The Steelers are the 13th NFL team to start a season 11-0. In any other year, this might have been the biggest story of Week 12. Instead, yesterday was largely about a mostly healthy, dominant team edging a severely undermanned, underperforming team.
Yesterday marked the sixth time Pittsburgh has won by a touchdown or less--possibly the most close games of any undefeated team to this point in the season. They've just lost their #2 pass rusher, Bud Dupree, for what appears to be the season. And they're getting closer to a major Week 14 showdown in Buffalo that could end not only their undefeated season, but also seriously weaken their hold on the #1 playoff seed (the one-loss Chiefs beat the Bills earlier, but would lose the tiebreaker based on intra-division won-loss record).
Fantasy-wise, Benny Snell had his best game since Week 1. But since that dominant performance against the Giants, he's averaged only 2.6 YPC. In other words, don't go rushing to pay big for Snell. While James Conner is trending down for Week 13, rookie Anthony McFarland is arguably more capable than Snell. Don't be surprised if he's much more involved Monday against Washington.
Also, how remarkable is it that Eric Ebron has carved out a meaningful role despite playing alongside three high-usage wideouts. He's now #9 in TE fantasy scoring and is averaging a healthy 10.5 points in his last nine games and has reached double-digits in four of his last five. Only Tom Brady has attempted and completed more passes than Big Ben. As long as that volume holds up, Ebron will remain relevant.
For Baltimore, there's not much to evaluate. RGIII was as ineffective as expected, and his departure in the fourth quarter. While he flashed in the running game, he remains a lower-tier backup QB in a league that seems to increasingly demand capable backup QBs. If his name were EGIII, he probably wouldn't be in the league. Not that Trace McSorley is necessarily better (a huge TD pass to Marquise Brown where Brown did most of the work doesn't exactly inspire confidence). But I'd be shocked if the Ravens don't add a better backup in 2021.
Gus Edwards was also as ineffective as expected. While he found the end zone, his absence in the passing game is a major red flag, and Justice Hill outplayed him. When Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins return, there could be some reshuffling in a final push for a postseason berth. For example, I wouldn't be surprised if we get more of Dobbins and Hill and less of Ingram and Edwards. But we'll see how it all shakes out.
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In other news, David Johnson could return this weekend. But is that a good thing? Houston gets the Colts twice and also the Bears, and Duke Johnson--despite his relatively poor play--might have earned a more consistent complementary role, which could cut into David's passing-game volume. It's something to watch for in Week 13.
Also, it appears Miami will go back to Tua Tagovailoa if the rookie is healthy, which makes no sense. I get that the team wants to see what they have in their first rounder. But this isn't a good time to experiment. The franchise has reached the playoffs only twice in the last 18 years. They're clinging to a 6-seed. After Cincinnati this weekend they'll wrap up with the Chiefs, Patriots, Raiders, and Bills. In other words, they'll be lucky to go 3-2 the rest of the way, and a 2-3 finish probably would send them packing. If you have Devante Parker, you have to hope Ryan Fitzpatrick keeps the ball.