After a strong slate of Thanksgiving games, Week 13 has arrived. There are 6 teams on the bye week, but this did not stop the action. So, how did the Eagles the Bengals, and the Colts get on this week?
Let’s review week 12 in the 2023 NFL season.
A Punt-less game
The Dallas Cowboys have been a high-scoring team all year, but especially when they have been playing at home. This week, the Cowboys faced the Seattle Seahawks, who have been having a mixed set of results. These two teams met on Thursday night. Would we see a decent game on Thursday night?
The Cowboys had the opening drive of the game and were able to take full advantage of this and score some points. The Cowboys offense, led by quarterback Dak Prescott, would be able to move down the field into the Seahawks’ redzone, and then slowly down to the 3-yard line. Then, on a 3rd down attempt on the 3-yard line, Prescott was sacked by the Seahawks defense, forcing them back to the 12-yard line. This set up a 30-yard field goal attempt for Cowboys’ kicker Brandon Aubrey. He would be successful with this, giving Dallas the early lead.
In reply to this score, the Seahawks would open their account for the game on their opening drive. Led by quarterback Geno Smith, the Seahawks offense would travel not very far, from their 25-yard line to their 27-yard line. But then, the offense would get into gear. From the 27-yard line, Smith would find D.K Metcalf for a long pass which then found the endzone for a 73-yard touchdown pass.
Dallas would respond to this straight away. The Prescott-led offense would be able to quickly make their way down to the Seahawks’ 15-yard line. This was aided by a large penalty against the Seahawks’ defense. Then, from the 15-yard line, Prescott found CeeDee Lamb for a 15-yard touchdown pass to allow the Cowboys to retake the lead.
The Seahawks would attempt to score on their next drive. The Smith lead offense was able to advance down the field and reach the Cowboys’ 18-yard line. However, not only would this drive stall here, the Cowboys would be forced 5 yards back due to a penalty on fourth down. This set up a 42-yard field goal attempt for Seahawks kicker Jason Myers. Myers would miss this kick. In response to this, the Cowboys would gain possession from their 23-yard line, and Prescott and company would be able to drive down to the Seahawks’ 2-yard line. From here, Prescott would find Brandin Cooks for the 2-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead.
After missing the field goal on their previous drive, the Seahawks would be back again on their next drive. Smith and company would be able to make their way into the Cowboys red zone and then down to the one-yard line. However, this would be aided by a large penalty against the Dallas defense. From the one-yard line, Zach Charbonett would find the endzone for the one-yard rushing touchdown to cut the Cowboys’ lead.
But Dallas would score on their next drive. The Prescott-led offense would make it down to the Seahawks’ 3-yard line. From here, Prescott would scramble for 3 yards to score the touchdown. However, this score would not stand due to a holding penalty on the Dallas offense. This would set up a field goal attempt from Aubrey, which would be successful. So the Cowboys gained 3 points but should have gained 7.
The Seahawks would score 7 on their final drive before halftime, however. From the Cowboys’ 30-yard line, Smith would find Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 30-yard touchdown pass. But, like the Cowboys on their previous drive, this would be removed from the board due to a penalty against Seattle. This would mean their next play would be at the Cowboys’ one-yard line. But, from here, Smith found Metcalf for the touchdown.
After all of these scores, the Seahawks would have a 21-20 lead over the Cowboys.
The Seahawks would have the opening drive of the second half and would be able to extend their lead from it. Smith and company would be able to make it down to the Cowboys’ 5-yard line. From here, Smith would scramble into the endzone for a 5-yard rushing touchdown.
Dallas would be in possession next, and the drive would be eventful. Prescott and company would drive down to the Seahawks’ 42-yard line. Here a mistake would happen. Prescott would throw an interception. But, it would not stand as there was a penalty against the Seahawks’ defense on this play. This missed opportunity would be costly, as the Cowboys would then be able to drive down the field to the 6-yard line, being pushed by the offense and by the penalties against Seattle. Then, from the 6-yard line, Tony Pollard would find the endzone.
There would then be a period where no scoring would occur. Smith would throw an interception on the Seahawks drive, and in reply the Cowboys could not convert on fourth down.
But this blip would not last long. On their next drive, the Seahawks would again find the endzone. Smith would find Metcalf for a 3-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead. The Cowboys would cut this lead to 5 points from a successful 38-yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys would be able to take the lead on their next drive. The Prescott-led offense would be able to drive down the field from their 46-yard line to the Seahawks’ 12-yard line. From here, Prescott would throw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jake Fergurson. The Cowboys would then attempt a two-point conversion attempt, which would be successful. This would give Dallas a 3-point lead.
