Week 13 NFL Recap
Dec. 3
Green Bay Packers 27 Detroit Lions 23
We all got to witness this amazing finish in primetime last Thursday night. The Packers were manhandled early on by Detroit but managed a big comeback after being down 20-0.
Green Bay got a huge sack swipe that gave them the ball back on a Stafford fumble that helped them back into contention.
Despite Detroit melting down, they did manage to stop Green Bay’s last gasp play when they sacked Rodgers as time ran out. However the refs gave the Packers a gift in the form of a facemask call that gave Green Bay one last chance at a Hail Mary.
Aaron Rodgers hit Richard Rodgers in the endzone for the walkoff heart ripping touchdown in Motor City.
Eye-popping stat: :00 on the clock when Green Bay snapped the ball on the last play for the win.
Fantasy carnage: Rodgers with Rodgers at TE.
Dec. 6
Houston Texans 21 Buffalo Bills 30
Tyrod Taylor only completed 11 passes but, that was enough to get the win. This guy is a performer and now that Buffalo has finally worked Watkins into the gameplan each week, they are dangerous.
The Texans defense finally had a letdown after three dominant weeks but are still in the hunt in their terrible division as the Colts lost also.
Buffalo is looking at a wildcard game right now. With their offense playing better than the defense they could actually keep pace with the high powered teams of the AFC.
Eye-popping stat: Watkins’ three catches for 109 yards.
Fantasy carnage: Tyrod and Sammy Watkins
San Francisco 49ers 26 Chicago Bears 20
Who is this Blaine Gabbert fellow? Certainly not the scrub we all remember from Jacksonville. San Francisco’s new quarterback saved his team versus the much improved Bears as he provided all the late game heroics.
Gabbert ran a 44 yarder in for a score then hit Torrey Smith for a 71 yard TD in overtime after Chicago’s Robbie Gould missed what could have been the game winning FG for Chicago in regulation.
The Bears were looking better over the past few weeks, but this loss to the 49ers hurts as they limp to the last four games of the year. Jay Cutler has fallen off in the past three games and is in a serious touchdown drought.
Eye-popping stat: 170 on the ground for the Bears in a loss!
Fantasy carnage: Gabbert, son!
Cincinnati Bengals 37 Cleveland Browns 3
I watched part of this from a bar with a rabid Cincinnati fan by my side. She was jacked (annoying) during the whole game despite it being a boat race all the way.
This game told the story of two historically bad franchises. One that is now at the top and the other at the very bottom.
The Bengals are in contention for home field throughout the postseason while the Browns look for the top draft pick in 2016. Johnny Manziel will be showcased the rest of the year as they may try to move him in the offseason.
Eye-popping stat: 37-3
Fantasy carnage: Entire Bengals offense and defense, but specifically Dalton with AJ Green.
Baltimore Ravens 13 Miami Dolphins 15
Someone had to win this game eventually despite the QBs being dreadful.
Matt Schaub continued his mastery of the pick six while Ryan Tannehill finished the game 9/19. This is your franchise quarterback Miami?
Buck Allen was the lone bright spot in this contest, amassing 170 total yards in the win.
Eye-popping stat: $45,000,000 guaranteed money to Tannehill with his last extension.
Fantasy carnage: Buck Allen.
Seattle Seahawks 38 Minnesota Vikings 7
This was as pathetic a home loss as you will see in the NFL. Minnesota was dominated from start to finish. The Vikings even got embarrassed on their lone touchdown as Cordarrelle Patterson showboated his way to the endzone on a kick return with his team down 35-0. Grow up kid.
Russell Wilson got off again this week, throwing three TDs and running for another. The Seattle offense is clicking like never before. Thomas Rawls could be the reason for this new found offensive rhythm. Kid got over 100 yards again this week in relief of Marshawn Lynch.
Adrian Peterson was held to just 18 yards on eight carries and was pissed afterward as he openly talked about his team getting out coached. If he was a better pass catcher he could actually help his team when they are down like this though.
Eye-popping stat: 146 QB rating for Wilson.
Fantasy carnage: Wilson with Doug Baldwin.
Carolina Panthers 41 New Orleans Saints 38
This was a trap game for Carolina, but they survived it in the end to go to 12-0. Cam has to be the MVP favorite right now. He came back from his offense turning the ball over three times in the first half to throw five touchdowns and rip the win away from the Big Easy defense with just over a minute left on the clock.
This was an exciting game that went back and forth as New Orleans mustered a rare appearance by their once great offense.
Carolina had an off game and still won….on the road. Seattle v. Carolina in the NFC Title Game anyone?
Eye-popping stat: Five TD throws by Cam.
Fantasy carnage: Cam, who else.
New York Jets 23 New York Giants 20
The Giants set the tone early in the year against Dallas with a late game breakdown. It happened again against the Jets who moved to 7-5 with the overtime win.
