Of Note (Week 12, 2012)

Every Tuesday, we’ll recap the previous week with a few things of note. Sometimes the obvious is the most interesting, while we’ll try and mix in a surprise or two along the way…

The Texans (34), Lions (31), Redskins (38), Cowboys (31), Patriots (49) and Jets (19) combined for a whopping 202 points on Thanksgiving Day, the most combined points since the league began playing 3 games in 2006. The previous high for Turkey Day was just 168 points. It’s also worth noting that all 6 starting quarterbacks on Thursday threw for at least 300 yards and both Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford and Cowboys’ QB Tony Romo threw for exactly 441 yards…in losing efforts. And it’s also worth mentioning that the Lions, Cowboys and Jets all lost at home on Thanksgiving…

The Denver Broncos, winners of 6 straight, owns the league’s longest current winning streak while the rest of the division is headed in the opposite direction. The Chargers (3), Raiders (4) and Chiefs (8) have combined to lose 15 straight games. And it may be a whole lost worst if you consider that San Diego is just 2-7 in its last 9 games and both of those victories are over Kansas City. All told, the Broncos are 8-3 while the rest of the division sits at a combined 8-25…

After posting wins over the Eagles and Cowboys over the span of 5 days, the Redskins have put themselves back in playoff contention. And a win over the Giants on Monday night would bring Mike Shanahan’s within a game of the top spot in the NFC East. While red hot QB Robert Griffin III has played a major part (8 TD passes, 1 INT in last 2 games) has been a major catalyst, ball security has been a big part of the team’s season-long turnaround. Last year, Washington was minus-14 in the turnover differential department. In 11 games in 2012, the Redskins are plus-12 in turnover margin…

Winners of 3 straight games, the Cincinnati Bengals now sit at 6-5 and are certainly in the running for a playoff berth. Last season, Marvin Lewis’ club parlayed a 6-2 start into a 9-7 record and a wild card appearance. The current 3-game winning streak followed a 4-game losing streak, which was preceded by 3 straight wins after a 44-13 loss to the Ravens on the first Monday night of the season. More importantly, can the Bengals make a second straight postseason appearance for only the second time in team history (1981 and ’82 seasons)? Stay tuned…

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles released former Pro Bowl DE Jason Babin, who totaled 18.0 sacks in 2011. But it’s been a down year for everyone in the City of Brotherly Love, including Babin, who was leading the team with 5.5 sacks this season. A year after tying for the NFL lead with 50 sacks, the Eagles had totaled (you guessed it) only 18 sacks in 11 games in 2012…