By Ron Johnson
Despite what Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers had to say about the state of the NFL today, this has been one of the best season’s on record for the league. And while Rodgers is beyond determined to take the focus away from Team Swiftce and put it back on him, the NFL has given us a slew of must sees for the upcoming week.
With that, let’s see who will eye NFL Week 13 as lucky, unlucky or both.
Seattle vs. Dallas (Thursday Night Football)
The Seattle Seahawks are a team in trouble right now. Following their loss to the Rams two weeks ago, they didn’t even bother putting up much of a fight against the Niners on Thanksgiving Night. Now they find themselves in even bigger trouble as they head to Dallas to face a red-hot Cowboys team with something to prove.
Despite the Cowboys not beating teams with winning records so far this season, they are obviously getting picked to win this Thursday night matchup. Both teams had the advantage of having extra time to prepare as they played seven days ago. To be honest, it may be the Micah Parsons show on defense, but DaRon Bland is the one getting the much-deserved spotlight after setting a new pick-six record last week.
Considering Geno Smith’s obsession with giving gifts, and the fact that it appears he is regressing back to the Geno we knew him as, don’t be surprised if we get a few donations from the Seahawks quarterback tonight.
Indianapolis vs. Tennessee
When one thinks about this game, we are getting a little Freaky Friday moment. In theory, the Titans are supposed to be better than they have shown. But if you look at last week’s game against the Panthers, this Titans team is not who they expected to be. The only bright spot of this franchise right now is Derrick Henry, who some think is being held hostage by the Titans.
On the other side of the coin, there are the Colts. Maybe thought that when Anthony Richardson went down, the season was over. But in reality, it gave Gardner Minshew a chance to shine brighter than before as he has been one of the key reasons for the success of Indy. And with Jonathan Taylor out for a few weeks after thumb surgery, the Colts need to keep the winning going if they having any desire to challenge for the AFC South or even make the playoffs.
LA Chargers vs. New England
The Chargers are on life support. Although they can be considered brain dead to this point, the Chargers are looking as if they have nothing to really play for. That’s the fair assumption that we all have ascertained from the way the Dolts…we mean Bolts have been playing the last few weeks.
On the flip side of it, they are playing a Patriots team that is just as dead as they are. One lifetime ago, this matchup would’ve been great to watch, even thinking back to the days of Phillip Rivers vs. Tom Brady. But with Justin Herbert being dismal at best, and the duo of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe being virtually gutter trash, it is safe to say that one or both of these coaches could be looking at getting future endeavored by the end of next week if not this season.
Detroit vs. New Orleans
The Lions suffered yet another loss on Thanksgiving, and Jared Goff tried his best not to be a liability. They get a chance to bounce back against a Saints team that is having buyer’s remorse over Derek Carr. Carr has not lived up to expectations, and the Saints are suffering for it. It is hard to believe that anyone would rather have Jameis Winston on the field , but at this point, it seems inevitable that he will be on it sometime during this game…especially if it turns out that Carr will do the one thing we’re all but assured of with him: Throw turnovers.
Atlanta vs. NY Jets
The NFC South is the new NFC Least when it comes to mediocre divisions. Every team in it is sporting losing records, but the Falcons did enough to get themselves back in the driver’s seat of its own destiny with a win over New Orleans on Sunday. As for the Jets, they are just going through the motions, and with the possibility that Aaron Rodgers will return just to get hurt and blame others like always, the Jets are just hoping for a change of their own misfortunes over the last few weeks. Zack Wilson couldn’t get it done, and neither could Tim Boyle. But Boyle gets the nod for Sunday as Rodgers’ return is slated for the next few weeks.
Arizona vs. Pittsburgh
In this Super Bowl Rematch, the Steelers should have this game in the bag. Despite the woes of Kenny Pickett, and the atrocious inconsistencies of Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have still found ways to win. On one hand, you can blame Matt Canada for the misery of Steelers Nation, but on the other, they haven’t really played anyone with a winning record this season.
This game is no different as they face an Arizona team that isn’t going to the playoffs, and it isn’t even in the conversation either. The Cardinals are suffering to this point, and it is because of this that they should lose this game and try to improve on the franchise in next year’s draft. Maybe they need to find a way to get a coach with some stones and the pedigree to back it up next season while they are at it.
