Week 13 Recap: Joe Cool Does it to KC Again, Underwhelming Ravens, Red-Hot Raiders

What a Week 13! We should now be at the three-quarters mark, but alas, 17 games (for no good reason besides money). Okay, I digress. This was actually a wonderful week of football. The Bengals are proving to be the Chiefs’ kryptonite, and look much better than their 8-4 record indicates. The Ravens look much worse than their 8-4 mark. So why is Baltimore still the favorite to win the division?

Meanwhile, the former Bay Area buddies, the 49ers and Raiders, are two of the hottest teams in football. But with Jimmy Garoppolo out, can Brock Purdy really get the Niners to Glendale for the big game? In Vegas, Josh McDaniels seems to have quieted critics, at least somewhat.

Let’s look quickly at this week’s games:

Bills 24, Patriots 10

There once was a time when the Patriots owned the Bills. Tom Brady was 31-3 as a New England starter against Buffalo, but now the Bills have won five of six against NE, and seem to have regained their stride after that wacky Minnesota loss. They ran the ball effectively against the Patriots and Josh Allen’s elbow looks healthier every week. If Buffalo can weather the storm defensively until Von Miller gets back, they could be the team to be in the AFC.

Steelers 19, Falcons 16

Don’t look now, but the Steelers are gaining some confidence behind young Kenny Pickett. You kind of figured this game would come down to coaching; the Steelers are one of football’s best-run organizations, and the Falcons have never recovered from their Super Bowl LI debacle. Pickett was efficient on offense and while both teams ran well, the Steelers did it a little bit better.

Browns 27, Texans 14

Statistically speaking, the Texans hung with the Browns and at times even looked like a more competent team. But they woke up in time to realize they were still the Texans, and managed to lose a game in which they did not give up an offensive touchdown (and recorded a safety on defense) by 13 points. Deshaun Watson was very rusty and will need to be much better against Cincinnati. This felt more like the Texans lost than the Browns won.

Ravens 10, Broncos 9

Winning ugly doesn’t even begin to describe this game for the Ravens. Both of these teams are worse than their records indicate, but the Ravens simply cannot sustain this level of play moving forward. A lot was made of Baltimore’s soft remaining schedule, but alas it still includes four division games. Lamar Jackson’s injury may not be serious, but Baltimore’s offensive woes might be. Tyler Huntley proved a capable backup, and a game-winning drive is always a feather in the cap, but the Ravens look like a team lacking a true identity. Lucky for them, the Broncos are totally hapless. Hard to believe a Russell Wilson-led offense can be this bad, yet here we are.

Packers 28, Bears 19

Those “Aaron Rodgers owns the Bears” chants aren’t going away any time soon. A gritty Rodgers got help from a strong run game, and Green Bay is finding ways to get Christian Watson involved. The Bears can’t win on Justin Fields’ legs alone; unfortunately, Fields’ arm threw two picks, and three Bears turnovers in total contributed to them blowing a 13-point lead. On the bright side, Chicago’s draft position got a little bit higher.

Lions 40, Jaguars 14

Okay, where are the Detroit Lions and what have you done with them, Dan Campbell? This recent iteration of the Lions looks downright scary, believe it or not. Winners of four of five (and could’ve been five straight if not for Buffalo’s last-second win), the Lions are in the playoff chase and scoring tons of points in the process. While it’s premature to suddenly call the Stafford-Goff trade a win for Detroit, Goff is tearing it up right now. No one wants to face this Detroit team; apparently, least of all a Jaguars team that looked spent emotionally after that big win over Baltimore last week. Here’s hoping Trevor Lawrence’s foot injury is not serious.

Vikings 27, Jets 22

Another close win for the Vikings, what new? The Jets deserve credit for battling back from 17 down and having a chance to win at the end, but Minnesota’s D stepped up when it had to. Garrett Wilson’s emergence helps Mike White immensely, as Wilson outshined Justin Jefferson on this day. However, Jefferson found the end zone while Wilson didn’t, and the Vikings put up 27 on a day in which he had only 45 yards receiving and Kirk Cousins was held to 173 passing. The Vikings shouldn’t be 10-2, but they are building confidence with every one of these wins.

Commanders 20, Giants 20 (OT)

A tie! For purists of 16 game seasons I love ties now because it means wins and losses will add up to 16. More imminently, however, is that two NFC East teams in playoff contention failed to get a win here. Brian Daboll burned a timeout that proved costly at the end of OT on a day in which both QBs protected the football. But for Big Blue it was a big drop by Darius Slayton and the fact that Daniel Jones outrushed Saquon Barkley that made all the difference. The Giants ultimately benefit a little more because they were ahead of Washington going into this one.

