🏈 NFL Week 13 Review 🏈

           

  

🏈🏈🏈🏈

We now have the first teams to have clinched playoff spots. That sounds about right, as it often happens more or less around the 12 games played mark, or so.  

In the AFC, the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs secured a playoff spot with their win over the Denver Broncos. It was their seventh straight win. In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints clinched a playoff spot with their victory over the Atlanta Falcons. It was their ninth straight win.  

There were other big wins and surprising results, as the playoff picture continues to take shape. 

Let’s take a look:  

Las Vegas 31, NY Jets 28 – I thought that the Jets had managed to win a game this season, when they stormed back in the final quarter with two touchdown drives to overcome an 11-point deficit. There they were, leading the Raiders with just seconds left in the game, when Derek Carr hit Henry Ruggs for a 46-yard touchdown pass for the win. I know that the Jets and their fans have to feel heartbroken with this one, but Gang Green actually did play well. They scored 28 points, and that with the worst offense in the league. And they showed some fight, coming back from a large deficit to almost win this one. But in the end, this disastrous season continues to haunt the Jets and kept them winless. My pick: Accurate  

Cleveland 41, Tennessee 35 – This was one of the results this week that shocked me. The Browns jumped all over the Titans early, particularly in the second quarter, when they scored a whopping 28 points to take a commanding 38-7 lead by halftime. Tennessee fought back and made a pretty decent comeback attempt. Ultimately, however, the Browns managed to hold on for a huge win. It was the fourth straight win for the Browns, and clinches a winning record for the team for the first time since the 2008 season, when they finished 10-6, but missed the playoffs. The Browns owned a decisive time of possession lead against Tennessee, hanging onto the football for almost 37 minutes, and they produced 458 total yards and 26 first downs. Also, they committed only one turnover, to three for the hometown Titans. Baker Mayfield threw four touchdowns, all in the first half. A huge win for Cleveland, and a setback for the Titans just one week after they produced a similar kind of win on the road at Indianapolis, who they are once again tied with atop the AFC South. My pick: Inaccurate  

NY Giants 17, Seattle 12 – As a Giants fan, it was hard not to get excited about this one. This was likely the biggest win for the G-Men since at least the 2016 season, which was the last time Big Blue qualified for the postseason. It was also their fourth straight win, the longest winning streak for this franchise since, again, that 2016 season, when they at one point enjoyed a six-game win streak. The Giants defense was amazing, holding Seattle’s dangerous and explosive offense – which averaged about 31 pints per game entering this game - to their lowest point total of the season. And while the Big Blue offense did not exactly light up the scoreboard, they got enough production and points to win this one. Remember that only a little over one month ago, the G-Men were 1-7, and looking like they might be serious contenders for worst team in the league. At that point, they had only won one game, and barely beat Washington at home in that one. Now, however, the Giants are really coming alive, and appear like serious contenders to win the NFC East. What an impressive win for this team, in a complete, all-around effort. But it was the defense that really caught everyone’s attention, with the most impressive game to date. What a huge win, one that makes this season feel a lot more promising and satisfying as a fan. My pick: Inaccurate  

New England 45, LA Chargers 0 – In a week that expected some unpredictable results that underscored how unpredictable the league can be, the Patriots managed to turn back the clock and look like the older version of this franchise that we grew so used to in recent years, even decades. While the Pats might not look like that same team, and certainly do not have a similar record to this point in the season, they sure resembled them in terms of results this past weekend. This was New England completely dismantling the Chargers, and doing so on the road, in Los Angeles! Some might refer to the Pats and Belichick as the Evil Empire. If that is the case, then after all that they had to overcome this season (and off-season), and seeing how they have bounced back to at least give themselves a chance late in the season, I can only say one thing: Impressive. More impressive. My pick: Accurate

Miami 19, Cincinnati 7 – No real surprises here. True, the Bengals made me raise my eyebrows for a little while, taking that early touchdown lead late in the first quarter. But after that, it was all Miami. The Fins owned a narrow advantage with time of possession, but their offense almost doubled the Bengals in terms of first downs, 23 to 12, and they more than doubled the Bengals in terms of total offensive yards, 406 to just 196 for Cincy. That speaks to both solid offensive production, as well as an impressive defensive effort. A solid win for the Dolphins, who had some struggles finding points on offense, but did more than enough to win this on convincingly, improving to 8-4 in the process. It also speaks to why Miami’s defense has been one of the elite units in the league this season. This was the seventh win in a span of eight games for the Fins. As for Cincy, this loss drops them to 2-9-1. My pick: Accurate  

