$.01--Derek Carr for NFL MVP? It’s not as crazy as you might think after Carr’s gritty performance in Oakland’s 35-32 comeback win over a feisty Carolina team on Sunday.

Carr was brilliant, completing 26 of his 38 passes to nine different Raiders receivers, with two touchdowns and one interception. He’s posted numbers like that before, but this one felt a little grander.

Perhaps it’s because of this…

Fingers aren’t supposed to bend like that. Carr missed a couple of plays, donned a black glove and got right back to the task at hand. His first drive back ended with the aforementioned INT, and it helped fuel Carolina’s own major comeback. The Panthers rallied from down 24-7 to a 25-24 lead in a wildly entertaining game.

Carr did what great leaders do. He settled down his young team and rallied them together. A pair of strikes to tight end Clive Walford thrust the Raiders back in the lead after Cam Newton and the Panthers dominated the middle third of the game. Carr threw the 2-pt conversion so hard it more stuck to Seth Roberts than the wideout making the catch.

After the Raiders defense held, thanks in part to terrible field awareness by Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin, Carr didn’t hesitate. He went for the kill, and his aesthetically perfect bomb to Michael Crabtree was a bullseye. That strike set up Sebastian Janikowski’s go-ahead field goal, and also Khalil Mack’s Defensive Player of the Week résumé’ fodder.

Mack ended the game with a violently beautiful strip sack on Newton, abusing the shuffled Carolina OL. This came on top of an earlier pick-six where he didn’t fall for Newton’s chicanery and stabbed the screen pass at the top of its arc. The outstanding linebacker scooted into the end one and straight into the arms of the adoring masses in the Black Hole.

These are the games Carolina won last year in their magical, unexpected 15-1 frolic to a wildly improbable NFC Championship. The 4-7 Panthers are now losing them, but the Raiders are 9-2 and bear some resemblance to the surprising 2015 contender. Like those Panthers with Newton, an improved young quarterback making the step up to viable MVP candidate is the biggest difference.

$.02--If you didn’t already take the Dallas Cowboys seriously, Thursday’s exciting win over a game Washington team should have been the pudding to prove their validity.

Dallas continues to roll. This victory, a 31-26 offensive bonanza, marks the storied franchise’s first-ever 10-game win streak. It wasn’t easy, as Kirk Cousins and the Washington offense exposed some real holes in the Dallas defense. Cousins and his 449 yards passing were difficult to overcome, but Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott did just that.

The dynamic rookie duo continues to astonish, even if their numbers were outshined by the visitors with the Native American moniker on Thanksgiving. Elliott ran for 97 yards and 2 TDs, while Prescott ran for one TD and threw for another in his 195-yard effort. While the figures don’t pop, their efficiency and the rookies’ ability to avoid mistakes was just enough.

At 10-1, the Cowboys are the clear class of the NFC. Sweeping Washington, now 6-4-1, by a total of 9 points, puts some space between themselves and the rest of the playoff pack. Washington belongs in that pack, though they are perilously clinging to the No. 6 seed and have two tough games on the road coming up. The Skins showed they’re not an easy out, but in the process also showed these Cowboys are capable of winning tight games against good offenses when neither the offense nor defense really stand out.

$.03--The two teams chasing Oakland in the AFC’s best division by leaps and bounds, Denver and Kansas City, faced off at the home of the Broncos in a critical Sunday Night matchup. As expected, the defenses took center stage on prime time. Yet it was a pair of young offensive players who stole the show, QB Trevor Siemian for Denver and wideout Tyreek Hill for the Chiefs.

A gorgeous pick/tuck game with Justin Houston and Tamba Hali set created the game’s first score, a Kansas City safety on Houston’s strip sack in the end zone. Then it was Hill time. He sprinted the ensuing free kick to the house, showing off his legit 4.25 speed. The Chiefs led 9-0 and allowed just a sole Denver field goal in the first half as Houston and his defensive mates dominated.

