Sunday Rundown: Key takeaways from Week 13's biggest games
Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.
Sunday night spotlight
Broncos missing Dobbins
Bo Nix was having himself a decent game until the Broncos got to the fourth quarter Sunday night against the Commanders. An inexcusable interception, bizarrely thrown right to Bobby Wagner over the middle of the field, put Washington in position to cut into the lead. Ideally the second-year quarterback would've been able to close things out in that situation instead of needing overtime to beat a three-win team, but it also might help if the Broncos had a run game. That just hasn't been the case since losing J.K. Dobbins to injury. The veteran running back was thriving at the top of Denver's backfield rotation, ranking fourth among all qualified rushers in average rush yards over expected, according to Next Gen Stats. Second-round rookie RJ Harvey has taken over the lead role in his absence, running for just 2.7 yards per carry in each of the last two games. Sean Payton hinted this week that Dobbins could potentially return at some point in the playoffs. That seems like a long shot considering he underwent surgery for a Lisfranc injury, but it's understandable that the Broncos are holding out hope. The passing game has been far too inconsistent to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to complementing a dominant defense.
Late-afternoon games
Good week for Bengals
The Bengals suddenly have hope. They'll have to be perfect from here, and considering their deficiencies throughout the roster, that's probably going to be too much to ask. But this week's results at least show why they were unwilling to give up on the season when many (including me) had long said it was over. Beating the Ravens in Joe Burrow's return, and then having the Steelers get embarrassed by the Bills on Sunday, leaves Cincinnati just two games back of the AFC North lead. If the Bengals can somehow run the table, starting with a trip to Buffalo next week, it's becoming easy to envision a scenario where they could catch their division rivals. The Ravens have been scuffling on offense, and they have a pretty difficult schedule to close out the season, including the Bengals rematch in Week 15. The Steelers, who have now dropped five of their last seven games, are in real danger of their first losing season since 2003. The Bengals coming all the way back to take the AFC North would be a fitting development to cap off a regular season filled with inexplicable results.
Is this it for Tomlin?
The idea of the Steelers moving on from Mike Tomlin has always been a little polarizing. On one hand, you're talking about a coach who didn't post a single losing season across his first 18 years on the job. Your odds of finding an upgrade are pretty slim. On the other, this program has clearly gotten stale. A pathetic effort in Sunday's loss to the Bills, which led to fans chanting "Fire Tomlin" and even booing during the traditional playing of "Renegade" in the fourth quarter, really feels like the unofficial breaking point. Is Tomlin the only one to blame for this extended run of mediocrity? Of course not. But with consistently poor game-management decisions and a lack of creativity on both sides of the ball, this staff isn't doing much to elevate the situation, either. I have no doubt that another team would hire Tomlin if he becomes available. His track record, which includes a Super Bowl title, could even influence another team to pursue a trade. And just like Andy Reid did after leaving Philadelphia, he might find immediate success with a fresh start. But that's no longer a reason for the Steelers to resist a change. This just isn't working anymore. It might be time for both sides to part ways.
Jefferson deserves better
Quarterback play has to be historically bad for a player like Justin Jefferson to go to waste. Unfortunately for the All-Pro receiver, that's exactly what he's been getting all season long. J.J. McCarthy's struggles have been well-documented - the 2024 first-rounder owns the worst EPA/dropback of any quarterback through six career starts since at least 2000, according to TruMedia. There was some positive buzz about Max Brosmer leading up to his spot start this week, with at least some optimism that the undrafted rookie could provide a temporary upgrade. That's not how it played out. Brosmer was terrorized by the Seahawks' defense throughout the day, completing 19 of 30 passes for just 126 yards and four interceptions while taking four sacks. Brosmer's -0.89 EPA/dropback is substantially worse than any McCarthy output so far this season, and it's the third-worst start from any quarterback in the league this year. Jefferson and the rest of this playoff-ready roster deserve better than to have an entire season go down the drain because of one position group. At the very least, the Vikings will have to add a veteran alongside McCarthy next season to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Early kickoffs
Panthers stun Rams
I truly have no idea what to make of the Panthers' season. One week, they look like a team that should be picking in the top 10. The next, they're upsetting a legitimate contender. Sunday's win over the Rams is the second time this season (Packers, Week 9) that Carolina has taken down a double-digit favorite. And considering what we've seen from the Cowboys of late, you can probably add that Week 6 win over Dallas to the list of stunners. Much like the rest of this team, Bryce Young's third season has been a wild ride. Every time there's a growing consensus that he may not be the guy, he somehow flips the script with a game like this. Young completing 15 of 20 passes for 206 yards and three scores, two of which came on critical fourth-down plays, stands as the best single-game performance of his career by EPA/dropback, according to TruMedia. The Rams' defense entered this week ranked second by that same metric. Carolina's defense also did its part, forcing three Matthew Stafford turnovers, including his first two interceptions since Week 3. Can the suddenly relevant Panthers, now 7-6 on the season, parlay this result into some semblance of consistency?
