2024 NFL: Previewing Week 13

The Ravens and Chargers close out Week 12 later tonight.

Let’s review the rest of the Week 12 action, and preview Week 13.

Week 12 Quick Hits

Browns 24 Steelers 19 – Cleveland wins a snow game. Not particularly surprising to see Pittsburgh upset on a short-week, in a divisional game, after an emotional physical win vs. the Ravens a few days prior. Cleveland was able to sack Russell Wilson 4 times. Najee Harris limited to 2.6 yards per carry on 16 attempts. Cleveland had 3 turnovers, was 1 of 10 on 3rd down, and held the ball for 10 less minutes than Pittsburgh and still won.

Vikings 30 Bears 27 – An OT win for Minnesota, and a 5th consecutive loss for Chicago. Sam Darnold had 330 yards passing, and 2 TD’s.  Aaron Jones had 106 yards on 22 attempts. Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson combined for 15 catches, 276 yards, and a TD.  The Vikings are now 9-2 overall, 5-1 on the road.

Lions 24 Colts 6 – A 9th consecutive win for Detroit, who improved to 10-1. The Lions were 9 of 12 on 3rd down, the Colts were 3 of 12. Detroit held the ball for 37 minutes.

Dolphins 34 Patriots 15 – Miami pulls within a game of .500, as Tua Tagovailoa completes 29 of 40 attempts, for 317 yards and 4 TD’s. The Dolphins had 4 sacks, and a pick.

Buccaneers 30 Giants 7 – Baker Mayfield and Bucs also pull within a game of .500, and Tampa Bay improves to 3-2 on the road. Mike Evans was back for the first time since the Oct. 21st game vs. the Ravens, and had 5 catches for 68 yards.

Cowboys 34 Commanders 26 – Dallas and DC combined for 41 points in the 4th Quarter. It was 13-9 Dallas with 6:44 left in the 4th. Washington fell to 7-5, and this is a loss which figures to significantly impact their playoff chances. 3 turnovers for Washington, and the Commanders also had 8 penalties. Dallas held the ball for 35 minutes. Dallas had 4 sacks, with Micah Parsons getting Jayden Daniels twice. Daniels had two picks, but he threw for 275 yards, and 2 scores, and he also ran for 74 yards and another score. This was a 3rd straight loss for DC.

Chiefs 30 Panthers 27 – I guess credit to Carolina for generally playing better since Bryce Young got back into the starting lineup. They had won their previous two games, and were competitive here.  Kansas City is obviously on auto-pilot. Noah Gray, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, and DeAndre Hopkins each had at-least 4 catches. Kareem Hunt averaged 4.3 yards per carry on his 16 attempts. It might not be particularly pretty, but KC is 10-1.

Titans 32 Texans 27 – A pretty disappointing game for Houston, with CJ Stroud throwing two more picks (5 in his last 3 games). Joe Mixon was held to 22 yards on 14 carries. Tennessee had four players with at-least 48 yards receiving. Tony Pollard had 119 yards rushing. Houston sacked Will Levis 8 times (3 coming from Danielle Hunter who now has 10.5), but it wasn’t enough.

Broncos 29 Raiders 19 – A second straight win for Denver, who have now won 4 of their last 6. Another solid game for Bo Nix (273 yards, 2 TD’s). Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele had 14 catches, 177 yards, and 2 scores. Denver had 5 sacks,and a pick.

Packers 38 49ers 10 – Green Bay rolls over a San Francisco team that played without Brock Purdy. The Packers were 6 of 13 on 3rd down, and held the ball for 36 minutes. GB puts up 38 points, and Jordan Love was only 13 of 23. Josh Jacobs did have 3 TD’s, and 106 yards on 26 carries. Christian McCaffrey was held to 31 yards on 11 carries for SF. At 5-6 overall, SF is now a game behind both Seattle, and Arizona in the NFC West.

Seahawks 16 Cardinals 6 – Arizona came into the game having won their last 4. This game, they go 3 of 12 on 3rd down, and Kyler Murray had a Pick 6. Seattle and Arizona are now both 6-5, at the top of the NFC West. They’ll face off again in two weeks at Arizona.

