 sacks.

The way the Ravens has played all season and the way the Dolphins defense is playing, along with what figure to be lot different weather conditions, suggests the Week 17 Miami-Baltimore matchup is going to feature a lot less scoring than last year's 42-38 thriller.

QUICK HITTERS

-- The Lions remains firmly in control of the NFC North, but former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell is leaking defensively and it's hard to see them being able to challenge the big three (PHI, SF, DAL) in the conference like that.

-- The Patriots' dreadful season (yes, we know, we're all grieving) continued with that loss against the Giants on Sunday and it's not been much better for tight end Mike Gesicki. He didn't catch a pass on two targets in that game and is averaging 1.9 receptions per game, the same figure as last season when he became a forgotten man in the Dolphins offense. Gesicki's season high for catches remains the five he had against the Dolphins in Week 2.

-- Linebacker Elandon Roberts, meanwhile, is having himself a pretty good season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's leading that team in tackles with 77, 23 more than anybody on defense, and has started 10 games for a Steelers team in the thick of the AFC playoff race and with a shot even at winning the AFC North title.

The Dolphins Playoff Picture Through Week 12