On to week 13 NFL quick takes. There were three games on Thursday, as opposed to the regular one, but I guess that was because it was Thanksgiving. Anyway, the games on Thursday weren't great, but they were telling.
The Bears beat the Lions, behind their third string QB. Mitch Trubisky looked good, for once in his career, but it was against a very undermanned Lions team. Also, the dude that played QB for the Lions, David Blough, looked okay against a very stout defense. But, the Bears got the win to stay in the playoff hunt. Yipee.
The Bills easily disposed of the Cowboys in Dallas. I think this game says a lot about both teams. The Cowboys are not very good. They can't really stop anyone, and the offense, while it can be explosive, is very inconsistent. The Bills, well, if they can run the ball and stop you, they will win. That's pretty clear cut. They did both of those things in this game, and won going away. They also managed to shit talk a ton, and I loved every second of it.
The Saints wrapped up their division with an easy-ish win over the Falcons. The Falcons are having a very bad year, and the Saints compounded that by beating them with relative ease. No, they didn't play their best, and the defense had a few lapses, but they still won, and are going to the playoffs again.
The Sunday games had one real highlight game, and the rest was just okay.
The Titans beat the Colts by 2 TD's, but it was close all the way to the end. Had it not been for an awkward turnover, the Colts may have won. As for the Titans, we should be talking a ton more about Derrick Henry. He is crushing it lately. He has looked like the best running back in the league for the past three games. He is awesome. The Titans are still in the race, and that surprises me. As for the Colts, they too still have a slight chance at the playoffs, but it looks less and less likely that they will make it. That being said, this team has played well all year considering what happened this offseason.
The game of the day was 49ers-Ravens, and even though it was played in an absolute mess, it was a very good game. The 49ers made some stops, but Lamar Jackson and the Ravens still found a way to win. They made the little plays, got the critical stop and Justin Tucker kicked yet another game winning field goal. Lamar Jackson is the clear front runner for MVP. This game was great.
RD's Bengals got a win. They beat the hapless Jets, and did it convincingly. I didn't watch a single second of this game, why would I, but I did see that they gave head coach Zac Taylor a Gatorade bath, and that is upsetting. I mean, they are 1-11, and he gets rewarded for that? Come on. As for the Jets, they should have won this game easily. They were playing well, and they laid a total egg. It looked rough. I put this one on their terrible coaching staff.
The Steelers beat the Browns in their "rematch" from the game that gave us that wild fight. The Browns head coach wore a stupid t shirt, they played like trash on offense and the Steelers got another win with an undrafted free agent rookie QB. The Steelers are winning with defense and a great head coach. They are nearly firmly in the playoffs, and that is nuts. Hats off to Mike Tomlin and that defense. As for the Browns, well, they are the most overrated team in the NFL. They may also be the most overhyped team. What a disappointment.
The Dolphins beat the Eagles, and man do the Eagles look hapless. They gave up a TD pass from punter to kicker. They let Ryan Fitzpatrick throw for 250 plus yards and three TD's. They got run on at will. The Eagles are right next to the Browns as the second most overrated team. And it all starts with their QB. Maybe Carson Wentz isn't as good as others thought. He hasn't been on at all this season. And that defense has way too many holes. They are 5-7, and still have a shot at the playoffs, but they are a very poor season. Also, Brian Flores is a hell of a head coach. He has this Dolphins team with 3 wins. That's incredible.
Washington, who looks like they have a little fight in them, beat Carolina. That was enough for them to fire Ron Riveria, and maybe Kyle Allen is really a backup, and not a QB to build around. Also, Christian McCaffery has no help, the defense is a mess and, as I said, Kyle Allen isn't the answer at QB. They should hold on to Cam if they can. And good job Washington in beating a real NFL team. They still aren't any good, and a total mess, but a win is a win.
The Packers won a glorified scrimmage over the Giants. They made Daniel Jones look like Daniel Jones and they held Saquon Barkley in check most of the afternoon. Also, Aaron Rodgers looked good throwing the ball, but they need to run better, especially later in the season like this when the weather gets bad. If they had run a bit more on Sunday they could've won by 30.
The Bucs beat the Jags, and Jameis Winston looked okay and Bruce Arians had a good game plan. The bigger story from this game was Nick Foles getting benched for Gardner Minshew. They gave Foles a ton of money, and he has gotten hurt, and played poorly and now they have a QB battle on their hands. I wouldn't be shocked if they try to trade Foles. What a mess.
The Rams got back on track easily disposing of the Arizona Cardinals. It's games like this that make me not give up on the Rams. Sure, Arizona is not a good football team right now, but they have looked competent at times this season against other good teams, and the Rams decimated them on Sunday. If they play like this, I could see them making a solid push for the playoffs. They are still very good.
The Chiefs destroyed the Raiders, and they looked like the Chiefs of old. Patrick Mahomes was crushing it, the run game worked and even the defense stepped up. They too, like the Rams, are looking like they are getting their footing, and they will be a dangerous team come playoff time. They do have the reigning MVP after all. As for the Raiders, well, it was fun while it lasted, pretending they were a playoff team. They have come up super short in their last 2 games, and regressed to the mean, They have 8-8 or 7-9 written all over them.
The Chargers found another crushing way to lose a game, this time getting flagged for pass interference in the final seconds of a game against the Broncos, setting them up with an easy field goal to win. The Chargers let a Drew Lock led team beat them, and I just think it is time they moved on from Phillip Rivers and company. He isn't elite anymore, the run game is stagnant, and the defense may be a bit overrated. And I guess good for the Broncos. They beat a divisional team, and maybe I am being too hard on Drew Lock. Maybe he can be their future QB, if this defense stays together.
The Sunday night game brought about more questions about this being the "end of the Patriots dynasty". I don't think that is true. They are 10-2 and they have a historically good defense. But, the Texans are good, and Deshaun Watson is amazing. He proved his worth by going for 4 TD passes and no picks against that stout defense. They could be a problem in the playoffs too, given the right matchup. They are a good football team. So are the Patriots.
And the Monday night game was entertaining. I'm sorry the Vikings didn't win RD, but I think that is because their QB is garbage against real football teams. He just can't finish the job. Also, the Seahawks, unfortunately, look legit. Russell Wilson is good. He has solid receivers. They now seem to have a run game. And while the defense isn't as good as they used to be, having Jadaveon Clowney is enough to make opposing coaches game plan simply for him.
That does it for week 13. Come back next week for week 14. We are getting near the end.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention the most important game of the weekend. The Head Editor won their last game of the fantasy football season, thus completing a 13-0 undefeated season. Bring on the playoffs.
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