Admin December 2, 2024
Bills secure AFC North, Ravens continue with self-inflicted wounds
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the top storylines from Week 13 in the NFL.
Sports Seriously
Week 13 in the NFL brought us a post-Thanksgiving slate that included snow, a cross-country revenge game and an all-time great kicker who continues to struggle.
The Buffalo Bills put away the 49ers after a storm dumped 20-plus of snow, and now San Francisco is in serious peril of missing the playoffs one year after making the Super Bowl.
In New York, Geno Smith and Leonard Williams – a pair of former Jets – helped the Seattle Seahawks extend their lead in the NFC West. And the Baltimore Ravens, who at the midway point looked like one of the most potent teams in the NFL, have lost two of their last three, and kicker Justin Tucker’s accuracy issues are a key reason why.
Here are the winners and losers from Sunday of Week 12.
WINNERS
Russell Wilson, Steelers air it out
As he has done since taking over as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback, Russell Wilson has unlocked the downfield passing game for the Steelers. And — more importantly for Pittsburgh (9-3) — the team is keeping pace in the AFC.
Wilson’s 414 passing yards in a 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals was the third-highest single-game total of any quarterback this season. Ten different Steelers caught passes, and nine of them gained at least 20 yards. Not only did Pittsburgh further complicate Cincinnati’s path to the playoffs, but the Steelers also lingered just behind the Bills for the second seed in the conference. The Steelers sometimes have games when they rely on kicker Chris Boswell to account for the bulk of the scoring, but, either way, when Wilson can find targets down the field, Pittsburgh is tough to beat.
A few former Jets – now with the Seahawks – spark a huge day
In his first game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium since he left the team, quarterback Geno Smith oversaw a comeback victory over New York to extend Seattle’s lead in the NFC West. While Smith’s numbers were pedestrian – he threw for 206 yards and a score – he helped the team overcome turnovers as the Seahawks (7-5) scored the game’s final 19 points.
Defensive end Leonard Williams burned his former team, becoming the first player since 1982 with two or more sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown and a blocked kick in a single game. And with the Cardinals and 49ers losing, the Seahawks now have a one-game lead in the division.
Washington course corrects, cruises on the ground
The Washington Commanders, after losing three in a row, returned to form with a dominant rushing performance in a 42-19 rout of the Tennessee Titans that recalled their early-season success. Washington (8-5) protected the ball — committing just one turnover, a Jayden Daniels interception — and ate up huge chunks on the ground, running for 267 yards and three scores on 45 carries.
Most impressively, the rushing performance came against a Tennessee squad that entered Sunday ranked ninth in rushing defense. The Commanders remained in the final wild -spot in the NFC and may have found a solid reserve running back option in Chris Rodriguez Jr. (13 carries, 94 yards, one touchdown).
Shane Steichen’s gutsy call pays off
The narrative around going for two when down by one point late in a game often lacks nuance. And the reality is, had the Indianapolis Colts (6-7) failed to convert their two-point conversion with 12 second left to beat the New England Patriots 25-24, plenty of criticism would fall on coach Shane Steichen.
Yet Steichen’s call fit the context of the game; the Patriots offense had its way with the Indy defense, gaining 422 total yards, including 200 on the ground. In overtime, on the road, that would have complicated the prospects of a Colts victory. So now Indianapolis sits one spot outside of the AFC wild-card picture, with Denver set to play Monday night.
LOSERS
Do the Ravens have a Justin Tucker problem, among others?
At this point, it’s safe to say yes. Justin Tucker, who prior to this season had been the most accurate kicker in NFL history, is having his worst campaign ever. Prior to 2024, Tucker’s previous career low field goal percentage was 82.5%, set in 2015. This year, after he missed consecutive attempts in the third quarter of the 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he is now 19-of-27 (70.4%).
His eight missed field goals are a career worst, and there are four games left in the season. He has also missed a pair of extra points after the one he doinked off the upright Sunday. Tucker’s misses appear to correlate directly to wins and losses; in victories, he has gone 10-of-11 (90.9%) on field goals. In losses, that number is 9-of-16 (56.3%).
Whether it’s mental or mechanical, Tucker must fix it quickly because this is exactly the type of issue that will cost Baltimore (8-5) more games if it continues.
Time is (quickly) running out for 49ers
While San Francisco (5-7) is just two games out of first place in the NFC West, there are only five games left in its season and injuries are becoming too much to overcome. It didn’t get any better when running back Christian McCaffrey went down on a non-contact injury in Sunday night’s 35-10 loss in snowy Buffalo. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that the suspected PCL injury could end the reigning Offensive Player of the Year’s season.
Simply put: San Francisco has lacked its defensive dominance from previous seasons; while the Niners have limited teams to lower yardage totals, their performance on third downs (26th) and in the red zone (29th) have allowed teams to outscore them.
The Kirk Cousins sheen has dulled in Atlanta
It was rather curious when the Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall just a month after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal. Now, after Cousins chucked four interceptions against the Chargers and now that Atlanta (6-6) has lost three in a row, the franchise must be questioning its decision.
Two of the interceptions were particularly egregious. One was on a glacial throw to the wide side of the field that rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still easily jumped and returned 61 yards for a touchdown. The other came in the middle of the fourth quarter, inside the red zone, when Cousins bafflingly floated one into triple coverage in the end zone — almost certainly taking at least three points off the board in what was a four-point game. Cousins is 36 and a veteran of 13 seasons. There’s no reason for him to still be making these same mistakes.