2022 NFL Week 13: Sunday Recap

Another annoying tie, a game-changing injury and my +24000 parlay win highlight Week 13 of the 2022 NFL season. (I will never shut up about this)

Packers 28 - 19 Bears

It seems a struggling Aaron Rodgers is still trying to make his case to stay QB1.

Look, he's not bad, but I'd hate to see him go out like Russel Wilson. Just call it a day, and you'll go down like the legend you are...

Regardless, this win takes Green Bay ahead of their hated rival for the most franchise wins in NFL history, stealing the throne from Chicago for the first time in over a century.

Neither of these teams are going anywhere fast - especially with the Vikings sitting so comfortably atop the NFC North - but in the meantime, you can be sure Justin Fields will be a walking a highlight reel. As good as he is, the Bears still suck...

Steelers 19 - 16 Falcons

Kenny Pickett and Marcus Mariota make it 2-for-2 in nap-worthy matchups.

T.J Watt is the only noteworthy player in Pittsburgh right now. You may see me marvel at George Pickens one-handed grabs, but the Steelers are 4-1 with Watt in the lineup. This man is the difference maker that might just keep Mike Tomlin's winning-record streak alive if he makes it back to the turf.

For now, we'll have to deal with some more mediocre highlights.

Jets 22 - 27 Vikings

Speaking of difference makers, Justin Jefferson could actually carry Minnesota to the Super Bowl all by himself.

The Vikings are undefeated in close games, which could serve them very well in the playoffs. And with the 49ers hopes crumbling at their feet (we'll get to that later) they have a good shot at taking it all the way.

Just keep feeding this man the ball and see what happens...

Meanwhile, Mike White looks like a franchise QB in the making. He may have thrown two picks, but that's what Jets quarterbacks do, right? Seems like a perfect fit to me...

Jaguars 14 - 40 Lions

Remember when I said I would ignore Jared Goff playing well... It's getting harder and harder to do.

I mean, defeating the Jags isn't anything to be proud of, but even mentioning that Goff led 8-consecutive scoring drives really makes my skin crawl. (Especially while Stafford & Kupp stand on the sidelines).

I'd much rather shout-out Amon-Ra St. Brown continuing to dominate defenses across the league.

Now, Detroit may have got the win here, but their dreams of making a playoff run are fading fast. Let's hope Jefferson can shut them down for good next week.

Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence bounced back from a gruesome-looking knee injury to deliver a pretty mediocre performance.

It was a tough watch after seeing Lawrence play some of his best football ever to bag a one-point win over Jacksonville last week. But after thinking his ACL tore in two, I'm just happy he made it back to the field. I guess he still has many things to prove, but toughness isn't one of them.

Titans 10 - 35 Eagles

A.J Brown and Jalen Hurts continue to show just how scary Philly can be.

Brown lit up his former team with 119 yards and 2 touchdowns, as Hurts put 380 yards on the Tennessee defense. These two aren't slowing down any time soon.

Mark my words - the Birds will soar well into the playoffs.

On the other hand, the Titans are clearly just pretenders in a lousy division. Even Derrick Henry isn't playing well these days (30 yards on 11 carries), but Tennessee will win the AFC South by default. I fully expect them to be sent home after game 1 of the postseason.

Browns 27 - Texans 14

It had been 700 days since Deshaun Watson's last time on the turf... For all our sake, let's hope he waits 700 more before his next attempt at football.

Watson posted the worst QBR of his career as he faced his former team in his first game for the Browns. Sadly, Cleveland has committed to this controversial trade for 2023 and beyond - don't expect them to be any good until then.

Oh, and I almost forgot...

The Texans suck.

Commanders 20 - 20 Giants

Welcome to Snoozefest 101, where Dan Jones and Taylor Heinicke teach you how to put 80,000 people to sleep. Yes, I'm being dramatic, but ties are a curse on the NFL.

Anyway... the usual suspects made some highlight plays for both sides.

Terry McLaurin logged 105 yards and a touchdown, while Saquon Barkley was overshadowed by Dan Jones' scrambling abilities.

I mean, Jones can rush for 71 yards as many times as he wants, I'm never forgetting this.

Both of these teams are scraping the barrel in a race for wild card spots, and the way the NFC is shaping up, chances are we could see post-season appearances from the entire division.

