It's another busy week in the Top 12.  The top two spots stayed stable, but everyone else shifted around.

#1 - New England Patriots

You have to go back to the 1950's to find another team that racked up 108 combined points over the course of two weeks, and let's face it, what happened in the 1950's doesn't really count.  The Patriots are on a historic run over the past four games, and they're doing it without core players like Gronkowski, Hernandez, Mankins, Vollmer, and Chandler Jones.  The scary part is that Bill Belichick's teams tend to get better in December.

Last Week: 1      Change: 0     Record: 8-3       Next Game: @ Dolphins

#2 - San Francisco 49ers

It's extremely rare for teams as good as the Niners to have a quarterback controversy.  Luckily for them, they're likely going to win no matter who's throwing the balls.

Last Week: 2   Change: 0      Record: 8-2-1     Next Game: @ Rams

#3 - Atlanta Falcons

It hasn't been pretty, but Atlanta keeps getting the job done week in and week out.

Last Week: 5    Change: +2       Record: 10-1       Next Game: vs. Saints

#4 - Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning has his Broncos poised for the post-season and I'd be lying if I said they didn't scare me just a little bit. Given their easy schedule down the stretch, they may force New England to win out to keep their advantage over Denver in the seedings.

Last Week: 6      Change: +2     Record: 8-3     Next Game: vs. Buccaneers

If there's one person New England Patriots fans should be thankful for, it's Mark Sanchez. 

The Jets' inept quarterback had a holiday that he'd like to forget, as the former fifth overall pick bumbled his way around in a laughably bad performance that had Jets fans clamoring for Tebow Time. 

Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Jets fans, Tebow never saw the field, and Sanchez and the pathetic Jets offense mustered just 19 points, including a garbage-time touchdown with just 2:21 left on the clock. 

While the Jets' own mistakes did them in, the Patriots operated like a well-oiled machine in Bill Belichick's 200th career win. 

Tom Brady completed 66 percent of his passes, including three touchdowns, in the team's first game without Rob Gronkowski. 

The running game churned out 152 yards and got big plays from its two sophomore backs—Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley—as the offense executed an efficient performance. 

And in another encouraging sign, the Patriots forced five turnovers in the 49-19 route. 

Let's take a look at this week's risers and fallers. 

Risers 

1. Vince Wilfork, DT: Big Vince played like his whole Thanksgiving dinner was on the line against the Jets. New England's robust defensive tackle thoroughly dominated Brandon Moore and the interior of the Jets offensive line, beating countless double teams to make plays in the backfield. No play epitomized Wilfork's dominance (or the Jets' ineptitude) like throwing Moore into a scrambling Mark Sanchez, who ran straight into his right guard's ass and fumbled the ball away. 

2. Steve Gregory, S: Speaking of Gregory, the Patriots' starting strong safety returned to the lineup with a bang on Thanksgiving. The former San Diego Charger had been somewhat of a disappointment this year, but was a ballhawk in Thursday's blowout. Besides chipping in six tackles, Gregory returned Sanchez's fumble 32 yards for a score and also recorded his second interception of the season. 

3. Tom Brady, QB: Tom missed some throws, but if a three-touchdown day is considered just a good performance, I'll take it. Brady averaged 11.5 yards per completion and posted a season-high quarterback rating of 139.5 in another vintage performance. Over his last five games, Brady has posted a ridiculous 14:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Patriots are 5-0 in those games. 

4. Shane Vereen, RB: After a lost rookie season, the former second-round pick is finally coming into his own. Although he'll probably never overtake Stevan Ridley as the featured back, Vereen appears to be carving out a considerable role as a change-of-pace back and featured receiver out of the backfield. The former Cal star showcased his trademark speed on a wheel route, taking it 83 yards to the house. If he continues to make big plays, this offense will only be infinitely more difficult to defend. 

5. Attitude/Toughness: This award goes to the defense as a whole. From Jermaine Cunningham to Brandon Spikes to Alfonzo Dennard, the Patriots defense laid out huge hits in the 30-point win. Spikes' back-to-back plays on the goal line to prevent a Jets touchdown were epic, and Dennard's feisty play only reinforced why he was once considered a first- or second-round talent. Once Chandler Jones is back in the lineup, this defense will be on the verge of taking a huge step forward. 

Fallers 

1. Pass Rush: Outside of Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich, the Patriots have had almost zero productivity in the pass rush department from their defensive line. That trend continued Thursday as the d-line produced zero sacks and just one quarterback hit. Backups Trevor Scott, Jermaine Cunningham and Justin Francis didn't register much pressure and will have to improve if the Pats hope to have any success in the playoffs. 

