NFL Week 13 Recap
As we creep closer to the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs, we can finally confirm the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention are the Carolina Panthers! We’ve seen an NFC Championship rematch, more injuries to star players and mother nature playing havoc with a game. With six teams on byes this late in the season, will this help or hamper their seasons?
Teams on Bye
Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings & New York Giants
Thursday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys 41 – Seattle Seahawks 35
A Thursday Night shootout in Dallas was not what we expected but NFL fans always welcome high scoring contests! The key takeaway here is the Cowboys celebrated defence gave up 35 at home, and DaRon Bland was picked on by Geno Smith from the start however they managed to stop the surging Seahawks when it was needed. CeeDee Lamb made sure the Cowboys were able to make chunk gains when needed and kept the offense moving.
Much like the Cowboys Geno Smith leaned on his star wide receiver, DK Metcalf mirrored Lamb, picking up chunk plays and keeping the Seahawks drives alive when called upon. While Smith had looked good all gave and a huge improvement over his Thanksgiving game, when it came to a two minute drill to win it on the road, Smith threw three incomplete passes to seal the win for the Cowboys.
Legend has it, the referees are still in Dallas throwing flags. There were 19 penalties for a total of 259 yards called in this game!!
Playoff Seeding: Cowboys 5th Seed (No Change) – Seahawks 9th Seed (Down 3)
Sunday Early Window
Los Angeles Chargers 6 – New England Patriots 0
Mac Jones isn’t the answer and Bailey Zappe isn’t the answer, the only answer in New England is a new quarterback. In an abysmal showing at home, the Patriots could just about move the football but that was about the limit of this offense against the Chargers. If it wasn’t for the Patriots defence the score might have been much higher.
There is something wrong with the Chargers, they have absolutely fallen from grace. Herbert has seen his passing yardage drop from 5000+ in 2021 to just 3038 in 2023 and the team record has suffered too, going from 10-7 in 2022 to currently 5-7 and little to no chance of making the playoffs. Only able to put up 6 points against the now 2-10 Patriots should see the offensive coordinator fired without question as they are wasting prime Herbert years!
Playoff Seeding: Patriots 16th Seed (No Change) – Chargers 12th Seed (Up 1)
Detroit Lions 33 – New Orleans Saints 28
After an embarrassing loss on Thanksgiving the Lions rally buried the Saints early but they almost let them win it! Surging to a 21-0 lead the Lions wanted to make a statement on Sunday and the blow out looked like it was on track until that train derailed as the Lions couldn’t move the ball down the field. Even as the Saints brought the game to within 5 points the Lions finally woke up again and closed the game out!
The Saints and Derek Carr have had a rough start to their relationship, just as he began to rally the Saints and carve up the Lions ball security and injuries hit the Saints with a one-two punch and Carr was out of the game. Jameis Winston stepped in for Carr but couldn’t complete the comeback due his scattershot accuracy. If Carr can stay on the field the Saints record might be better than 5-7.
Playoff Seeding: Lions 3rd Seed (No Change) – Saints 11th Seed (Down 1)
Atlanta Falcons 13 – New York Jets 8
Another week, another loss for the Jets and another game where this defence is wasted. The Jets defence is a force and with an offense that matches it, they would be in the playoff hunt. However the Jets fans will have to wait till next season as they suffer watching Boye, Siemian and Wilson embarrass them week in, week out. Even changing to Siemian the Jets still struggled to move the ball, the Jets need to focus on a decent backup quarterback in 2024!
The Falcons take control of the NFC South after the win against the Jets. They now hold a slim one game lead over the Saints and how the Falcons have played this year, that one game buffer is wafer thin! Struggling in the rain and against the Jets top tier defence, Ridder did just enough to squeeze out a win for the Falcons.
