NFL Week 13 Preview: Foreshadowing a potential Super Bowl matchup

11/28/2019

Lamar Jackson, Jimmy Garoppolo — ESNY Graphic, Getty Images

Previewing Week 13 in the NFL, which includes a potential Super Bowl matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

Week 13 of the 2019 NFL season has arrived and Thanksgiving football is finally here. Not only will we be able to watch a trio of games on Thursday, but it’ll also be the first week since September in which no teams have byes. That’s right, the bye-week portion of the NFL season is over, as we have 16 games each week from now until the playoffs.

Luckily for fans, the NFL will additionally consist of a potential Super Bowl matchup this Sunday afternoon. The 10-1 San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will take on the 9-2 Baltimore Ravens and possible MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. That game will take place in Baltimore at 1:00 p.m. ET.

We’ll preview that matchup along with some others, but not before we recap what went down in Week 12.

Week 12 Final Scores // Prediction Results

Indianapolis Colts 17 at Houston Texans 20 // Incorrect
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35 at Atlanta Falcons 22 // Incorrect
Denver Broncos 3 at Buffalo Bills 20 // Incorrect
NY Giants 14 at Chicago Bears 19 // Correct
Pittsburgh Steelers 16 at Cincinnati Bengals 10 // Correct
Miami Dolphins 24 at Cleveland Browns 41 // Correct
Carolina Panthers 31 at NO Saints 34 // Correct
Oakland Raiders 3 at NY Jets 34 // Incorrect
Detroit Lions 16 at Washington Redskins 19 // Incorrect
Seattle Seahawks 17 at Philadelphia Eagles 9 // Incorrect
Jacksonville Jaguars 20 at Tennessee Titans 42 // Correct
Dallas Cowboys 9 at NE Patriots 13 // Correct
GB Packers 8 at SF 49ers 37 // Incorrect
Baltimore Ravens 45 at LA Rams 6 // Correct
Week 12 Results: 7-7
Overall Results: 112-64

Recap: What we saw during Week 12

On Thursday night, we saw the Texans take sole possession of the AFC South division. At 6-4, they took on the 6-4 Colts, coming away with the 20-17 victory at home. Houston was led by none other than quarterback Deshaun Watson. The third-year pro racked up 298 yards through the air with two touchdowns. Both scores were to All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

The Texans defense additionally stepped up and held Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett to a relatively quiet game. Brissett was only able to conjure up 129 yards on 16-of-25 passing.

The Browns are officially on a hot streak, having won each of their last three games. This past Sunday, they took down the Dolphins 41-24. Second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 24 of his 34 throws for 327 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Receiver Jarvis Landry caught 10 of those balls for 148 yards and two scores. Cleveland is now 5-6 and most certainly could be fighting for a Wild Card spot down the road.

Speaking of teams that are on a hot streak…how about the Jets? After starting out 1-7, Gang Green has won three straight games. I understand wins over the Giants and Redskins aren’t overly impressive, but their victory this past weekend over the Raiders definitely was. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one as well in the 34-3 blowout of Oakland. The Jets are now 4-7 heading into their matchup with the winless Bengals next week.

We saw the Titans absolutely torch the Jaguars in the second half of their matchup on Sunday afternoon. Coming out of halftime only leading 7-3, Tennessee scored 28 points in the third quarter. This was fueled by two touchdown passes from Ryan Tannehill and two touchdowns runs from Derrick Henry. Receiver A.J. Brown also caught four balls for 135 yards and one score in the 42-20 win.

The dominant Patriots defense, once again, showed how they’re one of the best this league has to offer. Despite allowing 321 total yards, New England only allowed nine points in the victory over Dallas. They held Ezekiel Elliot to just 86 yards on the ground and additionally held Amari Cooper to zero receptions.

After what we witnessed on Sunday night, it’s clear the 49ers are a potential Super Bowl team. San Francisco took on the 8-2 Packers at home and overpowered them for much of the game, emerging victorious by a score of 37-8. The Niners defense proved once again how competitive they can be, holding Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to just 104 yards through the air. 49ers tight end George Kittle racked up six receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown in the win.

“Lamar Jackson for MVP.” It’s something a ton of fans have said for much of the year and something that’ll continue to be said, especially after this past matchup between the Ravens and Rams. Jackson and Baltimore entered the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and made the Rams look like a lost cause of an organization. After about a quarter, it was already clear who the winner was going to be in this one.

Jackson threw for 169 yards and five touchdowns in the 45-6 win, as Baltimore has solidified themselves as arguably the top team in the entire league.

Preview: What to watch for during Week 13 in the NFL

Buffalo Bills (8-3) at Dallas Cowboys (6-5) – Thurs, Nov. 28, 4:30 p.m. ET

This is definitely the best matchup out of the trio of Thanksgiving games. The 8-3 Buffalo Bills, who lead the AFC Wild Card race and require a win to keep that reputation, will take on the 6-5 Cowboys. Dallas absolutely needs a victory, as they lead the NFC East division by just one game.

It’ll be interesting to see how Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott handles this talented Buffalo secondary. Prescott leads the league with 3,433 passing yards and is tied for fourth with 21 touchdowns. The Bills secondary, on the other hand, is third in the NFL with 184.3 passing yards allowed-per-game.

Despite sitting atop their division right now, Cowboys fans could be calling for Jason Garrett’s job if they don’t win this one.

