Who's up, who's down after Week 13 in the NFL: Joe Burrow, Bengals begin to surge
The Cincinnati quarterback continued his mastery of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs as the Bengals won their fourth in a row.
December 7, 2022 at 3:19AM
Joe Burrow: Put this gem on Joey Franchise's résumé. Since January, he has become the only QB to beat Patrick Mahomes three consecutive times and go undefeated against Mahomes in multiple matchups (3-0). Tom Brady (3-3) is the only other QB to beat Mahomes three times.
Geno Smith: Sixty-two games have been won or tied by teams trailing in the fourth quarter, a record through 13 games. Smith's fourth-quarter comeback in Seattle's win over the Rams on Sunday was his first since Week 17 of the 2014 season. Seattle (7-5) holds the NFC's seventh seed and would open the playoffs at the Vikings if the season ended today.
Lions offense: Something to watch for when the Vikings' 31st-ranked defense travels to Detroit this week: The Lions' nine possessions in Sunday's 40-14 win over Jacksonville ended thusly: TD, TD, FG, FG, FG, TD, FG, TD, Victory Formation.
TWO DOWN
Lamar Jackson's contract negotiations: Lamar Jackson gambled on himself and his health when he didn't sign the contract Baltimore offered before the season. Now the former league MVP is injured and won't be back for a while. He missed the last four games last season as the Ravens went 0-4 to miss the playoffs. Backup Tyler Huntley relieved Jackson and led Baltimore to a win over Denver on Sunday to keep pace with the Bengals atop the AFC North. Next up: At Pittsburgh, which has won two in a row and three of four.
Indy Pride: The tanking Colts had one of the most embarrassing fourth-quarter flops in league history. Outscored 33-0 by Dallas, Indy joined the 2007 Bears and the 1925 Milwaukee Badgers as the only teams to surrender at least 33 points in the fourth quarter.
RANKING THE 10-2 VIKINGS
5 (Last week: 5). Philly (11-1) finally ascends to No. 1. The Chiefs drop to No. 2, followed by the Cowboys and the hard-charging Bengals, whose fourth consecutive win out-Mahomesed the Chiefs. The Vikings stand pat with a ninth one-score win in a row, which is both impressive and concerning.
STATS OF THE WEEK
787: The Packers' now-NFL-leading win total since joining the league in 1921, the league's second year of existence. The Bears had led the league in wins from the end of the 1920 season until losing to the Packers on Sunday.
13.8: Denver's average points per game, which might suggest that Russ can't cook and Nathaniel Hackett might be one-and-done in Denver. No team in the past decade has ended a season averaging fewer than 14 points per game.
WEEK 14 SNEAK PEEK
Brock Purdy's 49ers vs. Tom Brady's Bucs: Mr. Irrelevant just became the most relevant question mark in the NFC's playoff push. With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffering a season-ending foot injury early in Sunday's defensive domination of formerly red-hot Tua Tagovailoa and his Dolphins, the 22-year-old Purdy, last among all drafted players in the spring, now prepares for his NFL starting debut against Tampa Bay and 45-year-old Tom Brady who, by the way, will be making his 378th career start, including playoffs and 10 Super Bowls.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
