D.S. Williamson
A lot of jockeying for the NFL Playoffs happened and we are reviewing them on our Week 13 recap. Some came down to earth big time, like the Miami Dolphins who faced Baltimore on the road. Other teams continued to assert their dominance, like Dallas and New England, while still other teams kept their playoff hopes alive, like Green Bay and Denver. See below for a recap of every game that took place in NFL Week 13!
Editor’s Note: Check out our NFL Week 14 Picks by Matt Ross and the Week 14 Betting Preview DS Williamson
NFL Betting – Regular Season Week 13 Recap
Dallas Cowboys 17, Minnesota Vikings 15
Minnesota fell further from a playoff spot by losing 15 to 17 to Dallas. The Vikings need to fix their offensive line during the off-season. If they don’t, it won’t matter who plays quarterback for them in the future. Dallas has started to show signs of wearing down. For the second straight week, the Cowboys failed to cover the spread. The Cowboys face the rival New York Giants in Week 14. We’ll know more after that match up.
Miami Dolphins 6, Baltimore Ravens 38
Miami had won 6 straight games. So, what happened versus Baltimore? The Ravens have started to peak. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Baltimore’s offense really kicked it into gear against the Dolphins’ defense. QB Joe Flacco threw for 381 yards and 4 TDs. He was awesome. Miami must regroup in Week 14 while Baltimore has a chance to show how good they really are against the New England Patriots in Foxboro.
Kansas City Chiefs 29, Atlanta Falcons 28
Kansas City’s 29 to 28 win over Atlanta was nice. The biggest problem for Atlanta is their defense, which just isn’t as capable as it needs to be for the Falcons to beat teams like Kansas City. Atlanta is still in a good position to win the NFC South. That’s great news. And, since, the NFC isn’t the deep conference this season, the Falcons could make it to the Super Bowl by default. For KC, a huge Thursday night battle against the rival Oakland Raiders, who are at 10-2, looms.
Philadelphia Eagles 14, Cincinnati Bengals 32
Who knew the quitting Bengals had it in them? A 32-point explosion is almost unheard of from Cincinnati this season. The Bengals’ Andy Dalton threw for 332 yards and 2 TDs. Philly QB Carson Wentz played like a rookie when throwing 3 interceptions to go along with a TD and 308 passing yards. It’s too late for either one of these teams to get back into the NFL Playoff picture.
San Francisco 49’ers 6, Chicago Bears 26
I thought the San Francisco 49’ers were knocking on the door to a win. That’s what happens when a team from NoCal battles the Bears at Soldier Field in the snow. Both teams couldn’t get anything going on offense in the first half. Then, the Bears got something going in the second half. It doesn’t bother me that Chip Kelly pulled QB Colin Kaepernick in the 4th quarter for Blaine Gabbert. It wasn’t necessarily Kap’s fault that the team played so poorly. But Chip was looking for something, anything, to get his offense going. It didn’t work, but I don’t fault the guy for trying.
Denver Broncos 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
The Broncos’ 20 to 10 workmanlike win over Jacksonville was what so many expected to happen. Denver’s offense is more vanilla ice cream without sprinkles these days. QB Trevor Siemian has shown signs of being the next great Denver QB. He’s not there yet. Jacksonville is a mess. The Jags did rush for 154 yards versus Denver’s defense in this game. But, QB Blake Bortles threw 2 picks and for less than 200 yards against Denver.
Houston Texans 13, Green Bay Packers 21
Packer QB Aaron Rodgers played well throwing for 209 yards and 2 TD passes. He didn’t force anything. The key for Green Bay again was how well their defense played. This is 2 weeks in a row where Green Bay’s defense has come up big. If the 6-6 Packers want to have any shot of making it to the playoffs, the defense must continue to play well. When the defense plays well, Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL. For Houston, the loss is another sign that the Texans aren’t there yet. I’m not sure if they ever will be if Brock Osweiler is their starting QB.
