NFL Week 13 results from Sunday: Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and Baltimore were among the early winners.
Recent NFL News (Dec. 9th) – Mayfield wins in LA
The LA Rams pulled off a surprising victory on Thursday night. They were hosting the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that was 5-7 entering Week 14 and still in the hunt for a Wild Card. The Raiders would have been very optimistic about their chances for a playoff spot with a victory to improve to 6-7. However, Baker Mayfield of all quarterbacks stole a victory for the Rams with some late-game heroics. With the result, the ever-frustrated Raiders are now 5-8 on the season.
The Rams were down 16-3 late in the fourth quarter but Mayfield orchestrated two touchdown drives in the Rams’ final two possessions. The game-winner came with nine seconds to go when Mayfield connected with Van Jefferson for the tie and a winning convert to follow.
The result was truly heartbreaking for the Raiders while, at the other end of the spectrum, Mayfield was the hero in his Rams’ debut. You have to wonder how LA was able to utilize Mayfield so effectively on short notice when Carolina was not able to do that this season. The Rams are now 4-9 on the campaign and they are all but mathematically eliminated from contention.
Marcus Mariota benched for the Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have a bye week coming up in Week 14. However, the team still managed to make a little bit of news. They have decided that they are going to bench their starting quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in favor of playing rookie Desmond Ridder. The news was reported on at ESPN on Thursday morning.
The Atlanta Falcons have made a change at quarterback, turning to rookie Desmond Ridder and benching veteran Marcus Mariota, a source told ESPN’s Michael Rothstein on Thursday.
ESPN – December 8th, 2022
If you were to analyze the move, then you might get stuck between two opinions. Are the Falcons still trying to win this season? Or are they giving some charity work to their rookie quarterback in the name of development?
Looking at the standings, the Falcons are 5-8 and behind the 6-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the Bucs hold the tiebreaker and TB has the game at hand. That said, Atlanta still has to be interested in their current season and they are likely hoping that their rookie QB is more of a player than presumed as they focus on a pretty weak four-game schedule for the balance of their season. A record of 8-9 is not entirely out of reach and there’s a chance that it holds up for the division title.
Von Miller won’t suit up for Buffalo again this season
The Buffalo Bills received some really bad news this week when it comes to their chances of winning the Super Bowl. Von Miller, their best defensive player and a player that has been integral to two Super Bowl championships in the past, will miss the rest of the season. Head coach Sean McDermott made the announcement on Wednesday.
Will the news lead to an odds crash for the Buffalo Bills? Heading into Week 14, they are the favorites to win the Super Bowl with bet365 sportsbook at 4/1. However, you have to think that the oddsmakers and bettors alike are going to be skeptical of the Bills. going forward.
Davis Mills will be back in action in Week 14
In news that is relevant to the ‘race’ to lead the NFL in interceptions, Davis Mills will be back in action in Week 14. The Houston Texans, apparently, did not really like what they saw out of their backup QB, Kyle Allen, over the last couple of weeks. DJ Bien-Aime reported on the news with ESPN on December 7th, 2022.
Mills is among the leaders in the NFL for INTs this season. He has 11, a total that ties him with Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills for second league-wide. The outright leader heading into Week 14 is Matt Ryan of the Indianapolis Colts. Ryan had three INTs last week and is currently the betting favorite to throw the most interceptions this season with bet365.
Tampa Bay Bucs beat New Orleans on Monday
The NFL’s Monday night game came from Tampa Bay to conclude Week 13 a couple of nights ago. The Bucs hosted the New Orleans Saints in a match-up between two teams, neither of which is elite this season. However, there was something on the line in the game as each team entered with hopes of making the playoffs via a regular-season divisional title.
The game will be remembered for the ending. The Bucs found themselves down 16-3 late in the fourth quarter, having not scored a touchdown the entire game. However, they were able to orchestrate two TDs in the final minutes, including one in the dying seconds to claim a victory. The result improved TB’s playoff hopes while the Saints fell to 4-9 on the season. They’ll be ruing their missed opportunities as they head to largely meaningless football games now.
LA Rams acquired quarterback Baker Mayfield
The Carolina Panthers waived quarterback Baker Mayfield on Monday. The Panthers have gone through a lot of changes this season, including firing the head coach that they had at the start of the season, Matt Rhule. Mayfield had been one of three starting QBs that the Panthers used this season, the others being PJ Walker and Sam Darnold.
Mayfield did not go very long before landing with a new team. The LA Rams, a team that has to play on Thursday night this week, picked Mayfield up on Tuesday. The Rams have recently lost Matthew Stafford to the injury reserve. They also listed John Wolford, their backup QB, on the injury report for this week. With such attrition in the QB position, they clearly had to make a move to keep their on-the-field team credible and Rams’ management much have seen Mayfield as being of some help.
Baltimore Ravens edged the Denver Broncos with Jackson out
The Baltimore Ravens had about all they could handle on Sunday. They hosted the Denver Broncos, a team that has struggled all season long. However, the Broncos put a real scare into Baltimore as the Ravens narrowly escaped with a victory in their Week 13 game. The final score in the game was Baltimore 10, Denver 9.
It was a game where the Ravens were without Lamar Jackson for the most part. As of Monday, Jackson is questionable for next week’s game. However, his knee injury is not thought to be a season-ending injury.
Despite not scoring a touchdown for almost the entire game, Baltimore managed one on their final drive with about half a minute left. The drive did leave just enough time for Denver to try and answer. Russell Wilson was able to complete a couple of passes, however, ultimately a 63-yard Brandon McManus attempt fell short. Denver fell to 3-9 on their dismal season while Baltimore improved to 8-4.
Green Bay Packers defeat Chicago
The Chicago Bears are heading toward a last-place finish in the NFC North. They lost on Sunday to the Green Bay Packers 28-19.
The loss was the second on the season for Chicago to the Packers, meaning that Green Bay will hold the tiebreaker between the two teams — if that even comes into play. The Bears are now 3-10, they have been mathematically eliminated from making the playoffs, and it will be hard for them to climb out of the NFC North’s cellar.
The Packers improved to 5-8 on the season. They need plenty of results to go their way if they are to re-enter the playoff picture. Next week, the Packers will have a bye and then they will face the LA Rams, a matchup that should be favorable for Green Bay given everything that has gone wrong with the Rams this season.