Playoff Seeding: Jets 14th Seed (Up 1) – Falcons 4th Seed (No Change)
Arizona Cardinals 24 – Pittsburgh Steelers 10
There was electricity in the air in Pittsburgh, not just the lightning which resulted in two weather delays, but the electricity of a returning Jamers Conner to the city that drafted him and the connection between Kyler Murray & tight end Trey McBride. The Cardinals rolled into Pittsburgh the heavy underdogs and punched the Steelers in the mouth and continued to kick them while they were down. The former Pittsburgh Panther and Steeler, James Conner had a huge second half to close the game out, scoring twice and leaving with the win!
The Steelers offense looked like it was starting off on the right foot against the Cardinals and then it fell apart when Kenny Pickett left with an ankle injury and was declared out for the game. And thus the Steelers tradition of playing down to teams with losing records continued as did the injuries. When Roberts left the game injured, he was the green dot, the defence seemed to lose its rhythm/communication and looked lost, Fitzpatrick broke his hand but finished the game in a cast and TJ Watt seemed to have an ankle injury. The injuries and bad weather cannot shoulder the blame, as the Steelers offense seemed to regress to Canada era play calling once Pickett left the game.
Playoff Seeding: Cardinals 15th Seed (No Change) – Steelers 5th Seed (No Change)
Indianapolis Colts 31 – Tennessee Titans 28 (OT)
MINSHEW-MANIA runs wild in overtime as he rallies the Colts and keeps them in playoff contention in a highly competitive AFC. While Minshew had an up and down game against the Titans and without Taylor, the Colts turned it up on special teams to cause chaos and then in overtime, Minshew drove the field to throw the game winner to Pittman and take home the W!
Will Levis and Derek Henry brought the rhythm the Titans badly needed and fought back against the Colts to force the game into overtime but they could only manage a field goal in overtime, which wasn’t enough to get the win. All game long Levis was rifling passes to his receivers, like someone who just uses bullet-pass on Madden every play, if he dialled back the power of some of his throws he might have made more completions.
Playoff Seeding: Colts 7th Seed (No Change) – Titans 15th Seed (Down 1)
Miami Dolphins 45 – Washington Commanders 15
Even without Jaelan Philips the Dolphins defence stepped up big against the Commanders and look to be getting hot at the right time of the year. They kept the Commanders run game in check all game and Howell did not see a clean pocket the entire time he was on the field. Tyreek Hill is pushing for an MVP award, he’d be the first wide receiver to win it if he managed it. With Hill on the field the Dolphins offense is explosive and difficult to defend against and they’re ramping up as they push for the playoffs.
Sam Howell continues to struggle with ball security but also with an offensive line that cannot protect him. Taking three sacks, now 58 in total, leading the league, facing pressure and a collapsing pocket all day, Howell needs the Commanders to address the offensive line. He is showing flashes of being a franchise quarterback but he needs the team to continue rebuilding and fast, otherwise Howell might succumb to injury from all the sacks!
Playoff Seeding: Dolphins 1st Seed (Up 3) – Commanders 14th Seed (No Change)
Houston Texans 22 – Denver Broncos 17
The Texans had ups and downs, the defence stepped up and stopped the Broncos last minute rally to win but their offense lost Tank Dell to a fractured fibula for the season. Without his number one target Stroud leaned on Nico Collins who torched the Broncos several times throughout the contest and the Texans walked away with the win.
The Broncos came back into this game and went down fighting, in the red zone with less than 20 seconds left on the clock Wilson threw to the back of the endzone only for it to be intercepted and killing the last minute win. Just before the snap on this play the Broncos wide receivers didn’t look like they knew the play call, this resulted in the pick and the loss. The Broncos are fighting for the playoffs and are doing so at the right time, they could cause trouble in the final weeks of the season.
Playoff Seeding: Texans 8th Seed (No Change) – Broncos 9th Seed (No Change)
Sunday Late Window
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21 – Carolina Panthers 18
The Mayfield/Evans show continues to power the Buccaneers offense as they topple the hopeless Panthers. The Buccaneers have had issues with their running game all season, and this week is different as they almost had a 100 yard rusher. This allows Mayfield to hook up with Evans for the deep shots and keeps them balanced. A balanced Buccaneers team can actually win games even in a low scoring affair like this one.
