The road to Super Bowl LVII took another twist in Week 13 as Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals defeated Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs for the third time in 2022.
Burrow and co notched a pair of epic wins over Kansas City right at the start of the year during that run to the AFC title - once late in the regular season and then again in the playoffs.
Cincy definitely appears to be Kryptonite for Mahomes and the Chiefs following the latest Bengal win on Sunday - the final was 27-24 after another thrilling game.
The net result was the Buffalo Bills regaining Super Bowl favouritism over KC, and the spot as #1 seed in the AFC playoff race. Buffalo defeated New England on Thursday Night Football.
At this time of year it is always significant to look at which teams are peaking at the right time, and we can add a few more to a list which is undoubtedly headed by Cincinnati.
Philadelphia was utterly dominant in crushing Tennessee 35-10, while the Dallas Cowboys produced 33 unanswered fourth-quarter points to blitz Indianapolis 54-19.
San Francisco would be right at the top of our list of teams hitting top form at the right time after an impressive 33-17 win over Miami, but they hit a major snag in the process. More on that next…
NFL Injury Report
Pro football is a brutal game, played by powerful athletes at devastating speed. No wonder then that injuries play a massive part in determining which teams come out on top each February.
Here are some of the major injuries to hit the headlines in Week 13:
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, San Francisco 49ers): That terrific rout of the Dolphins came at a heavy cost for the streaking Niners, who have now won five games in a row. Garoppolo left the game early with a broken foot and initial reports suggested the injury would be season-ending. Now though it appears he will not need surgery and could return in the playoffs. San Francisco still faces a tough task without him to negotiate a tricky closing regular-season schedule and claim the NFC West title. That job now falls to rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy…
Lamar Jackson (QB, Baltimore Ravens): Another major QB injury with playoff ramifications happened when Lamar went down early in the grim 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. He left with a knee injury and it was later confirmed to be a sprained PCL. Jackson is listed as ‘week to week’ with an issue which could at least hamper him for a while. Not great for a player who relies on his speed and athletic ability to provide that unique dual threat to opposing defenses.
Tua Tagovailoa (QB, Miami Dolphins): The Dolphins looked terrific heading into that tricky assignment against the 49ers in Santa Clara, with Tua playing at MVP level. He had his worst game of the year though in a 33-17 loss, and sustained an ankle injury in the process. It is not believed to be significant though and he could be okay for the key Sunday Night Football showdown against Justin Herbert and the Chargers.
Anthony Brown (CB, Dallas Cowboys): Brown isn’t a big name, but he has been a very serviceable starting corner for the Dallas Cowboys since they selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He is now likely to miss the rest of the season though after suffering an Achilles injury in the blowout win over Indy. Underwhelming 2021 second-round pick Kelvin Joseph will now step into his shoes, and that could be a real weak spot for an otherwise formidable Dallas defense.
Treylon Burks (WR, Tennessee Titans): Rookie Burks was just emerging as a real threat in this Tennessee offense, but Sunday brought a significant bump in the road. He was injured in making his first NFL TD catch - a highlight-reel 25-yarder early in the blowout loss to Philadelphia. It’s possible he suffered a concussion and he is now a doubt for the Week 14 matchup with Jacksonville.
Kenneth Walker III (RB, Seattle Seahawks): One consonant can make a huge difference in a word and we have a great example here. Walker, favourite to be the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, suffered a ‘strained ankle’ during Sunday’s win over the Rams, not ‘sprained’. The ramifications of that are very positive for Seattle and he could still suit up vs Carolina this weekend.
Leonard Williams (DT, New York Giants): The Giants have seen their surprising playoff push slow considerably in recent weeks, in large part due to injuries. They have won just once in their last five games, and the 20-20 tie with Washington on Sunday brought more concern. Key defensive lineman Williams left the game early with a neck injury, but it does appear he avoided major damage. His status though is uncertain for this weekend’s tough matchup vs the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles.
Hayden Hurst (TE, Cincinnati Bengals): That terrific win over the Chiefs did come with some cost for Cincinnati, as Hurst left early with a calf injury. HC Zac Taylor was pessimistic afterwards when discussing Hurst’s status for the Week 14 clash with the Cleveland Browns. Sounds like he will be out for that one, punters and fantasy players take note.