2. Brandon Lloyd, WR: He wasn't a big part of the game plan, but that doesn't excuse the fact that New England's biggest offseason addition managed just three receptions for 26 yards on a day where Brady threw for 331. Lloyd just hasn't been the featured receiver that many expected him to be, and his work after the catch has been abysmal. He certainly isn't a Chad Ochocinco bust, but he hasn't been a Randy Moss circa 2007 success. It would be nice to see the veteran make some more big plays. 

The Foxboro Blog staff was well-represented at Thursday night's game, with Rick, Raj, and myself all in attandance.  I don't go to games all that frequently (this was my fifth live Pats game ever, but second this season) and so I'm not used to observing from a fixed angle that's very different than what we get on TV.  As a result, I'm going to refrain from touching on the nitty-gritty aspects of the game and just comment on the experience as a whole and the atmosphere inside of Metlife Stadium last night.

Heading into the game, there was a lot of talk in the media questioning how the Patriots would fare without Gronkowski, given how close the last game was with the Jets and the fact that New York looked fairly decent in their win over the Rams.  However, I felt supremely confident in my team last night.  In the Rex Ryan era, the Patriots first game against the Jets is always a close contest that the Pats either lose or win closely.  The second game is the annual fireworks display where New England does its best steamroller impression.  As I was walking into the stadium, there seemed to be an air of cautious optimism amongst the Jet fans, but deep inside, I knew the truth.  We were all walking into a Thanksgiving Day funeral.  We were about to watch the Patriots bury the Jets season.

The Jets won the toss and opted to let the Patriots take the opening kick-off.  I'll give Jets fans credit in that they managed to create a deafening roar on the Pats first drive.  It was so loud that you wouldn't have been able to hear the person next to you shouting.  You hear announcers talk about crowd noise all the time, but it doesn't quite hit home until you're actually there in an environment like that.  

What was really interesting to me was how effective Fireman Ed was in creating the deafening roar on that opening drive.  On TV, and even in past Jets games that I've attended, he comes off as a semi-pathetic 60-year old wannabe cheerleader.  Last night to start the game, though, he got everyone screaming.   While Ed was doing his thing, I told my wife that I had heard rumors that Ed takes himself a little too seriously and doesn't take kindly to friendly barbs from Patriots fans.  She sort of blew me off like I was a hater simply because he's the Jets unofficial mascot.  Well, I think my argument was validated last night, as Ed hightalied it out of the stadium before halftime.  Turns out the fireman isn't so tough when the heat gets turned up.

During the first quarter, it seemed as if we might have the makings of a classic game.  Gostkowski missed a field goal, and the Jets drove the ball all the way down the field.   Then Sanchez threw one of his classic red zone INT's.  This prompted the first "Tebow Time!" cheer from me.  By far, the best part of the game for me, other than those mind-blowing 52 seconds, was yelling out Tebow cheers and watching the reaction of the hapless Jets fans.  Eventually, the game spiraled out of control to the point where they didn't even care that a Patriots fan was leading the Tebow chants and they just joined in.  At that moment, we were all on the same page.  They wanted Tebow because he couldn't possibly be worse than Mark Sanchez, and Patriots fans wanted Tebow because it would have meant that we had officially broken the Jets.  And to be honest, I thought it would have been cool to watch Tebow live in person as well. 

Then the second quarter began.  Sitting in the lower endzone seats is really cool depending on which direction the action is heading.  If the ball is on the other side of the field, then you're better off just watching the Jumbotron.  But when they're marching towards you, it's just about the best seat in the house.  Last night, I happened to be sitting front and center for the highest-scoring quarter in New England Patriots history.  I saw Brady hit Welker in the end zone for the first score clear as day.  I got to see Shane Vereen careen towards me for 84 yards en route to New England's second score.  I saw Mark Sanchez run into his lineman's rear end and cough up one of the lamest fumbles in NFL history.  I saw the fumble on the ensuing kickoff fly through the air and land right in the hands of Julian Edelman, who took it to the house.  And I saw Brady hit Edelman for 56 yards for yet another TD.  In the end, the Patriots racked up 35 points in the span of about 12 minutes, including those miraculous 52 seconds in which they scored an offensive, defensive, and special teams touchdown.  All in all, that quarter was complete Patriots euphoria, and I was fortunte enough to be able to take it in live and up close.  