Eagles 35, Titans 10

What can’t the Eagles do? They shut down Derrick Henry (11 carries, 30 yards). They beat a supposedly physical team and its own game by sacking Ryan Tannehill six times. And their own QB, Jalen Hurts, carved up Tennessee’s defense to the tune of 380 yards and three touchdowns. At 11-1, Philadelphia is not unbeatable, but close to it when they get a head of steam. AJ Brown torched his old mates (8 catches, 119 yards, 2 TDs) and showed both teams that the Eagles clearly won that trade. Tennessee, like their Southern Division counterparts the Bucs, are very fortunate to be in the division they’re in.

49ers 33, Dolphins 17

First, the obvious story — the Jimmy Garoppolo injury is big. He had been playing so well along with his team and now the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes rest with Brock Purdy (unless somehow they sign and entrust the recently-released Baker Mayfield). After one play, the Dolphins looked in charge, but the 49ers locked it down after that and rallied around Purdy. Miami’s inability (or unwillingness?) to run the ball (8 carries, 33 yards as a team) is going to be problematic against good teams moving forward. The fact that Purdy and Co. moved the ball as well as they did is a troubling sign that Miami’s defense may not be up to snuff, either. Staying on the West Coast, the Dolphins cannot afford to slip up against the Chargers next week with a date against Buffalo looming the week after.

Seahawks 27, Rams 23

In a potential trap spot with the 49ers on deck in a couple weeks, the Seahawks managed to survive thanks to another big and efficient game by Geno Smith. With 367 yards passing and 2 TDs (with just 1 INT), Smith rallied Seattle and got some help from his friends (9-128 by Lockett, 8-127 by Metcalf and a TD for both). Seattle’s run D leaked oil (171 yards by LA) but two picks of John Wolford were key. Seattle is sitting on a wild-card berth at the moment but thinking bigger as the Panthers come to town, followed by the Jimmy G-less 49ers. A couple of wins could change the landscape of the NFC West.

Raiders 27, Chargers 20

Three straight wins for the Raiders have cooled off the “fire Josh McDaniels” talk for a little bit. Las Vegas is riding the legs off Josh Jacobs (144 yards rushing) and getting big production from Davante Adams (177 yards receiving). With their stars playing like stars, the Raiders look more competent than a Chargers team that fell back to .500 and now gets Miami at home next Sunday night. The Chargers mostly won on the stat sheet, but as usual, are a middling team searching for its identity.

Bengals 27, Chiefs 24

It’s deja vu all over again! Another 27-24 win over the Chiefs has Cincinnati thinking not only division, but homefield advantage. Give the Bengals the nod for hanging tough, as mental toughness seems to be the key to beating the Chiefs. Joe Burrow made the most clutch throw of the day one play after taking an ill-advised sack. He and the Bengals have committed just one turnover in the three calendar-year wins they have over KC in 2022, while the Bengals have forced three combined in the three matchups, including a critical Travis Kelce fumble in the fourth quarter yesterday. By going 25-31 for 286 yards and 2 TDs, Burrow has entered the MVP discussion. The Chiefs are still in strong position given that they only face one team with a winning record (Seattle) in their last five games, but need at least one Bills loss now. The Bengals, meanwhile, have a rough finishing schedule that includes the Browns, Bucs, Pats, Bills, and Ravens. Keep in mind that the Browns have beaten the Bengals five straight, including 32-13 on Halloween this year, and eight of the last nine overall.

Cowboys 54, Colts 19

The surprise here wasn’t even so much the final score. It was the volume of scoring that Dallas did in the third quarter, a historic 33-0 outburst that turned a 21-19 nailbiter into a total laugher. The Cowboys are firing on all cylinders, and now that they are all but a lock to be in the postseason, we can all start turning to our automatic reflex of doubt about their chances of making a serious playoff run. That said, the ‘Boys are firing on all cylinders and may actually be more dangerous as a wild card team playing on the road. We’ll learn a lot more about Dallas when they face Philly in a few weeks. Meanwhile, on the flip side, this game showed just how far the Colts have to go. Poor Matt Ryan. Another stop-gap solution in Indy that won’t solve the long-term problems. This game is also another mark against interim head coach Jeff Saturday’s future in Indy.

Bucs 17, Saints 16

Holy Tom Brady, Batman! A record-setting comeback from Brady, a fourth-quarter revival that passes Peyton Manning for most all time wasn’t pretty for 57 minutes. But in the end, the Bucs found a way to scratch and claw their way back… to .500. Instead of a 5-7 team sitting in first after Week 13, the Bucs are back even and finally beat the Saints at home under Brady for the first time. The offensive line is still a mess, but some big catches by Julio Jones were a welcome sight, and the defense bent but didn’t break. The Bucs didn’t exactly instill confidence, but Brady knows a win is a win, and with two tough games looming (at 49ers, home to Bengals) the Bucs needed this one badly. If they can even split the next two, the closing schedule is much more forgiving (at Cardinals, vs. Panthers, at Falcons). The Saints’ playoff hopes officially died with this loss, a shame given that their defense dominated this game for 57 minutes. It may be time to go back to Jameis Winston at QB.