Not much was working for most of the game for Siemian and the Denver offense, but the first-year starter found his groove late. A pair of deep lasers to Emmanuel Sanders, the second of which burned Philip Gaines and an oddly passive Eric Berry, put Denver ahead 17-16. On the next drive Siemian hit Bennie Bowler streaking down the left sideline past Gaines, who was torched for more than half of all Denver’s offensive yardage. 76 yards later Denver led by 8 and Kansas City had but one last chance.

Enter Hill, the sleek rookie from Oklahoma State. He caught three passes on the final drive, including a clutch fourth down conversion to set up Kansas City inside the Denver 5. His next catch is the one everyone will talk about. Despite getting clubbed in the head, Hill hauled in Alex Smith’s low throw as he fell into the end zone. Though his knee was down outside the end zone, Hill didn’t complete the catch until he was in the promised land. The 2 pt. conversion brought us overtime for the fifth time on Sunday night this year.

The teams exchanged field goals in the extra stanza. Then Denver’s Brandon McManus wildly missed a 62-yard field goal, putting Kansas City in good enough field position to threaten with two minutes to go. Smith drove the team into Cairo Santos range, and the diminutive Brazilian showed his soccer roots. Santos banked the ball off the inside of the left upright and just through for the 30-27 game winner as time expired.

The victory puts the Chiefs at 8-3 and second place, while the Broncos are now 7-4 and in danger of being caught from behind in the Wild Card race. Even though it didn’t end until well after midnight, this game was a great end to an outstanding weekend of football action.

$.04--The Detroit Lions have trailed with less than two minutes remaining in all 11 games they’ve played in 2016. Somehow, some way the Lions are 7-4 and control the NFC North.

Thursday’s 16-13 comeback win was the second time in three weeks they’ve flipped the late script on the Minnesota Vikings. After leading most of the game, Detroit fell behind in the fourth quarter. This time it was the Detroit defense to the rescue, a radical rewrite from the typical Matthew Stafford superhero movie.

Josh Bynes made a huge stop on third down to force a punt on a drive Minnesota desperately needed to eat some clock. After Stafford played his hero role well in leading Detroit to a tying field goal, it was Darius Slay making the big play. The well-paid corner baited the predictably toothless Sam Bradford into an interception on yet another short route where the Vikings QB looked at his target point from the second he caught the snap.

The incredibly clutch Matt Prater knocked through the game-winning field goal, something he does better than anyone:

With the win, Detroit seized control of the NFC North. The Vikings sit at 6-5 but the Lions vanquished them twice, so Minnesota would have to finish with more wins to capture the division. Given their moribund offense, it’s hard to see the Vikings picking up two games with five to go.

Detroit has never won the NFC North. It’s fitting that a Lions team which could very well be 1-10 winds up authoring the first division title in a year where the Cavaliers and Cubs both flipped the script on historical futility. With Stafford and his 7 comeback wins, the most clutch kicker in NFL history and an improving defense? Detroit might even pen its first playoff win since 1991.

$.05--Any Given Sunday, Week 12 edition goes to the same team featured here in Week 11. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knocked off the Seattle Seahawks by the improbable score of 14-5 in a game where neither team scored after the first quarter.

Maybe the Buccaneers shouldn’t be such a surprise any longer. Tampa has won three in a row to improve to 6-5, just one victory behind the Seahawks (now 7-3-1). As they did a week ago in stunning the Chiefs, the Buccaneers defense controlled the line of scrimmage and didn’t allow any downfield action either. They did a great job of contain rushing and pressuring Russell Wilson. Seattle converted just one third down all afternoon.

Offensively, the Tampa Bay line deserves credit. Jameis Winston wasn’t sacked, nor was he heavily pressured by the typically outstanding Seattle defensive front. While the Bucs ran for just 3.4 yards per carry, they reliably churned out enough yards on first downs to keep conversions manageable and also keep the pass rush honest. Winston was generally sharp but a master surgeon when targeting big Mike Evans, who caught both touchdown passes. The second of those beat Richard Sherman, who complained about a push-off while guilty of defensive holding.