On Thanksgiving your suppoed to be thankful for important things like your family and your health.  I don't want to discount the importance of those things one bit, but last night, I was also thankful for my team and the incredible experience they allowed me to have.  You didn't have to look much further than the seat in front of you to realize how good you have it as a Patriots fan.  So thanks to the Patriots, to Coach Belichick, and to the Kraft family for giving us a team to be proud of and to believe in year in and year out. 

And the pick 'em game keeps getting tighter and tighter...

This week the Top 4 spots are separated by a mere two games.  With four non-unanimous contests this week, things could get very interesting.  Will Jason's picks increase his lead or will a new leader emerge after Week 12?

Game	Derek	Jason	Raj	Rick	Stephen
BUF @ IND
SEA @ MIA
GB @ NYG
BAL @ SD
MIN @ CHI
PIT @ CLE
SF @ NO
Last Week	6-1	6-1	4-3	5-2	5-2
Record	45-25	47-23	46-24	45-25	38-32

After a close call against the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago, the New England Patriots brought their A game to the party against the Indianapolis Colts, After a slow start, the Pats were able to get touchdowns from their defense and special teams in a 59-24 rout. However, it was an injury that got most of the headline. Star tight end Rob Gronkowski is now out for at least the next four weeks with a broken forearm he suffered blocking an extra point. New England will most likely get their other tight end, Aaron Hernandez back. However, they will be without all-pro left guard Logan Mankins and rookie defensive lineman Chandler Jones.

The Pats’ next opponent is a Thanksgiving night game against a rival head coach (Rex Ryan) that Bill Belichick would probably not want to have a turkey dinner with. The Jets have had their own family problems after the internal criticism of backup quarterback Tim Tebow.

Most of the media spotlight in New York is on 4th year quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez has had the worst season of his career, but he did put up 345 yards in the Pats 29-26 overtime win back in Week 7. However, if you ask people in New York, fans only remember the fumble by Sanchez that ended the game. Now, the Jets go into Thursday night with their division hopes slim at 4-6, but they are still very much in the playoff hunt if they can pull off the upset.

Here are my keys to Thursday night at MetLife with a Turkey Twist :

QB Tom Brady
Brady has been on fire the past four weeks with 11 TDs and 0 picks, but I'd temper expectations on his yardage output this week. The Jets have been solid against the pass, and I think it's likely that the Pats will focus on the running game against one of the league's worst front 7s. Expect somewhere around 250 and 2 scores. Anything more than that is gravy.
 
WRs Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Julian Edelman
Edelman burst onto the scene last week with a huge game, and I think he'll see a few more chances the next several weeks while some other guys get healthy. Look for him to rack up around 50-60 yards receiving, which could outpace Lloyd (who was disappointing against the Jets earlier this year). Welker should be a solid bet for 100 and a score again. The Jets will try to bracket him, but the Pats should move him around enough to get him free for several grabs.
 
RBs Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen
Ridley had a poor game against the Jets earlier this year, but I expect him to rectify that performance with a solid 80 yards and a score. I wouldn't shy away from using Vereen as a flex, as I think both he and Woodhead will be able to rack up 50 yards and threaten to score against a vulnerable Jets run defense. The Pats will lean on the running game this week, so any of these guys could go off.
 
TEs Daniel Fells, Visanthe Shiancoe, Aaron Hernandez
What happened to this depth chart???? Hernandez probably won't play on a short week, and he should be limited if he does take the field. I'm mildly bullish on the prospects of Shiancoe to haul in a score, and Fells could put up 30-40 yards between the 20s. If you are truly desperate at TE, you could probably do worse. But until a pecking order is established, I'd steer clear of this situation altogether.
 
New England Defense/Special Teams
This unit wildly exceeded my expectations last week, and they'll be playing against a team that is worse than the Colts at nearly every offensive position. I think a fair projection is 22 points allowed, 2 sacks and 2 turnovers. Those numbers will play in most leagues.

After a quiet few weeks, chaos has resumed in the Top 12 with teams flying up and down the board.  And folks, there's a new #1 in town...

#1 - New England Patriots

Who looked better than the Patriots last week?  Nobody.   Who looked like they belonged to even be mentioned in the same sentence as the Patriots last week?  The Niners, maybe?  But San Fran was beating up on a backup QB.  While most of the other contenders with slipping and struggline, the Pats hung 59 on a potential playoff team.  The only reason I can think of to not put them #1 is the Gronk injury, but it's not like everyone else is so healthy.

Last Week: 5      Change: +4     Record: 7-3       Next Game: @ Jets

#2 - San Francisco 49ers

Another dominant win for the Niners, but it may not have been quite so lopsided if Jay Cutler was playing.  Their next game against New Orleans could make quite the statement if they stamp out a streaking Drew Brees.