This lead would become 6 points after the final drive from the Cowboys. Aubrey would successfully kick a 32-yard field goal to force the Seahawks to score a touchdown on their final drive to win. Could they do this?
The drive would start from the Seahawks’ 25-yard line and Smith and company would be able to move the ball down to the 50-yard line. The drive would stall here, and a game-deciding 4th down attempt would be attempted. They needed 2 yards. Smith would throw an incomplete pass, and this game would be over.
The Dallas Cowboys had defeated the Seattle Seahawks 41-35.
This game was very special. This was only the 5th game in history that featured no punts. This is nice to see, considering that we have seen games that have been all but punts this year. With this victory, the Cowboys improved to 9-3 for the season. The Seahawks fall to 6-6. Next week, the Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers, while the Cowboys face the Philadelphia Eagles.
And, since we’re on the subject of the 49ers and the Eagles.
The Embarrassed Eagles
This game was billed as the “game of the season”. In a repeat of last year’s NFC Championship game, the Philadelphia Eagles faced the San Francisco 49ers. To add to the apparent drama, the Eagles could clinch a playoff spot with a win. Could this happen, or would the 49ers get revenge?
The Eagles would have the opening possession of the game and would be able to get something from this. Led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles’ offense would be able to drive down to the field from their 25-yard line and to the 49ers’ 8-yard line. However, the drive would stall here, setting up a 26-yard field goal attempt from Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. Elliott would be successful with this attempt, giving Philadelphia an early lead in the game. In reply to this, the 49ers would not be able to do anything with the ball and would have to punt.
The Eagles would increase their lead soon after. Starting from their 26-yard line, Hurts and company would again advance down the field to the 49ers’ 21-yard line, before the drive would stall here. This gave Elliott a 39-yard field goal attempt, which he would make, doubling the Eagles lead.
A few drives later, the 49ers would be able to put some points on the board. Led by quarterback Brock Purdy, the 49ers offense would be able to cross into the Eagles red zone and then down to the 2-yard line. From here, Purdy would find Brandon Aiyuk for a 2-yard touchdown pass, to give San Francisco the lead.
On their next drive, the 49ers would be able to extend their lead just before halftime. Aided by a penalty against the Eagles defense, Purdy and company would again be able to move his offense down to the Eagles’ 2-yard line. From here, Christian McCaffrey would run into the endzone for the 2-yard rushing touchdown.
This would mean at halftime, the 49ers would have a 14-6 lead over the Eagles.
The 49ers would have the opening possession of the second half and would use it to widen their lead over Philadelphia. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Purdy-led offense would quickly advance down the field and find themselves at the Eagles’ 12-yard line. From here, Deebo Samuel would find the endzone for a 12-yard rushing touchdown to increase San Francisco’s lead.
In reply to the 49ers score, the Eagles would be able to find the endzone themselves. The Hurts-led offense would be able to advance down from their 42-yard line to the 49ers’ one-yard line. This drive would be aided by a few penalties against the San Francisco defense. From the one-yard line, Hurts would find the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown for the Eagles to get themselves back into the game.
But, this would not last for long. On the next drive of the game, the 49ers would quickly be able to advance down to the Eagles’ 48-yard line. From here, Purdy would find Samuel for a 48-yard touchdown pass to strengthen their lead again. The lead would become even wider on the next drive from San Francisco. On this drive, Purdy and company would be able to advance down to the Eagles’ 18-yard line. From here, Purdy would find Jennings for the 18-yard touchdown pass to put the game out of reach for the Eagles as the fourth quarter began.
The Eagles would be able to get what would be seen as a consolation touchdown near the end of the fourth quarter. Starting from their 29-yard line, Hurts and the Philadelphia offense would be able to slowly make it down to the 49ers’ 2-yard line. From here, Hurts would find DeVonta Smith for a 2-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles would then attempt a two-point conversion, which failed.
The 49ers would be able to get one more touchdown in before the game was over. This drive would start from the Eagles’ 48-yard line, and Purdy and the 49ers offense would be able to make it not very far to the 46-yard line. From here, Purdy would find Samuel again, this time for a 46-yard yard touchdown pass.
In the end, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 42-19.
