Best & Worst Of NFL Week Thirteen

Week Thirteen has come and gone in the National Football League. The week started off with three games with non playoff teams scoring wins over possible playoff bound clubs. Order was restored by the end of the week, but there was still a lot to look at. Green Bay is looking for a new head coach, Cam Newton found a way to make the Bucs defense look fantastic, while Atlanta mailed it in against Baltimore, and did it at home no less. You also know its a weird week around the league when Josh Allen, a Quarterback mind you, had more rushing yards on the week then Todd Gurley. It was an interesting week, that's for sure. With that being said, here's a look at some of the best and worst of the week that was in the NFL.

Best:
Josh Allen, Quarterback Buffalo Bills
Yes I know it's weird seeing this in the winners category, considering, considering that the Bills lost to Miami 21-17. I know Josh Allen was picked off twice, but he made up for it in other ways. He went 18 of 31 for 231 yards and two touchdown throws. He also had nine carries for 135 yards. yes you did read that correctly, Josh Allen had 135 rush yards on nine carries, which was the second most rush yards in the league this week, trailing only Phillip Lindsey of Denver (more on him later). Allen did everything he could to try and get the Bills a win but came up just short in his effort. But it was that effort that got him here on this list. With more games like this in the future, Allen has a bright future in Buffalo.

Worst:
Cam Newton, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
Things didn't go very well for the Panthers on Sunday, falling to the Bucs 24-17. Newton was a big reason for that. he threw four picks in the game, three of them falling into the hands of safety Andrew Adams. Lets give credit where its due, Tampa Bay made good plays to haul in the interceptions, but honestly not a single one of them was a good throw or decision by Newton. Worse still, the Bucs turned Newton’s two first-half interceptions into 10 points. In a game that was decided by a touchdown, Newton’s poor game was the difference. Think about this too. About a month ago, the Panthers were siting at 6-2 and looked to be in good shape as a possible playoff team. Now, Carolina has lost four straight games and sit at .500. They're in danger of missing out on the playoffs, in a year that held some promise. Newton has got to play better and limit the tunrovers if the Panthers want to stand a chance of getting into the post season.

Best:
Phillip Lindsey, Running Back Denver Broncos
Denver kept things moving on Sunday against the Bengals, to the tune of a 24-10 victory. Big reason for that was Phillip Lindsey, who had himself a day on Sunday. He went off against the Bengals, carrying the ball 19 times for a league best 157 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It's safe to say that he was the best player on the field in that game, for either team really. Lindsay has piled up 571 yards and six touchdowns from scrimmage, and that's just in the last five games alone. If he’s able to continue carrying this type of load the rest of the way, there’s a chance Denver really could sneak into the playoffs. Hey they're on a four game win streak and sitting just outside that 6th and final playoff spot. It's possible Denver could get in and Phillip Lindsey is a big reason that the Broncos sit where they sit right now.

Worst:
Kirk Cousins, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
New England dominated this game, beating the Vikings 24-10. On paper, Kirk Cousins looked like he had a decent game, made a couple of mistakes but it wasn't that awful. At least that's what the box score said. The eye test is something totally different and Cousins was bad on Sunday. He never really took shots down field against the Pats, mostly relying on the dink and dunk to his running backs. Cousins never really tried to go at the Pats defense and it cost him. Minnesota only scored one touchdown against New England and that was partially on Cousins. The Vikings needed their big money playnmaker to step up and make the big plays and he wasn't able to do that against New England. It could possibly come back to haunt Minnesota if somehow things really fall apart for them.

Best:
New York Giants Playoff Hopes
When you consider all the things that the Giants have been through this season, its a miracle that they are still in the hunt. Mathematically, they're still very much in this thing, now sitting just three games behind the division leading Cowboys with four weeks left in the regular season. This is thanks to a thrilling 30-27 overtime win over the Bears on Sunday. Eli Manning drove fans crazy early on with some of his sloppy play. With the way the first half went, many Giants fans were clamoring for him to be benched. But thanks to the play of rookie running back Saquon Barkley, and yet another touchdown pass from Odell Beckham Jr. on a trick play, New York is still alive. The way they manage to keep themselves alive for a playoff chase, with how things went for them through the first half of the season is amazing. They're still in it, while having to play the Redskins, Titans, Colts and Cowboys the remainder of the season. If the Giants can keep up that steady pace, there's an outside chance that the game with Dallas on the final day of the season could be for a division title.