Indianapolis 26, Houston 20 – The Colts hardly obliterated the weaker Texans, but they did enough to win, which they usually do. That is significant, because the Texans, following a disastrous start to the season, had won three of four coming into this game. But they could not handle the Colts here in this game, despite it being kind of a back and forth game that the Texans managed to hang in there for until late. But a solid effort for both the offense and the defense, enough to earn the win, improving Indy to 8-4 on the season, and back into a first-place tie with the Titans, who lost. As for the Texans, they now fall to 4-8, and what slim chances they had at qualifying for the postseason this year are now realistically over. My pick: Accurate  

Minnesota 27, Jax 24 – This was not the prettiest win for the Vikings. They certainly did not resemble a well-oiled machine, despite having home field advantage against a team that entered the game with a 1-10 mark, and which had not won a game since the opening weekend way back in early September, just about three months ago now. But the Vikings were opportunistic, taking advantage of four Jaguar turnovers and holding onto the ball for over 37 minutes. Still, Jax managed to stay in the ball game, actually tying it with a touchdown late in the final quarter to force overtime. This game was tied and coming close to tie territory, until the Vikings finally got a field goal with less than two minutes left to pull off the much needed win. Now, Minnesota improves to 6-6, and impressive feat following a 1-5 start. If the season ended today, the Vikings would be in the playoffs with the seventh and final NFC playoff seed. My pick: Accurate (barely)  

Detroit 34, Chicago 30 – In the battle for who will likely wind up in the cellar in the NFC North, the Lions kept their very slim playoff hopes alive by beating Da Bears at Chicago’s Soldier Field, handing the Bears a sixth straight defeat. It is difficult to believe that Chicago was once 5-1, and seemed like they would cruise to the playoffs. Chicago since has looked just awful in what turned out to be a total collapse. They scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to take a 10-point lead, and had that lead with under two and a half minutes, before allowing the Lions to score two touchdowns in less than 40 seconds of play to complete an improbable comeback for the win. Detroit improves to 5-7 on the year, while the Bears fall to that same 5-7 mark. My pick: Inaccurate  

New Orleans 21, Atlanta 16 – New Orleans did not produce offensive fireworks in this game. Indeed, they probably did not play their best game. Yet, it was one of their most impressive wins of the season, coming as it did without Drew Brees. The defense is starting to look like one of the better units in the league, and the offense, while not exploding with points like they have in recent seasons, did enough to produce the win that keeps this team hot with their ninth straight win, which now ranks as the longest active win streak in the league. They improve to 10-2, the best record in the NFC still. Meanwhile, the Falcons played tough, but fell short, falling to 4-8, and suffering a likely fatal blow to their slim playoff hopes. My pick: Accurate  

LA Rams 38, Arizona 28 – The Rams continue with a solid season that has them back among the relative elites in the NFC. They rebounded from a disappointing loss to the 49ers with an important division road win against the Cardinals in Arizona. The defense was tested against that dangerous offense by Kyler Murray and the Cards, but they managed to do a pretty solid job in containing them, even scoring some points themselves on a pick six. Jared Goff does not look like the star quarterback that he seemed to be a couple of years ago, but he was effective when he needed to be, even running for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Rams won in a methodical manner, owning the time of possession by hanging onto the ball for nearly 39 minutes, producing 463 yards and 30 first downs, as they improve to 8-4 on the year, and are back in a first-place tie with the Seahawks, who lost. The Cardinals, meanwhile, slipped to 6-6 on the season with this third straight loss, and their playoff hopes are now in serious danger. My pick: Accurate  

Green Bay 30, Philadelphia 16 – A little more than one month ago, the Eagles were 3-4-1 entering a bye week, having just won two straight division games and seemingly on the verge of running away with the NFC East division. Washington and Dallas were both 2-6, the Giants were 1-7, and Philly enjoyed a game and a half lead, appearing like the only halfway competent team in the division. Since then, the Giants and Washington have gotten hot, while the Eagles have gotten ice cold. They went up to the “frozen tundra” of Lambeau Field, and were unable to stop the bleeding, dropping their fourth straight game to fall to 3-8-1, now a game and a half behind both the Giants and Washington. They have to play the Saints next weekend, which will not be an easy game, with or without Brees in the lineup for New Orleans. As for the Pack, this was another solid win that keeps them hot, as they improve to 9-3, now alone with the second best record in the NFC at 9-3, and on the verge of officially clinching their division title. They only have one team left on their record with a winning record, that being Tennessee. This team should finish no worse than 12-4. My pick: Accurate  

