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50 things we learned in Week 12 of the 2015 NFL season

USA TODAY Sports
50 things we learned in Week 12 of the NFL season.

In honor of Super Bowl 50, here are 50 things we learned in Week 12:

1. And the last undefeated team is ... the Panthers. Will we still get the 16-0 talk now that the Patriots are out, or are the 1972 Dolphins about to reach for the champagne?

2. Matt Hasselbeck is 4-0 as the Colts' starter. He should get some extra AARP points for that.

3. Replay Review I: Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. did it again. His one-handed TD catch the highlight of a hard-to-watch NFC East game. If you didn’t see it, what are you waiting for?

4. The Twitterverse was going crazy over Bills WR Sammy Watkins (6 catches for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns), but the guy on the other team, Chiefs WR Jeremy Maclin, had a better game with 9 catches for 160 yards and a TD. And Maclin’s team won.

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5. And, oh yeah, Watkins went without a catch in the second half. Still, he was trending. Hard to believe Twitter got something wrong.

6. “Manning throws three interceptions.” And Peyton didn’t even play.

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7. The most surprising thing was no college coaches were fired in the time between those two scores.

8. Replay review II: Catch the clip of referee Walt Coleman announcing the decision after being in the replay booth: The ruling on the field is confirmed of a completed catch … no, incomplete. Pass is incomplete.”

9. Yep, it’s been that kind of year for the referees (see item No. 22).

10. And those Seahawks just won’t go away.

It was a good day for players run off by Chip Kelly, including Redskins WR DeSean Jackson.

11. Not sure if Chip Kelly has them on his fantasy team, but Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy all scored touchdowns.

12. Who we kidding? With the way Kelly’s season is going, he started Nick Foles on his fantasy team this week.

13. Jameis Winston was 4 years old when Matt Hasselbeck was drafted. So there’s that.

14. Giants QB Eli Manning has now thrown an interception on the opening drive in two of his last three games. The Redskins, in fact, picked off two of his passes in the first quarter. And turned them into zro points. Ah, the NFC East.

15. Coming off emotional wins over Seahawks and Bengals, it was safe to assume the Cardinals would have a letdown. A classic win-and-move-on game for them and an important division victory against 49ers.

16. We were critical of J.J. Watt earlier in the season, so it’s only fair we point out he has 9.5 sacks in his last five games. (You don’t want to have J.J. Watt angry at you, know what we mean?)

17. The Texans had not scored on their opening drive all season. Then they played the Saints. Touchdown! We blame Rob Ryan.

18. The Titans missed an extra point for the first time since 2006.

19. Replay review III:  The “touch” on the Tyrod Taylor TD pass to Sammy Watkins in the second quarter. Sweet.

20. The Giants are so banged up they used Montori Hughes, at 350 pounds, on the kickoff team.

21. Thursday flashback I: Hall of Fame QB Bart Starr won the day. Sorry Panthers, Lions and Bears.

22. Tom Brady and the Patriots were red-hot about several late calls that went against them in their first loss of the season. Get ready for a week of officiating talk, even if Bill Belichick was his usual stoic self in his postgame press conference.

23. Not as stoic about officiating: 49ers center Alex Boone. "I thought those refs sucked," Boone said after San Francisco's loss to Arizona. League office on line one.

24. A half-filled stadium in Kansas City? Wow. We know it rained, but that can’t sit well with the NFL folks who worry about things like that.

25. A half-filled stadium in San Francisco? Well, yeah. That’s what happens when you aren’t good.

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26. Thursday flashback II: The question isn’t whether Tony Romo came back too soon, it is why the team allowed him to come back and play twice in five days. Remember that the next time the league boasts of its concern for “players’ health.”

27. The Ravens' Will Hill reminded us Monday night why we tune in to games between terrible teams rather than watch basketball.

28. Dolphins running backs Jay Ajayi and Lamar Miller combined for 8 yards on 8 carries.

29. Replay review IV: Tavon Austin 60-yard end-around and just marvel at his speed.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert leads the league with 12 touchdown catches.

30. Bengals TE Tyler Eifert now has 12 touchdowns. Yeah, we all saw that coming in the preseason.

31. Our favorite tweet came from our very own Tom Pelissero, who was at Giants-Redskins game:

32. Chiefs allowed as many points (16) in the first half against Bills as they did in any game during the four-game win streak.

33. Matt Ryan: What the hell happened to him?

34. Is it just us or does Jaguars QB Blake Bortles throw more passes after he crosses the line of scrimmage than he does from behind it?

35. Thursday flashback III: Luke Kuechly. Just wow.

36. Odell Beckham Jr. wore Charlie Brown and Snoopy cleats in warmups. And, for the most part, that just about sums up the game the Giants turned in against the Redskins.

37. So has it really come to this: Kirk Cousins is one of the most consistent QBs in the league right now?

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38. If we’re the Panthers and we are watching these games on Sunday - and even the Packers game on Thursday night - we’re saying, ‘damn, shame on us if we can’t beat these teams to win the NFC.’

39. It’s games like these why we aren’t ready to say Ryan Tannehill is ready to be a franchise QB. Simply can’t avoid the poor decision and the inevitable turnover.

40. We don’t pretend to have all the answers, but one thing we’re sure of: The Rams need to give Todd Gurley more than nine carries.

41. On the other hand, The Rams had a Wildcat look with Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin in the same backfield. It’s about time St. Louis got creative with the pieces it has.

42. Now if the Rams could only find a quarterback. Probably wish they hadn't let Austin Davis escape to Cleveland.

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43. We bet the NFL was pleased to see LeSean McCoy’s “make it rain” TD celebration first used by former Patriots TE and current convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez.

44. We love when coaches smell a weakness and exploit it. Giants lost CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Redskins went right after his backup Jayron Hosley  - the result was the  63-yard TD catch by DeSean Jackson.

45. The Titans have lost 11 straight at home. That is all.

46. It’s time we give Alex Smith some credit for his role in turning Kansas City’s season around. Consider this: Last time he threw a pick was in Week 3 and now K.C. is suddenly in the AFC wild-card race.

47. Adrian Peterson with his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season. Yeah, he’s back.

48. Al Davis would be proud: Raiders are 4-0 when being flagged for 10 or more penalties.

49. Replay review V: Jimmy Graham’s juggling catch that gave Seahawks a first-and-goal in the third quarter and led to the TD that pulled Seattle within one of Pittsburgh at the time.

50. Carson Palmer got his first rushing TD since 2012. Needs a lot of work on that spike, though. Awkward.

PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 12

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