PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Forget Carson Wentz, this is Leonard Fournette’s team.
2. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (8-3)
Some chinks in the teflon, but capable of beating anybody.
3. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-3)
Loss to Pats kept them from ascending to the top rung.
4. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (9-2)
With Bridgewater gone, this ranking may be too generous.
5. GREEN BAY PACKERS (8-3)
When they’re good, they’re great. But they’ve lost to the Dolphins, been taken to the wire by the Jets, and into overtime by the 49ers.
Leaderboards
Passing Yards: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT- 3,383
Passing Touchdowns: Aaron Rodgers, GB- 29
QB Rating: Marcus Mariota, TEN- 113.6
Interceptions Thrown: Matt Ryan, ATL- 15
Rushing Yards: Leonard Fournette, PHI- 1,147
Rushing Touchdowns: 5 players tied with 11
Receptions: Randall Cobb, GB- 75
Receiving Yards: Randall Cobb, GB- 978
Total Tackles: Su’a Cravens, WAS- 105
Solo Tackles: Su’a Cravens, WAS- 83
Sacks: Khalil Mack, OAK- 14.4
Interceptions: Vernon Hargreaves, III, TB; Sean Smith, OAK- 7
"IT'S OVER”: BRIDGEWATER SUFFERS CAREER-ENDING RE-INJURY
Minnesota signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater had been playing on borrowed time since his remarkable return from the gruesome knee injury he sustained during 2016 training camp. Against the Jets on Sunday, time caught up with him on a sack by Lamarr Houston. Hit from behind while his previously-injured knee was being buckled from the front by downed blocker Alex Boone, Bridgewater sustained a quadruple tear- the ACL, MCL, PCL and patellar tendon. The question now is not when, but if, he will ever be able to undertake any kind of athletic activity. A return to football is “out of the question,” said a teary-eyed Mike Zimmer. “It’s over for Teddy, and I’m heartbroken.” They severity of Bridgewater’s injury deflated the Vikings so badly that they fell apart against the Jets, losing for only the second time this season. Considering that Case Keenum lost a starting gig to a rookie Jared Goff, Minny had better hope it can rely upon its stout defense and the one-two punch of Adrian Peterson and Alvin Kamara to further its playoff ambitions. It’s already a sad turn of events which has the potential for becoming worse if the Vikes fall out of playoff contention.
Vikings Poach QB Mike White From Houston's Practice Squad
Teddy Bridgewater’s injury left Case Keenum as the only active quarterback on the Vikings’ roster, and while they have rookie Anu Solomon on their practice squad, they turned to an outside source to acquire Keenum’s backup. Rookie Mike White was pilfered from the Houston Texans’ practice squad. White, who began his college football career at USF but transferred to Western Kentucky to play for Bobby Petrino, was selected in the sixth round, but failed to make a Texans 53-man roster that included first-rounder and Rookie of the Year contender Mason Rudolph, Sam Bradford and Tom Savage. Houston head coach Bill O’Brien said “We hate losing Mike and we considered signing him to the active roster in order to hold onto him, but we couldn’t justify sacrificing any of our active players to carry a 4th QB. It’s a decision we may come to regret, but this game is full of tough decisions. We hope he’ll be a silver lining for them. We certainly think he has the potential to be that, and they obviously do as well.” White was already known to Zimmer and the Minnesota scouting department. Zimmer said that White would have been the team’s 7th round selection had he been available.
Week 12 Injury Report
Bears DE Jonathan Allen - foot, 6 w
Bengals RB Gio Bernard - back, 5 w
Jaguars C Brandon Linder - ankle, 3 w
Jets G Brandon Folkerts - ACL, 8 w
Rams WR James Washington - foot, 8 w
Rams DE Dominique Easley - wrist, 4 w
Snowhawks DE Corey Liuget - hip, 7 w
Texans RB Lamar Miller - hip, 5 w
Titans LT Taylor Lewan - ankle, 5 w
Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater - knee, CAREER-ENDING
Vikings DT Linval Joseph - arm, 5 w
Transactions
Vikings sign QB Mike White from Texans practice squad
Bengals re-sign DT Andrew Billings (3 y)
Broncos re-sign RT Ty Sambrailo (3 y)
Buccaneers re-sign RB Jacquizz Rodgers (2 y)
Chiefs re-sign LS James Winchester ( 1 y)
Dolphins re-sign QB Brandon Doughty (1 y)
Eagles re-sign OLB Joe Walker (4 y)
Lions re-sign CB Quandre Diggs (3 y)
Panthersre-sign OLB Jared Norris (4 y)
Rams re-sign QB Sean Mannion (2 y)
Rams re-sign WR Nelson Spruce (2 y)