Texans kick the door open
I really thought the Texans were cooked. And I'm not sure how anyone could have thought otherwise when C.J. Stroud went down in a Week 9 loss that saw them fall to 3-5 - especially with the Colts racing out to a big lead atop the AFC South. Things change quickly, don't they? Sunday's win over Indy makes it four straight for Houston. Stroud had some nice moments in his first game back after a three-week absence, and this defense continues to dazzle every time out. This week, it held the Colts to a 39.2% success rate on offense, easily their worst output of the season. The Texans are now just one game back of the Colts and Jaguars for the division lead, and they get another shot at Indy at home in Week 18.
Colts injuries
The Colts are still in decent shape at 8-4, but the outlook isn't looking nearly as good as it was at this time last month. Daniel Jones playing through a fracture in his fibula, as was reported late this week, is undoubtedly going to limit his mobility. While he won't have to play the Texans every week, it's fair to wonder whether he'll be able to avoid any sort of significant drop-off down the stretch. And Sauce Gardner exiting this week's game with a strained calf is another major injury concern looking forward. The star corner, acquired in an incredibly bold move at the deadline, was seen in a walking boot on the sideline. The schedule isn't going to do the Colts any favors down the stretch, either. Indy now goes on the road to play the Jaguars and Seahawks over the next two weeks before returning home for a Monday night date with the 49ers and a second matchup against the Jags. And then it's the Texans rematch to close out the season. They'll have earned it if they can hold off Houston and Jacksonville for the division title.
Bucs getting healthy
Having to sweat out a three-point win at home against the Cardinals won't quite ease concerns about the way the Bucs have played after a hot start to the season. It was a particularly frustrating day for the defense, as the unit got away with posting its second-worst success rate of the season. A win is a win, though, and their first victory since Week 8 at least puts a stop to the bleeding. It's also easy to get excited about what we saw from a pair of key playmakers back in the mix after injury. Chris Godwin ramped up his workload after an uneventful return last week, leading all Tampa Bay receivers with 78 yards. Bucky Irving was seemingly slated to be on a pitch count in his first game since Sept. 28, but it didn't take long for the Bucs to start leaning on their electric running back. Irving putting up 81 yards and a score on his 19 touches is a promising sign. The Bucs will need a lot from Godwin and Irving if the offense has any hope of recapturing the level of play we saw early on.
A perfect fit
It's tough to nail bold predictions, and this one may ultimately end up falling short. But when I forecasted before this season that Davante Adams would outproduce Puka Nacua in fantasy scoring, this is exactly what I had in mind. Adams has been a spectacular addition to this offense, particularly in the red area. After some early growing pains, leading to a relative lack of efficiency in the end zone, it now feels like a foregone conclusion that Matthew Stafford is going to find Adams in the end zone every single game - often more than once. Another pair of touchdowns this week against the Panthers gives the future Hall of Fame wideout 11 scores in his last six games. Now up to 14 on the year, he's five clear of Amon-Ra St. Brown for the league lead. Falling to the Panthers is certainly a disappointing result, but every juggernaut is allowed to have a stinker every now and then. The Rams will remain my No. 1 team for this week's NFL Power Rankings, and the unstoppable receiver tandem is a big part of why I think they're the team to beat in the NFC.
4 sacks to go
Myles Garrett continues to inch closer to a prominent spot in the NFL record book. Another sack in Sunday's loss to the 49ers puts him up to 19 on the year, just four short of breaking the single-season mark shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. The latest, coming on a ridiculous inside move against Trent Williams, was yet another example of his generational skill set. Human beings with his size and strength simply aren't supposed to be able to move like that. Garrett obviously doesn't need favorable matchups or positive game scripts to stuff the stat sheet, but next week's game against the Titans is a particularly juicy opportunity for him to close in on the record. Tennessee has allowed a league-worst 48 sacks through 12 games.
Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.