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With the holidays around the bend, the NFL lowers its shoulders to boulder through a hectic finish to an even more hectic season. Top teams will fall down the playoff standings, underdogs will overcome adversity, and hidden gems will spark up throughout the league. Let's recap Week 13 to see which teams and players did just that.
Photo: Scot Tucker/Associated Press
Week 14 Power Rankings
Teams to Note
San Francisco 49ers (Rose 2 spots)
There's a new #1 in town! San Fran eviscerated one of the top offenses in football, and did relatively well on offense with Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy taking over early in the contest. Is it a shame George Kittle and Jauan Jennings have been virtually missing from this offense in terms of production? Of course, but that makes their #1 ranking all the more impressive given they aren't using two of their many offensive playmakers to the best of their ability.
Los Angeles Chargers (Dropped 3 spots)
This has been a rough go for the Chargers for a second year in a row, as they lose a tough game to the Raiders and fall to 6-6 on the year. They've been injured all year long which doesn't help, but they've had plenty of opportunities to still win games despite that. In the past 4 games, they've lost 3 one possession ball games, and almost lost a fourth to the Cardinals. They need to turn it around, and I think that only happens once this team gets healthy.
Cincinnati Bengals (Rose 5 spots)
Once again, the Bengals take down the Chiefs for the 3rd time in the past calendar year. Joe Burrow officially enters the MVP conversation, this defense pretty much kept Mahomes and Kelce in check all night, and they're on a 4 game win streak. They do have one of the toughest remaining schedules, as they play the Browns, Bucs, Pats, Bills, and Ravens, with 4 of those 5 teams sitting at or above .500 at the moment. The Bengals had some late season magic last year, and they might have some of that left in the tank for this season.
Week 13 Awards
AFC Offensive MVP: Davante Adams - Las Vegas Raiders
AFC Defensive MVP: Minkah Fitzpatrick - Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC Trench Tyrant: Kolton Miller - Las Vegas Raiders
AFC Special Teams MVP: Donovan Peoples-Jones - Cleveland Browns
NFC Offensive MVP: Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles
NFC Defensive MVP: Nick Bosa - San Francisco 49ers
NFC Trench Tyrant: Chris Lindstrom - Atlanta Falcons
NFC Special Teams MVP: Michael Badgley - Detroit Lions
Award Winners to Note
Chris Lindstrom - This marks three straight weeks that Chris has not only been the best NFC linemen, but the best in the entire NFL. In the past three games, he hasn't allowed a single pressure, and he's posted a run blocking grade of 96.5. In those three games, Atlanta ranks 6th with 154 yards per game on the ground. It's a shame they've lost 2 games in this dominant stretch, but that doesn't take away from Lindstrom's stellar performance.
Nick Bosa - Bosa had another huge game that helped lead the 49ers to a win. On 30 pass rush snaps, he generated 7 pressures, 3 sacks, and forced a fumble that resulted in the game-sealing TD. He also recorded 3 total stops, while producing a pass rush grade of 87.6, 6th highest in the league in Week 13. His dominance off the edge has kept the 49ers defense alive during their 5 game win streak.
Minkah Fitzpatrick - Earlier this year, I admitted Minkah has been very solid. On Sunday, he had one of his best games of the year and is keeping the Steelers playoff hopes alive. He produced the 5th highest defensive grade in Week 13 at 92.0, and he also recorded the game winning INT where he could have scored, but chose to slide down to keep the ball in his offense's hands. He allowed just 21 yards on 3 targets, and posted a passer rating against of 47.2.
Photo: Jimmy Crib/Atlanta Falcons
Key Fantasy Players Recap (Week 13)
QB: Trevor Lawrence vs Detroit Lions
Projected - 18.8
Actual - 16.36
Results - Busted
RB: Kyren Williams vs Seattle Seahawks
Projected - 8.9
Actual - 0.9
Results - Busted
WR: Olamide Zaccheaus vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Projected - 6.7
Actual - 3.3
Results - Busted
TE: Logan Thomas vs New York Giants
Projected - 5.1
Actual - 5.0
Results - Pushed
D/ST: Houston Texans vs Cleveland Browns
Projected - 3.5
Actual - 8.0
Results - Boomed
K: Jason Myers vs Los Angeles Rams
Projected - 8.2
Actual - 10.0
Results - Boomed
Week 13 Total: 2 Boomed, 1 Pushed, 3 Busted
Yearly Total: 19 Boomed, 7 Pushed, 16 Busted
Key Fantasy Players for Week 14
QB: Ryan Tannehill vs Jacksonville Jaguars (proj. 14.9)
It's a divisional game to virtually lock in 1st place in the AFC South, expect Tannehill to have a big day targeting rookies Treylon Burks and Chigoziem Okonkwo.
RB: James Cook vs New York Jets (proj. 9.8)
Cook has earned the trust of Ken Dorsey and saw his highest snap share of the season at 43% in Week 13. The Jets aren't the best against RBs, so he should have a shot to put up some solid numbers again.
WR: Nelson Agholor vs Arizona Cardinals (proj. 7.0)
For whatever reason, Agholor plays better on the road. He's been targeted 14 times in the past 3 games, so as long as Mac keeps slinging it his way, he should have a big night.
TE: Greg Dulcich vs Kansas City Chiefs (proj. 9.4)
Tight ends playing well is a scarce commodity this year, but Dulcich has had some solid moments. In 7 games, he's had four top-11 TE performances, and he should have another one this week.
D/ST: Cincinnati Bengals vs Cleveland Browns (proj. 5.5)
The Predator is gonna have another rough outing, Bengals defense by a million.
K: Cameron Dicker vs Miami Dolphins (proj. 7.5)
The rookie sensation should have a big day against a mediocre Miami defense. As long as Herbert's receivers can actually get separation, they'll move the ball all day long.
Photo: Robb Carr/GettyImages
Final Notes:
After this week, we'll have just 4 games left for teams to snag the final playoff spots, for players move up the awards ladder, and for me to decide who the best players at each position were; it'll be an exciting finish to a solid NFL season.
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