NFL 2019-20 Week 13 Review

Cincinnati 22, N.Y. Jets 6– As the Bengals first took the lead, and then built it into a solid lead, I just kind of shook my head in disbelief. Yes, Gang Green had been on a tear in the prior weeks, beating the Giants, and the blowing out Washington and Oakland. There was even the tiniest sliver of hope that they might make a run to qualify for the playoffs. And then, just like that, they get dominated by the winless Bengals, and the playoffs feel somehow more distant than they did just a few weeks ago. Most people figured that Cincy would win at least one game this season. But why does it have to be the Jets, who also handed then winless Miami their first win of the season? Statistically, these two teams were even. Yet, the Bengals clearly made far more of their opportunities, while the Jets settled for field goals, and never got back into this one after falling behind. The result is a humbling loss to the only team in the league that had failed to win a game so far. Cincy is now 1-11, while the Jets fall to 4-12.  My pick: Not Accurate             

Baltimore 20, San Francisco 17 – The 49ers scored a touchdown early for a 7-0 lead, and I was thinking that they were going to burn me again. It always seems like they burn me like that every time that I pick against them this season. But the Ravens fought back. This was not a blowout, like they had been blowing everyone else away for a long time now. Slowly but surely, however, Baltimore was able to score two touchdowns in a row to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter, although San Francisco came back this time. Indeed, it was a tight game throughout, right to the end, with the teams being more or less even statistically. The Ravens owned a bit of an advantage in time of possession and first downs gained, while the 49ers earned more yards. In the end, however, it came down to a kick by Justin Tucker on the game's final play, and he was able to split the uprights to secure a win for the Ravens. Lamar Jackson had a great overall day again, completing 14 of 23 passes for 105 yards, while also leading the Ravens in rushing with 101 yards and one touchdown gained on 16 carries. In a losing cause for the Niners, Jimmy Garoppolo completed 15 of 21 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown. SF's Raheem Mostert enjoyed a very solid day running, picking up 146 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries, but it was not enough. Both teams are now 10-2. The 49ers are half a game ahead of Seattle for the moment, although the Seahawks play Minnesota tomorrow night. Meanwhile, the Ravens improve to 10-2, and are on the verge of clinching the AFC North.  My pick: Accurate             

Green Bay 31, N.Y. Giants 13 – This game was visually attractive, as it was played in the snow. But that was about the only thing pretty for Giants fans like me in this game, which was a seriously ugly home loss. While the Jets have managed to pull off some startling upset wins in recent weeks, making this week's equally startling loss that much more disappointing, the G-Men have been consistent losers for literally months now. Yes, that is no exaggeration, as you have to go way back to September for the last Giants win. With the Bengals winning and snapping their massive losing streak, the Giants now have the longest active losing streak in the entire league. Not the kind of way that you want to stand apart from the rest of the league, obviously. New York actually gained more yards and first downs than did Green Bay, and held onto the ball for longer, as well. But they also had three costly turnovers. Also, Aaron Rodgers burned them, completing 21 of 33 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Allen Lazard earned a good chunk of those yards, picking up 103 yards and one touchdown on three catches. In a losing cause for the Giants, Daniel Jones completed 20 of 37 passes for 240 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions. Green Bay recovers from that humbling blowout loss at San Francisco last weekend with a win here to improve to 9-3. For the moment at least, they are back atop the NFC North, and await the results of tomorrow's game between the Vikings and Seahawks. As for the Giants, they drop their eighth straight game and fall to 2-10 on the season, alone in the cellar of the mediocre NFC East, and with the worst record in the NFC. My pick: Accurate              

Pittsburgh 20, Cleveland 13 – And just like that, whatever momentum that the Browns had managed to build up was rendered a moot point with a loss at Pittsburgh that all but officially ends any slim hopes that they had to reach the playoffs. Yes, the Steelers exacted a serious measure of revenge for the ugly loss, and the even uglier brawl, to the Browns a few weeks ago with a solid win today. With the win, the Steelers improve to 7-5 on the season, and would be in the playoffs if the season ended tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Browns drop to 5-7, and are back to irrelevance in terms of the AFC playoff picture right now.  My pick: Accurate             

Tennessee 31, Indianapolis 17 – These two teams are heading in opposite directions entering this game. That was how I began my preview of this game heading into this last weekend, but it seems even more true now than it did when I wrote it, after the Titans overcame a 10-point deficit and outscored the Colts 24-0 the rest of the way. Yes, everything seemed to be going the Colts way early in the third quarter after they scored a touchdown to go up 17-7. But it was all Titans after that. Tennessee dominated late in the third, and throughout the fourth quarter, making the collapse of the Colts complete. This game was, in certain respects, symbolic of the way this season has gone for Indy. With the win, the Titans improve to 7-5 and, for the first time all year, move ahead of the Colts, and are now in second place in the AFC South, one game behind the Houston Texans. As for the Colts, their current skid continues, as they have fallen from an impressive 5-2 start that had some believing that they could contend for one of the top two spots in the AFC playoffs, to a 6-6 mark that just about eliminates them from the playoff picture now.  As for the Titans, they improve to 7-5 with this win and, for the first time all year, move ahead of the Colts outright. They are now in second place in the AFC South, one game behind the Houston Texans. My pick: Accurate     