Courtland Sutton (WR, Denver Broncos): Another piece of bad news for the Broncos in a miserable season. Sutton had been one of the very few offensive bright spots in recent weeks, but he left the loss in Baltimore with a hamstring injury. That could easily cause him to miss time in the coming weeks.
Quez Watkins (WR, Philadelphia Eagles): Watkins had been enjoying an increased involvement in the Philly passing game in recent weeks following the injury to Eagles TE Dallas Goedert. That might be hampered now by the sprained AC joint Watkins sustained to his shoulder during the blowout of Tennessee. At this stage his status for the Week 14 matchup with the New York Giants is unknown.
NFL Odds: Stock Rising
Week 13 delivered more fantastic performances which had a significant impact on the betting lines. Here are some of the displays which really jumped out:
Garrett Wilson (WR, New York Jets): We’ve mentioned the exciting rookie before in this section, but we make no apologies for doing so again. It’s been very much a season of two halves so far for Garrett - when catching passes from Zach Wilson his numbers are awful, catching them from anybody else however and they are terrific. He has exploded again since Zach was benched in favour of Mike White, and caught 8 passes for 162 yards in the agonising loss in Minnesota. He is a superstar in waiting, with an elite ability to separate. All he needs is a QB who can actually get him the ball, and now we are once again seeing the results of that.
Nick Bosa (DE, San Francisco 49ers): Bosa reignited his hopes of beating Dallas superstar Micah Parsons to the award for DPOY in 2022 with a stellar performance in the win over Miami. Bosa racked up 3 sacks (he leads the league with 14.5 now) and a forced fumble to key a 33-17 romp. His ability to disrupt opposing offenses will be even more important in the closing weeks of the regular season with starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo out through injury.
D’Andre Swift (RB, Detroit Lions): Swift started the year as the main threat in the Detroit backfield, but he was overtaken by prolific TD machine Jamaal Williams after missing time through injury. The blowout win over Jacksonville in Week 13 was notable for the increased touches Swift received - 14 on the ground as well as 4 receptions. He racked up 111 total yards from scrimmage and a score, and should be back on everybody’s fantasy and betting radar.
Chigoziem Okwonko (TE, Tennessee Titans): Rookie Okwonko is a growing influence on the Tennessee passing game after being almost anonymous early in the season. He has at least 30 receiving yards in each of the last 5 games, and he peaked at 68 in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Eagles. That included a 41-yarder and his ability to gain yards after the catch is obvious. One to keep an eye for anybody who plays in those ‘receiving yards’ markets.
DaRon Bland (CB, Dallas Cowboys): The NFL is all about ‘next man up’ and rookie CB Bland has done a really nice job for the Cowboys since starting slot corner Jourdan Lewis went down injured. He peaked in the Sunday night blowout win over the Colts with a pair of interceptions. That type of playmaking ability will only increase in value as we move towards the post-season.
NFL Playoff Scenarios: Who makes the post-season?
It’s never too early to start talking about the playoff schedule and post-season scenarios, so here we are. If the tournament began today, these teams would be playing on:
AFC
- Buffalo Bills 9-3
- Kansas City Chiefs 9-3
- Baltimore Ravens 8-4
- Tennessee Titans 7-5
- Cincinnati Bengals 8-4
- Miami Dolphins 8-4
- New York Jets 7-5
NFC
- Philadelphia Eagles 11-1
- Minnesota Vikings 10-2
- San Francisco 49ers 8-4
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-6
- Dallas Cowboys 9-3
- New York Giants 7-4-1
- Seattle Seahawks 7-5
NFL Game of the Week: Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Chargers (1.20am UK, Monday)
Justin Herbert missed out on a playoff berth in 2021, and there is every chance he could do so again in 2022. It was not meant to be this way for the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers appeared to have had a terrific offseason with the acquisitions of J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack among others apparently setting them up for a genuine Super Bowl bid.
Fast forward three months though and Los Angeles is sitting at 6-6 and right now on the outside of the AFC playoff positions.
Injuries have hit the Chargers hard, but Herbert is still upstanding and they really need a win here against a Miami team smarting from that 33-17 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco.
The Dolphins’ high-powered offense was stopped in its tracks in Santa Clara and Tua, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will look for a swift return to top-scoring form at SoFi.
It should be a terrific matchup with plenty of points - ideal viewing for primetime and SNF.