The Panthers may be hopeless this season but they didn’t lay down and give up, they fought the entire game to try and beat the Buccaneers. Bringing the game within 3 points after a 2 point scrambling score by Young, the rookie had his shot to drive the field and win the game but on 4th and 1 he threw an interception, something that Panthers fans are all too familiar seeing from the rookie as the Panthers lost a close road tilt.
Playoff Seeding: Buccaneers 10th Seed (Up 1) – Panthers (Officially Eliminated)
Los Angeles Rams 36 – Cleveland Browns 19
Joe Flaco, the former Raven, took the field under centre for one of his division rivals on Sunday. The Browns know they have a shot at the playoffs especially with a stout defence, they just need a quarterback. Flaco started strong and looked like he knew the Browns offense inside and out. Even losing Cooper early, Flaco stood his ground and tried to rally the Browns to a win. However the fault this time laid on the Browns defence who couldn’t stop the Rams from putting up 36 points.
Puka Nacua just broke 1000 receiving yards in his first season in the NFL and has been instrumental in helping the Rams win the last three games. Stafford duelled Flaco early in the contest before pulling away and not looking back, the Rams took advantage of the Browns missing Denzel Ward and Myles Garrett playing through a shoulder injury to put the hurt on the Browns defence.
Playoff Seeding: Rams 8th Seed (Up 1) – Browns 6th Seed (No Change)
San Francisco 49ers 42 – Philadelphia Eagles 19
Billed as the NFC Championship rematch, the energy was there for sure, Jerry Rice flipping off the fans in the Link while wearing his Super Bowl rings to Big Dom on the side lines, the game had drama on and off the field. Would this be the outcome if Purdy had not been injured last year? As the 49ers went into the Link and beat down the Eagles. Even with Purdy starting off slow, the 49ers put the foot on the gas of the running game which the Eagles had no answer for and once the 49ers started they never stopped.
The Eagles struggled against a fellow heavyweight and surrendered almost 150 yards on the ground alone as they never seemed to find their footing against the 49ers. Hurts left the game for a couple of series but the defence couldn’t stop the 49ers, allowing six straight touchdown drives. The NFC Playoff race is heating up and the Eagles now will find it slightly harder to hold onto the #1 Seed after falling this week.
Playoff Seeding: 49ers 2nd Seed (No Change) – Eagles 1st Seed (No Change)
Sunday Night Football
Green Bay Packers 27 – Kansas City Chiefs 19
They may be young but they are hungry and they just took down an AFC titan in Lambeau, what more could you want? Jordan Love and the Packers didn’t come out taking deep shots against the Chiefs but they did put together an impressive opening drive of 75 yards and a touchdown. Love wanted to prove he could stand tall in a duel with Mahomes and on Sunday Night Football he proved he could.
Mahomes found it difficult to score early in the game, reaching the red zone but not able to put touchdowns on the board, settling for field goals. And while Mahomes had the better of the Packers defence all night, he couldn’t beat them when it counted as the Packers defence made stops when it was needed. The Chiefs have struggled especially with wide receivers and they aren’t looking like the dominating powerhouse of old as we hit the back end of the season.
Playoff Seeding: Packers 7th Seed (Up 1) – Chiefs 3rd Seed (Down 1)
Monday Night Football
Cincinnati Bengals 34 – Jacksonville Jaguars 31
Browning shows up in the shootout on Monday Night Football and helps the Bengals put away the Jaguars. He looked like a completely different quarterback to the one who started against the Steelers. He racked up 354 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions against the Jaguars who are known for takeaways. The Bengals smacked an AFC Playoff team in the mouth and took the win!
The Jaguars should have won this shootout but they lost Trevor Lawrence to an ankle injury and once he went down, the momentum and energy was gone from the team. CJ Beathard stepped in but he could not do what Lawrence could and the Jaguars fell to the Bengals. This late in the season, when your star quarterback goes down as you’re pushing for the playoffs, the Jaguars fans can only hold their breath as they await news about Lawrence.
Playoff Seeding: Bengals 10th Seed (Up 1) – Jaguars 4th Seed (Down 1)