The NFL Roundup Week 13 - What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

The fight for the playoffs, simply made for an incredible weekend of NFL Football. We saw games that were once again decided by the last play because every team on the bubble, or fighting for a particular seed gave it their all. It showed us just how much a championship means to these franchises and how far they're willing to go to get it and with Week 13 now in the books here are a few other things we learned from this past weekend of football.


There is a good chance that Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera is losing control of his team.
The Carolina Panthers have had one ugly, ugly season, there's no doubt about that. But Sunday night's game featured several surprises that have me concerned about how much faith the players on this team have in their Head Coach. The obvious stunner from this game was the fact that Cam Newton was benched briefly for violating the team's dress code standards and while some see this as no big deal, it is. He's the leader of the team, a captain on offense and a league MVP and he chose to disregrard the coach's direction, and he's not the only one. Just go back and watch this game one more time. So many players took to the field in lackadaisical fashion, earning stupid penalties along the way and demonstrating a severe lack of effort on the field and this is scary to see. Because this ego fueled team only has one legitimate check and balance, Rivera. He was able to control and mold this team last year and clearly as they continue to lose and blame everyone but themselves for it...he may be losing control of this team and that will spell disaster if he does. So here's to hoping Coach Rivera has a long, humbling talk with this squad to right the ship so they can end the season with a high note and if not...well...as Terrell Owens once said, 'getcha popcorn ready!'

Congratulations to the Dallas Cowboys, the first team to earn a playoff berth in 2016.
The NFL Playoffs have proven to us on several occasions that seeding is irrelevant, any team that makes it into the tournament can be crowned a Super Bowl Champion and when it comes to the the 2016 Playoffs, the first team is in. With Washington losing to Arizona on Sunday the Dallas Cowboys clenched a playoff berth and well, there really is no other team more deserving of such an honor right now than the Cowboys. Of course there is still work to be done for this team. They still need to win the Division and lock up Home Field Advantage if they truly want to be viewed as the team to beat in the NFC when January rolls around, but for now...they can take comfort in the fact that they are truly in control of their championship destiny from here on out.

The Kansas City Chiefs refuse to lose. 
For a brief moment on Sunday afternoon, in the midst of a shootout with the Atlanta Falcons, it seemed as though the Chiefs were about to lose quite the heartbreaker. Matt Ryan had just led his boys down into the endzone for a touchdown and all they needed was a two point conversion to take the lead and let the defense handle the rest...but Eric Berry refused to let that happen, intercepting the ball and taking it back in the other direction for Kansas City's own two point conversion, stunning football fans everywhere and well...this kind of tough nosed play from the Chiefs is something they've been needing to accomplish for quite some time. The upset by Tampa Bay a few weeks ago helped this team realize that losing is an awful feeling as is being viewed as a mediocre team and at this point they will do whatever it takes to win, making them a dangerous team to face down the stretch.

The Los Angeles Rams made a poor decision by signing Jeff Fisher to a contract extension. 
For the most part, it's safe to say ownership in the NFL does their best to put the right people in place to win football games. But sometimes, owners make poor decisions too and well, Stan Kroenke made a boneheaded one this past weekend by signing Jeff Fisher to a contract extension. I get that part of this decision was likely made to build continuity for QB Jared Goff, but on the other hand, let's face facts...Jeff Fisher is a bad head coach. The game has simply passed him by, he refuses to change his playbook or adjust in game and his 31-43-1 record during his tenure as the head coach of the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams reinforces these facts. It just doesn't make sense for an owner to have their team move to one of the largest markets in the United States, start construction on a new stadium, draft a potential franchise QB...and have a garbage head coach. So...who knows what Stan was thinking, but he has doomed his team to mediocrity for at least one more year.

The time has come for the Houston Texans to consider benching QB Brock Osweiler.
Okay, I know full well this is a bold statement to put out there. Especially considering that Brock is making a ton of money this season, needs live reps to learn the offense and the Texans aren't out of playoff contention just yet. But let's be honest here, this season has been a complete and utter disaster for Brock Osweiler. He's struggling with the playbook. He's struggling with the pressure being put upon him to be 'the guy' and the team is in free fall mode right now. It's about putting the players on the field that give you the best chance to win...so you know what? Bench him. It's time for Houston to take the pressure off his shoulders. Give him more time in the film room to figure out this offense and invest in his success because guess what? They're stuck with him for a little bit thanks to that bloated contract they offered him, and really...what's the worst that could happen by sitting him down? They actually win a game or two? Either way, something has to be done to salvage the season for this team and at the moment, Osweiler is not the answer.

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