Another week of NFL football has come and gone and we’ve officially entered the month of December. With just four weeks left of the regular season, this month will be imperative for most and somber for some. This is when teams really start coming into their own. The good teams will attempt to play their best game, making that all-important push to gain momentum into the playoffs and secure seed or earn the final wildcard spots. The teams unfortunately out of playoff contention, will play with a lot of heart to bid farewell to the season the best way they know how. With so many tight standings this year, it will be interesting to see how the next few games play out. For select teams, it may come down to the final game to determine the fate of their season.
Week 13 provided yet another collection of fantastic games. Thursday’s triple-header was an onslaught of football to coincide with food, family and festivities. It also marked the start of the holiday season, which in football terms, means, “Play your best game”. The preseason got the gears moving and the juices flowing, September and October were learning processes, November meant changing things around to reflect the ones that went right and fix the ones that didn’t. December will mean putting all that hard work into effect.
Here are a few things we learned this week:
The Packers continue to dwindle amidst the absence of Aaron Rodgers. The way the team has struggled is a jarring point on how much this team relies on him. The Lions sit one game ahead of the Bears, with Green Bay still only two games behind. The NFC North will be a division to watch, as either of these three teams can still take it. Minnesota, although winning against Chicago, find themselves at the bottom of the division.
In the NFC East, the Cowboys showed us why they are still the Cowboys, coming off a wild win where Tony Romo looked the part he’s often played. The Eagles find themselves winning with Nick Foles and Dallas now sits with a tie-record against them while the Giants took care of the Redskins. Washington’s struggles have continued and they now find themselves out of playoff contention after their most recent game.
Something should be said about Mike Tomlin’s sideline incident during the Steelers’ game against the Ravens. Sure, it can happen to any coach, but so long as it was unintentional, I don’t have a problem with it. Going by the footage, it looks like it may have been and the league’s hefty fine will resound within the coaching realm for some time to come. Cincinnati still has sole possession of first place within the AFC North division with both Pittsburgh and Baltimore one game apart. Cleveland finds themselves at the tail-end of the division once more.
Indianapolis comes off a win this week and still sits atop the AFC South with Tennessee three games behind in second place. It’s safe to say Jacksonville and Houston have their work cut out for them this offseason. Jacksonville now officially has more wins than Houston and the records of these teams don’t necessarily reflect how hard they play and how good they can be. Adjustments can right the ship going forward.
Kansas City fell again against Denver. The Broncos, coming off a jaw-dropping loss last week had to play well this week to quiet critics. Peyton Manning didn’t look great on the field, but still managed to put together a good game, leading Denver to continue position of first place within the AFC West division. The Chiefs sit just one game behind, with San Diego and Oakland holding below.
The Seahawks came off a statement win Monday night against the Saints. The roar of the stadium and the challenging noise level didn’t help Drew Brees and New Orleans, who have now fallen into a tie with Carolina within the NFC South division. Carolina is playing it’s best football and what looked like a sure win for the Saints within the division is now up for grabs. Tampa Bay and Atlanta find themselves tied at the bottom and out of playoff contention, but they are tough teams who will play their best football as they bow out.
With the aforementioned win, Seattle continues to dominate the NFC West with an NFL-best record. The 49er’s came off a good win and Kaepernick looked like the quarterback he was last season. San Francisco finds themselves contending for the wildcard spot, while Arizona sits just one game behind. The Rams sit below with a losing record, but have played well. How this division plays out will be interesting to see and exciting to watch.
New England comes off another resilient win on Sunday. The Patriots have played through injury, adversity and challenges with rookie players, but this team continues to play with a lot of heart and showed why they are still the team to beat in the AFC. They sit atop the AFC East division, with Miami now controlling second place after their win against the Jets. New York has continued to struggle and the Bills find themselves at the bottom, but with just one win away from tying the New York. It remains to be seen how the standings for the bottom teams play out.
With Week 14 looming ahead, teams have already began preparation for their upcoming games. There are some key match ups to look out for and the playoff picture will begin to settle in as the days progress, so keep your eye out for next week’s recap. Will we find more teams clinching seed or being eliminated? We’ll find out.
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