Week 13
It’s around this time of year, Week 13 through the end of the year, that you start to recognize which teams draft well and which teams don’t. This year we especially see this play out. The teams that have the depth to win games and look strong are playing their best football of the year. Likewise, when we see teams fall apart at this time of year, we can tell which teams drafted poorly. Watching Week 13, not many fans thought about the draft, but these weeks are a testament to the importance of drafting well.
Jaguars-Vikings
This was a game that was built for the Vikings to win and win easily. They played down to a Jaguars team that hasn’t won since Week One and might not win the rest of the season. It took overtime, and a chip-shot field goal to win it but the Vikings are suddenly back in the playoff hunt. This Vikings team has to be seen as a viable playoff team for two reasons; Dalvin Cook is turning good runs into great runs and the draft class is starting to make its true strides. After an offseason where they had to let go of a lot of stars, the Minnesota Vikings are back and might sneak into the playoffs.
Colts-Texans
It’s rare to watch a game with two completely different halves of football. Yet, in Houston, we saw a shootout in the first half and second half where the only score came on a safety. The Colts winning should come as no surprise, they were the better team and this was their game to lose. The Colts did remind us that they are the best team in the AFC South. While last week’s humiliation to the Titans says otherwise, the Colts were without Deforest Buckner for the game and the difference was clear this Sunday. This roster looks good and possibly great but the hindrance is still Philip Rivers. It’s hard to see Rivers having three consecutive strong games in a row and in a way, this dooms the Colts.
Browns-Titans
Everyone will talk about how Baker Mayfield woke up feeling dangerous for Week 13, and rightfully so. Mayfield threw four touchdown passes in the first half alone and the game was all but over at halftime with a 38-7 lead. However, this game reminds us of how complete the Browns are. Drafting Jedrick Wills secured one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and arguably the best run-blocking line in the NFL. Kevin Stefanski turning the offense into a run-first offense not only gave the Browns a deadly two-headed monster at running back (Hunt and Chubb both have 700+ rushing yards) but it also allowed Baker Mayfield to throw off the play-action (easy reads, great protection). The Browns have nine victories and the playoffs might only be one victory away, they will play the Jets.
Bengals-Dolphins
The Dolphins are starting to confuse me. This is a team that I am ready to go all-in on as they have all the necessary keys to being a juggernaut. Yet, another game went by against an inferior opponent and the offense played below average. The defense looks great, not just good but great. The Dolphins have one of the best rosters in the league. Yet games like these make us wonder if the Dolphins can win the division and make a playoff run if they do. They will host the Kansas City Chiefs next week and Tua Tagovailoa is going to have to revert back to the way he played against Arizona if they have any hope of winning. Brian Flores has this team trending in a great direction but they might still be a year away.
Lions-Bears
Along with the knowledge that some teams draft worse than others, this time of year gives us another virtue. We get to watch two bad teams give us a good game (both teams being equally bad). The Bears and Lions are both in the middle of lost-cause seasons. The Lions just fired head coach Matt Patricia and the Bears almighty fire general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy any day now. With the Lions trailing by ten points, it was one of those games that the Bears just blundered and handed over to the Lions. It’s games like these that remind us that the Bears have no direction and no roster to back up any hopes of winning.
Saints-Falcons
Taysom Hill is 3-0 as a starter. This doesn’t mean that Taysom Hill is playing well, on the contrary, he just isn’t blowing the game for the Saints. Rather these victories have been proof that the Saints have one of the best teams in the NFL. For weeks, I have believed that there is no team in the NFC that can win the Super Bowl this season. After watching the Saints win 9 games in a row, we see the clear favorite in the NFC and a true contender. This victory against Atlanta wasn’t a dominant one but a reminder that they have one of the best defenses in the NFL, and little to no flaws on offense as well.
Eagles-Packers
The inevitable finally happened, Carson Wentz was benched. It’s a sad decline and a sad story when you think about it. Carson Wentz was an MVP-caliber player, but since he tore his ACL, hasn’t been the same. The fallout from this game puts the Eagles in a bind for next week. Do they start Jalen Hurts against the Saints and leaves the expensive Carson Wentz on the bench? Do they roll out Wentz again and expect him to have a great game somehow? The Eagles are a mess and it’s only getting worse as this season comes to an end.
The Packers with this win are one step closer to grabbing the number two seed in the NFC. The problem is that the Packers feel like a rerun from last season. Aaron Rodgers looks great, the running game is strong behind an excellent offensive line, Davante Adams is still the best route-runner in the NFL, and the defense is good enough. The Packers are just missing a few pieces and feel steps behind the Saints. The Packers are good but don’t look like a Super Bowl team and probably won’t be.
Patriots-Chargers
This was a perfect game for the Patriots. The defense had a shutout, the run game was established early on, and the special teams had two touchdowns. The Patriots were poised to win this game but this victory reminds us that New England is going to play spoilers and make a push for the playoffs. The Chargers at this point are just waiting out the season. It’s hard to say whether Anthony Lynn will be the head coach by next season but there is a lot of promise for next season.
Giants-Seahawks
This was a loss that the Seahawks couldn’t afford to have. For a team that was in the middle of one of the easiest schedules in the NFL, a loss to the Giants not only puts them behind in the chase for the top seed, but it also puts them in an arms race with the Rams for the NFC West. The Seahawks should have easily won this game and their offense was beyond disappointing in Week 13. The question now should be whether we can write off the Seahawks as NFC contenders for the rest of the season.
The Giants with this Week 13 win have taken a major leap to win their division. The Giants don’t have a good team, especially offensively, but the defense is surprisingly good. The defensive line oddly enough is one of the best in the NFL and might be the Giants’ best since their Super Bowl D-Line. The Giants only need to win one or two more games to reach the playoffs, they just might do it.
Rams-Cardinals
The Rams have reminded us that last week’s loss was an outlier. When anyone watches the Rams, they are blinded by the star power that they possess, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Aaron Donald continues to play at a Hall of Fame level, Jalen Ramsey played an incredible game against DeAndre Hopkins, and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley knows how to get his stars into great matchups. Meanwhile, the offense just doesn’t lose the game for them. The Cardinals are in trouble. Kyler Murray is a great fantasy quarterback but defenses are now daring him to beat them in the air. The defense is good at preserving leads but they aren’t the type of defense that can go out and win games. The Giants next week is going to be a true test for whether they can make the playoffs or not.
Broncos-Chiefs
The Chiefs didn’t have a good game. In fact, one can argue they played their worst game since their only loss. Yet, they won another game to stay at the heels of the Steelers for the top record in the AFC. Patrick Mahomes once again made throws that seemed to defy the laws of gravity, physics, quarterbacking, and so on, yet every time they were in the red zone, the offense settled for field goals. But, Week 13 was supposed to be the easy game before the Chiefs had to play the Dolphins and the Saints.
If the Steelers were watching this game, they have to look at what Denver did and realize that their playoff game is going to be eerily similar. The Steelers will dare Kansas City to run the ball, a shortened game is a Pittsburgh game. The Chiefs have to hope that Clyde Edwards-Heliare is going to be playing at an elite level by the time the playoffs roll around, they will need him to be playoff Clyde.
