NFL Overreaction Week 13
USAT’s Prince Grimes provides a quick Thanksgiving recap and highlights the best games from Week 13 in the NFL.
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- After Indianapolis’ third loss in four weeks, it might be time to strip the Colts of their title favorite status.
- The Rams’ surprising loss set them back in the NFC playoff standings, but the loss shouldn’t cause many major concerns.
- Max Brosmer had a nightmare debut as the Vikings’ starting quarterback in the NFL, but it wasn’t all the undrafted rookie’s fault.
Sunday’s schedule to wrap up Week 13 in the NFL was essentially feeding off Thanksgiving leftovers.
The league had some interesting matchups scheduled for both the holiday season and Black Friday. But that setup shed a little light on the marquee showdown over the weekend.
Still, while there may not have been much drama in Sunday’s particular game, the final five weeks of the regular season seem to be setting the stage for a fascinating end. The makeup of the playoffs has changed dramatically in Week 13, with many divisions once thought to have a single winner coming closer than expected.
Here are the biggest winners from Sunday’s action.
NFL Week 13 Winner
carolina panthers
The Panthers, who upset the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field but lost at home to the New Orleans Saints the following week, had already established themselves as capable of almost anything from week to week. But an impressive 31-28 victory over the previously NFC-leading Los Angeles Rams put Carolina on top as the NFL’s agent of turmoil.
The Panthers were largely content to chip away at the Rams with a solid ground game, but the breakthrough came through the air on two fourth downs in the second half. The first was a 33-yard scoring shot from Bryce Young to Jalen Coker, and the other was a 43-yard touchdown connection with rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan. But what truly set Carolina apart from Los Angeles’ past challengers was a run of defensive playmaking. MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford was selected twice, including one on a takeaway that Mike Jackson returned for a touchdown, doubling his interception total for the season, but a fumble on a sack in field goal range ended any chance at a rally.
Carolina remains in first place in the NFC South, half a game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but things aren’t looking in their favor late. But with two showdowns against the four-time division defending champions coming up in the coming weeks, the Panthers have a legitimate chance to end a seven-year playoff drought — as long as they close the range of possible performances to this extreme. The franchise would be willing to accept that considering how low Carolina’s ceiling has been over the years.
NFC playoff chaos
Over the next month or so, talk about the Kansas City Chiefs and other AFC powers may seem inevitable. But greater postseason entropy is likely to be found in other conferences.
The loss to the Rams caused a rift in the NFC’s emerging power structure, with the Chicago Bears jumping to the No. 1 seed, while the Seattle Seahawks were catching up and once again tied for first place in the NFC West. In three of those divisions, only one game separates the first-place teams from the second-place teams, and the NFC East’s relevance has been renewed with the rise of the Dallas Cowboys and the stumbling of the Philadelphia Eagles. The final five weeks will be very entertaining and consequential as seeding and qualification will be at stake.
AFC South conspiracy
The division has long been considered the least attractive foursome in the NFL, at least on the national stage, with the winner each year receiving a wild-card spot on Saturday afternoon. But this year, the battle for the AFC South crown could be one of the most interesting stories to come. At one point, it looked like the Indianapolis Colts would be over quickly, but their loss to the Houston Texans moved the Jacksonville Jaguars, who defeated the Tennessee Titans, into first place. But it’s still very much a stalemate, with Indianapolis scheduled to play Jacksonville twice over the next four weeks before playing their final game against Houston. Don’t expect the film to be in the spotlight during prime time, unless of course there are unforeseen schedule changes.
Adoy Mitchell
The 2024 second-round pick was primarily seen as just a throw-in in the Sauce Gardner trade between the Colts and New York Jets, but Indianapolis opted not to target Sauce Gardner after making a costly mistake in the Week 4 loss to the Rams. But on Sunday, Mitchell re-emerged for the rebooted Jets, recording a career-high 102 yards on eight catches and contributing to a 27-24 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The receiver missed big-play opportunities downfield in his first two seasons as a pro, but he finally put his deep speed to use with a 52-yard heave from Tyrod Taylor. It was New York State’s longest play from scrimmage this season and Mitchell’s first career NFL touchdown. The Jets still need a proper No. 2 behind Garrett Wilson in 2026, but it’s not yet clear whether Mitchell can fill that role. But he has made a strong case to Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand that he is a player worth developing.
mike mcdaniel
When the Miami Dolphins parted ways with general manager Chris Grier midseason but chose to hang on to their embattled coach, they appeared to give McDaniel the right path to turn things around. So far, he has taken advantage of the opportunity. A 21-17 win over the New Orleans Saints might not seem like a game-changer for his tenure, but Miami only fended off a comeback attempt with two minutes left after running back Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted New Orleans’ potential tying two-point conversion attempt. However, the Dolphins have now won three straight games and are clearly different from the lower-ranked teams in the league. With a game against the Jets next weekend, McDaniel will have a chance to inch closer to .500 before the schedule gets into full swing over the final four weeks.
