NFL Week 13 winners and losers
Week 13 winners
Eric Berry: Nice guy, which is why there has been such an outpouring in Kansas City and league-wide for the ailing Chiefs safety. Get well soon, Eric.
Aaron Rodgers: He outgunned Tom Brady in their first head-to-head duel, led the Packers to their ninth win — they're now tied with the Eagles and Cardinals for the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed — and probably earned an MVP tiebreaker if he and Brady continue to perform at their masterful levels for the rest of the season. Rodgers also extended his NFL record for pass attempts without a pick at home to 360 throws (31 of them Lambeau Field TDs).
C.J. Anderson: The undrafted Broncos tailback probably won't be going back to third string on the depth chart even when Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman are ready to return from injuries. Anderson followed up his 167-yard rushing effort from Week 12 with 168 more in Sunday night's win in Kansas City and added a 15-yard TD catch for good measure.
Rams defense: After underperforming through the season's first two months, this unit is becoming the force it was expected to be. St. Louis shut out the Raiders, limiting Oakland to 244 yards while notching six sacks and five takeaways. The Rams had six sacks through their first seven games but have 22 in their last five and were helped by the return of DE Chris Long against the Raiders. St. Louis has held three of its past five opponents to 10 points or fewer. With games against the Cardinals and Seahawks still to come, the Rams could still have a major impact on the NFC playoff picture.
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J.J. Watt: His stranglehold on defensive player of the year honors continues to tighten. He picked up two more sacks Sunday and laid six hits on Titans quarterbacks, including a knockout blow to starter Zach Mettenberger, who injured his right shoulder after being slammed to the turf. Watt also snared his third TD pass of the season and has now reached the end zone five times in 2014, three more than Pro Bowl WR Andre Johnson.
Davante Adams: The Packers' rookie wideout stepped up with his first 100-yard receiving game (6 catches, 121 yards) on a day when the Patriots focused on stopping Rodgers' No. 1 option, Jordy Nelson, who caught just two balls.
Seahawks: Relaxing in the wake of their Thanksgiving thrashing of the 49ers, they enjoyed their Turkey Day leftovers Sunday as the division-leading Cardinals lost their second straight game in convincing fashion. Now just a game out of first place with the tiebreaker over Arizona, the champs' recent problems certainly look tame as the Cards and Niners continue to spring their own leaks.
Vikings special teams: Minnesota blocked two Carolina punts and returned both for touchdowns in a 31-13 victory. The Vikings also limited the Panthers returners to 14.3 yards on three runbacks while Minnesota KR Cordarrelle Patterson (28-yard kickoff return) and Marcus Sherels (45 totals yards on two punt returns) were better than solid. Nice job overall by coordinator Mike Priefer's bunch.
Ryan Fitzpatrick: He set a Texans record and career-high by throwing six TD passes in his first playing time since Nov. 2 after he temporarily took a backseat to since-injured Ryan Mallett. Now 6-6, Houston continues to hang around the AFC's playoff fringes.
NFC South: The division has borne plenty of abuse lately with the Falcons and Saints entering Week 13 tied for first place at 4-7. They're still deadlocked, but both teams earned some pride with impressive victories Sunday. The Falcons knocked off the NFC-leading Cardinals 29-18 while the Saints, fresh off three consecutive losses at the Superdome, went into Heinz Field and derailed the Steelers thanks to a season-high five TD passes from QB Drew Brees. All signs point to a playoff game in either Atlanta or New Orleans in January, and it might just be hosted by a talented outfit getting hot at the right time.
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Week 13 losers
AFC North: Entering Sunday, it was the only division in league history with all four teams three games above .500 concurrently. No more. The Steelers became only the second AFC North squad to lose to an NFC South team after falling to the Saints (Pittsburgh also lost to Tampa Bay this year). Meanwhile, the Browns stumbled in Buffalo, and the Ravens collapsed at home to the jet-lagged Chargers. The Bengals, who barely escaped the Bucs 14-13, are nevertheless now firmly in control of the division with an 8-3-1 record. However the other three teams now find themselves in a 7-5 logjam and could very well finish outside the playoff chase collectively while teams like San Diego and Miami — the Dolphins play the Jets on Monday — continue to build momentum.
Brian Hoyer: He officially cracked the door for Johnny Manziel, who produced a TD for Cleveland in mop-up duty Sunday. Hoyer has had the Browns on track to reach postseason for the first time since 2002 and is 10-5 since being installed as the starter last year. But with six picks in his past three games (two of them losses), his grip on the job has clearly slipped with coach Mike Pettine failing to give him an endorsement following Sunday's defeat.
Robert Griffin III: While serving on clipboard duty for the first time this season, RG3 watched replacement Colt McCoy throw for a career-best 392 yards and three TDs — Griffin hasn't sniffed such production since last season — as the Redskins posted 27 points, their most since Week 3 (when RG3 missed his first game after dislocating his ankle). Washington still has issues with protection (McCoy was sacked six times) and ball security (McCoy fumbled four times and lost one), but the offense continues to function at a higher level with Griffin on the sideline.
Ravens defense: Once the heartbeat of this team, the Baltimore D allowed 440 yards and 21 fourth-quarter points in a 34-33 loss to the Chargers that could define the season for both teams. The Ravens have surrendered at least 27 points in four of their last five games.
Tom Coughlin: His Giants have now lost seven in a row after coughing up a 21-0 first-half lead to the Jaguars, who have typically been playing like the expansion team Coughlin once coached in Jacksonville nearly two decades ago. Now Coughlin's future in New York is appearing increasingly tenuous.
Jimmy Graham's fantasy owners: On a day when Brees threw for five TDs, amazing to note that Graham wasn't targeted even one time.
Drew Stanton: He's thrown five INTs in his past three starts, the last two defeats on the road, and certainly is no longer playing like a passer with Super Bowl bona fides despite Arizona coach Bruce Arians' assertions to the contrary.
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PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 13