Turnovers helped too. Seattle’s final two drives both ended in turnovers, a Jimmy Graham fumble after the catch and a bad INT on a hanging outside throw from Wilson which Bradley McDougal easily jumped.

As noted above, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised at Tampa Bay. They won in the three most important phases of the game. With a winning record and real playoff viability, these Buccaneers have made their last appearance in the “Any Given Sunday” cent this year. Jameis and company earned the respect.

$.06--Ohio State beat Michigan in a controversial game that is sure to spur some controversial decisions for the CFB Playoff committee.

If you’re reading this I’ll assume you watched the game. My initial thought on J.T. Barrett’s 4th down run was that he came up just short. My Buckeye homer father screamed in agonized agreement. Later Zapruder-like film breakdowns fairly conclusively showed Barrett’s flail did cross the 15 for a split second.

The only officiating call Michigan fans should be upset with was the non-call on Gareon Conley for a fairly obvious pass interference on Michigan’s prior overtime drive. Michigan fans should be more upset with their own coaching; Jim Harbaugh coached a poor game, from his readily predictable offensive calls based on formation and personnel to his inability to adjust his defense to Barrett’s obvious designed runs. Instead of using Jabrill Peppers as a spy to help nullify the only offensive juice Ohio State had flowing, Harbaugh and his staff deployed him in passive coverage against wideouts who were not getting open against the Wolverines’ outstanding corners.

It will be interesting to see if the iconic coach recognizes his own errors and learns from them or continues to tilt at officiating windmills to distract the fan base from his own shortcomings.

It will also be interesting to see what happens with Ohio State in the playoff picture. They’re 11-1 and have wins over Michigan, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Nebraska, all of whom will be in the top 15. They lost to Penn State, ironically on a missed pass interference call on the Nittany Lions and a blocked field goal. Yet that loss keeps them from winning the Big Ten East and on the outside of the Big Ten Championship game.

Will the committee weigh the impressive wins more than not winning a conference title? Or will the failure to win a division title, paired with some close-shave wins over Michigan State and Northwestern mean more? Some depends on how next weekend shakes out. Ohio State fans should root for Oklahoma to win Bedlam big and for Colorado to knock off Washington in the PAC-12 title game. A Clemson loss would cement an appearance for the Buckeyes. 

$.07--In keeping with the college football scene, which dominated the football landscape over the long weekend, here are some quick takes on the college happenings…

--Texas did the right thing in firing Charlie Strong and hiring Tom Herman. You cannot lose to Kansas and then go out with a whimper against the worst TCU team in years and expect to keep the Longhorns gig. Herman gets his dream job and has some pieces in place to win quickly, a luxury Strong never got.

--Western Michigan remains unbeaten after annihilating a very good Toledo team 55-35. Rumors are already floating that Broncos coach P.J. Fleck will row his boat out of Kalamazoo for a bigger job. One early blurb about Purdue was soundly--and from my WMU sources quite correctly quashed; that’s a backwards move from the MAC West. When I asked the same source about the Oregon speculation I got the following response,

“That’s more in line with what (Fleck) would expect”

We’ll see what happens after the MAC Championship game, where Fleck’s Broncos play my Ohio Bobcats. If WMU wins--and they’re currently 18-point favorites--the Broncos absolutely deserve to play in a New Year’s Six bowl. I’d love to see them play the loser of the Big Ten Championship game in the Cotton Bowl.

--Alabama is the best team and it’s not close. They didn’t play particularly well against Auburn and still blew out the rival Tigers in the Iron Bowl. It will be a major upset if Nick Saban and his crew fail to win the national title. Freshman QB Jalen Hurts is going to be a lot of fun to watch the next couple of years, unless you’re playing the Crimson Tide.

