2017 Week 12 Score and Ratings Report

The numbers from Thanksgiving Week 2017:

• 43.375 points per game this week, a tick over 42 last year.
• Season average now down to 44.307.  Was 45.033 last year.
• Home teams 10-6, including the last five.  9-7 last year.
• Home total for the season:  90-81.  100-71-1 last year.
• Over was 7-9 for 87-85-4.  Last year, 8-8 and a little more over .500, but not much (six over .500)
• Big week for favorites, as Vegas takes another on the chin.  12-4 against the number, 14-2 straight up.  8-8 ATS last year, 13-3 straight up.
• 90-81-5 against the number and 122-54 straight up this year.  Spread was exactly .500 through 12 weeks last year, 105-61-1 straight up.
• Vegas favorites have been on a tear since Week 7.  Indicative of what Brian Tuohy talks about on his page as the haves (NE, PIT, PHI, MIN, NO, CAR, LA Rams) and the have-nots (everybody else).
• Team with more penalties was 9-6 this week with one same, 6-4 last year.
• Team with more penalties for the season is 68-94.  Last year:  63-85.
• 3 non-competitive games this week out of the 16 -- last year had 4.
• Another indicative of the wide gulf in the NFL this year.  Last year, there were 44 NFL games non-competitive in 12 weeks.  With one fewer game played this year, there are FIFTY-EIGHT such games through 12 weeks.
• Two Cliffhangers, both 50+-yard field goals at the gun or at 1 second.  Last year had 4 Cliffhangers in Week 12.
• 32 Cliffhangers this year.  Last year had 37.
• Three Last Chance misses this week, last year's Week 12 had five.
• Nine games finished within one score this week, meaning 85 total -- under half of the games, more indicative of the year before I started tracking (about 48%).

The update from my totals bets from August:

• Nothing unexpected.  Detroit (over 7.5, 6-5) had Minnesota and Seattle (under 10.5, 7-4) had another bye week with the 49ers, so that was one against me on both ends.  New England won for 9-2 (over 12.5) and Green Bay lost (that one is now a cash), so 2-2 on the week for that.

The weekly ratings report from Sports Media Watch:

• Sunday night:  Up marginally, 3% over last year.
• Sunday national (CBS):  Down 12%, lowest Week 12 national window since the National Religion Era began, at least.
• Sunday regional (CBS):  Down 8%
• Sunday single (FOX):  Down 9%
• Those are overnights, and Thanksgiving got no prettier for the finalities:  Lions down 21%, worst Thanksgiving Lions since 2008.  Dallas also down 21%.  Third game down 10%.

Current standings, starting with the NFC:

1. Philadelphia (10-1, magic number for NFC East is 1 with both Washington and Dallas -- a win or losses by both teams wins the division with a month to go).
2. Minnesota (9-2, three up on Detroit in the NFC North, with the tiebreakers, two up for the #2 seed)
3. Los Angeles (8-3, one up on Seattle in the NFC West, the win this week over the Saints gives them the 3) 
4. New Orleans (8-3, the Week 3 win over the Panthers gives them the lead in the NFC South, but they play again this week)
5. Carolina (8-3, see New Orleans)
6. Atlanta (7-4, they're in and Seattle is out due to Atlanta's victory over the Seahawks)

AFC:

1. Pittsburgh (9-2, three clear of Baltimore for the AFC North.  Will play New England in three weeks to render this moot, but, for the purposes of present convention, it's common games that has Pittsburgh ahead of New England)
2. New England (9-2, three clear of Buffalo in the AFC East)
3. Tennessee (7-4, Week 2 win over Jacksonville is current tiebreaker for AFC South, they rematch in Week 17)
4. Kansas City (6-5, one up on the Chargers and Raiders in the AFC West)
5. Jacksonville (7-4)
6. Baltimore (6-5, conference record tiebreak puts them in and Buffalo out -- they do not play)