NFL Week 12 Winners and Losers: Saquon Barkley Enters the MVP Discussion

The Eagles' star running back could end a run of quarterbacks dominating the award as he closes in on a 2,000-yard rushing season. Plus, it could be the end of an era for the 49ers and Rams.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley rushed for a career-high 255 yards against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. / Brooke Sutton / Getty Images

The NFL world can’t stop talking about Saquon Barkley’s dominant performance while running all over the Los Angeles Rams during Sunday Night Football.

Maybe all this chatter—and more games with more than 300 total yards—could be the key to Barkley winning the MVP despite not being a highly paid quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles have gotten their money’s worth from the offseason addition of Barkley, who has turned his new team into a Super Bowl contender. 

As for the New York Giants, they continue to lose games while fans wonder what could have been had they re-signed Barkley. Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers might be feeling lonely after an embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few days after New York released quarterback Daniel Jones.

The Cleveland Browns aren’t in the playoff picture, but they picked up an impressive win by upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers during an entertaining snow game. 

Let’s take a look at Barkley’s MVP campaign, the Browns’ competitive edge, Nabers’s giant burden and more for our Week 12 winners and losers.  

Winners

Saquon Barkley’s MVP campaign 

Sometimes it’s difficult searching for fresh story lines when it comes to the surging Eagles (9–2) because every week Barkley steals the spotlight with his dominant performances.

Football scribes have already published many stories poking fun at the Giants for letting Barkley walk in free agency, but now the focus should turn to Barkley’s MVP campaign. Yes, “Barkley for MVP” has also been written countless times, but it’s worth repeating that MVP shouldn’t just be a quarterback award. Barkley putting up monster numbers makes him the frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year, but he shouldn't be overlooked for MVP just because he plays running back. 

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The 2024 season has been the year of the running backs. Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Joe Mixon, Aaron Jones and many other backs are producing dynamic seasons with new teams and have done it at bargain prices because, for many years, teams convinced themselves running backs don’t have much value. Maybe it’s time to stop overpaying average quarterbacks and shining more attention on running backs.

The last time a running back won MVP was during Adrian Peterson’s epic 2012 season with 2,097 rushing yards to carry a mediocre Vikings team into the playoffs. Barkley is on track to reach 2,000 rushing yards and has already set a single-season career high after his 255 rushing yards against the Rams gave him 1,392 total yards through 11 games.

Also, Barkley has shown his value by being the best player on a team filled with star players. This team quickly went from being the Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown show to Barkley’s offense, and everyone in Philadelphia seems content with that because this identity gives them the best odds to return to the Super Bowl after a disappointing 2023 season. 

Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen will likely push Barkley for the MVP award, but running backs need to be taken seriously during this renaissance season for the position. 

Browns’ competitive edge 

I was totally wrong for bashing the prime-time matchup between the Browns and Steelers last week. That was one of the most entertaining games of the season and not just because of the snow storm that suddenly hit Cleveland in the first half. 

It was impressive to see how competitive the Browns were for their divisional matchup against the Steelers. The Browns (3–8) only had two wins before Thursday and the opposite record of the Steelers (8–3), but they punched the first-place team in the mouth and had a counter shot for their late rally.

Oh, and somehow Jameis Winston didn’t have the best speech of the night. That went to Browns star edge rusher Myles Garrett for sharing how much he wanted that win for running back Nick Chubb, who fought his way back after a gruesome knee injury last season, and to prove he’s better than T.J. Watt when it comes to being the best defender in the league. Garrett certainly made his point with his three sacks on Russell Wilson. 

The Browns are in a strange spot because the quarterback they paid (Deshaun Watson) is currently sidelined and hasn’t played well since arriving in Cleveland in 2022. But Winston brought the good vibes and a gritty performance to hand the Steelers a surprising defeat on Thursday night. Now there are reports of adding competition for Watson next season. Maybe Winston can throw his name in the hat with a few more strong performances to conclude this rough season for the Browns.   

Waddle topped 100 receiving yards for the first time since Week 1 during Miami's 34–15 win over New England. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Dolphins’ second wind

The Miami Dolphins have our attention as a potential playoff contender after beating the New England Patriots to win their third consecutive game.

The Dolphins (5–6) are going to need plenty of help to take an AFC wild-card spot down the stretch, but they can at least do their part by continuing to stack wins, starting by pulling off an upset win against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving. 

