Week 13 saw many close contests. Twelve of the 16 games played this week were won by just one score. With many teams riddled with injuries, it’s no surprise that even some of the best teams in the NFL struggled this week. This week was for the league’s star quarterbacks, who put on stellar performances, often leading their team to victory.
Some teams saw their season go from bad to worse, and several were eliminated from playoff contention. The Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC East title, making them the first to do so. The Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles moved closer to clinching playoff spots this week. The race stays close in the AFC North, NFC West and NFC South. Here are three key takeaways from this week.
Lions vs. Bears: A Tale of Two Cities.
The Detroit Lions improved to 11-1 after a narrow 23-20 victory over the Chicago Bears Nov. 28. The Lions remain atop the NFC North and extended their win streak to 10 games. If they keep up this performance for the remainder of the season, we may just see the Lions in the Super Bowl.
The Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus Nov. 29 and appointed offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as interim head coach. With a five-game losing streak, the Bears had a chance to reverse their luck in the dying seconds of Nov. 28’s game. The Bears came back from a 16-0 deficit and were looking to put the tying field goal on board and send the game into overtime. Eberflus failed to call a crucial timeout, resulting in the remaining 30 seconds of the game expiring and extending the team’s losing streak to six.
Josh Allen can do it all.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has no doubt been one of the best players in the NFL this season. His performance in Buffalo’s 35-10 defeat of the San Francisco 49ers Dec. 1 easily puts him at the top of MVP contention. His second touchdown in the third quarter off a lateral from wide receiver Amari Cooper was notched both a passing and receiving touchdown for Allen. His rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter made him the first quarterback to have a passing, receiving and rushing touchdown in a single game, deservedly earning the title of AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
The Bills roster also continues to dominate its opposition. Running back James Cook rushed for 108 yards and one touchdown Dec. 1. Buffalo’s defense allowed just three third down conversions and held the 49ers to 10 points.
The Bengals continue to slide.
The Cincinnati Bengals have struggled tremendously this season, and their performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers Dec. 1 was a testament to that. Cincinnati’s key offensive players were stellar in this contest. Quarterback Joe Burrow scored his 125th touchdown, the third fastest to do so, and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase caught his 13th receiving touchdown of the season, matching his career high. When your offense puts up 38 points, you usually expect to win, but that was not the case for the Bengals. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards, and the Bengal’s defense gave up a total of 520 yards for the second time this season. Burrow was impressive as usual with 309 yards and three touchdowns; however, his fumble in the fourth quarter resulted in a Steelers touchdown. With a struggling defense, it is important for a team’s success for everyone else to be on their A-game.
Week 14 Predictions: Who should you start and sit?
Two words: Saquon Barkley. He is on a roll, but there are definitely other players in the NFL who deserve to start… as well as players who need to sit themselves down.
Start
Jared Goff (QB, DET) (Home vs. GB)
The Detroit Lions have been on a roll, that’s no surprise, but their leader, Jared Goff, can take a lot of the credit for their success. On Nov. 28, Goff completed 21 passes out of his 34 throws, helping the Lions advance their win streak to 10. Detroit will take on the Green Bay Packers Dec. 5 at home.
The Packers have been playing well these past few games, but their opponents were not a challenge, being the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins, respectively. This will be the second time Green Bay and Detroit are going head to head, and the Lions came out on top 24-14 Nov. 3. Goff did not have a fantastic game against the Packers last time, but this week will be different as he continues to improve each week.
Chase Brown (RB, CIN) (Away vs. DAL)
The Cincinnati Bengals will head down south to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys Dec. 9. The Cowboys had their first win at home on Thanksgiving, but this doesn’t mean that this will turn around their season, and this could be a good chance to advance the Bengals record after a tough season.
Bengals running back Chase Brown has been getting better each week but hasn’t received that much of the spotlight due to the success of Saquon Barkley. Dallas’ defense has not stopped important plays, causing them to lose seven of their 12 games. This lack of a force will help Brown’s runs and his earning of fantasy points. If you are going to play Brown this season, this game will be the game to start him.
Justin Jefferson (WR, MINN) (Home vs. ATL)
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been dominating throughout this season with the Minnesota Vikings, and this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, he should continue to shine. The Falcons will play the Vikings Dec. 8, with Atlanta coming off a four-game losing streak. On Dec. 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, Jefferson caught seven out of nine throws, grabbing 99 yards. This season overall, Jefferson has caught 68 receptions and earned 1,038 yards. With Minnesota playing against an average at-best team like Atlanta, Jefferson should have the time and the space to notch more yards, and more importantly, more fantasy points.
Sit
Brock Purdy (QB, SF) (Home vs. CHI)
Quarterback Brock Purdy had a great season last year, but this year, he, along with the rest of the San Francisco 49ers, fell off their game. His average points have been fine this season until their last game against the Buffalo Bills Dec. 1. In the game, Purdy earned a 61.1% completion rate and was sacked twice. In terms of fantasy points, he received two. On Dec. 8, Purdy and the rest of the Niners take on the Chicago Bears at home. The Niners do have a better record than Chicago, but this is Chicago’s first game out after firing Eberflus, which could be a game changer, similarly to how the New Orleans Saints performed after its head coach was fired. Purdy’s performance this season, in combination with the possible new emphasis that the Bears could have, aren’t promising factors that Purdy will put up good fantasy numbers.
Garrett Wilson (WR, NYJ) (Away vs. MIA)
Garrett Wilson, the New York Jets’ wide receiver, has not been playing well in his sophomore season. His fantasy points do not exceed 21 and reach as low as 2.1. During Wilson’s last game, against the Seattle Seahawks Dec. 1, he caught five of the 10 passes that were thrown to him and only ran 41 yards. When Wilson and the rest of the Jets travel down to Miami, it will be a battle for Wilson to snatch touchdowns. The Dolphins defense is ranked seventh in the NFL, which is significantly higher than the Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts, who the Jets lost to Nov. 17. This defense will be trouble for Wilson after having difficulties against poorer teams in the past few weeks. Wilson needs to sit for this week.
Chuba Hubbard (RB, CAR) (Away vs. PHI)
The Carolina Panthers’ Chuba Hubbard is a fine player, but he is going to struggle against the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. Despite being on a two-game losing streak, the Panthers have put up a good fight against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, these teams are not strong in their defense, especially when considering who the Eagles have on their defense, even after the legendary Brandon Graham was injured. With rookie Cooper DeJean’s performance against running back Derrick Henry, Hubbard is going to have tough competition and may not be able to carry the ball through.