--Props to Kentucky for shocking rival Louisville 41-38. It shouldn’t change anyone’s opinion on Cardinals QB Lamar Jackson, who will deservedly win the Heisman Trophy. It should raise some eyebrows about a lot of the other key pieces to the Louisville team, notably safety Josh Harvey-Clemons, who had a wretched game. Kentucky wideout Garrett Johnson had the game of his life with 5 catches for 164 yards and 2 TDs.

--USC buried Notre Dame 45-27. This caps a week where the Irish vacated all wins from 2012-13 for some academic misconduct violations. The losses, paired with a terrible 4-8 finish after starting the year in the Top 10, put some major heat on Brian Kelly. In typical Kelly bombast, he boldly declared he wasn’t looking at other opportunities. Perhaps the higher up at Notre Dame might want to force him to look elsewhere, especially if underclassmen like Deshone Kizer and Mike McGlinchey declare for the draft instead of staying in South Bend as expected.

--Navy 75, SMU 31. Seventy-five. Didn’t see one snap of action but that certainly got my attention.

$.08--NFL Quickies

--Miami won its 6th game in a row, edging Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers 27-21 when the San Francisco QB came up about 2 yards short on the final play. As my colleague Jovan Alford wrote here last week, these Dolphins continue to get solid defense and improved balance on the offense. They’re now 7-4 and tied for the second AFC Wild Card spot.

--San Francisco’s loss was its 10th in a row, a franchise record for futility. I’ve said it before, but in January we will look back at this season and wonder how in the world these Niners beat the Rams 28-0 in Week One. For my money they are in worse shape than the winless Browns, both in terms of overall talent and coaching. At least Kaepernick looked good in Miami, no easy task after his incredibly naïve praise of Fidel Castro just days before the Cuban dictator and Public Enemy No. 1 in South Florida passed away.

--The Steelers walloped the Colts in the Thursday nightcap. Indy played without Andrew Luck, who sat with concussion symptoms. Scott Tolzein wasn’t half bad in his stead in the loss, showing toughness and a pretty good arm. For Pittsburgh, the larger victory is no new injuries.

--Here’s all you need to know about New England’s close 22-17 win over the New York Jets…

Malcolm Mitchell treated the venerable Revis like he was a practice squad promotion. With the Jets now a hopeless 3-8, it’s time to put Revis out of his misery and let him hold onto his dignity.

--Tennessee held on for a much-needed win against a surprisingly spirited Chicago team. With more than half the offensive starters out, journeyman backup Matt Barkley nearly rallied the Bears, but his cadre of backup receivers dropped at least 9 balls. The final two drops came in the end zone on perfect Barkley deliveries in the final moments of a 27-21 loss. The win lifts the Titans to 6-6 and very much in the AFC South race, just a half-game behind sputtering, QB-challenged Houston.

$.09--NFL Draft

I’m nearing the point in the evaluation process where on-field thoughts and impressions are basically finalized. Yet I saw things from a few players this weekend that did alter my overall opinion enough to change the evaluation story.

One player who definitely helped himself in my eyes is Clemson WR Mike Williams. I’ve never really bought into the first-round hype, in part because he’s not been very effective on contested catches despite being a bigger wideout with good jumping ability and excellent positional strength.

Williams has improved in the areas I wanted to see improvement over the course of the season. That’s why it’s important to keep an open mind and adjust the evaluation if the evidence leads in that direction. I did not think Williams was even a Top 5 wideout in this class heading into November, but what I’ve seen the last couple of weeks makes me rethink that stance.

On the flip side, the last few Michigan games have cooled my heels a bit on Jabrill Peppers.

I’ve been quite bullish on Peppers, who plays all over the formation for the Wolverines. I saw Michigan in person twice this year (Colorado, Maryland) and the junior was the best talent on the field in both games on a defense with as many as 13 future NFL players rotating in and out.

