As the season progresses, the margin for error grows smaller and smaller. For some teams, what they do in the next game or two could fully determine whether or not they’ll be suiting up for postseason football, or if they’ll be on the outside looking in. Despite the expansion of the playoff format, there’ll never be enough spots to go around. Someone has to miss out.
So, from here on out, what we see on the field will matter more and more with every passing moment. Every pass, throw, stop, turnover, and point counts. And if Week 13 was anything to go by, football is about to get a lot better.
Burrow and the Bengals keep beating the Chiefs
We’ve got a rivalry brewing. The Bengals took on the Chiefs in one of the most anticipated games of the season on Sunday. The Chiefs would be looking for revenge in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game. A few hours later, they were still waiting to exact that revenge with the Bengals winning 27-24. The Bengals have now won three games on the bounce against the Chiefs, dating back to Week 17 of last year.
The Bengals had a plan to stop Mahomes by dropping eight into coverage often and sending pressure on third down. Ultimately, it worked. Mahomes completed just 16 of his 27 passes for 223 yards and 1 touchdown and was pressured 12 times. It was an eerily similar gameplan to the one that slowed down the Chiefs in the playoff last season, and the results were just the same.
On offense, Burrow continued to play like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and was nearly perfect, completing 80 percent of his passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Smart, effective football has been the Bengals mantra over the last month without Ja’Marr Chase, and getting him back gives them a midseason boost that not many teams can have.
Another huge win for the Bengals. They’re legitimate players once more.
The Cowboys obliterate the Colts in the fourth quarter
The Cowboys vs Colts game on Sunday Night Football was a two-point game heading into the fourth quarter. Taking down the Cowboys would be a huge scalp for Jeff Saturday and the Colts, but since Dak Prescott has been back, the Cowboys have been on a tear. What happened next was annihilation. The Cowboys scored 33 points in the fourth quarter to put away Indy, hanging 54 points on them in the process.
It started with a touchdown pass to Michael Gallup and, only thirty seconds later, the Cowboys defense recovered a fumble and took it back 38 yards to the house. The floodgates were opening. In the next ten minutes, the Cowboys scored three more rushing touchdowns and looked like one of the best teams in the NFL. Realistically, that fourth quarter has just as much to do with the Colts as it has to do with the Cowboys. They won’t and can’t score 33 points in a quarter every week.
But like the Bengals, the Cowboys are emerging as players in the NFL. Every week with Prescott under center the offense grows. The defense continues to be a dominant force. This performance is a scary prospect for an NFC that is lacking in top tier talent.
Jalen Hurts progression as a passer
Speaking of top tier talents in the NFC, the Eagles are 11-1 and still own the best record in the NFL. They toppled the Tennessee Titans 35-10 on Sunday and what really stood out was the performance of quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The former second round pick has ascended in his third season with the Eagles, and Sunday’s display might have been his best passing performance in the NFL. It’s an area of his game that has improved over the last two seasons, but Hurts progression as a passer still needs fine tuning and, at times, it feels like the Eagles might not fully trust him to throw the ball in high leverage situations. Instead they prefer to lean towards his excellent ability as a rusher, and the ground game in general.
Hopefully, Sunday’s performance gives the Eagles a bit more reason to trust Hurts throwing the ball. He completed 29-of-39 pass attempts for 380 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hurts looked comfortable in the pocket, spreading the ball all over the field, and targeting downfield. Hurts’ three touchdown passes were all over 25 air yards per attempt and showcased his deep passing ability.
The Titans defense had a plan to contain Hurts and the Eagles ground game, they wanted Hurts to stay in the pocket and pass the ball. He happily obliged and hurt the Titans.
The Buccaneers scrape past the Saints
2022 seemingly hasn’t been the year Tom Brady expected. He reversed his retirement decision in the offseason and the Buccaneers continued to build a team worthy of contending for a Super Bowl around him. Right now, this doesn’t feel like a team that can contend. The offensive line is completely decimated by injuries which are affecting the run game and the ability to protect Brady – who is still playing incredibly well.
Despite the struggles, the Buccaneers are 6-6 and likely winning the NFC South. A lot of that comes down to the rest of the division struggling, but someone has to win. They took another step towards winning their second-straight division crown by defeating the New Orleans Saints 17-16 on Monday night. It was an ugly game that the Buccaneers almost wound up losing. Save for a late comeback from Brady and the offense to win the game with three seconds left.
If the Buccaneers want to make the playoffs, then wins like this really matter. But, ultimately, the performances have to get better on offense. The coaching and putting the players in a position to succeed has to improve as well. Time is running out for the Buccaneers to pick up a head of steam, otherwise they’ll be one-and-done in January.
Jimmy Garoppolo goes down, but Brock Purdy leads the 49ers to victory
The entire Bay Area had their hearts in their throats when Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury earlier in the 1st quarter of Sunday’s hotly anticipated matchup vs the Miami Dolphins. After losing the 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance in just the second game of the season, the 49ers must have been concerned when Garoppolo headed to the locker room.
Their fears were confirmed after the game, as it was announced that Garoppolo would be out for the rest of the season with a broken foot. How it affects the 49ers moving forwards and towards the postseason is a worry, but the coaching staff must feel a bit better given how well Brock Purdy – the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft – performed.
Purdy commanded the offense well, despite throwing a pick, completing 67 percent of his passes for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns. He looked confident in the pocket, slinging the ball around and not putting the 49ers in bad positions. It helps having a head coach like Shanahan, but Purdy was allowed to play within himself. A great win indeed, but it’ll be interesting to see where the 49ers go from here.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.