Weekly Gold — NFL Week 13
Golden Nuggets from Week 12 of the NFL season and some fantasy advice heading into the final stretch.
1. The Cowboys may have gotten screwed over by the refs at the end of the Patriots game, but they shouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with. Simply put, Dallas played a conservative game and shouldn’t have. You’re not beating the Patriots at their own game in their house. It’s not going to happen. The Pats have a historically great defense and a VERY average offense. The Cowboys defense kept them in the game. But the Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL. You have to go for it. So what if you lose by 30. The Ravens went for it against the Pats and it worked. Follow that model. I understand why Jerry Jones is frustrated right now.
2. Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson are clearly the frontrunner for MVP, but Saints WR Michael Thomas should be in the conversation, even if he’s behind those two QBs. Thomas is having a historically significant season and the Saints are 9–2. He’s done it with two QBs. He’s the best WR in the NFL right now.
3. The Ravens, Saints, Seahawks, Chiefs, Cowboys, Packers and Vikings all have a chance to make the Super Bowl, but it sure looks like we’re headed for a 49ers-Patriots showdown. San Francisco absolutely demolished Green Bay on Sunday night. It’s downright brutal to play the 49ers right now.
4. One week Jameis Winston looks like Brett Favre 2.0 and the next week he looks like JaMarcus Russell 2.0. I can’t figure it out. To be honest, no one can. Great performance by Winston and the Bucs in Atlanta on Sunday, but can he sustain it for two games? Seems unlikely to me.
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5. Time of death for the Eagles season: 12 PM PST Sunday November 24th. Sorry, but something is wrong with Carson Wentz. Yes, I know his offense is a little bit beat up by it has to be more than that. Wentz has struggled all season and the Eagles haven’t looked like themselves in some time. The NFC East runs through Dallas, even though they only hold a one game lead.
6. Welcome to the silly part of the fantasy season. Players who went off on Sunday: Sam Darnold, Benny Snell, Rashad Penny, Ryan Tannehill, Allen Robinson, James Washington, Will Fuller and Cole Beasley, among others. The moral of this story is that fantasy football is hard. Do your best to set your lineups and then leave the rest up to the fantasy gods. You will need some luck this time of year.
7. Are the Titans alive? Derrick Henry looks like a refrigerator on wheels and the Tennessee offense is clicking with Ryan Tannehill. The Titans are only a game out of first place in the AFC South, a very winnable division. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Titans make the playoffs. Their defense is stout and now they have an offense.
8. Congrats to the Cincinnati Bengals. They’ve pretty much wrapped up the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They better get a QB.
9. The Rams are toast. Their season is over. Ended by Lamar Jackson on Monday night. I can’t wait for the Patriots-Ravens AFC playoff game. Give it to me now!
10. We’ve made it to the best football week of the year: Thanksgiving week! I love the three Thursday games, even though they’re not technically “good” games. Who cares. Food, Football, Booze, Family! It’s a great week.
Here are the games that excite me in Week 13: Titans @ Colts, 49ers @ Ravens, Raiders @ Chiefs, Patriots @ Texans, Vikings @ Seahawks.
Happy Thanksgiving!