Tennessee Titans (6-5) at Indianapolis Colts (6-5) – Sun, Dec. 1, 1:00 p.m. ET

After succumbing to defeat against the Texans, the Colts sit in second place in the AFC South division. Right behind them are none other than the Titans, who had a big win over the Jaguars this past Sunday. Both Tennessee and Indy are 6-5 at the moment. That being said, this Sunday afternoon’s matchup between the two organizations is extremely important when you consider the eventual postseason.

Expect Derrick Henry to have a tightly-knit matchup with this Indianapolis rush defense. The Colts are eighth in the league with 97.0 rushing yards allowed-per-game this year. Henry, on the other hand, is fourth in the league with 991 rushing yards. He also ranks fourth with 10 touchdowns on the ground.

If the Titans oust the Colts in this one, look for them to gain momentum as they try to make a playoff run in this final month of the regular season.

San Francisco 49ers (10-1) at Baltimore Ravens (9-2) – Sun, Dec. 1, 1:00 p.m. ET

It’s the potential Super Bowl matchup we’ve all been waiting for. The 10-1 49ers, along with their dominant defense, will take on the 9-2 Ravens, led by Lamar Jackson and their high-powered offense.

The Niners defensive line is one of the best in the business, as is the Ravens offensive line. Therefore, this could be the best battle in the trenches we’ve seen among any of the matchups in the NFL this year. It’ll also be interesting to see if Robert Saleh’s defense will finally have the answer for Jackson that NFL teams have been searching for in 2019.

Not sugar-coating it, but this has the potential to be one of the best matchups all year. It could also be “part one” between these two ballclubs. Don’t be shocked if these two teams meet again in early February.

Cleveland Browns (5-6) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) – Sun, Dec. 1, 1:00 p.m. ET

Only 17 days after seeing these teams in a brawl that led to an indefinite suspension for Myles Garrett, the Browns and Steelers will meet again. This time, with a new Steelers quarterback. Mason Rudolph was recently benched in favor of Devlin Hodges, and it’ll stay that way until further notice.

What’s interesting about this game is that it’s not just a revenge game for the Steelers, but also a very crucial matchup when you discuss the standings. If the Browns win this one, they’ll be in second place in the AFC North division. Them and the Steelers will both have a 6-6 record, but Cleveland will have the tie-breaker due to ousting Pittsburgh in either matchup. However, if the Steelers emerge victorious, they’ll remain in second in that division.

In the three games Hodges has performed in this year, he’s thrown for a combined 318 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He additionally possesses a quarterback rating of 97.7.

Oakland Raiders (6-5) at KC Chiefs (7-4) – Sun, Dec. 1, 4:25 p.m. ET

Isn’t it crazy that the Raiders are just one game behind the Chiefs for the AFC West lead? Oakland had the No. 4 pick in the draft last year and has turned it around in 2019. They have a shot at a Wild Card spot in the AFC, but why not try for the division? It isn’t impossible, especially with five games to play.

The Raiders will most likely go back to Derek Carr as their starting quarterback, despite pulling him from the loss to the Jets this past Sunday. Look for Carr to bounce back in a big way against this average Chiefs secondary who’s allowing 232.6 passing yards-per-game.

On the other hand, we’ll be able to see Patrick Mahomes return from the bye week. Look for him to use that extra rest and preparation to have a huge game against this Raiders secondary. Oakland is 28th in the league with 266.8 passing yards allowed-per-game.

If the Raiders pull off the victory in this one, they’ll actually take the lead in the AFC West division, believe it or not.

NE Patriots (10-1) at Houston Texans (7-4) – Sun, Dec. 1, 8:20 p.m. ET

Start preparing for Sunday night, because a battle between two of the AFC’s best quarterbacks will be coming to our television sets. Tom Brady and the Patriots will travel to Houston to take on Deshaun Watson and the Texans. Houston is coming off a huge win over Indianapolis, one which gave them the lead in the AFC South.

Despite Watson’s big game against the Colts (298 yards, two touchdowns), he’ll be facing a much better defense this Sunday. New England ranks second with 256.4 total yards allowed-per-game and first with 10.6 points allowed-per-game.

The Patriots secondary, led by cornerback Stephon Gilmore, has been extremely impressive, only allowing an average of 158.0 passing yards-per-game. They’ll be a huge test for Watson, who’s eighth in the league with 2,899 passing yards and tied for sixth with 20 touchdown passes.

It’ll be interesting to see if Tom Brady will be able to bounce back after a few games in which he seemed to struggle. In the win over the Eagles, Brady was 26-for-47 for 216 yards and zero touchdowns. This past week against the Cowboys, he was 17-for-37 for just 190 yards and one score. Therefore, in the last two games combined, he’s completed just 51.2% of his throws for 406 yards and one touchdown.

Minnesota Vikings (8-3) at Seattle Seahawks (9-2) – Mon, Dec. 2, 8:15 p.m. ET

Could this be foreshadowing a postseason matchup in the NFC? The Vikings and Seahawks are both in second place in their respective divisions and could end up clinching Wild Card spots. However, neither are too far back in the standings where a division title is out of the question.

Therefore, this will be a huge game for either ballclub. A Vikings win paired with a Packers loss (although that seems unlikely, being that Green Bay is playing the Giants) would propel Minnesota into first place in the NFC North. On the contrary, a Seahawks win paired with a 49ers loss (which could very well occur, as the Niners are playing Baltimore) would put Seattle in first place in the NFC West.

That being said, the playoff picture in the NFC could wildly change this coming Monday night.