For the so-called “Game of the Season,” this was a very one-sided affair. The 49ers gave the same treatment to the Eagles as they did to the Cowboys earlier in the season. San Francisco scored 42 points in both those games. The defeat means that the Eagles couldn’t clinch a playoff spot this week, and fall to 10-2 for the season. The victory improves the 49ers to 9-3 for the season. Next week, the Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys, while the 49ers face the Seattle Seahawks.
The Colts Go the Distance
Two years ago, the Tennessee Titans were the number one seed in the AFC, while the Indianapolis Colts were struggling. This year, things are flipped. While the Colts are not the number one seed, they are in the race for the playoffs, while it is the Titans who are the ones struggling. These two teams meet this weekend, who would win this matchup?
The Titans had the opening possession of the game and would be able to take full advantage of this and score the opening points of the game from it. The Titans offense, led by quarterback Will Levis would start this drive from their 25-yard line. They would then be able to quickly advance down to the edge of the Colts’ red zone at the 22-yard line. Then, from the 22-yard line, Titans star running back Dereck Henry would find the endzone, scoring a 22-yard rushing touchdown to hand the lead to the Titans.
In reply to this drive, the Colts would also be able to find points from their opening drive. The drive would start at the Colts’ 44-yard line, this is because of a strong punt return from their punt returner. From here, the Indianapolis offense, led by quarterback Gardner Minshew would be able to quickly advance to the Titans’ 36-yard line. This would mostly be due to a Taunting penalty against Tennessee. Then, from the 36-yard line, Minshew threw a deep pass to Alec Pierce who would find the endzone for a 36-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.
After two punts, the next Titans drive would end in a somewhat weird way. Levis and company would be able to make it down to their 40-yard line. Then, Levis would be sacked for -9 yards, ending the drive. But Levis would fumble the ball on this play, and the ball would be scooped up by the Colts defense. The action would not end here in this play. The Colts would then fumble the ball, which would be recovered by the Titans’ offense. So, after all of this, Tennessee would retain the ball.
The Titans would be able to take advantage of the mistake that the Colts made taking advantage of the Titans mistake. Levis and company would be able to advance the ball down to the Colts’ 6-yard line. This drive would stall here, setting up a 24-yard field goal attempt from Titans kicker Nick Folk. Folk would be successful with this, returning the lead to the Titans.
Tennessee would extend this lead on their next drive. Starting from their 27-yard line, the Levis-led offense would be able to advance down to the Colts’ 5-yard line. From here, Henry would find the endzone for the second time today, this time scoring a 5-yard rushing touchdown.
The Colts then would close the small lead that the Titans had made on the next drive of the game. Minshew and company would, like Tennessee on the previous drive, be able to make it down to the 5-yard line. From here, this drive would stall, and a 23-yard field goal attempt would be set up for Colts kicker Matt Gay. Gay would make this attempt, cutting the Titans’ lead to 7 points.
On their next drive, the Colts would again be able to reach the Titans’ 5-yard line. But this time, something less positive would happen for Indianapolis. Minshew would be sacked on the play and would fumble the ball, which was then recovered by the Titans offense. Luckily for the Colts, Tennessee would not be able to convert the turnover into points.
The Colts would again have the ball for the half’s final drive. This time, they would not be able to reach the red zone, as the drive stalled at the Titans’ 28-yard line. This set up a 46-yard field goal attempt for Gay, who would be successful with this kick on the stroke of halftime. This meant that as the teams returned to the locker rooms, the Titans would have a 17-13 lead over the Colts.
The Colts would have the first possession of the second half, and it would end similarly to previous drives from Indianapolis so far in this game. In a very slow-moving drive, it took the Minshew-led offense 19 plays and over 10 minutes to end up stalling at the Titans’ 5-yard line. This set up another 23-yard field goal attempt from Gay, who would make it to cut the lead to one point.
But then, the second interesting play of this game would occur. The Titans had the ball and their drive stalled at their 36-yard line, forcing a punt. The Tennessee punt would be blocked by the Colts, and then the ball would be returned to the endzone for an Indianapolis touchdown. The Colts would then attempt a two-point conversion, which would fail.
The mistakes would continue for Tenneesse on their next drive. Again deep in their territory, they punted the ball. But there was a fumble on the punt, handing possession over to the Colts. In reply to this, the Colts would make it down to the one-yard line, before a Minshew sack would force them back to the 10-yard line, setting up a 28-yard field goal attempt, which Gay would make. This made it a 6 point game.