Broncos 9 - 10 Ravens

Looks like the Ravens have finally found their winning formula... You can't blow a 4th quarter lead if you never have one!

After Lamar Jackon took an early injury, Tyler Huntley was left to tread water just long enough to save Baltimore from drowning. Guess it's a good job Russel Wilson was the one rocking the boat.

The Broncos are so embarrassingly terrible, John Harbaugh was able to run plays like this and still get the win...

In all seriousness, Huntley led a pretty solid fourth-quarter drive to take a 1-point lead, converting two 4th downs in the process.

Now, he may have proved average enough to beat Denver, but Lamar being ready to face Cincy for the season-finale could be crucial to their playoff bid.

Meanwhile, Russ 'the Bust' Wilson continues to prove that he was the worst trade in NFL history. Denver is doomed.

Dolphins 17 - 33 49ers

I said last week that San Francisco was my new Super Bowl favourite, but with Jimmy G's broken foot ruling him out for the season, could it all be over?

Well, even with Garoppolo missing for most of the matchup, the 49ers still managed to bag a 16-point win against one of the most explosive offenses in the league... Not to mention the fact that Mr Irrelevant was at the helm!

Brock Purdy better hope the red and gold defense can carry him all the way. I mean, McCaffrey may be the best thing to happen to San Francisco in a while, but too many snaps could quickly see him back on IR and that's the last thing we want to see.

To be honest, so long as Nick Bosa is playing like this, my money's staying in San Fran...

Meanwhile, a perfectly healthy Tua Tagovailoa looked anything but himself last night. As the highest rated QB in the NFL, two consecutive interceptions were not what we expected. Is the 49ers defense really that good? Probably...

Seahawks 27 - 23 Rams

Going all-out for a ring last year may have paid off, but what has it cost LA in the long run? I have a feeling that an injured Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp is just the start of the story... Sean McVay should accept defeat already.

Meanwhile, Seattle shrugged off their fair share of injuries to move within a game of the NFC West top spot.

Geno Smith's 3 touchdowns and 367 yards is certainly worth a mention, but can we all take a second to appreciate DK Metcalf's game-winning touchdown with just 36 seconds on the clock.

This catch won me a +24000 parlay to turn £4 into £960... Does it get any more clutch?

Chargers 20 - 27 Raiders

The Raiders are one of the most confusing teams in the NFL...

Josh Jacobs is an unstoppable force and Davante Adams is clearly a top 3 receiver. How these two were shut out by the Saints I will never know...

The Chiefs may be running away with the division, but Wild Card spots are still up for grabs and for some reason I'm backing Derrick Carr over Justin Herbert. Call me crazy, but Josh Jacobs is superhuman.

Chiefs 24 - 27 Bengals

Speaking of the Chiefs running away... This is the third time that Patrick Mahomes has left the field with his tail between his legs after facing Joe Burrow.

The Bengals took their third-straight 3-point victory over the Chiefs to tie things up with Baltimore in the AFC North.

Ja'marr Chase's return to the turf saw him log 97 yards on the exact number of receptions I needed to make that +24000 parlay. (I promise, you'll never hear the end of this)

Meanwhile, Semaje Perine led the ground game with Joe Mixon still out of action. Perine took 21 carries for 106 yards and even caught 6 passes to add an extra 49 to his tally.

Oh, and he treated Justin Reid's head like a basketball...

The Chiefs offense is always going to put up points, but I can easily see their defense getting exposed by teams like Cincy in playoff football.

Colts 19 - 54 Cowboys

To top off this Sunday's matchups, Dallas delivered the second-most fourth-quarter points in NFL history - with 33 in under 14 minutes. I was tempted to take the Cowboys as my new favourite, and this may have just sealed the deal.

Now, I know Indy aren't exactly tough competition, but this game proved just how explosive the Cowboys offense is, and how dominant their defense can be.

7 offensive touchdowns, 1 offensive turnover, 3 defensive turnovers and a scoop and score. Don't sleep on Dallas...

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So, that wraps up Sunday's action for Week 13.

The Eagles are still good, the Titans aren't as good as they think they are, and I still hate Jared Goff...

Join me tomorrow, where I'll be breaking down Tom Brady's comeback defeat of the Saints, while I complain about Dennis Allen woefully mismanaging one of the best running backs in the league. (Edit: I'm a genius)