Last Week: 6   Change: +4      Record: 7-2-1     Next Game: @ Saints

#3 - Green Bay Packers

With a better showing against the Lions, Green Bay could have climbed to #1.  Up next are the Giants, who seem to have the Pack's number as of late.

Last Week: 3     Change: 0       Record: 7-3       Next Game: @ Giants

#4 - Houston Texans

#1 teams don't need overtime to barely hang on and defeat 1-9 teams like the Jaguars.  That was about as disgraceful of a win as you can get. 

Last Week: 1      Change: -3       Record: 9-1     Next Game: @ Lions

The Patriots opened as 7-point favorites as they travel to New York to face the Jets on Thanksgiving.

Before we devour copious amounts of tryptophan covered in gravy, we should pause to give thanks for two things. One, the Jets really and truly suck this year. And two, the Patriots haven’t lost any significant players to injury when the game was inexorably out of reach. Well fuck. At least we have one thing to be thankful for.

Even though the Jets thoroughly suck in ways I only dreamed possible at the beginning of the season, taking the points in this contest is an easy decision. Home teams on a short week have been gangbusters this year (7-4), and New England will have to make some drastic adjustments to the gameplan with Gronkowski out of the lineup. Short of an injury in the playoffs, there really wasn’t a worse time for this to happen.

And even though the Jets have been as atrocious as that Rex Ryan foot fetish video this year, they did keep things close at New England a few weeks ago. They’ve built their team to be competitive in the two games against the Pats to the detriment of the other 14 games on the schedule, and the injuries at tight end may force the Pats to go against the strength of the Jets pass defense.

I think the Pats will gut out a close victory, but I’m certainly not confident enough to give up the points. I’m taking the Jets to cover.

Other Lines I Like

After enduring most of the first half of the season without tight end Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots lost the other half of the Boston TE Party for the forseeable future in their 59-24 blowout win over Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. 

Rob Gronkowski torched the Colts for seven receptions for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but broke his forearm on the team's final PAT play, leaving many fans and writers nationwide questioning Bill Belichick's decision to leave his most valuable weapon on the field in a game that was clearly in hand. 

The loss of Gronk for the next four-to-eight weeks could be brutal for the Pats, except they should be getting Hernandez back Thursday for the Thanksgiving showdown against the New York Jets. 

Although they injury put a damper on Gronk's terrific day, many other players enjoyed sensastional performances. 

Let's take a look at this week's risers and fallers. 

Risers 

1. Tom Brady, QB: In the battle of Luck vs. Brady, New England's three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback showed why he's still among the best in the game. Brady engineered an efficient, explosive passing attack that accounted for 331 yards through the air. Tom hooked up with Gronk twice and also found Julian Edelman for a trifecta of touchdowns in another vintage performance. 

2. Julian Edelman, WR/PR: Speaking of Edelman, the multi-dimensional threat seemed to contribute in every way except on defense. The speedy slot man/punt returner caught five passes for 58 yards and a score, gained 47 yards on one carry and took a punt back 68 yards to the house. 

3. Rob Ninkovich, DE: No defender is underappreciated around the league more than Ninkovich. The hybrid defensive end/linebacker may be a better version of Mike Vrabel, as he constantly makes plays in the backfield while setting the edge in the run game. Ninkovich recorded 8 tackles (2.0 for loss), a sack and recovered a fumble. Just another day at the office for the steady defender. 

4. Devin McCourty, S: While most fans will point to Aqib Talib's interception return for a touchdown, McCourty actually had a better overall game than the Patriots' newest acquisition. Although he never returned to his rookie year form at corner, McCourty may actually be a better fit at free safety where he can harness his athleticism, instincts and strong tackling ability. 

5. Sebastian Vollmer & Nate Solder, OTs: One overlooked aspect of the season has been the tremendous play of the Patriots' two offensive tackles. Sebastian Vollmer has returned to All-Pro form this year after an injury-riddled 2011 campaign, and Solder has done a fantastic job making everyone forget about his atrocious preseason. The two pillars held the Colts to zero sacks and just two quarterback hits while paving the way for a rushing attack that averaged 4.6 yards per carry and two scores. 

Fallers 

1. Steve Gregory, S: Maybe it's just me, but I don't see anything special, or even starting worthy when it comes to Gregory. He continues to take poor angles to the ball and isn't a sure tackler. Although Tavon Wilson can be mistake-prone, he makes more big plays and did so with another interception Sunday. 