Detroit Lions 28, New Orleans Saints 13
Wow. A week removed from throwing 5 TD passes, Saints’ QB Drew Brees threw 3 picks to the Detroit Lions’ defense. New Orleans had a chance to make up ground on the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints are on the cusp of being a decent team. They need another year for the defense to gel and for Brees to become more comfortable with future star wide receiver Michal Thomas. Detroit solidified its position as the best team in the NFC North. The Lions, like Atlanta, could go to the Super Bowl if they don’t suffer any crazy injuries. Dallas isn’t that much better than either Detroit or the Falcons this season.
Los Angeles Rams 10, New England Patriots 26
Tom Brady was Tom Brady. But football handicappers aren’t going to get a lot from New England’s cover against the Rams, who aren’t a very good team to begin with and have become an even worse team now that they want to give Jared Goff experience under center. If the Patriots can beat the Ravens by 16 points in Week 14, I’ll have more to write about.
Washington Redskins 23, Arizona Cardinals 31
This game surprised me. I thought that like Cincinnati, Arizona had decided to quit on the season. Nope. Just like the Bengals in Week 13, the Cardinals decided to play football again. Arizona only has 6 losses on the season. They have a tie, meaning that they’re in the playoffs if they finish 9-6-1 over 9-7 teams. The Cards have plenty to play for. Washington QB Kirk Cousins crashed down to earth big time in this game. He threw for 271 yards, a TD, and a pick. That was stunningly bad considering that he had been on such a tear. At 6-5-1, Washington can still make the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills 24, Oakland Raiders 38
I’m still not a big believer in Oakland’s defense. The offense? It’s one of the best in the NFL. I know that QB Derek Carr doesn’t have the numbers to win the NFL MVP this season. But in my estimation, he’s, as of now, the most important player in the NFL to his team. Carr wasn’t sharp versus Buffalo. He only completed 54.3% of his passes. But he didn’t throw a pick and he threw 2 TD passes. Carr’s leadership skills are undeniable. Buffalo is on the right track. Injuries to the defense did the Bills in early.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, San Diego Chargers 21
What’s up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? The Bucs have won 4 straight. They’re tied with Atlanta atop the NFC South Division. Tampa Bay had won 3 straight with their defense. That’s the surprising part. They needed to be great on offense to beat the Chargers in Week 13. They were. San Diego won’t make the playoffs in the tough AFC. But Tampa Bay has a shot at winning the NFC South Division title.
NY Giants 14, Pittsburgh Steelers 24
The Giants played well enough to win. Pittsburgh’s defense, and Big Ben Roethlisberger, played better. Pitt has now won 3 in a row. 3 of Pitt’s next 4 games are against AFC North Division opponents. The Steelers control their own destiny. It’s going to be interesting to see which team remains hot in the AFC North, Pitt or Baltimore. The Giants aren’t without a shot to get into the NFC Playoffs. At 8-4, NYG controls their own destiny as well.
Carolina Panthers 7, Seattle Seahawks 40
Carolina gave up in this game. It’s ridiculous to bench your starting QB for the first series on offense in each game because of how he dresses. That’s the first problem with Carolina. The second problem is that without Luke Kuechly, Carolina can’t play defense. The Panthers are one of the most disappointing former Super Bowl runner-ups to play the following season that I’ve ever seen. Seattle didn’t get out of this game unscathed. I can’t imagine the Seahawks winning the NFC without free safety Earl Thomas who will miss the rest of the season because of a broken leg.
Indianapolis Colts 41, NY Jets 10
The Jets are hard to watch. Yes, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is terrible. Fitz threw a pick and for only 81 yards. But how does the Jets’ defense allow the Colts to rush for 139 yards from 40 carries? I mean, giving up 278 passing yards to Colts’ QB Andrew Luck makes sense. Even giving up 4 TD passes is understandable. 139 rushing yards? To a team that only averages 99 per game? That’s ridiculous. The Colts are tied with Tennessee and Houston for the lead in the AFC South. The Jets are just a bad team.
