The NFL Roundup 2019: Week 13 – What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​Thanksgiving weekend really is a bittersweet affair for football fans when all is said and done. Because while we get to enjoy a long weekend filled with our favorite sport, the conclusion of those games signals the fact that the we are in the home stretch now, and the end of the regular season is drawing near. Which is always a tough prospect to face since this game delivers so much joy into our hearts. But while it is a shame that the season is coming to an end for so many teams, there’s still good news to come out of this weekend’s slate of games in that… they still had plenty to teach us about our favorite franchises. So, now that we are free of our turkey coma, let’s dive right in and discuss everything we learned from Week 13 in the NFL.
 
The New Orleans Saints deserve their newfound title of NFC South Champions.
It’s always a wonderful thing when you see a team lock up a playoff berth nice and early in the season and New Orleans has done just that. But to sweeten the pot, the Saints also earned the magnificent honor of winning their division as well. And while normally this would be a good time to say something snarky about the fact that the NFC South isn’t exactly a division filled with talent since so many other teams in said division have underperformed, that would be insulting to New Orleans. Because they have played dominant football all season long and they really did earn this particular honor. So, I tip my cap to Sean Payton and his boys for this well-deserved reward, and I have no doubt they’ll give their opponents some fits when the playoffs get underway.
 
Something is clearly wrong in New England.
Yeah, I’m well aware of the fact that the Pats are now 10-2 and in the thick of the playoff race. And sure, their defense does a solid job week in and week out. But look, there has to be some measure of concern when it comes to the Patriots because something is clearly amiss with them. Because they looked awful this weekend, their defense was exposed on a consistent basis, the offense is as stagnant as can be and Brady is indeed starting to look like he’s making nice with Father Time since some of his throws were errant and soft. Which means that other teams are going to feast on these weaknesses in matchups to come and I honestly don’t know if New England can overcome some of their shortcomings since they don’t have an answer at receiver and their defense continues to falter. If anything, this is a team to keep a close eye upon as the season comes to its close, to see if their search for a seventh title, might end in outright frustration and failure.
 
Holy cow, the Bengals finally won a game.
I’ve been pretty snarky when it comes to Cincinnati and their embarrassing performance this year. Even going so far as to declare them to be the next potential team to go 0-16. But a funny thing happened on Sunday, they showed up to play, and after weeks of dumb mistakes and lackadaisical execution on the field, this team finally put it all together and enjoyed their first win of the season. Granted, they still have a long way to go before anyone declares them to be a force to be reckoned with, but a win is a win, and it’s a huge deal for a squad that’s suffered through so much this year. So, my apologies to the Bengals for ever doubting them, and I really do hope this team enjoys a little more success before 2019 closes out.
 
The Baltimore Ravens continue to leave fans in awe.
I honestly didn’t have a clue who was going to win the San Francisco/Baltimore game on Sunday, simply because I believed both of these teams were evenly matched when all is said and done. A fact that was further enforced by the score during this game since it was quite the knockdown, drag it out affair. But as the game went on, Baltimore made some key adjustments on both sides of the ball, and found weaknesses to exploit and for their attention to detail and their efforts, they’re atop the AFC in the playoff race and they stunned the Niners on the road and man, this team is just impressive. Because they just keep finding incredible ways to win and they are fearless in doing so and honestly, they are quickly becoming the team to beat in the NFL because no one can stand up to them right now and I will be shocked, if they don’t finish 2019 with home field advantage in the playoffs.
 
The Drew Lock era got off to a promising start in Denver.
It’s been a long time since Broncos Country has seen a quarterback take the field with a little fire in their eyes. Because every man that’s filled the role since Peyton Manning retired has been a system QB, one that is as robotic and boring and as bad as they come. But Sunday’s game at Empower Field engendered a little hope in a season of sadness because rookie Drew Lock took the field and changed the overall feel of a normally lifeless offense. For he was excited to play and that spread like wildfire through his teammates and he was solid in his debut as well, and while the coaches more or less shied away from letting him do his thing as the game went on, what everyone saw early on, definitely gives Broncos Country something to look forward to, and it should be interesting to learn what this confident kid can do in the weeks to come. 

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