NFL Week 13 Review – Scores and Key Takeaways

After a week full of upsets, we recap the key takeaways from each NFL game.

Dallas Cowboys 13 def. New Orleans Saints 10

What a bizarre match. The Saints came into this game seemingly infallible, and the Cowboys came in as a flawed team with some momentum.

Starting with the Cowboys, their chances of winning the NFC East and making the playoffs have now drastically increased. Four weeks ago, everyone was saying the Eagles were going to crush the Cowboys and fight Washington for the division. Instead, the Cowboys won that game and haven’t lost since. Now they’ve knocked off who we thought (and who may still be) the best team in the league. Also, the Cowboys have officially won the Amari Cooper trade.

The Saints can be excused for this loss. The offence was straight up bad, nullified by a potent, if ill-disciplined, Cowboys defence. These games happen for the good teams, and this one is probably more of an aberration than a sign of things to come. I’ve also felt strongly about the following: Patrick Mahomes is still the front-runner for MVP, and always has been. Look – we all want Brees to get an MVP, and we all know Mahomes will have plenty of other opportunities during his career. But that doesn’t mean we just pretend Brees is playing better. The power rankings in this two-man race are now clear – but Brees has time to make amends. Here’s a good measuring-stick for MVP: Brees needs to reach 40 passing TDs before season’s end, cause Mahomes reached that mark this week.

Baltimore Ravens 26 def. Atlanta Falcons 16

That’s three straight wins for the Ravens, and four straight losses for the Falcons. While sitting at a dismal 4-8, the Falcons are a dangerous team, and the Ravens handled their business. Everyone is rightly high on the Cowboys defence right now, but a case can still be made for Baltimore’s defence being the best in the league. And now with Lamar Jackson at the helm, the offence is getting enough points to hold up their end of the bargain. The athletic rookie QB will need to improve his downfield passing against a strong remaining schedule if they want to be relevant in the playoffs. Regardless, the threat of Jackson’s running ability is opening up holes for his running backs. The Lamar Jackson experience is different, but it is working – for now.

Denver Broncos 24 def. Cincinnati Bengals 10

Those fighting for the final AFC Wildcard spot (Ravens, Colts, Titans, Dolphins) are all of a sudden looking over their shoulders: the Denver Broncos are coming. Meanwhile the Bengals seem to have given up on this season, which looked promising through the first few weeks.

The Broncos defence is also in that sneaky-good Dallas/Baltimore tier of talent. And then there’s offensive rookie of the year candidate, Phillip Lindsay, who’s proven to be the best undrafted rookie running-back of the last decade. Lindsay gets the exciting plays, but everyone on the offence is doing their part, including QB Case Keenum and the offensive line.

Los Angeles Rams 30 def. Detroit Lions 16

If not for the unstoppable force known as Aaron Donald, this game could’ve been one more in a long line of upsets this week. The Lions hung with the Rams, who are the first team this year to clinch a playoff spot. There are some championship qualities to this Rams team, and some one-and-done qualities. I don’t know which qualities will persist in crunch-time. Jared Goff is not perfect, and he made some poor decisions in this game – namely when he threw two consecutive dropped pick-sixes. He’ll have to be a lot better to out-gun the Saints, and maybe even the pesky Seahawks, in the playoffs. I don’t love the Rams in either of those potential matchups.

Arizona Cardinals 20 def. Green Bay Packers 17

So, a loss at home against one of the worst teams in the league is what it took for the Packers to fire Mike McCarthy. Rodgers made some great (and some mediocre) throws in this one. But, if the Packers don’t start running the ball with McCarthy gone, some serious questions should be asked about Rodgers’ willingness to lead a balanced offence. Their blatant refusal to run the ball has sealed more of their losses than anything else, and this game was no different. Well, Mason Crosby hasn’t helped things either.

Houston Texans 29 def. Cleveland Browns 13

That’s nine wins in a row and while it’s been the least convincing nine-win streak ever, the Texans are starting to look legit. They looked legit this week and last because of the running game, which is finally working, taking the pressure off Deshaun Watson. If the Texans can maintain a solid run-game, that’ll go a long way to elevating their offensive line struggles – they are third worst in the league for sacks allowed.

Baker Mayfield, coming off an impressive few games, dug his team into a hole with three interceptions. The downside of Baker’s moxie is his eagerness to force the ball into tight windows. Sometimes it works out great, and we all start fawning over the velocity and accuracy of his throws. And sometimes it doesn’t work out so great, and we get games like this.

Jacksonville Jaguars 6 def. Indianapolis Colts 0

How did the Colts fail to outscore a Cody Kessler-led Jaguars? The Colts’ defence did everything asked of them, and the usually potent Colts offence couldn’t score touchdowns and refused to take the field goals on offer. The approach Frank Reich’s Colts took in this game was bizarre to say the least. Knowing the ineptitude of the Jags offence, why didn’t Reich and the Colts just take points as they come? Even though the Jags came into this game 3-8, their defence has earned a little more respect than what Reich gave them. A little more patience and conservatism and the Colts walk away with an easy W. Now they play for their season next week against the 9-3 Texans.

Miami Dolphins 21 def. Buffalo Bills 17

Look at almost every statistic in this game besides points scored and you’d think the Bills won this game comfortably. That seems to be the story of the Dolphins season: somehow, they are still in the AFC Wildcard race, even though I could make the case that they’re not even a top-20 team.

I like Josh Allen. He made something out of nothing on that last play, and even though he should’ve put an extra yard on that ball, it was catchable. Charles Clay was wide-open in the endzone and timed his dive well but couldn’t hold onto it. Great play though.

