Winners and Losers of Week 13

Usually we start off with the week 13 recap right away, but today we are gonna mix it up a little and talk about some of the winners and some of the losers right now after Week 13 has been concluded.

With only five weeks left in the 2023 NFL regular season, the distinction between the top teams and the rest is becoming clearer. As the playoff picture in both the AFC and NFC becomes more defined, discussions are increasingly focusing on playoff spots and seeding scenarios.

Who stood out this Sunday, and which teams and players are already setting their sights on the next game? Let's dive into the highlights and lowlights from Week 13.

Winner | San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers could hardly have made more of a statement on Sunday. San Francisco dominated the Philadelphia Eagles from start to finish, earning a 42-19 win over the NFC’s top team while simultaneously creating a path to claim the conference’s No. 1 seed for themselves.

The 49ers’ victory highlighted every way they can win. Purdy was ruthlessly efficient, averaging 11.6 yards per attempt while hitting Deebo Samuel (twice), Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings for touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey totaled over 150 yards, while San Francisco’s defense consistently harassed Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and sacked him three times.

Loser | Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles were the NFL’s only one-loss team heading into Sunday’s action, but they’d gotten a bit lucky. Philadelphia’s underlying metrics painted them as more of a seven-win club than a 10-win team heading into Week 13.

As such, it might not be all that surprising that Jalen Hurts and Co. finally suffered a significant loss after eking out close wins over the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs.

Winner | Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts

The Texans still wouldn’t be in the playoffs if the season ended today, but they managed a critical win on the fellow AFC Wild Card contender Denver Broncos. Houston now has a one-game lead over the Broncos and the Bills. The only negative? Dynamic rookie wideout Tank Dell, who had become C.J. Stroud’s favorite receiver, suffered a season-ending leg injury.

While the Texans still have work to do to get into the postseason, the Indianapolis Colts are already the seventh seed after posting an overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans. Garner Minshew II was turnover-free, while Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce went over 100 yards receiving.

The AFC’s last Wild Card spot may very well come down to Week 18’s Texans-Colts regular-season finale.

Loser | Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh now has the group’s lowest playoff odds (54%), per the New York Times’ projection model. Not only did the Steelers lose a trap game to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but starting quarterback Kenny Pickett is expected to be sidelined for 2-4 weeks after suffering an ankle injury.

Cleveland still has nearly a 70% chance of making the postseason, and Joe Flacco’s first start as a Brown was encouraging. While he averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt, Flacco was a noticeable improvement over the likes of Dorian Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker.

Winner | Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Atlanta Falcons became the clear NFC South favorites on Sunday after holding off the New York Jets in a 13-8 win. But getting excited about any team from this division is still tricky. Desmond Ridder completed just 12 of 27 attempts against Gang Green, and a five-point win against a team that played Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian isn’t exactly encouraging.

Loser | New Orleans Saints

Three straight losses have turned the New Orleans Saints’ season into a disaster. While they’re only a game behind the Falcons (and will have a chance to face Atlanta again in Week 18), New Orleans’ playoff chances are down to just 27%, even below Tampa Bay’s.

Winner | Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins

What else is there to say about Tyreek Hill? Having called his shot to become the first NFL player with 2,000 receiving yards in a single season, Hill continued on a record-breaking path in the Miami Dolphins’ 45-15 win over the Washington Commanders.

Hill hauled in five catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 1,324 yards on the season. That’s the most receiving yards over the first 11 games in NFL history and puts Hill on pace for a league-record 2,046 yards.

A non-quarterback may never win the MVP award, but Hill has put himself in the conversation.

Winner | Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams appeared dead and buried after losing three straight games to fall to 3-6, but three consecutive victories have them right back in the Wild Card race. A scary-looking injury to WR Puka Nacua was concerning, but Los Angeles breathed a sigh of relief when he eventually returned to Sunday’s game.

Fantasy Players of The Week

Sam Laporta - 29.00 points

• Laporta had 9 targets for 9 catches and 140 receiving yards. Including a big first down catch that sealed the win for the Lions. Also added a touchdown for his first catch of the day

Mike Evans - 32.20 points

• Mike Evans only had 1 touchdown in this game but ended with 162 yards receiving on only 7 catches. With this great game by Evans, he passed the 1,000 yard mark on the season.

Deebo Samuel - 35.80 points

• Deebo pulled out the hat trick scoring 3 touchdowns in a key win against the Eagles. He had 1 rushing touchdown to start the game and then 2 receiving touchdowns where he used his playmaking skills to dodge defenders and make it into the endzone.

NBA Performances of the Week

Written by: Henry D

Reggie Jackson puts up 35 points and 13 assists against stacked Clippers

Nuggets point guard, Reggie Jackson, was thrust into the starting role when star Jamal Murray went down with an injury early this season. While Jackson has done well in this role, his ability to be a starting caliber point guard in this league really got a chance to show in last Monday’s game against the Clippers. Reggie led a Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray-less Nuggets to a solid 113-104 victory over the star-studded Los Angeles Clippers.

Luka Doncic nearly hangs 40 point triple double on surging Rockets

Dallas Mavericks guard, Luka Doncic, is no stranger to absurd statlines, and his performance this past Tuesday was yet another incredible addition to his impressive resume. Doncic recorded 41 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 9 assists, just shy of a triple double. Doncic already has 58 triple doubles in his young career, and we can expect many more to come as he continues to dominate this league.

Sochan proves he can handle the Point Guard role

Spurs 2022 lottery pick, Jeremy Sochan, spent his entire collegiate career and rookie year as a Power Forward, but after drafting star rookie Victor Wenbanyama, the Spurs elected to move Sochan to the Point Guard position for the 2023 season. For most of this season, this move has proven to be questionable at best, with Sochan averaging modest numbers, and receiving criticism from local fans and media. However, when the Spurs battled the Atlanta Hawks this past Wednesday, Sochan silenced the doubters with an impressive line of 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Sochan led the charge as the Spurs nearly pulled off the upset. Hopefully this performance will put more respect on Sochan’s name going forward.

Bridges erupts in 1st quarter, leading to easy Nets victory

The Orlando Magic were in for a shock when the Brooklyn Nets emerging star Mikal Bridges went absolutely berserk in the 1st quarter on Saturday. Bridges scored 26 quick points in the quarter, leading the way for the Nets 28 point victory. The 2-way star finished with 42 points with efficient 60% shooting from the field and 50% shooting from beyond the arc. With scoring guard Cam Thomas returning to full strength and Bridges beginning to find himself as a scorer, the Nets are establishing themselves as an offensive force in the East.

Lively throws his name into the Rookie of the Year Conversation with Double-Double

Dallas Mavericks 2023 first round pick, Dereck Lively, had his best performance of his career Saturday against the OKC Thunder. Lively put up a solid double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds, 6 of which came on the offensive glass. Lively put up these numbers while going an impressive 9 of 9 from the field and also adding 7 blocks. While the rookie of the year race seems to be just a 2 man competition led by Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, Lively made sure that fans remembered his name this weekend with this outstanding performance.