Eagles 37 Rams 20 – Philadelphia won their 7 straight, and improved to 9-2.  All of the questions that existed earlier in the year with Head Coach Nick Sirianni seem to have disappeared. Every coach looks great when the RB (Saquon Barkley) puts up 255 yards, and 2 TD’s. The Eagles defense had 5 sacks.

Week 13 Games

All percentages from ESPN’s Match-Up Predictor.

Thursday November 28th

Chicago at Detroit –  Despite the Bears losing streak, this game is at-least entertaining. Chicago has talent.  Detroit has arrives at Thanksgiving as the Super Bowl favorite. The Lions are given a 77.1% chance to win here.

New York Giants at Dallas –  While the Bears and Lions might hold actual attention, the Giants and Cowboys figure to be pure background noise. Tommy DeVito vs. Cooper Rush. Sweet.

Miami at Green Bay – If the Dolphins can win here, they’re back to .500 and solidly in the mix for the 7th seed in the AFC Playoffs. But it’s a short week, in a cold weather locale against a quality team. All reasons to believe the Packers win.

Friday November 29th

Las Vegas at Kansas City – If the Chiefs go through the motions like they did yesterday vs. the Panthers; it’s possible they could lose. It’s still hard to actually envision. KC is given a 76.1% chance of winning, and is a 13.5 point favorite.

Sunday December 1st 

LA Chargers at Atlanta – NFL scheduling can be annoying. LA plays tonight.  Atlanta is coming off a bye. So, on a short-week, LA has to travel across the country to face the Falcons. Chargers are given a 51.3% chance of winning here.  Falcons struggle with pass rush. That could make for a long day vs. Justin Herbert. Still, I’d think a rested Atlanta team would find a way in near toss-up type of game.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – A third straight divisional game for the Steelers. Pittsburgh coming off the mini-bye. Cincinnati coming off the full bye.  The Bengals probably need to win at-least 5 of their last 6 games to have a chance at the AFC’s 7th seed. Cincinnati is the slight favorite (50.8%) here.

Arizona at Minnesota – The Vikings are 3.5 point favorites at home, and given a 58.8% chance of winning.

Indianapolis at New England – It’s not Manning vs. Brady; but Richardson vs. Maye could still be interesting. Colts are favored to get the road win.

Seattle at New York Jets – The 3-8 Fighting Aaron Rodgers’ are coming off a bye, and hosting the co-NFC West leader. Geno Smith began his career with the Jets. The Seahawks are the Vegas betting favorite, but ESPN’s models give the Jets a 55.3% chance of winning.

Tennessee at Washington – The Titans are coming off their surprise win at Houston.  Washington has lost their last 3.  DC badly needs this one. They are a 66.4% favorite to win.

Houston at Jacksonville – Houston has lost 3 of 4, with the win being against that depleted Dallas squad. Jacksonville is coming off a bye.  Houston is a 64.4% favorite.

LA Rams at New Orleans – The Saints have won their last 2, and were off yesterday.  The Rams got torn up by Barkley and the Eagles. The Saints are a 52.2% favorite.

Tampa Bay at Carolina –  The Panthers have played better the last few weeks. The Bucs have an opportunity to get back to .500.  This is the first of two games between these teams. TB is a 69.1% favorite.

Philadelphia at Baltimore – The Eagles will come down I95, winners of their last 7.  They look like the NFC’s 2nd best team at this point. The Ravens will be coming off a short week. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley vs. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.  Should be fun. Roquan Smith is not expected to play tonight vs. LA. Will he be available to face the Eagles? The Ravens are currently a 56.8% favorite vs. Philly.

San Francisco at Buffalo – Are Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa going to be back for the Niners? It’s getting late for SF.  If they’re going to rally down the stretch, an upset win at Buffalo would significantly boost their chances. The Bills are coming off a bye, and a 60.6% favorite vs. SF.

Monday December 2nd

Cleveland at Denver – The Broncos are 5 point favorites at home, and given a 51.7% chance to win.  The Browns are 1-4 on the road.  Opportunity for Denver to get to 8-5.