I wrote after the Dolphins defeated the Rams that their offense had a different look because Tua Tagovailoa was spreading the ball around and wasn’t reliant on the deep ball. Even against the poor Patriots’ defense, Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel followed the same formula and didn’t revert to their old ways of aggressively looking for the explosive plays. Jaylen Waddle broke out of a slump and recorded eight catches for 144 yards and one touchdown. 

Also, the Dolphins might have found something with tight end Jonnu Smith, who has made several impact plays in the past month. Eventually the deep shots are going to come with this patient and productive offensive scheme that McDaniel has installed since Tagovailoa returned after missing four games due to a concussion sustained in Week 2. They’re going to need Tyreek Hill to break free a few times on Thanksgiving night to beat the Packers in Green Bay. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s dominant November 

The Seattle Seahawks (6–5) regained first place in the NFC West largely because of the emergence of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the 2023 first-round pick. 

Smith-Njigba has taken off in the past month to display how much he’s improved since his quiet rookie season. He has taken over as Geno Smith’s No. 1 target and gave the Seahawks enough offense on Sunday to get by the Arizona Cardinals, who had a nine quarter streak of not allowing a touchdown snapped when Smith-Njigba found the end zone in the second quarter.

The wideout known as JSN finished with six catches for 77 yards vs. Arizona. He went over 100 receiving yards in the prior two games against the Rams and San Francisco 49ers. Maybe it’s premature to say Smith-Njigba is the team’s best wide receiver, but he has stepped up his game since DK Metcalf sustained a knee injury that sidelined him two games earlier this month. 

We’re starting to see now why so many of Smith-Njigba’s former Ohio State teammates and draft experts have raved about him the past few years.

Sam Darnold’s staying power 

Many expected Sam Darnold to crash and return to his New York Jets form after a string of sluggish performances. But the slump ended as Darnold bailed out the Minnesota Vikings with a comeback victory against the Chicago Bears last week.

Darnold stopped forcing the ball to Justin Jefferson and leaned on Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson to pick apart one of the better secondaries in the NFL. Some might not give Darnold credit because the Bears have a 4–7 record, but it bodes well for the Vikings that Darnold has learned from his mistakes. And slumps aren’t so bad when the team is in the midst of a four-game winning streak.

The Vikings (9–2) haven’t played a contender since the back-and-forth loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 7, but Darnold will soon get more opportunities to gain respect and prove the doubters wrong. Minnesota ends the regular season with games against Arizona, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Green Bay and Detroit—five teams currently competing for playoff spots.    

Losers 

Malik Nabers’s giant burden  

Nabers might have had a stark realization before unleashing an epic rant that generated plenty of headlines in New York. 

After the embarrassing 30–7 loss to the Buccaneers, it probably became clear to Nabers that he is now tasked with the enormous burden of getting the Giants (2–9) to win despite poor surroundings. Nabers can say he knows what Barkley felt for so many years before joining the Eagles in the offseason. Odell Beckham Jr. also knows the feeling, as does Daniel Jones, who was unfairly made the scapegoat for this dreadful 2024 season.

All eyes and microphones shifted to Nabers for answers now that Jones is a free agent following his surprising release last week. Jones didn’t live up to expectations, but he could have helped his rookie receiver on and off the field to ride out the bumps of this losing season. He’s certainly a better option than Tommy DeVito, who strangely was chosen over Drew Lock to start vs. Tampa Bay.

Even if Jones had another disastrous performance last week had he stayed with the team, he would have at least stood tall and answered questions for his teammates. Jones constantly did that after the Giants made him the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft even when the team annually failed to get him a quality offensive line or adequate skill players.

The team foolishly cut Jones with seven games left in the season as if his dismissal would pave the way for the team to have a late surge to possibly save the jobs of coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen. Instead, the team put their rookie receiver in an uncomfortable situation and made him realize the daunting challenges that come with being the Giants’ lone star on offense. 

Stroud and the Texans have lost four of their last six games, yet still hold a two-game lead in the AFC South. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

C.J. Stroud’s ongoing slump 

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made a handful of costly mistakes during the upset loss to the struggling Tennessee Titans to continue his second-year slump. None were bigger than taking a safety on the final drive to seal the Titans’ 32–27 win. 

Stroud’s statistical numbers are down across the board compared to his sensational rookie season. The 2023 No. 2 pick recorded two interceptions vs. the Titans to bring his season total to nine—Stroud only threw five picks during his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. Last year, Stroud averaged a league-best 273.9 passing yards per game. He’s now only averaging 239.6 passing yards for the Texans (7–5).