The Titans would finally have a drive without any errors immediately after this. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Titans would slowly drive down the field. However, they would have to do it without Dereck Henry, who was injured on the first play of the drive. The Titans were able to make it down to the Colts’ 3-yard line. From here, Levis would find DeAndre Hopkins for the 3-yard touchdown pass to tie the scores up. However, Folk would miss the PAT, keeping the scores tied with 5 minutes left in the game. Could anyone make a breakthrough and score the winning points?
The answer to this question would be no. Neither team would be able to get close to the red zone, which meant that with the scores tied, we were going to overtime in Tennessee.
The Titans had the first possession in overtime, which had some success. Levis and company would slowly make it down to the Colts’ 27-yard line before this drive stalled. This set up a 46-yard field goal attempt for Folk, which he would make. How would the Colts reply to this?
In reply, Minshew would move his offense quickly down to the Titans’ 4-yard line. Then, from here, Minshew would find Michael Pittman for the winning 4-yard touchdown pass. This meant that the Indianapolis Colts had defeated the Tennessee Titans 31-28 in overtime.
For the Colts, this victory improves them to 7-5 for the season, which is a fantastic transformation for them considering they were in my eyes the worst team in the NFL last season. In contrast, the defeat means the Titans fall to 4-8 for the season. Next week, the Titans face the Miami Dolphins, while the Colts face the Cincinnati Bengals.
And, on the subject of the Cincinnati Bengals…
Battle of the Tigers
There are many NFL teams named after birds. This is not surprising, considering that there are many types of birds. However, there are also two teams named after Tiger-like animals. The Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars met on Monday Night. The Jags are slowly making their way to the AFC South title, and the Bengals are having mixed fortunes without Joe Burrow. What happened in this game?
The Bengals had the opening drive of the game and would be able to make it down just into the Jaguars’ territory. But, the Bengals would not be able to convert a fourth down attempt, so they handed possession over to the Jaguars.
This turnover would prove costly. Starting from their 49-yard line, the Jaguars offense, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, would be able to advance down the field to the Bengals’ 4-yard line. However, they would do this without Christian Kirk, who was injured on the first play and would be ruled out for the rest of the game. Then, from the 4-yard line, Travis Etienne found the endzone for a 4-yard rushing touchdown to take the early lead.
The Bengals would attempt to score on their next drive, but this attempt failed. Led by quarterback Jake Browning, the Bengals would reach the Jaguars’ 38-yard line, before this drive stalled. This set up a 57-yard field goal attempt from Bengals kicker Evan McPherson. McPherson would miss this attempt.
However, the Bengals would find success on their next drive. Browning and company would advance down the field into the Jaguars red zone and then down to the 6-yard line. From here, Joe Mixon would find the endzone for a 6-yard rushing touchdown to level the scores.
But the scores would not be level for long. On the next drive of the game, Lawrence and company would slowly make it down from the Jaguars’ 25-yard line to the Bengals’ 22-yard line. From here, Lawrence would find Evan Engram on a 22-yard touchdown pass, for the Jaguars to retake the lead.
In reply to this, the Bengals would again find the endzone. Browning would be able to move his Cincinnati offense down deep into the Jaguars’ red zone, at the 2-yard line. Then, from here, Mixon would find the endzone again, scoring a 2-yard rushing touchdown before halftime.
This meant that at the half, the Bengals and the Jaguars would be tied 14-14
The Jaguars would have the opening possession of the half, but would be unable to do anything with this, and would be forced to punt to the Bengals. In response to this, Cincinnati would be able to take advantage of this defensive shutdown. The Bengals would start from their 16-yard line and would be able to move to their 24-yard line. From here, Browning would throw a deep pass to injured quarterback Joe Burrow’s favorite target JaMarr Chase for an impressive 76-yard touchdown pass, which gave the Bengals the lead.
Immediately after this, the Jaguars would reply to this score with one of their own. Starting from their 16-yard line, the Lawrence-led offense would be able to advance down to the Bengals’ 14-yard line. From here, Lawrence would find Parker Washington for a 14-yard touchdown pass, to tie the scores again.
Then, the Bengals would make a mistake. On the first play of their next drive, the Bengals switched quarterbacks, playing Tyler Boyd instead. He would not last long. The opening pass would be intercepted by the Jaguars defense, who returned the ball to the Bengals’ 9-yard line. From here, Jacksonville would move down to the one-yard line, before Lawrence would find the endzone to score the touchdown to retake the lead.