NFL Week 13 Losers
Los Angeles Rams
Since losing to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5, Sean McVay’s team has been essentially unbeatable, never trailing since the first quarter of Week 6. Sunday’s result was even more remarkable, as the Rams had previously appeared to be in a class of their own in the NFC.
With an unusual turnover looming so large, it’s hard to say Los Angeles’ true weaknesses were exposed here. The secondary regressed a bit to average, with cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. allowing his fourth touchdown and five total receptions for 110 yards after a very nice stretch. And the entire defense looks a little adrift without standout safety Quentin Lake, who could return for the playoffs after being placed on injured reserve with a dislocated left elbow.
The bigger problem for Los Angeles is the missed opportunity. The Rams had a chance to maintain an advantage against the rest of the NFC’s top threats, but instead surrendered their spot at the front of the pack. And with Seattle poised to jump for the top spot in the division and the Eagles owning the direct tiebreaker for seeding, any further failures could be costly. With a matchup against the hopeless Detroit Lions looming in Week 15 and a potential NFC West tie-up against the Seahawks in Week 16 on “Thursday Night Football,” this slip-up could be the difference between securing home-field advantage and having to play the entire postseason.
indianapolis colts
Assign fault or extension modifiers as required. No matter how they get there, it’s becoming extremely difficult to keep the Colts among the NFL’s favorites, having lost three of their last four games after Sunday’s 20-16 loss to the Texans.
In a vacuum, there’s no need to worry about Indianapolis being held to a season low in points by a stifling Houston defense. But the offense, which started the season by setting the highest standards league-wide in efficiency, has shown serious signs of stagnation in recent weeks. The quarterback’s ability to extend plays and avoid pressure in particular seems severely inhibited as Daniel Jones continues to play through a broken fibula. Coach Shane Steichen may not admit it, but that system has taken a toll on an attacking approach that has become increasingly risk-averse, leaving him unable to punish his team regularly through the air. Jones had some success in scattered moments downfield, including a 19-yard scoring strike to Alec Pierce and a 34-yard connection with Josh Downs. But Steichen’s play-calling and Jones’ limited play extensions leave Indianapolis with little threat unless Jonathan Taylor can lead the way. In the Colts’ three losses in November, he has been held to just 3.69 yards per carry.
The defense is also showing signs of fraying. Gardner appears to have avoided the worst-case scenario of a ruptured Achilles tendon, but there’s still a chance he could miss a crucial stretch with a calf injury. This is a major blow to the force, which had shifted its reporting approach to focus much more on human coverage since his arrival. Meanwhile, the pass rush remains subpar, with less momentum up front than coordinator Lou Anarumo could plan for.
After starting 7-1, Indianapolis finds itself losing its spot atop the division. To make matters worse, the schedule features games against eight- or nine-win teams over the next four weeks before the season finale against the Texans. If this division falls into the hands of the Colts, it could be difficult for Indianapolis to find a path forward in the near future since they gave up their next two first-round picks in the Gardner deal.
max brosmer
The Minnesota Vikings’ undrafted rookie quarterback was forced into the incredibly unfair position of having to make his first start against a swarming Seattle Seahawks defense while the offense around him continued to crumble. Brosmer hardly deserved to bear the brunt of the 26-0 loss, but his four interceptions also shattered the idea that simply pulling J.J. McCarthy from behind center field could save the team. Desperation set in quickly, as Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV caught a fling on fourth down and returned it 85 yards for a score, a harbinger of the pain that would come with the shutout. Minnesota’s offense was so incompetent that the signal-caller completed 14-of-26 passes for a season-low 128 yards, but didn’t need to give his new team anything more, rendering Sam Darnold’s revenge plans essentially moot. If McCarthy can clear concussion protocol in the next week or two, Minnesota will have no choice but to return him and gain insight on whether a complete reset is needed.
aaron rodgers
When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Rodgers in June, they thought they would be able to reduce their demands on the 41-year-old by having plenty of support. But the 26-7 debacle at home against the Buffalo Bills highlighted how poorly nearly every level of the operation, especially the offense, is up to the task.
Pittsburgh managed just 166 total yards on Sunday, including only 58 in a rushing attack that pounded the Bills defense into the ground over and over again. The game started early in the second half when Rodgers made some clever moves in the pocket to buy time against the oncoming pass rush, but was hit by Joey Bosa, forced a fumble, and Christian Benford returned it for a touchdown. From there, the Steelers proved unable to climb out of the hole. The four-time NFL MVP’s bloody broken wrist and the absence of left tackle Broderick Jones appear to have compounded the offense’s ineffectiveness in the downfield passing game.
Rodgers stood by Mike Tomlin after the loss, but it became clear that frustration was growing as the quarterback demanded accountability from his players, including himself. This is a good start, but given the structure of this team, I doubt the missing spark will be ignited through sheer force of will. If Pittsburgh falters next week against the rival Baltimore Ravens and cedes even more ground in the AFC North, the team and Rodgers will face an unpleasant reality about where this season will go.