Worst:
Green Bay Packers Playoff Hopes
Going into this year, there was a lot of hope surrounding the Green Bay Packers. They had a look to them that told the fans, and the rest of the league, that they had what it takes to be a playoff team. They were two touchdown favorites going into Sunday's action against the Cardinals. Well, they fell flat on their faces, losing 20-17 to Arizona. As if things weren't bad enough for the Pack, the team announced after the game that they parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy. This can be seen as rock bottom for the Packers. Green Bay's offense looked flat, as there seemed to be a level of disconnect between McCarthy and Aaron Rogers. There's other areas that need addressing. When Aaron Jones gets only 11 carries on the day, it's a sign of the troubles. When Green Bay mailed this game it, it was a sign that the team has flatlined. Expect more changes to come in Green Bay.

Best:
Los Angeles Chargers Offense
Pittsburgh had never lost a home game in which they lead by 14 points. Los Angeles was down by 16 at halftime. From a Pittsburgh perspective, the game looked like it was in the bag. Los Angeles offense woke up, scoring 23 unanswered points in the second half. Part of it came from a miracle touchdown after two Pittsburgh defenders collided in the end zone on what appeared to be an interception. Then Desmond King returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown to tie things up. The two teams then traded touchdowns again, and the game ended with a Chargers field goal as time expired. But that only happened because the Steelers were flagged for being offsides three plays in a row. Yes, it was messy and freaky. But in the end, Los Angeles proved it has the mettle to compete for a title this year. The Chargers showed they are ready to be a playoff team right now and can be a threat in the AFC playoffs.

Worst
New Orleans Saints Offense
Talk about a team that had its momentum stopped dead in its tracks. The Saints had a ten game winning streak going into it's Thursday Night matchup against Dallas. New Orleans defense did it's part, as Dak Prescott got sacked seven times, and the Saints held Ezekiel Elliott to just 3.3 yards per carry while allowing just 13 points. For some reason, it was that New Orleans high powered offense that went ice cold. New Orleans managed to tally just 176 yards of offense, putting 10 points on the board. It was the worst offensive showing we’ve seen from the Saints since the 2001 season. When you consider how well the Saints offense has produced in a lot of games this year, its mind blowing.They're tied with the rams for being the 2nd highest scoring team in the NFL this year, behind only Kansas City, and they were shut down by the Cowboys of all teams. I think this could be just a blip on the screen, but it is something to maybe keep an eye on going into this weekends action and down the line towards the playoff push.

Best:
Marcus Mariota, Quarterback Tennessee Titans
Tennessee looked in tough shape going into week thirteen, when it came to a playoff spot. They only had five wins. To make things look worse, they were down 16-0 to the New York Jets at one point. At the end of the day, the Titans walked away with a 26-22 win and Mariota was a key piece to that comeback win. Yes he was sacked three times and did have a pick six. But the rest of the state line was good, going 20 of 31 for for 282 yards and two touchdowns. His two deep throws to Taywan Taylor during the second half sparked the offense, which scored twice through the air. Tennessee finished the game scoring the final thirteen points of the game and put themselves right back in the hunt in the AFC playoffs. At 6-6 they still have a chance and it was thanks to the play of Mariota in this case to keep the Titans hopes alive.

Worst:
Indianapolis Colts Win Streak
Indy had been one of the hottest teams in Football going into Sunday's meeting with Jacksonville. That hot streak came to an end thanks to a 6-0 Jaguars win. Andrew Luck had been on a streak of throwing three or more touchdowns in a game in each of the last eight games before this one. That came to an end. Indy was kept off the scoreboard and the offense turned the football over twice. To be fair, the Colts defense did a fantastic job and manage to keep Jacksonville in check. Indy had a shot to win with a touchdown at the end. But the game fittingly ended on a controversial play that caused the clock to run out, rather than give Luck one more shot at a touchdown. Just kinda seemed like a bad way for Indy to fall in this one. Now they have to regroup and get ready to face a red hot Houston team.