There was plenty of action in NFL Week 13, as the playoffs loom closer. In case you were wondering, the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers were officially eliminated from the playoffs.
Here are the other storylines from Sunday football in NFL Week 13.
1. Raiders Get Last-Second Win
The New York Jets were involved in a dramatic game. The Jets took a late fourth quarter lead over the Las Vegas Raiders. They also made a goal line stand, before punting the ball to Derek Carr with 35 seconds left in the game. After a 15-yard pass and a spike, Carr heaved up a deep ball. It was off target. The next play, Carr heaved up another deep ball, which was caught by rookie Henry Ruggs for the winning touchdown with five second left on the clock. On the touchdown catch, the Jets decided to play cover zero! No deep safety. Insanity or a bid for Trevor Lawrence?
2. Drama in Minneapolis
Turning to the other team who is fighting for Lawrence, the Jacksonville Jaguars brought the Minnesota Vikings to the wire. The Jaguars got a James Robinson touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie up the game late. Each team then missed a potentially game-winning field goal, sending it to overtime. In overtime, after a punt by the Vikings and an interception by the Jaguars, the Vikings drove down the field and won with a field goal.
3. Browns Clinch Their First Winning Season Since 2007
The Browns had a 38-7 lead at halftime. The Titans outscored the Browns in the second half, 28-3. The difference in the game was turnovers. Tennessee turned the ball over three times to the Browns’ one. Derrick Henry had an uncharacteristic fumble, his first since Week 13 of last season. Baker Mayfield became the first Browns quarterback to throw for four touchdowns in a first half since Otto Graham. Miles Garrett recorded his 10th sack of the year. This is his third straight year with 10+ sacks. The only other players who have the same streak going are Aaron Donald and T.J. Watt.
4. Giants Upset Seahawks
Neither team did well in Seattle. There was no touchdown scored until the second half. Colt McCoy and Russell Wilson both struggled, both throwing a touchdown and an interception. Wayne Gallman ran for 135 against the weak Seahawks defense. This was a huge win for the Giants, as they remain in first place in the NFC East (not much of a statement).
5. Rams Take First in NFC West
The Rams are now in first place in the NFC West. How? The Seahawks loss and a big win against the Cardinals. The Rams won time of possession by 17 minutes. In fact, the Rams won every major stat. They were one yard short of having twice the yardage of the Cardinals. Kyler Murray threw a costly pick-six, which iced the Los Angeles victory.
6. Saints Clinch the Playoffs
The Saints are now 8-0 without Drew Brees, dating back to 2019. They clinched the playoffs with their victory over the Falcons and the Bears’ loss to the Lions. The Saints never trailed the Falcons, as Taysom Hill ran the Saints to victory. The Lions mounted a 14-point fourth quarter comeback to beat the Bears. Both of the touchdowns came in the last three minutes of the game.
7. Five Ejections in Miami
In an otherwise boring game, five players were ejected. Two Bengals were ejected: Shawn Williams and Tyler Boyd. Three Dolphins were ejected: DeVante Parker, Mack Hollins and Xavien Howard. Williams, Parker and Hollins were ejected in a scrum in the fourth quarter, when Jakeem Grant was leveled before the punt arrived. The benches cleared, and players and coaches were involved in a huge scrum in the middle of the field. The NFL will undoubtedly go over the tape to see what actually happened. Boyd and Howard were ejected in the first half for throwing a punch. They didn’t. They were gesticulating, but not punching. It was a bad call by Ronald Torbert, whose crew did a pathetic job in the game on Wednesday between the Ravens and Steelers.
8. Patriots Shutout Chargers
The New England Patriots dominated the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots got two special team touchdowns. Cam Newton.. didn’t trip the Patriots up. The Patriots running game was great, as they racked up 165 yards and two touchdowns (both by Newton). While Justin Herbert has a had a great rookie campaign, he got taught a lesson by the greatest coach of all time: Bill Belichick.
9. Carson Wentz Benched
In the first Philadelphia Eagles possession of the fourth quarter, Doug Pederson sent out Jalen Hurts to wrap up the game. He didn’t play well, but was better then Carson Wentz. The main Eagles highlight was a 73-yard punt return touchdown by Jalen Reagor. Aaron Rodgers played great, throwing three touchdowns. One of the touchdowns was to Davante Adams, who now has a touchdown in seven straight games. This catch made Rodgers the fastest player to reach 400 touchdowns.
10. Chiefs Survive SNF Scare
The Kansas City Chiefs were heavily favored on Sunday Night Football over the Denver Broncos. However, Kansas City struggled to find the end zone, while they also struggled to slow down the Denver running games. The Chiefs finally got a lead in the third quarter, and they held onto it for the 22-16 win. To say the least, it was an impressive showing by the injury-riddled Broncos defense.
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