New York Giants 30 def. Chicago Bears 27

Bears fans will blame Chase Daniel for this loss. And yes, the Bears offence is smoother with Mitch Trubisky under-centre – but Mitch is capable of making Chase Daniel-esque mistakes. The Bears’ ability to hang with the big-boys in the playoffs will depend on how Trubisky plays upon his return. If he can come back fresh and firing, the Bears can upset some of the top teams. If he comes back sluggish or not fully healthy, we’re probably talking about a one-and-done team.

Saquon Barkley continues to shine, and Giants fans can only hope the team figures things out before the young running-back exits his prime. On a side note, Odell Beckham Jr. got a deep TD pass. A few more trick plays involving the star receiver’s throwing ability could be productive (and fun).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 def. Carolina Panthers 17

Upset of the week, and with that, the Panthers have officially fallen off a cliff. This is why we don’t stop watching games between week 10 and the playoffs. There are always a handful of teams that look like playoff contenders early and fizzle out, and some that look like bottom-dwellers early, but come good late. The blame for this loss rests squarely on Cam Newton’s shoulders. The decisions he made in this game were simply not good enough for a top-10 QB in his eighth season. The good news is that the Panthers have a superstar in Christian McCaffrey.

All of a sudden, Jameis Winston is showing us something. Will he continue to play well, forcing Tampa to pick up his contract option next year? History would tell us yes, the average QB will play beyond his ability to secure his future and slip back into mediocrity once said future is secure. Proceed with caution Tampa Bay.

Kansas City Chiefs 40 def. Oakland Raiders 33

With the Kareem Hunt scandal looming large, the Chiefs took care of business in a surprisingly tough divisional battle. The now 2-10 Raiders put up a good fight, which included a great game from Derek Carr. It should be clear that the young QB is least to blame for the team’s woes.

With 4TDs in this game, Patrick Mahomes has settled the MVP race unless something crazy happens. His campaign for the award is more convincing after Brees’ stinker against the Cowboys. Also, Travis Kelce is a beast – probably the most consistently hard-to-neutralise target in Mahomes’ arsenal, that is saying a lot with Tyreek Hill still in town.

Tennessee Titans 26 def. New York Jets 22

The Titans tried to give the Jets this game. If they were playing a more competent team, the Titans may have removed themselves from playoff contention this week. Hell, if Sam Darnold was playing the Jets might’ve won. And Darnold is far from a polished product, but the last few weeks have shown how much of a downgrade Josh McCown really is. Mariota stepped up late, but was lucky his teammates recovered the ball after he fumbled on a 26 yard run. Nonetheless, the final result is what we expected – the Titans stay in the AFC Wildcard race, and the Jets move closer to securing a top-5 draft pick.

New England Patriots 24 def. Minnesota Vikings 10

Yeah, this is the kind of game the Patriots would win. So thoughtful in their tactics and so professional in their execution, the Patriots eat flawed playoff teams like the Vikings for breakfast – especially in December. The brilliance of Bill Belichick just can’t be overstated – this game was a perfect example of his ability to sew up his team’s holes before playoff-time. Suddenly, the Patriots are getting to the QB, getting big plays on the ground, and protecting Tom Brady. Seems like you will win some games doing those things.

The poor ole Vikings were done-in by some unlucky scheduling. No one should have to play the Patriots this time of the year, but someone has to. They just got beat in every respect: Kirk Cousins was under duress (a pattern is emerging here), and the defence couldn’t stop the Patriots, especially on the ground (160 yards).

It’s funny – despite the talent the Vikings possess, this was the easiest outcome to predict this week. In a week full of upsets, everyone knew that the Patriots would be the team to take care of business at home.

Seattle Seahawks 43 def. San Francisco 49ers 16

This Seattle team seems destined for the fifth seed wildcard spot in the NFC. Many people thought 2018 was a rebuilding year for the Seahawks, but apparently Pete Carrol made the right call betting on Russell Wilson over the aging “legion of boom” – what a shock. If I’m any of the top-4 seeds in the NFC, I am not looking forward to facing the Seahawks: a team with a lot of momentum, playoff pedigree, and one of the most consistent, well-established QB-Coach duos in the league.

Los Angeles Chargers 33 def. Pittsburgh Steelers 30

A great game in Pittsburgh, and a potential preview of the fourth v fifth seed Playoff Game. If the Steelers learnt anything in this game, it’s that they really, really want to overtake the Texans for the third seed to avoid playing the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs. The Chargers may be the second-best team in the AFC, behind their division’s leaders, the KC Chiefs. QB Phillip Rivers is playing out of his skin, the running game is working regardless of Melvin Gordon’s presence, and the defence has some of the most talented young playmakers in the league in Joey Bosa and Derwin James.

The Steelers should have cruised to a win in this one, leading 23-7 at the half – at home. Yes, some things didn’t go the Steelers’ way, but it seemed like the Chargers were always going to win this game. This is the Pittsburgh story year-after-year: they’ve always had top-3 talent in the AFC, but struggle to build a winning-DNA, and that has been the difference between them and the Patriots for the last decade.

Philadelphia Eagles 28 def. Washington Redskins 13

The Eagles are 6-1 when they rush for 100+ yards this season, and 0-5 when they don’t (NFL.com). The Eagles have snuck back into the playoff conversation since the Panthers’ woes. But, based on their strength of remaining schedule, their chances remain slim. If they are to have any chance of getting a wildcard spot, the Eagles must commit to the run game. They have the talent to beat anyone if they play to their strengths.

Unfortunately, the Alex Smith injury has completely derailed a promising season for Washington. Colt McCoy went out with an injury in this game, but given where Washington find themselves, that’s pretty inconsequential. Things look good though if they continue to draft well. The defence is ready for the playoffs, so the next step is re-building the offence.