Biggest Winners and Losers in the NFL: Week 13

Winners

Cleveland Browns

2020 has been a weird year but has been a kind one to the Cleveland Browns through the first 12 games, as they head into the stretch run of the season with a 9-3 record and are coming off a huge win against the Tennessee Titans by a score of 41-35. QB Baker Mayfield had four touchdowns’ in the first half in a game where the Browns once led 38-7. At 9-3, they sit at the five seed in the AFC as the top wild card team and are two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC North lead. Cleveland will have another big test next week, taking on the Baltimore Ravens at home on Monday Night Football. If Cleveland can come out of this game with a win, they would be 10-3 and in a prime position to make the playoffs in 2020. Now, they just need to go out and do it.

New York Giants

We all know the story about the NFC East and the struggles the teams have had but keep sleeping on the New York Giants. After starting 1-7, New York has won four in a row, including a statement win over the QB Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 17-12. At 5-7, they are now in first place in the NFC East via the tiebreaker over the Washington Football Team, who is also 5-7. Head coach Joe Judge has his team playing well, dominating on defense, and taking care of the ball on offense. With QB Daniel Jones close to coming back from injury, the New York Giants might make some noise in 2020.

Washington Football Team

Just like that, the 1972 Dolphins can breathe. On a weird Monday night affair, the Washington Football Team handed the Pittsburgh Steelers their first loss of the season, erasing a 14-point deficit to win the game by a score of 23-17. QB Alex Smith is playing winning football, getting the ball to his playmakers, and not trying to do too much. On the other side of the ball, Washington has turned into one of the most dominant lines in football, featuring DE Chase Young. Ron Rivera’s bunch held Pittsburgh to just 21 yards on the ground and kept the offense in the game when it looked to be getting out of hand. This is a statement victory and one to build off. Can we see two NFC East teams in the playoffs in 2020? It’s a long shot, but crazy things have happened in the past.

Losers

Chicago Bears

Out of all the losses during this terrible stretch, this one must be rock bottom for the Chicago Bears. After controlling the game for the better part of three quarters, the Bears blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to the Detroit Lions, who just fired their coach, losing the game 34-30. QB Mitch Trubisky played well enough to win but had a costly turnover that ended up leading to the game-winning score. Chicago has shown glimpses of continuity on offense, but now the defense cannot stop anyone. It has been rough sailing for the Bears, and it does not seem to be getting better.

Philadelphia Eagles

It has been long overdue, but the Eagles finally decided to bench QB Carson Wentz for QB Jalen Hurts. In Week 13, this meant little, as the Packers convincingly defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, despite the change during the game. The Eagles are now 3-8-1 and are staring at a top-ten pick when many had them pegged as a playoff contender. The big question now is, where do they go from here? Hurts is getting the start against the Saints, but what if he does not perform? Do they put Wentz back in, or do they stick with the rookie? Is Wentz here next year? These questions carry a lot of weight, but have no clear answer near, creating a massive issue for the Eagles.

Houston Texans

After a rough start to the season, the Houston Texans were finally starting to have some positive play that resulted in wins. Going into Sunday they won three out of four and were looking to get their record to 5-7, making them close to respectable. Late in the fourth quarter, down six against the Colts, the Texans were poised to punch in a touchdown and win the game. Then a bad snap occurred, resulting in a fumble and a turnover, virtually ending the game. Even in a year that is lost for Houston, it was a crushing loss. Instead of 5-7, they are now 4-8. Out of the three, I would consider Houston the “smallest loser”, because they are starting to play better, but are just finding ways to lose games in 2020. If QB Deshaun Watson can get more help around him, Houston should be relevant again in 2021.

Info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas