With the playoffs in sight, week 13 of the NFL regular season was filled with a number of important matchups. The San Francisco 49ers played the Philadelphia Eagles in a matchup between arguably the two best teams in the NFC. Surprisingly, the 49ers were able to dominate the Eagles on the road, winning easily 42-19.
Deebo Samuel led the way for the 49ers, with 138 total yards and 3 touchdowns in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship game. Brock Purdy, who has had an MVP worthy season so far, threw for 314 yards and 4 touchdowns. Running back Christian McCaffrey had another solid running game, rushing for 93 yards on 17 carries.
Jalen Hurts had a mediocre game, throwing for 298 yards and a touchdown in 45 attempts. Philadelphia had a tough time running the ball, as D’Andrew Swift could only get 13 yards on his 6 carries, averaging 2.2 yards/rush.
San Francisco improved their record to 9-3 and now look like the favourites to win the Super Bowl. The Eagles suffered only their second loss of the season and looked completely outmatched by the 49ers. With the Dallas Cowboys only one game behind, the Eagles will need to play well the rest of the season to win the NFC East.
The Miami Dolphins had another explosive week offensively, scoring 45 points against the Washington Commanders. Once again, the star of the show was All-Pro wide receiver Tyreke Hill, catching 5 passes for 157 yards, including 2 touchdowns. Tua Tagovailoa was solid with two touchdown passes for 280 yards.
Miami is now 9-3 with two home games coming up against the Titans and Jets. They will expect to win both games, but will have a tough end to the regular season against Dallas, Baltimore and Buffalo.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns both lost on Sunday, failing to make ground on Division leaders, the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams are now 7-5, tied with the Colts and Texans for Wild Card sports in the AFC.
Starting quarterback Kenny Pickett left in the first quarter with an ankle injury in the Steelers 24-10 loss. He was replaced by Mitch Trubisky who couldn’t get much going for the Steelers offensively.
The Browns were beaten by the LA Rams 36-19 at the SoFi Stadium in California. Matthew Stafford had a good game at quarterback with three touchdown passes and 279 yards. Joe Flacco had a costly interception in the second half which put the Rams ahead by double digits.
Earlier in the week, the Cowboys were able to win against the Seattle Seahawks at home, 41-35, to improve their record to 9-3. Dallas is only one game behind the Eagles in the NFC East and have the easier schedule to end the season. Next week’s matchup between the Eagles and Cowboys may end up deciding the winner of the division.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will play the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night in Jacksonville. The Bengals can hang on to hope of making the playoffs with a win. The Jaguars will be looking to widen the gap between them and the Colts/Texans by going to 9-3. Joe Burrows will be out for the Bengal with a wrist injury with Jake Browning filling in at quarterback.
NFL Week 13 Scoreboard
| Seattle Seahawks (6-6) | 35 |
| Dallas Cowboys (9-3) | 41 |
| Atlanta Falcons (6-6) | 13 |
| New York Jets (4-8) | 8 |
| Miami Dolphins (9-3) | 45 |
| Washington Commanders (4-9) | 15 |
| Detroit Lions (9-3) | 33 |
| New Orleans Saints (5-7) | 28 |
| Indianapolis Colts (7-5) | 31 |
| Tennessee Titans (4-8) | 28 |
| San Diego Chargers (5-7) | 6 |
| New England Patriots (2-10) | 0 |
| Denver Broncos (6-6) | 17 |
| Houston Texans (7-5) | 22 |
| Denver Broncos (6-6) | 17 |
| Houston Texans (7-5) | 22 |
| Arizona Cardinals (3-10) | 24 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) | 10 |
| Carolina Panthers (1-11) | 18 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) | 21 |
| San Francisco 49ers (9-3) | 42 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) | 19 |
| Cleveland Browns (7-5) | 19 |
| Los Angeles Rams (6-6) | 36 |
| Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) | 19 |
| Green Bay Packers (6-6) | 27 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3) | – |
| Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) | – |