Stroud started the season by leaning on No. 1 wide receiver Nico Collins and running back Joe Mixon to mask his struggles. But Stroud lost that chemistry with Collins after he sustained a hamstring injury that sidelined him for five consecutive games and was unable to get the other playmakers involved in the offense even with Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs on the field. 

Dell has also had a subpar second season and hasn’t stepped up since the season-ending injury to Diggs. But it’s also Stroud’s responsibility to ensure Dell’s in the flow of the offense when he’s not throwing to Collins. 

Mixon carried the offense in the blowout loss against the Dallas Cowboys six days earlier, but Stroud couldn’t return the favor during Mixon’s quiet showing against the Titans. Stroud went 20-of-33 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. had some encouraging words for Stroud after his up-and-down Week 12 performance. He’s well aware that the team needs Stroud to regain his rhythm from his rookie season to have a chance at winning a playoff game, because they’re likely going to find a way into the postseason due to the lack of competition in the AFC South.  

Aaron Rodgers’s 2025 plans

The New York Jets (3–8) may or may not have spent their bye week leaking information about the challenges of working with Aaron Rodgers, a potential sign that the two sides will be going their separate ways in 2025. 

After the team fired Joe Douglas as general manager, reports surfaced about Jets owner Woody Johnson wanting Rodgers to be benched earlier this season and a second report emerged about Rodgers “refusing” medical treatment to hide injuries. 

This situation has gotten ugly and it’s starting to get to the point where Rodgers’s days with the Jets could be over before the final regular season game. If Rodgers becomes a free agent in the coming weeks or months, he might not have many suitors after showing his age during his worst season as a starting quarterback. 

Rodgers, who turns 41 next month, could create options for himself by telling teams he’d be O.K. with being a bridge quarterback and a mentor to an incoming rookie signal-caller. But then again, Rodgers might just opt for retirement because of the way he’s played this season and the strong possibility of not having a starting job in 2025.

49ers’ Super Bowl window 

For a second, it seemed the 49ers (5–6) were going to extend their Super Bowl window with the return of Christian McCaffrey. But the window for this core group might have closed after the embarrassing 38–10 loss against the Packers.

There’s a case to be made that it was just one really ugly game, because Brock Purdy could return this week to help them make a run at the NFC West title, a division that lacks a top contender with all four teams having at least five losses. Brandon Allen filled in vs. the Packers due to Purdy’s shoulder injury.  

But even if Purdy returns in Week 13—his presence might not be enough to beat the Buffalo Bills—and the 49ers go on to win the division, this team probably won’t be making noise in the postseason. The Detroit Lions, Eagles, Vikings and Packers might be a few levels above the once mighty 49ers, who quickly went from Super Bowl participants to fringe wild-card team that could be blasted in a playoff game come January. 

The 49ers might be thinking about their two recent Super Bowl losses to the Chiefs for many years because this core group could look vastly different next year.

The 49ers need to get younger and find ways to create cap space flexibility to pay Purdy in the offseason, making wide receiver Deebo Samuel a strong candidate to be traded. Maybe it gets to the point where the 49ers shop other aging stars, such as McCaffrey and left tackle Trent Williams. They also have a few key in-house free agents with cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga.

Don’t be surprised if the 49ers retool the roster to make up for this disappointing season that appears headed for a short postseason—if they even get that far.   

Rams’ outdated credentials 

The Rams have a similar vibe to the 49ers. 

They can’t be forgotten about because they play in the extremely mediocre NFC West and are a few wins away from being called a “dangerous playoff team” with a proven head coach in Sean McVay and a roster boasting plenty of postseason experience. 

But the Rams—and the 49ers—can’t just turn it on against the best teams like the Chiefs do because they’re simply not good enough. Everything the Rams did in the past needs to be forgotten about now because this team only has a few players remaining from their 2021 Super Bowl season and they’re not as good as the ‘23 team that made a late surge into the playoffs. 

Matthew Stafford has operated behind an inconsistent offensive line and he’s had his fair share of up-and-down performances. The Los Angeles defense has a talented group of pass rushers but it couldn’t set the edge last week and desperately missed the retired Aaron Donald against Barkley.

Jared Verse might win Defensive Rookie of the Year, but the Rams can’t expect him to do all the heavy lifting when the defense lacks talent at linebacker and has many issues with the secondary. Maybe it’s time to stop expecting the Rams to turn it around just because they beat the Vikings on a short week last month. 

The Rams delivered a dud at home against the Dolphins, survived a rally from the struggling Patriots and were outclassed by Barkley and the Eagles. The current version of this team has shown the football public who it truly is these past three weeks.

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