A week of close calls and near misses has us second-guessing who is legit and who the phonies are. The playoff pictures from both conferences are becoming more clustered at the moment. The NFL is beginning to look like the movie Invasion of the Bod Snatchers. We can now make an educated guess of who the imposters are. Which teams are doomed, and which teams are blooming? Here are my Week 13 takeaways.
Minnesota Vikings are Big Game Contenders
Despite the 10-2 record, fans and experts have been reluctant to call the Minnesota Vikings big game contenders. It is difficult to see how, as this team has just one megastar name to know with no names, washouts, and father-time guys filling out the rest of their roster. The team is guided by one of the most intelligent staffs in the NFL headed by Kevin O'Connell. A guy that deserves much more credit for being an elite head coach for the positions he has led this organization to so far. Brian Flores should get another shot at head coaching for his work as defensive coordinator for this Vikings defense.
The explanation for their 13-point comeback win last Sunday over the scary Arizona Cardinals begins with the performance delivered by their defense. They confused Kyler Murray with a mixture of zone coverages and disguised blitzes, forcing him to throw two ill-advised throws, resulting in game-saving interceptions. They also neutralized the NFL's 6th-ranked rushing attack to a total of 154 rushing yards and an average of 5 yards per rush. Sam Darnold continues showing Minnesota they are in good hands with him. While their running game could only generate 68 rushing yards for the entire game. Sam Darnold threw the football 31 times and completed 21 passes, averaging 7.6 yards per attempt. His two touchdown passes in the second half brought the Vikings back for a 23-22 win over Arizona after being sacked five times.
He is now fourth in the NFL for most touchdown passes with 23, and his 111.6 passer rating last Sunday was the tenth time he produced a passer rating over 100 this season. The Vikings, with a simple offense and a diabolical defense, would make the Lions and Packers put in extra preparation to beat them when they face them for the second time if they want to take the NFC North crown over Minnesota. The Vikings are already showing off the stamina of championship-winning football by knowing how to finish off their opponents in down-to-the-wire scenarios.
Kansas City Chiefs are Slacking
This is the second game in a row the Kansas City Chiefs defeated a team with a losing record by just one score and the fourth time this season that this happened. The Chiefs now have been through 9 one-score games this season. Their Black Friday matchup with the now 2-10 Las Vegas Raiders could have been a second loss for the Chiefs if they didn't botch the snap. Already in field goal range for a possible 20-19 game-winning field goal was ruined by Raiders' center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapping the ball without quarterback Aidan O'Connell shouting anything. He must have mistaken the Chiefs crowd or something for O'Connell's voice-shouting hut.
The Chiefs' failure to score twenty points or more against the NFL's 28th-ranked defense in points allowed per game isn't a surprise. Their offense is outside of the top 10 in every statistical category. Even their defense has been giving up big plays to opposing offenses lately, including two bombs away TD passes from Aidan O'Connell to Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker, which brought the game within reach for the Raiders. This happened after having a 16-3 lead at the 3:11 mark in the third quarter, turning into a 17-16 deficit two Raiders' drives later. The Chargers and Broncos are on their heels, and the Bills might have shown the world that they really do rule the AFC with their 30-21 win over the Chiefs in week 11. It's going to come very soon when having Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback isn't going to be enough.
Last Friday was the sixth game-winning drive he conducted this season, but his statistics have been pretty disappointing for his standards. His 4.4% touchdown thrown rate this year is the lowest of his career, and his 2.6% interception thrown rate this year is the highest of his career. We're heading into the fourteenth week, and he has already thrown 11 interceptions for the year. He and the offense have looked more dysfunctional than ever since their original offensive coordinator, Eric Bienemy, was let go after the 2022 season. Mahomes' yards per attempt is 7.0 for each of the past two seasons, which is a career low, and his 248.3 passing yards per game this season is also a career low. Kansas City's offense hasn't been as explosive and methodical as it was in the past.
Bo Knows How to Win
On Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns, Bo Nix showed glimpses of John Elway. He showed off his ability to evade the pass rush and throw effectively on the run. Game by game, Nix is becoming more aggressive by taking more shots downfield and less settling for short to medium check-downs. His line drive pass to Marvin Mims Jr. for a 93-yard touchdown revealed the arm talent that was just seen from him for the first time since he first made it to the pros.
The Broncos' usual stingy defense had an off night, allowing Brown's offense to generate 552 total yards and 32 points. Despite two interceptions, Bo Nix became a gunslinger, throwing for 8.4 yards per attempt, the second most this season. He was fearless in taking shots at covered targets last Monday night. He led five scoring drives, accumulating 27 total points for the offense. He also had help from the running game, with Jaleel McLaughlin averaging 6 yards per attempt and a touchdown scored by Javonte Williams.
Seeing the Broncos putting McLaughlin and Williams to work on the ground more often helps Bo Nix blossom into a gunslinger. A more relaxed one that doesn't scramble sporadically like he's really John Elway. He is a quarterback who is becoming cooler, calmer, and more collected as he goes. Their defense still made up for the yards and points allowed by scoring points themselves with two pick-sixes and a third interception by Cody Barton to seal the 41-32 win over the Browns. Once this team discovers that balance of good defense and good offense needed to finish games, they can contend for that AFC West title.
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