Kansas City 22, Denver 16 – Yet again, the Chiefs won while not necessarily playing their best game. The Chiefs did not light up the scoreboard, but they produced enough, and at just the right times, to ultimately win this one and leave no doubt. Denver has struggled on the offensive end, and they had trouble against the KC defense. And while the Broncos defense played well, often holding the Chiefs to five field goals and limiting them to just one touchdown, effectively bending but not really breaking, it was not quite enough to produce what would have been one of the biggest upsets of the season. A solid win – the seventh in a row – for KC, to improve to 11-1 on the season. Denver, meanwhile, falls to 4-8 on the year. My pick: Accurate  

Washington 23, Pittsburgh 17 – Well, no more perfect, unbeaten teams this year. The Steelers suffered their first loss, at home, to a team that entered the game with a 4-7 record. But Washington, like the Giants, entered this week far from a normal 4-7 team, as both are fighting to win the NFC East division. If there is a game that may indeed have been a more impressive road win than the Giants beating the Seahawks in Seattle, than this one was probably it. Washington just played lights out and did what seemed most improbable in beating the Steelers and ending their hopes for a perfect regular season. The defense played incredibly well, holding that potent Pittsburgh offense to almost nothing after falling behind by 14. And the offense did what they had to, with Alex Smith leading the offense and producing when they absolutely needed to, helping to lift Washington to a major upset that keeps them in a first-place tie with the G-Men. My pick: Inaccurate  

Buffalo 34, San Francisco 24 – This was a huge win for Buffalo! The 49ers might not be having the best season this year, but they were the defending NFC champions, and they can still be dangerous. Also, this was a very important game for them, particularly for their hopes for hanging onto their flickering playoff chances. Despite a season filled with injuries, instability,  and unfortunate circumstances, the 49ers reminded everyone of just how dangerous they can be when they knocked off the Rams last week -  in Los Angeles, no less – to complete the season sweep of their powerful rivals. So yes, the Niners can be dangerous. Yet, the Bills showed a killer instinct, as their offense poured it on, and their defense managed to hold San Fran when it was absolutely necessary to do so. With the win, the Bills remain in sole possession of first place in the AFC East with a 9-3 record, while the 49ers fall to 5-7. My pick: Accurate

Baltimore 34, Dallas 17 – This was a meeting of two teams who both had fallen behind in divisional races following recent losing streaks, and were desperately trying to stop the bleeding before their seasons bled out. By the end of the game, one team finally managed a win for the first time in a month. Yes, the Baltimore Ravens, the team that finished 14-2 last season and won their final 12 regular seasons games, and who had the number one ranked offense and number three ranked defense, finally hit the brakes on a cold streak that had seen them drop four of their last five games, and their last three in a row in particular. Up until mid-October, it was still possible to believe that they were that same team that appeared so dominant throughout a historic regular season last year, when they became the first NFL team in history to produce 3,296 rushing yards in a single NFL season, for an average of over 200 rushing yards per game. Their numbers this year so far have largely paled by comparison, but they looked like they had returned back to top form last night, when they sliced up the Dallas Cowboys defense, which literally has the worst ranked defense in the entire league. Consider this: three Ravens players ran for at least 70 yards. Running back Gus Edwards led both teams with a game-high 101 yards, quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for 94 yards (he also passed for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns) and rookie J.K. Dobbins added 71 yards. In all, the Ravens ran for a total of 294 yards on 37 plays, for an average of 7.9 yards per run. Obviously, Dallas just had no answers, and could not stop or even slow down the Baltimore running game, which flexed it’s muscles with a very physical approach, and showed that they are still a formidable running team. The Ravens defense, meanwhile, has remained one of the team’s bright spots. While they had some lapses, particularly in their recent losing streak, they looked solid enough last night against the Cowboys offense, which has mostly struggled since the loss of quarterback Dak Prescott back in October. This was the sixth loss in a span of seven games for Dallas, and their playoff hopes are rapidly flickering and threatening to black out entirely. They are not officially out of the playoff picture, because they are in the NFC East, which surely is the weakest division in the entire league this season. But even then, they are alone in last place in that division, which is likely quite revealing. This loss drops them to 3-9 on the year, half a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles, and now a full two games behind both the Giants and Washington. As for the Ravens, this game again does give them a much needed boost in confidence, as it was an impressive win. They improve to 7-5, and most importantly, are still very much in the playoff picture. If the season ended tomorrow, they would miss the playoffs. But they have four games left, and only one of their opponents – their division rival Cleveland Browns – have a winning record. So this team can still have a solid finish that could land them in the postseason. My pick: Accurate