Week 13 of the NFL season is in the books, and each the top four teams in the NFC held serve. There are no new obituaries this week, so let's just get right to the Hierarchy.
Graveyard
Hierarchy
11) 49ers (5-7): As we noted in our Week 13 picks, the 49ers were without the following starters on Sunday against the Bills:
- LT Trent Williams
- DE Nick Bosa
- WR Brandon Aiyuk
- DT Javon Hargrave
- S Talanoa Hufanga
- LB Dre Greenlaw
- CB Deommodore Lenoir
- LG Aaron Banks
- DT Jordan Elliott
- P Mitch Wishnowski
They predictably got their asses kicked. Now they'll also be without Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason:
Christian McCaffrey AND Jordan Mason are headed to injured reserve, per Kyle Shanahan.
Isaac Guerendo is now in line to start for San Francisco.— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 2, 2024
And yet, they play fraud teams – Bears, Rams, Dolphins – the next three weeks, and they're in a division where there isn't anything close to a Super Bowl contender. I can't kill them off yet. One more loss should do it. Last week: 11
10) Rams (6-6): The Rams have a quarterback, good receivers, and a pass rush, but nothing else. The three things they have are a good start, but their ceiling is a 7 or 4 seed and a quick exit from the playoffs.
Last week: 10
9) Falcons (6-6): The Falcons were 6-3. They are now 6-6 after a three-game losing streak. #Math.
Here are Kirk Cousins' stats over the last three games:
| Kirk Cousins | TD | INT | Fumbles |
| At Saints (L) | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| At Broncos (L) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Chargers (L) | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 0 | 6 | 4 |
Also, this throw… Good Lord.
TARHEEB STILL @CHARGERS PICK-6.
📺: #LACvsATL on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/T3CodECkpD— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
That's what a throw would look like if you pulled someone out of the stands who is competent enough to throw a spiral but has no athletic ability otherwise.
Last week: 9
8) Cardinals (6-5): Last week, Kyler Murray threw one of the worst passes of the season:
He topped himself on Sunday:
Byron Murphy picks off Kyler 🙌
📺: #AZvsMIN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/3PrKHS78FL— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
The Cardinals have had some good moments this season, but it's plays like that that make it seem clear that this team isn't serious.
Last week: 7
7) Commanders (8-5): A list of the teams the Commanders have beaten:
• Giants (2-10)
• Bengals (4-8)
• Cardinals (6-6)
• Browns (3-9)
• Panthers (3-9)
• Bears (4-8)
• Giants (2-10)
• Titans (3-9)
TOTAL: 27-69 (0.281)
Last week: 8
6) Seahawks (7-5): The longest current NFL winning streaks:
• Lions: 10 games
• Eagles: 8 games
• Bills: 7 games
• Vikings: 5 games
• Packers, Broncos, and Seahawks: 3 games
Also, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is becoming a breakout player lately. He has 27 catches for 441 yards and 3 TDs over Seattle's last four games.
Last week: 6
5) Buccaneers (6-6): The Bucs needed a 51-yard FG at the end of regulation and then a Chuba Hubbard fumble in overtime to beat the Panthers on Sunday, but they still look a hell of a lot better than the Falcons and they're going to win the NFC South.
Last week: 5
4) Vikings (10-2): There's a lot of this out there from Vikings fans:
How come the Vikings are the only team ever labeled “fake” or “frauds”?
— Vikeologist™ (@Vikeologist) December 2, 2024
Certainly, they're not the only team being called "frauds." And personally, I like a lot of what they're doing, but let's be real — it's going to be hard winning in the playoffs when you're playing against teams that can score against anyone, and your offense is going to have trouble matching them. Offensive DVOA comparisons with the other three top teams in the NFC:
| Team | Offensive DVOA | Pass DVOA | Run DVOA |
| Lions | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| Packers | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Eagles | 11 | 17 | 3 |
| Vikings | 15 | 10 | 21 |
They've also turned the ball over 19 times, significantly more frequently than the Lions (11), Packers (14), and Eagles (11).
Last week: 3
3) Packers (9-3): For most of the season Jordan Love has made spectacular plays but has also offset them with dumb INTs. But over the last two games he has played much more mistake-free quarterback:
• vs. 49ers: 13 of 23 for 163 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 2 sacks.
• vs. Dolphins: 21 of 28 for 274 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 sacks.
The Packers got hot last season down the stretch when Love started to play better. They are going to be the wildcard team that no division winner is going to want to face in the first round.
Last week: 4
2) Eagles (10-2): A select list of Eagles players, currently 27 years of age or younger and under contract through at least the 2025 season:
• QB Jalen Hurts
• RB Saquon Barkley
• WR A.J. Brown
• WR DeVonta Smith
• LT Jordan Mailata
• LG Landon Dickerson
• C Cam Jurgens
• DT Jalen Carter
• DT Jordan Davis
• EDGE Nolan Smith
• LB Nakobe Dean
• CB Quinyon Mitchell
• CB Cooper DeJean
• S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
• S Reed Blankenship
Last week: 2
1) Lions (11-1): The Packers', Vikings', Eagles' and Lions' remaining schedules:
| Week | Packers (9-3) | Vikings (10-2) | Eagles (10-2) | Lions (11-1) |
| 14 | At Lions (11-1) | Falcons (6-6) | Panthers (3-9) | Packers (9-3) |
| 15 | At Seahawks (7-5) | Bears (4-8) | Steelers (9-3) | Bills (10-2) |
| 16 | Saints (4-8) | At Seahawks (7-5) | At Commanders (8-5) | At Bears (4-8) |
| 17 | At Vikings (10-2) | Packers (9-3) | Cowboys (5-7) | At 49ers (5-7) |
| 18 | Bears (4-8) | At Lions (11-1) | Giants (2-10) | Vikings (10-2) |
| TOTAL | 36-24 (0.600) | 37-23 (0.617) | 27-34 (0.443) | 38-22 (0.633) |
The Packers, Vikings, and Lions all play each other, almost sort of round-robin style. Those games will mean a lot for NFC seeding. #Analysis.
Inpredictable has the Lions as 64 percent likely to earn the 1 seed in the NFC. They are being hunted by three different teams that all have at least a three-game winning streak. The Lions are the favorites for the 1 seed, but 64 percent feels a little high.
Last week: 1
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