Miami vs. Washington
The Dolphins are coming off a jacked up two weeks. After surviving the Raiders a few weeks ago, they took their frustrations out on a Jets team that is just trying to stay whole until Daddy Aaron gets back on the field. But the Dolphins are not in the mood to play nice, and they will fully intend on taking out more of their frustrations (including defending the cameraman who was suspended for the season; I’ll touch base on that later) out on a Washington team that is dismal at best. Washington is trash, and they proved it on Thanksgiving. And I don’t believe that just getting rid of Jack Del Rio will be enough to save their season, let alone their coach. I firmly believe that Ron Rivera will be cut loose at season’s end if not sooner.
Denver vs. Houston
One on side, you got a team that is becoming Unlimited again, and on the other, you got a team that is becoming…well, a team. Both Denver and Houston are on the fast track for a playoff appearance (something you couldn’t say about the Broncos a few weeks ago), and this weekend’s matchup could prove to be a great thing for them. CJ Stroud is slowly but surely improving his resume credentials for rookie of the year, and having a nice shootout with Russell Wilson should improve those credentials tremendously. Can the Texans be the ones to stop the five-game winning streak of the Broncos? Or will Russell give the Texans another case of Unlimited Diarrhea?
Carolina vs. Tampa Bay
This game is officially not worth the price of admission. Carolina will be trying out a new coach for the final stretch of the season as well as looking to improve their draft stock, while Tampa Bay is getting the Baker Mayfield that is notorious for cooking Apple Turnovers. The only bright spot for Tampa is the fact that they are still in the playoff race despite being 4-7, and the only reason for that is the two teams above them are not any better.
Cleveland vs. LA Rams
The Browns are still in the thick of the postseason race, however, they are struggling at the quarterback position after a little ‘Wake-N-Bake’ Session in Denver last week. DTR did his best to keep the Browns in that game until a concussion took him down for the remainder. He is currently on concussion protocol, which means PJ Walker and newest Brown Joe Flacco will have to find a way to keep the Browns in the playoff conversation.
On the other side, the Rams are looking like they’re finding their groove. After being in the cellar along with Arizona, LA has completed season sweeps of the Seahawks and Cardinals in back-to-back weeks. They now find themselves hosting a Browns team that has more to gain than lose. Now that Kyren Williams is back in the lineup and running like a ticked off bull in Spain, the Rams are looking to get back to .500 and possibly improve their own standing at home and in the playoff hunt.
San Francisco vs. Philadelphia (Game of the Week)
In what will truly be a gut check for both teams, the NFC Championship Rematch will have all the makings of make or break. On one side, you got the resurgent Niners that have made it clear that they are back and aiming for the Super Bowl. On the other side, you got what one would call the luckiest team in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles.
While the Eagles boast the best record in the league at 10-1, the Niners feel like they got the tools and talent back to make something happen. However, they thought this same thing last season right before Purdy went down, and the team imploded on the field. The Eagles defense helped them come back to win in overtime against the Bills, and the Niners utilized Christian McCaffrey in every way possible to knock down and keep down Seattle. On Sunday, we find out how for real are the Eagles and how back the Niners really are.
Kansas City vs. Green Bay (Sunday Night Football)
Patrick Mahomes has done it all, but on Sunday night, he gets a chance to do one more thing on his football bucket list: Play in Lambeau Field. While many don’t feel that Lambeau is as intimidating as it used to be, it is still a very dangerous place to play this late in the season. If Mother Nature (aka The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field) does not kill your momentum, a resurged defense will find a way to do it. Jordan Love is taking advantage of opportunity now that he looks more comfortable under center, but if Travis Kelce finds a way to get loose, expect a lot of Free Real Estate from the Chiefs in this game. Either way, this will be a good way to close out Sunday for everyone as it will be a learning experience for both teams.
Cincinnati vs. Jacksonville (Monday Night Football)
Jake Browning will have a chance to kill the momentum of the Jaguars in what looked like a potential AFC Playoff matchup. However, with the loss of Joe Burrow, it does appear that the Bengals could be knocking themselves out of a chance at the postseason. While they kept the fight going against the Steelers, they couldn’t take advantage of the opportunities given to them by a lackluster football team. And then you got Jacksonville. The Jags have been firing on all cylinders recently, and after their win over Houston last week, they now have a little more cushion in the AFC South. Either way, this will be a fun time for the Jags if they keep JaMarr Chase in check and unleash the fury with Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk. Will the Jaguar Faithful be screaming ‘DUUUUUVAL!’ all night, or will Cincinnati find a way to keep their postseason hopes alive?
