Every week during the NFL season brings a lot of new questions … and answers some old ones, too. Let’s take a look at what we learned in Week 13 … and what we’re thinking about in Week 14 and beyond.
A: Yes, the games are closer than ever
The records of teams in the NFL have a pretty good bell curve — you’ve got two teams at 11-1 and three teams at 2-10, with the other 28 scattered throughout each of those win totals. That is all normal and standard. But the actual games are closer than ever. Twelve of the 15 games played so far in Week 13 have been decided by seven points or fewer, the most in a single week in NFL history, according to NFL Research. Furthermore, three separate teams – Minnesota, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay – have won their games in the final minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime.
Pretty tight, right? Not only that, but there have been 106 games this season with margins of victory of seven points or fewer and 92 by six points or fewer, both the most in NFL history for their respective totals through Week 13. Also, there have been 113 games that have been decided by eight points or fewer, tied for second in the 2022 season (114 games).
Put another way: You probably already know that parity in the NFL is demonstrated by the turnover of half the teams in the playoffs every year. Now it’s clear how thin the margin between success and failure is in this league.
Ask: How far can the eagle go?
After Philadelphia touted a strong-armed Ravens team as a Super Bowl contender, it’s worth asking just how good this Eagles team can be. Saquon Barkley is the workhorse here — Dude just accidentally dropped another 100+-yard rushing game Sunday — but every element of the Eagles’ offense is working now.
Philadelphia is 10-2, riding a seven-game winning streak. Still ahead on Philadelphia’s schedule: The following week the Panthers, the Steelers follow suit and then three divisional games to finish the season. Thirteen wins isn’t out of the realm of possibility, and while it might not be enough to earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the total should be enough to claim a division title. And from there, who knows? The Eagles are now lurking and chewing up the ground game, a dangerous type of team to face in January.
A: Well, we believe you now, Sam Darnold
Look, we’ve all been guilty of expecting the worst from Sam Darnold. Comes with the territory when you’re talking about someone who still has jet lag. (More on that in a minute.) But it might be time to admit that Darnold isn’t really going to explode … at least, not until he gets the Vikings into the postseason. Minnesota is 10-2, and only Detroit’s spectacular run (more on that in a minute) is keeping the Vikings from a home playoff game and a potential first-round bye.
Against Arizona on Sunday, Darnold and the Vikings rallied from a 19-6 deficit in the third quarter to win 23-22, the definition of a gutsy comeback. Darnold continues to rank among the league leaders in all passing categories, and is no longer talked about as a stopgap solution and liability-in-waiting. Like some previous Minnesota quarterbacks — ‘sup, Kirk Cousins — he’ll have to prove himself in the postseason, but the fact that he’ll get a chance to do so ranks as one of the 21st NFL career revivals of the century.
Asked: Are the Lions officially in Super Bowl-or-bust territory?
We have a sliding scale of expectations for our NFL teams. Any time the Jaguars or Titans go a season — hell, a month — without setting themselves on fire, it counts as a success. But what if the Chiefs get bounced in the first round of the playoffs? Massive underachievement, massive failure across the board.
Accordingly, it is now our duty to report that the Detroit Lions — yes, the team that “lost” LK — have graduated from the “lucky to be in the mix” ranks and are now firmly in the “Super Bowl or nothing” camp. At 11-1, and beating the hell out of their opponents, the Lions have shed every shred of their former chump identity. They’re in that perfect sweet spot now, where we still find them charming because they find ways to defeat everyone they encounter. (Hell, they fired a Chicago Bears coach during the season for the first time in franchise history.) It’ll be boring in 2025, but this year, we can still root for them to succeed. If they don’t … well, as strange as it sounds to say that about a Detroit team, a playoff run that ends in the Super Bowl would be disappointing.
Detroit has no one to blame but itself. Yes, we are as surprised as you.
Jets fans must burn hell to see Darnold and Geno Smith succeed elsewhere, while watching MVPs turn into absolute dog messes the moment they don the green helmet of shame. On Sunday, Smith returned to MetLife Stadium, the same hellhole where he toiled the first four years of his career. The Jets held him and Seattle to two touchdowns, only to outscore the Seahawks 26–21.
The Jets have lost eight of their last nine games, and with Buffalo, the Rams and Miami twice remaining on the slate, New York is looking at a disastrous season. And even then, the Jets won’t be as bad as their stadium-mates, who are on a seven-game losing streak of their own. There’s little to cheer about at MetLife these days — a combined 5-19 record — and little hope for the foreseeable future. But hey, at least pitchers and catchers report in about two months.
Asked: Was Anthony Richardson the answer in Indianapolis?
We’re big all-in gamblers here, mainly because it’s not our job if a coaching call goes sideways. So when a head coach pushes all his chips into the middle like Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen did Sunday, we’re right behind him. Steichen’s Colts cut the road deficit to 1 against New England with just 12 seconds left … and then Steichen converted a 2-point pass to Anthony Richardson to ice the game. He gave the ball to:
Well, faith in your young quarterback, and rock in the form of a cybertruck. (Note: In this exact same situation last week at home, Washington’s Dan Quinn elected to go for the extra point … and lost the game when the kick went wide.)
The Colts lost to Detroit, 2–1, as Steichen reinstalled Richardson as his starting quarterback. It’s a long road to the playoffs, and a short time to get there, but if Richardson can get the reps he so desperately needs, this season could finally take a step forward … and that doesn’t look certain to be the case in Indianapolis a few weeks ago. can