Against Iowa, I saw some limitations. He missed a couple of tackles and didn’t have a controlled approach to the point of attack. Because he’s undersized (my eyes see 5118/208) as a box safety/nickel LB, Peppers has to play the angles and make his strike count. He doesn’t have great hips--that’s one big reason why he wasn’t great at corner--so body control is imperative. He lost that a handful of times in the Iowa game.

Against Ohio State, Peppers once again had problems. While he (mercifully) snared his first career INT, he often seemed unusually passive. He had a couple of one-on-one tackling opportunities in space and missed both times. As someone (I forgot who, sorry) noted on my Twitter feed, Peppers does indeed appear to float through games at times. Ohio State was one such instance.

Make no mistake, I still love Peppers’ potential. He can do things others can’t, but he’s not going to be for everyone. I envision him in a Troy Polamalu kind of instigating playmaker from either LB or safety role. That works with a creative defensive coordinator and quality players around him to help cover when his chess piece is moved unexpectedly. In a more rigid defense, it probably will not. In these two tougher games, I did note his lack of size was more of an issue than I’d seen before too. He’s still a top 10 player on my board but I will concede his bust rate is a lot higher than I thought it was too.

Three other players who turned out great performances to make me rethink their penciled in evaluation before writing it in pen: Colorado safety Tedric Thompson, Michigan DE Taco Charlton and Washington safety Budda Baker.

Thompson merits more attention. No. 9 had a fourth quarter for the ages against Utah. In a four-pass stretch, the rangy Thompson picked off one and broke up two others. He had another INT and added a sweet tackle for loss. Thompson can take funky angles and had dropped several INTs (2 of his 4 PDs he didn’t pick off in this game probably should have been caught) but he’s always around the ball and hits hard for his size. He’s a better prospect than his brother Cedric, a fifth-round pick by the Dolphins out of Minnesota last year.

$.10--Thanksgiving for many means traveling far from home. My family was no exception, as we loaded up the family truckster and drove from our home in West MI to my hometown of Vermilion, OH.

It’s normally about a 4.5-hour drive across Michigan, through Toledo and along the Ohio Turnpike. Freeway for all but the first and last two miles. Sterile, predictable and indistinctive from when we used to drive from Richmond VA to Detroit, from Houston to central Illinois.

We kicked off our travels about 1 PM on Wednesday and really didn’t want to deal with traffic. Once we got a little past Lansing at the two-hour mark--it normally takes about 75 minutes--Team Risdon opted for the path less traveled.

Thank God we quit the low-speed interstate chase. We leisurely drove on state highways where we routinely topped 70 MPH (some folks are defensive drivers, I play offense at the wheel) between small towns. Traffic was almost nonexistent. But what made it great was the broader experience.

We saw brightly colored homes in small towns we’d never heard of before. We drove past some inland lakes that look like promising camping and kayaking destinations. We bought gas from an independent station with homemade delicacies for sale.

Our wayward trip brought us through Chelsea MI, the home of the Jiffy mix facility. I make their products at least once a week and had no idea where they came from. We stopped and dined at a wonderful, independent Italian restaurant in Adrian (Sauce, it’s fantastic) instead of being gouged at an anonymous, soulless Panera. We dodged the perpetual construction in Toledo and made better time by being off US-23 or I-75.

We arrived at my parent’s house well after 7 PM. Even though it took a couple hours longer than normal, nobody in our car complained. There was no traffic stress, no hustle, no bustle.

In keeping with the theme, we avoided our typical Bob Evans or IHOP for Saturday morning breakfast and went to a small diner in a dilapidated strip mall in my hometown. I used to eat there every Friday before my senior year of high school with a group of friends when it was called Mavis’. It’s been about 10 different things since then. Now it’s Susie’s and it was awesome. My son and I got pancakes that were quite literally cakes, 9” round and 2” thick. You’re not getting that at any generic national chain.

My family will remember this Thanksgiving for the unique slice it put on our plates. We are thankful for experiencing new and different things together. I hope you find many things to be thankful for too.