Who needs to bounce back in Week 13?
Week 13 is in the books. Another wild one and it takes us into December football now. The playoffs are right around the corner and it is getting heated in the race for wildcard spots.
Without any further delay, let’s do this……
1. Minnesota Vikings
Monday night football produced a surprising victory for the Bears and leaves the Vikings in a difficult position moving into their bye week. The Vikings had a great chance to move to 7-5 and increase their playoff chances, but that opportunity has passed them by.
Josh Dobbs career in Minnesota got off to an electric start but after throwing 4 interceptions in the loss, it looks likely that Dobbs might find himself benched. A decision that HC O’Connell admitted he thought about during the game. The Vikings have had a rollercoaster of a season, but their season is now finely balanced.
Minnesota have a week off now to reflect and the decisions made during this bye week will likely make or break their season moving forward.
2. New Orleans Saints
The Saints lost the top spot of their division after losing to the Falcons. This season was meant to go much better than it currently is but nothing is going to plan for the Saints or their new QB Derek Carr.
Their next match up is against a Lions side who also need to find a way of bouncing back. If they lose to the Lions they will then fall to 5-7 and that will make it incredibly difficult to make the playoffs. Their season is on the line in this one and if Carr wants to make himself a hero, now is the time.
If not, the Saints will need to start planning for next season and they will also need to take a hard look into why and how this season has gotten away from them. The NFC South has been there for the taking and that will add to the frustration for Saints fans if they fail to bounce back in week 13.
3. Cleveland Browns defense
The Cleveland Defense gave up 29 points to the Broncos, which is very unlike them. This defensive unit has been stellar all season but for one reason or another they weren’t able to play to their normal standards. You now add in the potential injury to their star pass rusher Myles Garrett who if they lose for any extended period of time, would be devastating to their chances of being a team to fear in the playoffs – if they make them!
Cleveland came up against a Rams side who put up a serious offensive display in their big margin victory against the Cardinals. The Rams also aren’t out of playoff contention themselves and with the Browns being injury ridden, now is the time where they need to show major resolve and find a way to win. That won’t be easy but it is possible. This game has potential to be sneakily good and also has a lot riding on it for both camps.
4. Houston Texans
The Texans lost out to an inspired Jags performance at home in week 12. The atmosphere was rocking and although they lost, they had plenty of positives to take away from it. They also have plenty to tidy up on, such as their clock management and use of timeouts. They also need to look at some of the play calls as they missed out on chances to potentially keep themselves in the game for longer.
Stroud and co. now face the Broncos in what is another tough test of their playoff credentials. A loss to Denver would be tough but I’m looking more at the message they send if they beat the red hot Broncos. If they end the Broncos winning run, they would be able to take great confidence from it but more so they once again would validate themselves as a team that no one would want to face in the playoffs, for one simple reason – they can win big games.
Their incredible season still has a lot of life left in it and if they counted back this week, it would be one of the more impressive bounce backs of the season in my opinion.
5. New York Jets
The Jets scored a touchdown in Week 12, which has to be taken as a plus. I can’t say that all too much changed under Boyle but towards the end of the game there was a little more fluidity to their play and perhaps a little optimism can be taken from their second half display against the Dolphins. They play the Falcons who are one of the more up and down performers this season and this is the last and final chance for the Jets if they want Rodgers to return for any meaningful matchups in December.
A loss to the Falcons would be the final nail in the coffin for what has been a very difficult season to watch for Jets fans. I’d also add that another loss would bring more and more heat on someone within their coaching ranks to lose their job. Someone will have to take some blame and there will certainly be changes made regardless of the outcome of this game, a loss however might just speed up that process. It’s a chance to win another game though and they need to take that chance with both hands.
Our candidates have been selected, four play in week 13 and once again I’m excited to see how they react to losing. Can they find what is required to bounce back?