2. Chances at No. 1 seed: If the Pats had any hope of clawing out a No. 1 seed, it took a big hit when Rob Gronkowski's forearm snapped. Though he wasn't putting up record numbers like last year, the third-year pro was still the league's best all-around tight end and would have continued producing at a high rate with Aaron Hernandez returning to the lineup this week. With Gronkowski sidelined for what could be the rest of the regular season, it'll be interesting to see how New England attempts to replace him. 

I was planning on waxing eloquent about the Patriots huge victory tonight, but at the moment, I'm just trying to fight my way out of the catatonic state that Rob Gronkowski's broken forearm has put me in...

Let's skip over the big story for a moment though, and concentrate on what was a truly excellent game by the Patriots. I missed the better part of the 1st half thanks to CBS pandering to the Cowboy Nation and showing their never-ending overtime contest against the Browns.  Anytime you can show the ending of an ugly game between two sub-.500 teams instead of a battle between two 6-3 teams with superstar quarterbacks who happen to share the biggest rivalry in the league over the past decade, you gotta do it, right?  By the time we were finally able to watch the game in my geographic region, the Pats were down 14-7.   I was thinking that we were likely in for a long night of ugly defense and a shoot-out.  However, just like that, the Patriots held the Colts to a three-and-out, Julian Edelman tore off his incredible punt return for a TD, and New England never looked back.

Some quick observations...

- Aquib Talib got burned for two TD's, but even still, I like what he brings to the table defensively.  He had  fantastic pick-six in the second quarter, but that's not what has me excited about him.  It's a small sample size, but I feel like Talib allows McCourty to play at safety, where he is excelling, without throwing the cornerback position into complete jeopardy.   McCourty has done a solid job at safety, and he had a number of great break-ups today.  The team is definitely better off with him back there than any two-man combo of Gregory, Chung, and Wilson.  Having Devin back there will be a huge boost to this defense moving forward.

- I feel like today showed that Belichick and McDaniels weren't completely out of their minds for going to Edelman so frequently to start the season.  Would I still give the nod to Wes Welker?  Absolutely.  No Question.  But tonight we finally saw that Edelman is capapble of making the roster battle with Welker competitive.  Julian was just solid in all phases of the game today, and may very well be the persion who helps keep this offense rolling while they deal with Gronkowski missing time.

- It may have just been a scheme to confuse and rattle the rookie, Luck, but I have to wonder if the Patriots' focus on generating a pass rush might have something to do with an increased confidence in the secondary now that Talib is on the field.  Regardless of the reason, I think it's a tactic that the Patriots should employ more often.  The pressure not only hurt Indy's passing game, but it generated a good amount of turnovers as well.  Given what we've seen from the bend-but-don't-break approach so far this season, I think the Patriots continue with this change in philosophy and continue to attack opposing quarterbacks.

- The early miss by Gostkowski hurt, knowing that Adam Vinatieri was on the opposite sidelines.  Well, that is until Adam shanked one of his own.  I know Vinatieri isn't the most popular guy in Foxboro after leaving the Pats for the Colts, but anyone who booed the guy today should be ashamed of themselves.  The dude kicked us to two Super Bowl Championships.  His leaving may have taken some shine off of a legendary Patriots career, but we owe that man a lot and I believe he should be a first-ballot entry into the Patriots Hall of Fame when he finally hangs up his cleats.

And now to Gronk...

Just devastating news.  The only silver lining to this story is that he isn't done for the season.  However, the Patriots chances of capturing that bye week just took a big hit.  Those back-to-back contests against Houston and San Fran are going to be brutal without him.  With the way Denver is playing and their easy schedule, and wiht Baltimore holding the tie-breaker, the Patriots are going to need a serious run down the stretch to snatch that #2 seed and a bye.  5-1 is the absolute worst they can go and still have a prayer, but more likely a 6-0 finish is what they will need.  Luckily for the Patriots, they are 18-0 during the second half of the regular season this decade.  Can they keep that streak up?  It's also worth noting that they are undefeated in the post-season when not facing teams from New York, so maybe they don't need the bye week after all.

But in all seriousness, Thursday's game has now become absolutely HUGE.  It's hard to say if the Patriots will have Aaron Hernandez available as well.  Logic might dictate them resting him on Thanksgiving and giving him essentially another 10 days of rest before bringing him back in Week 13.  The Jets played the Pats tough last time around, and they are going to come out with guns blazing as their win today over the Rams has kept their slim playoff hopes alive.  The Patriots need to find a way to gut out a win on short rest against a huge rival on the road without two of their biggest offensive weapons.  If they can't do it, you can all but guarantee that they'll be hosting a Wild Card game this January. 

Get well soon, Gronk.