Miami 37, Philadelphia 31 – Perhaps I have grown too comfortable picking against Miami, week after week. That is not to say that they are a good team, but they are better than they appeared to be through the first month and change of the season, when they seriously looked like a serious candidate to be one of the worst teams in league history. Still, it was a big surprise to see the Eagles, Super Bowl champions just two seasons ago, losing their third straight game, and this one at Miami, after owning a 14-point lead in the third quarter. But the Dolphins scored on six straight possessions, scoring touchdowns on the five of those, and then kicking a field goal just to add some cushion to their lead towards the end of the game. Philly kicked a field goal within the final two minutes, with hopes of getting what would have been the winning touchdown. However, Miami was able to kill the clock to preserve the unlikely win, and improve to 3-9 on the season. Philadelphia sinks to 5-7, and missed out on a golden opportunity to tie struggling Dallas for first place in the NFC East with a 6-6 record, in what is likely the worst division in the entire league right now. This one might be the game the Eagles revisit if they win up missing the playoffs, because they should have managed a win here. My pick: Inaccurate       

Tampa Bay at Jacksonville – Well, I was clearly wrong about the Jaguars being the better team in this game. Tampa Bay was clearly fired up, and jumped all over Jax right from the beginning. They were relentless throughout the first half, taking a decisive 15-0 lead right in the first quarter, and then building on that in the second. They had a 22-0 lead Jameis Winston was solid, completing 12 of 17 for 151 yards, helping his team steadily pound the overwhelmed Jaguars defense, which is supposed to be a lot better than what they showed in this one. Also, that Jacksonville offense, while hardly an elite unit, is not supposed to look quite that inept. My pick: Inaccurate             

Washington 29, Carolina 21 – The Panthers may have given up on this season. Just a few days after the Saints officially clinched the NFC South title that the Panthers had been fighting for themselves just a few weeks ago (even if they were behind), their recent collapse seems to have spiraled out of control. This one admittedly caught me by surprise, because Washington is not really that good, and Carolina really is not that bad. Yet, the results speak for themselves. The win improves Washington to 3-1 on the year, while Carolina falls to 5-7, and almost official irrelevance in the NFC playoff picture. My pick: Inaccurate        

L.A. Rams 34, Arizona 7 – The Rams were slipping for too long. They needed something like this, some kind of huge statement win to show that they did not simply fade into oblivion, leaving last year's  Super Bowl version of themselves absent without a trace. This was the Rams team that many of us expected to see this year. They were all over the Cardinals right from the beginning, and Arizona was never able to even come close to making a game of it. With the win, the Rams improve to 7-5, and remain relevant in the playoff picture, although they are still on the outside looking in. As for the Cardinals, this loss drops them to 3-8-1 on the season, although this had to be one of the most dispiriting losses this year. They really got nothing done, and so this game was a step or two backward. The Cardinals will need to work on their weaknesses, which were fully on display here in this one. My pick: Accurate            

Kansas City 40, Oakland 9 – It was almost unthinkable to imagine the Chiefs being on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in, with all of the talent on that team. After all, they were a highly billed team, expected by many to be a legitimate title contender, and one of the elites in the AFC, and the league more generally. Yet, had they lost this one, they would have ceded control of the division to the Raiders, and would need some help in order to qualify for the postseason. But it was almost unimaginable because KC is so good, and they showed it in this one. Indeed, that possibility now seems like a ridiculous pipe dream, because the Chiefs remain the class of the AFC West, and schooled the suddenly troubled Oakland Raiders, who lost their second straight game by 30+ points. The win improves KC's record to 8-4, and with a two game margin and the sweep over the Raiders, they are virtually guaranteed now of the division title. As for the Raiders, this was their second loss in a row to drop them to 6-6 on the year, and served as as serious hit, if not almost a death blow, to their playoff hopes this year. The saddest part was that they were playing well for most of the first half, but somehow still found themselves down 21-0. But Arrowhead is a tough place to win at.  My pick: Accurate        

Denver 23, L.A. Chargers 20 – This was a good, entertaining game, seemingly. Back and forth, and it was uncertain who would come out on top. The Chargers actually kind of dominated this game, statistically. They produced 359 total yards, to just 218 for Denver. They earned 17 first downs, to 13 for Denver. They held onto the ball for over 32 minutes. Rivers threw for almost double the amount that Broncos quarterback Drew Lock threw for. Yet, the game remained close, as the margin was paper thin right to the end. But a 53-yard field goal by Denver placekicker Brandon McManus on the game's final play lifted the Broncos to a satisfying division win that improves their record to 4-8 on the season. The Chargers, meanwhile, sank to 4-8 with this loss. My pick: Accurate           

Sunday Night Football - Houston 28, New England 22  – A huge game that has enormous ramifications on the AFC playoff picture. For years, the biggest albatross for the Texans was that they simply could not find a way to beat Belichick's New England Patriots. But they were able to do so last night, taking a decisive, almost insurmountable 21-3 lead, from which the Pats never recovered. Statistically, New England actually dominated this game, gaining 448 yards to just 226 for Houston, earning 29 first downs to just 16 for the Texans, and dominated time of possession by nearly ten minutes. Deshaun Watson had a very solid day, completing 18 of 25 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. In a losing effort for New England, Tom Brady completed 24 of 47 for 326 yards and three touchdowns, although he also had one INT. Julius Edelman grabbed six of those for 106 yards and one touchdown. The wider ramifications in the playoff picture with this game are many, at least for the immediate playoff picture. First of all, New England squandered an opportunity to have the best record in the league with this loss. Not only that, but this loss puts the Ravens, and not the Pats, as the top seed in the AFC, at least for now. It also brings the Bills within a game of the division lead for the first time in a long time, and those two teams will meet again before the season ends. As for the Texans, it keeps them fully one game ahead in the AFC South, and for now, it also means that they possess the third seed in the AFC playoffs, by virtue of their win over the also 8-4 Chiefs. My pick: Inaccurate