NFL Takeaways: Week 13
Photo by Tony Gutierrez from The Associated Press
November football is officially done, which means it is time for the playoff push.
And, much like a few weeks ago, I have no idea who is good and who isn’t?
Let’s dive into Thanksgiving weekend football.
Packers defeat Lions 31-24
Two times this year I have felt the Packers played amazing football.
Both were against the Lions.
I feel that says a lot about this season in Detroit than anything else.
Cowboys defeat Chiefs 31-28
The Chiefs have had four straight extremely important games to try and win the division.
The Bills, the Broncos, the Colts, and the Cowboys.
They went 1-3, and the one win needed a great 4th quarter comeback to win in overtime.
It’s time to just call it how it is.
They aren’t that good.
Bengals defeat Ravens 32-14
I wasn’t worried about the Ravens offense when they struggled against the Browns.
I am now worried about it after 5 turnovers against a bad Bengals defense.
Lamar is clearly still hindered by some sort of injury, and the offense is not clicking whatsoever.
The defense did a good job for the most part before the dam broke, but if the offense doesn’t improve, they have no chance.
Bears defeat Eagles 24-15
The Bears punked them.
No two ways about it.
The offense continued to struggle, as we kind of expected, but the defense got ran over.
The Bears averaged 6 yards per carry!
And now, the division lead is only two games over Dallas, who is playing some of their best football.
The defending champs aren’t safe…
49ers defeat Browns 26-8
The Browns defense, again, played very well.
The Browns offense, again, didn’t give them any help.
Not that that was unexpected at all.
Jaguars defeat Titans 25-3
A needed easy win for the Jags, who now lead the AFC South before a matchup against Indy this week.
That’s a huge game as well, because the Texans are right there too.
This will be a fun battle down the stretch.
Texans defeat Colts 20-16
Daniel Jones has a fractured leg. Sauce Gardner is out. The Colts have lost two straight, and the rest of their schedule is the Jags twice, the Seahawks, the Niners, and the Texans again.
They are in some deep, deep trouble.
Dolphins defeat Saints 21-17
Tyler Shough might be something!
It’s early, and it’s hard to tell, but he seems pretty decent so far!
We’ll see if it continues down the stretch, or if the Saints will go QB scouting come draft time.
Jets defeat Falcons 27-24
This Falcons era is just sad.
No direction. No first round draft pick. No playoff hopes.
It’s been an unmitigated disaster just two seasons in.
Pull the plug, y’all.
Buccaneers defeat Cardinals 20-17
The Bucs just keep playing with fire.
They got the win they desperately needed, because the easy division title isn’t so easy anymore…
Panthers defeat Rams 31-28
Matt Stafford finally turned back into a human, having three turnovers, and Bryce Young played one of his best games of the season for the Panthers to get a big upset win.
They’re playing great football right now, and Dave Canales deserves a lot of credit for the job he’s done not only in Carolina, but with Young specifically.
He’s turning into a franchise guy.
Seahawks defeat Vikings 26-0
Turns out, an undrafted rookie making his first ever start against an extremely good Seahawks defense wasn’t going to go well.
Who could’ve guessed?
Bills defeat Steelers 26-7
The Steelers defense got run all over by Buffalo, the offense is a mess, and Aaron Rodgers is, once again, publicly blaming his receivers for making mistakes.
It’s time for a new era in Pittsburgh.
This is done.
Chargers defeat Raiders 31-14
Not a surprising win for the Chargers, but Justin Herbert needing surgery on his left hand is a really tough outcome from this game.
They’re fighting for a playoff spot, and this could be costly if he’s not 100%. Especially with that beat up offensive line.
Broncos defeat Commanders 27-26
The Broncos defense, one of the best in football, had their hands full with Marcus Mariota and the Commanders offense.
They won again, but I still have no idea if they’re actually a great team or not!
They’re very confusing, and it’s annoying me!
Patriots defeat Giants 33-15
I don’t have any doubts about the Patriots, however.
Drake Maye is playing MVP caliber football, Mike Vrabel is an excellent head coach, and the team just keeps on rolling.
Now comes a date with Buffalo, and the possibility to all but officially win the AFC East.
That’s a hell of a year 1 for Vrabel.