Cincinnati would have a better drive on their next attempt. Browning would be able to move his offense down to the Jaguars’ one-yard line. From here, he would find the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown to tie the scores again.
The Jaguars would immediately attempt to break this deadlock on their next drive. They would be able to reach the Bengals’ 30-yard line before the drive stalled. This set up a 48-yard field goal attempt from Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus. He would miss this kick. In reply to this, the Bengals would also have a field goal attempt on their next drive. McPherson would successfully make a 54-yard field goal, giving Cincinnati the lead. With under 2 minutes to go, could the Jaguars score?
On the final drive of the game, Lawrence and company would be able to drive down to the Bengals’ 22-yard line. This would stall here, setting up a 40-yard field goal attempt for Brandon McManus to tie the game. He would be successful with this, and we would be going to overtime.
The Jaguars would have the opening possession of overtime but they would not be able to do anything with this, handing the ball over to the Bengals, with Cincinnati only needing a field goal to win the game.
With time running out, Browning was able to move his offense down to the Jaguars’ 30-yard line. This set up McPherson with a 48-yard field goal attempt to win the game. He would be successful with this, meaning that the Cincinnati Bengals had defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 in overtime.
With this victory, the Bengals improved to 6-6 for the season. Without Burrow, the playoffs may be out of reach. This performance shows that they can win with someone else. The defeat means the Jaguars fall to 8-4 for the season. Next week, Cincinnati faces the Indianapolis Colts, while the Jaguars face the Cleveland Browns.
What Happened in the Other Games?
This year, we have seen many low-scoring punt-filled games. This one is the king of these. The Los Angeles Chargers faced the New England Patriots in a game that could only be described as “happened”. The Patriots decided to play Bailey Zappe as quarterback, but he made little difference. Justin Herbert didn’t have a good game either. The only points of the game came from Cameron Dicker, the Chargers kicker, who scored two field goals as the Chargers defeated the Patriots 6-0.
After losing to the Packers on Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions returned to action against the New Orleans Saints. It was a high-scoring affair in the Superdome, with Lions wide receiver Sam LaPorta having a dominant performance, as the Lions defeated the Saints 33-28
In a wet Meadowlands, the New York Jets faced the Atlanta Falcons. This would again be a game where both teams would struggle to score points. But, a late field goal from Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo gave Atlanta a 13-8 victory over the Jets
Weather would also be a factor in the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. The heavens would open and the game would have two long breaks due to it. When there was action on the field, the Cardinals would be the dominant team. Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett left the game injured (which he seems to do every other weekend) and it would be former Steeler James Connor who would score two touchdowns to give the Cardinals a 24-10 victory
The Miami Dolphins’ high-scoring show rolled into Landover, Maryland this weekend as the Dolphins faced the Washington Commanders, who were last week battered by the Dallas Cowboys. The same would happen here. The Dolphins’ offense would combine for over 400 yards of offense, as they won 45-15. This scoreline is an example of scorigami, as it has never happened before.
Two of the in-form teams met this weekend, as the Houston Texans faced the Denver Broncos. The game would go down to the wire, with the Broncos needing to score on the final drive of the game to win. But Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted in the endzone, giving the Texans a 22-17 victory
In an all-NFC South battle, the Carolina Panthers faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield would pair up with Mike Evans for a 75-yard touchdown pass in Tampa Bay’s 21-18 victory over the Panthers
We had a returning veteran quarterback in the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams. Former Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco was the quarterback for the Browns. He made little impact, as it would be Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford who would shine. He threw 3 touchdowns as the Rams defeated the Browns 36-19
And finally, the Sunday Night Football game this week featured two historic franchises. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers. It seems that this year’s Chiefs side is nothing like their Super Bowl-winning side from last year. The Packers dominated the Chiefs, with Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love throwing 3 touchdowns in their 27-19 win. Also, Taylor Swift was in the crowd (she was actually in a box far from the true fans) at Lambeau Field. It is the first time she has seen them lose.
So, that was week 13 in the NFL. Next week the race for the playoffs heats up, as the Eagles have another strong opponent, the Chiefs face Buffalo and the Packers will hope to continue their strong form against the New York Giants on Monday night. So, they’ll probably win this game solely because it is in primetime.
