40 things we learned in Week 13 of the 2016 NFL season
The 40 things we learned from Week 13 of the NFL season:
1. And on the first weekend of December: Snow in Green Bay. And Chicago. OK, game on.
2. Tip of the helmet to the players: #CleatsForACause.
3. Our favorite was Raiders owner Mark Davis wearing purple Chucks to raise domestic violence awareness.
4. Break up the Baltimore Ravens.
5. On the Ravens’ first two drives, Joe Flacco was 11-for-14 with two TDs. Elite numbers. And he just kept on going.
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6. Tom Brady is now the NFL’s all-time winningest QB with 201 victories. And we bow in his honor.
7. But the best story of the day was Chiefs safety Eric Berry. We don’t care who you cheer for (Falcons fans, excluded), this has to make you smile.
8. Playing near his hometown, where two years ago he was treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Berry celebrated with a pick-six — and then gave the ball to his mom. And that almost made us cry.
9. But he wasn’t done. He intercepted a Matt Ryan pass as the Falcons went for a two-point conversion to extend their, returned it the length of the field, and that gave the Chiefs the winning points in a 29-28 victory. Wow.
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10. Of course, some fans were crying tears of another variety in Week 13:
11. — Jeff Fisher. Contract extension. Sorry, Rams fans.
12. — The first-quarter QB numbers in 49ers-Bears: Colin Kaepernick 0-for-1; Matt Barkley 0-for-2.
13. — Kaepernick was later benched. His final numbers: 1-for-5 for 4 yards.
14. — Broncos-Jaguars featured six possessions in the first quarter. All resulted in a punt.
15. — Mike Nugent of the Bengals missed an extra point. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
16. — Blake Bortles threw a pick-six. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
17. — A Bortles stat we can’t ignore: Career wins: 10. Career pick-sixes: 11.
18. The greatness of the Raiders. And every week we write it, we believe it more.
19. Whenever they show a shot of Odell Beckham Jr. talking to Eli Manning on the sideline — and Manning’s head just nodding — you wonder just what Eli is thinking at that moment.
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20. Life without Gronk. Reminder for all those people who had the Patriots penciled into the Super Bowl way back in October: It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
21. Life without Earl Thomas. And the road to the Super Bowl just got a lot bumpier for the Seattle Seahawks.
22. Referee Pete Morelli’s crew was assigned to 49ers-Bears in Chicago on Sunday. If ever a crew got the game it deserved, this was it.
23. Anybody who still thinks the Cowboys are a lock to win the NFC wasn’t paying attention Thursday night.
24. If one play summed up the 49ers’ season it was this: They got penalized for “celebrating” a touchdown. And upon review … it was ruled they hadn’t even scored.
25. The New York Jets' starting quarterback for 2017 isn't currently on their roster.
26. Popcorn alert: The Chiefs post back-to-back victories on the road against the Broncos and Falcons. Think Arrowhead will be rocking Thursday night when the Raiders come to town?
27. The fact the Lions walked into the Superdome — not the easiest place to win — and took care of business so matter-of-factly was pretty damn impressive.
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28. Any thought the Broncos would consider switching to rookie Paxton Lynch late in the season were probably put to rest Sunday. He’s just not ready.
29. You can tell we are getting late into the season when a certain result can affect, like, four teams in the playoff field. (Yeah, the NFL doesn’t use a committee to vote who reaches the playoffs).
30. Speaking of that, the Cowboys are first to clinch a spot. And, if the season ended today, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be the sixth seed in the NFC ahead of Washington.
31. Keep an eye on those Bucs, who won another tough road game Sunday in San Diego. As stated before, we gave up way too early on them. But we’re back on the boat now.
32. A lot has been made about the new PAT rule — as well it should, given the #kickerfail from 33 yards. But what about the back end of the rule, where you can now return a blocked kick or fumble/interception for two points? Two games have now been decided by the defense in those scenarios: Broncos over Saints and Chiefs over Falcons. Crazy. And cool.
33. Drew Brees’ record of 60 straight home games with a touchdown pass came to an end Sunday. And that left us thinking … 60 straight home games with a TD pass! Damn.
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34. His holdout, the fact he plays for a West Coast team and fact his team has a losing record has meant rookie DE Joey Bosa has not gotten the national attention he deserves. He is a force … and deserves every penny the Chargers wouldn’t pay him.
35. So that much ballyhooed showdown between Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown. The real star was … Ladarius Green. The Steelers tight end was the best receiver on the field with six catches for 110 yards and a TD.
36. We were giddy — yes, giddy — when Raiders coach Jack Del Rio did not “chase the point” when they scored to close the gap to 24-22 late in the third quarter. Too often, coaches do it too early and it comes back to haunt them.
37. Andrew Luck is back. And the Indianapolis Colts are back on top of the AFC South ... even if they're sharing the lead with Houston and Tennessee.
38. We don't care how minor of a team infraction it was, getting benched for one series not a good look for Cam Newton.
39. The 2016 Khalil Mack is the 2015 Von Miller. That is all.
40. Redskins coach Jay Gruden showed some fire in the locker room after losing to the Cardinals, telling his guys they weren’t ready to play. That was probably a fun flight home.
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