Week 12 Peak Performers

Each week in the NFL, there are a select number of players who have exceptional performances that help lead their teams to victories.  However, in week 12, for whatever reason, there were some guys who had absolutely spectacular days and put up the kinds of numbers that we have rarely seen before.  Let's take a look at the stat lines of those players.

1.  Tyreek Hill
13 receptions, 269 yards, 3 TDs

Tyreek Hill was the most impressive of the week 12 performers in my opinion.  He made it look the Buccaneers' secondary wasn't even trying to guard him.  He had touchdown grabs of 75, 44, and 20 yards and seemed to get open at will all afternoon.  He secured 13 of his 15 targets, and his yardage after the catch was equally as impressive as his route running and ability to find holes in the defense.  On his second touchdown catch in the first quarter, Hill got wide open before receiving a deep pass, side stepping a defender, and turning around to backflip into the end zone.  Do you realize how confidently wide open you have to be to decide to backflip into the end zone in an NFL game?  The disrespect...  The even crazier part is that he could've had a bigger day, but Kansas City practically gave up in the fourth quarter as they knew they were going to cruise to victory.  To cap off his day, Hill caught the game-sealing first down pass from Patrick Mahomes when Tampa Bay pulled within three points.

2.  Derrick Henry
27 carries, 178 yards, 3 TDs

Henry and the Titans took advantage of an injury/COVID-riddled Indianapolis defense to pummel the Colts in a very important divisional matchup.  Tennessee was able to run the ball over, around, and through the Colt defense all day as proven by Derrick Henry's 6.6 yard average.  All three of his scores came in the first half, and he could've added a fourth but Ryan Tannehill used him as a decoy in a read option with less than a minute to play in the second quarter.  Much like Tyreek Hill's performance, Henry could have kept piling on to his yardage and touchdown total in the second half, but there was no reason to keep relying on him and risk an injury with such a big lead.  If the Titans can run the ball week in and week out like they did on Sunday, they could ride King Henry all the way... until they play the Chiefs.

3.  Will Fuller
6 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TDs

Fuller had a slow start on Thanksgiving against the Lions, but he caught a 34- and 40-yard touchdown pass within two minutes of each other to seal the deal for Houston.  While the absence of DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans is clearly evident in their performances, Will Fuller has hardly missed a beat over the course of the season.  His game-breaking speed and big play ability is on display each week he's able to suit up.  Unfortunately, he was just suspended from the NFL for six games for violating the league's PED policy, ending his 2020 season.  Still, he had quite a game on Thursday.

4.  Antonio Gibson
20 carries, 115 yards, 3 TDs

Another Turkey Day performer, Gibson put on a show against Washington's division foe, adding five catches for 21 yards to his three touchdown performance.  Ironically, both winning teams on Thanksgiving scored 41 points in their respective routs.  Gibson wore down Dallas's defense all game, and just seemed to outlast them as the game drew to a close.  After scampering into the end zone from 23-yards out to make it a two-score game with 12 minutes remaining, he took another one in from 37 yards to put the icing on the cake.  Thanks to Antonio Gibson's ground work and a stellar defensive performance, Washington now sits tied for the lead in the NFC East with five games remaining.

5.  D.K. Metcalf
10 receptions, 177 yards

Metcalf's stat line wasn't unbelievable in this one, but he did break Seattle's franchise record for receiving yards in a Monday night game.  He also said he played with a chip on his shoulder after the Eagles' defensive coordinator compared him to Calvin Johnson before the game, something that everyone outside of D.K. is confused by.  It seemed like a nice compliment to me, but then again, I'm not a 6'4", 229-pound freak athlete, so I don't know how Metcalf really feels.  Either way, Metcalf was clearly Russell Wilson's go-to option on Monday, totaling eight more targets than any other pass catcher.  He got dragged down at the one-yard line after a big gain in the opening quarter and mishandled a pass in the corner of the end zone late in the game, but Metcalf consistently demonstrates his physical prowess every week.

6.  Jeremy Chinn
13 total tackles (7 solo), 2 fumble recovery TDs

I'll be honest, I had never even heard of this guy before Sunday, but I found out he is an absolute stud.  Chinn picked up a Kirk Cousins fumble early in the third quarter and took it to the house to take the lead for Carolina.  Then, 10 seconds later, he did the same exact thing when Dalvin Cook coughed the ball up.  I mean, that's totally unheard of.  One scoop and score is rare enough, but two, on back to back plays, from the same player?  I've never seen that before.  And to go along with those touchdowns, the man had 13 tackles.  It was just an all around spectacular performance and it's a shame that the Panthers ended up losing.  I guess your team's chances of winning aren't very good when a defender accounts for half of your points.  But still, it was a sensational day for the rookie linebacker/safety.

Written by Nick Swatson