The Giants scored 20 in the second quarter, but failed to score at all in any other period. The Jets kept plugging away throughout and managed to take the game into overtime where they finished their NY counterparts off with a Randy Bullock FG to end the game.
Tom Coughlin could be coaching his last few games for the Giants. That’s a common theme each year, but it feels more real this year as it seems it is time for a change in New York. They might want to mix in some stars as well. Beckham can’t do it all.
Eye-popping stat: Brandon Marshall: 12 catches.
Fantasy carnage: Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Arizona Cardinals 27 St. Louis Rams 3
The score could have been 45-3 had Bruce Arians wanted it that way.
The Rams can’t move the ball or score. Their defense can only do so much and against Arizona that was too much to ask. David Johnson had a big game, rushing for 99 yards on 22 carries.
Arizona moves to 10-2 while the Rams search for answers.
Eye-popping stat: Minus one offensive coordinator. The Rams fired theirs after this one.
Fantasy carnage: Palmer with David Johnson.
Atlanta Falcons 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19
Jacksonville Jaguars 39 Tennessee Titans 42
No matter how many exciting shootouts the Jags are in they always seem to come out on the bottom. Tennessee got em this time as Marcus Mariota ran wild and may have sealed his case for Rookie of the Year.
There were eight touchdown passes between Bortles and Mariota. The over under on the game was nearly met by Jacksonville alone. Just a fun game to watch and Mariota capped it off with the game clinching 87 yard TD run.
Eye-popping stat: 112 rushing yards for the Titans QB.
Fantasy carnage: Mariota alone, but Bortles with Allen Robinson stacked in DFS.
Kansas City Chiefs 34 Oakland Raiders 20
The Chiefs may not strike fear in many teams, still they are the hottest franchise in the NFL, having won six in a row.
This back and forth game was lost by Oakland on the arm of Derek Carr, who threw three interceptions. Alex Smith will always come out ahead in games where the opposing QB makes big mistakes.
There were three extra points missed in this game and League wide there have been more misses already in 2015 than all of 2014.
Eye-popping stat: Three picks, four sacks, and a 5.9 completion average for Carr.
Fantasy carnage: Smith with Maclin.
Denver Broncos 17 San Diego Chargers 3
The Chargers are finding it hard to win as they basically play on the road each week. Denver’s fans flooded what used to be San Diego’s home field as Denver cruised to an easy win.
Denver’s Brock Osweiler didn’t impress this week as he merely managed the game while the defense did the heavy lifting. Denver took a 14 point lead early on and never looked back.
The Broncos are 10-2 and looking for home field throughout the playoffs with the Patriots stumbling.
Eye-popping stat: Just 34 completions between both quarterbacks.
Fantasy carnage: Broncos defense.
Philadelphia Eagles 35 New England Patriots 28
How do the Patriots lose to a group of losers like the Eagles? It’s the NFL one. Two, the Pats are injury riddled.
Bill Belichick is lighting into the special teams players and coaches right about now. They gave up a punt return for a score along with a punt block for a TD. Brady allowed a pick six as well to complete this debacle.
Tom Brady was hit 13 times in this game which will be a concern the rest of the way with the offense duct taped together. No way his protection will be as good as it was early in the year when his weapons were intact.
Eye-popping stat: Four sacks and two INTs for Brady.
Fantasy carnage: Eagles def / special teams.
Indianapolis Colts 10 Pittsburgh Steelers 45
You forty-year-old guys who were inspired by Matt Hasselbeck can go back to eating Doritos and sipping that beer. Cancel the gym membership. Hasselbeck came back to reality with Pittsburgh making him look bad from the jump on SNF.
Hasselbeck threw two INTs early and never got going. He lost for the first time in 2015 as the starter for Indy as they fell to 6-6.
The Steelers put on a hell of a performance as Big Ben went bananas. He three for about three and a half along with four TDs. Antonio Brown torched the Colts secondary and Martavis Bryant scorched what remained of it. They combined for 232 yards and three scores.
Eye-popping stat: Four TDs from Roethlisberger.
Fantasy carnage: Ben stacked with Brown.
Dec. 7
Dallas Cowboys 19 Washington Redskins 16
What a boring game…right up until the very end.
The last few minutes of this MNF game was insane after a contest littered with field goals beforehand.
Dallas took the lead 16-9 with just 1:14 left after DeSean Jackson tried to play hero on a kickoff return. The Boys punched it in two plays after the fumble.
Washington answered with Cousins moving his team quickly down the field. The drive was capped with a redemptive strike to DeSean Jackson for a 28 yard TD. 16 all.
Dallas got a 46-yard kick return from Lucky Whitehead that set them up nicely for a FG to win it just five plays and 20 yards later.
Dan Bailey was money on the kick giving Dallas their first win without Tony Romo this year.
Eye-popping stat: Jason Witten went over 1000 catches for his career.
Fantasy carnage: Kicker Dan Bailey.