NFL Week 13 grades: Bills earn ‘A+’ for snowy win over 49ers, Bengals get a ‘D’ for ugly loss to Steelers

Welcome to the grades for Week 13!

You may want to give up on the Bengals this season if you’re a fan. The Bengals lost for the third consecutive week despite scoring at least 27 points. The Steelers defeated the Bengals 44-38 in an unexpected shootout that severely damaged the defense.

Here is a little taste of how ugly things are for the Bengals.

During their current losing streak, they have scored 99 points, the most in NFL history for a team that has suffered three consecutive losses.

They are now the most scoring team in NFL history to have lost four games this season while scoring at least 33 points.

Joe Burrow, who now joins Andrew Luck as the NFL’s second quarterback, has thrown for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns or more in three consecutive games and LOSE them all. It would be ideal for the Bengals if Burrow’s career did not follow in Luck’s footsteps.

The Bengals are currently at a turning point, three years after their Super Bowl season. Anyway, let’s start with the Steelers’ victory over Cincinnati before moving on to this week’s grades. The grades from the Thanksgiving games and Black Friday games are available here if you interested.

Pittsburgh defeats Cincinnati 44-38.

B+ Thanks to Russell Wilson, the Steelers are beginning to appear like a serious Super Bowl contender. Wilson overcame an early pick six to throw for 414 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Steelers win a shootout after Pittsburgh’s defense faltered against Cincinnati’s potent offense. The Steelers can play well into the postseason if Wilson keeps looking this good. Mike Tomlin looks like a genius now that he decided to bench Wilson instead of Justin Fields. According to Tomlin, the standard is the standard, and Wilson is currently raising the bar by performing at a level the Steelers haven’t seen at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. The Bengals may need to revamp their defense and start over. It was never more obvious than in this game that the defense has been a major weakness all season. When the Steelers faced the Bengals, Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards, the most of any quarterback in team history. This season, it was the second time the defense allowed at least 520 yards in a single game. Although Joe Burrow had yet another outstanding game, he committed a number of errors, including a lost fumble that Pittsburgh recovered for a touchdown. Burrow learned this season the hard way that you can’t afford to make any offensive errors when your defense is as bad as Cincinnati’s. Now that the Bengals are 4-8, it appears that the 2024 campaign will be remembered as the most disappointing in the team’s history.

L. . A. . Atlanta loses to the Chargers 17–13.

C+The defense came through to save the day, so even though the Chargers offense had one of its worst games of the season, it didn’t matter. Kirk Cousins and L were intercepted four times as the defense put on a clinic. a. needed each and every one of them. The Chargers only scored one point in the second half thanks to a 61-yard pick-six from Tarheeb Still in the third quarter. had an intercepted pass in the first half as well. The Chargers didn’t have many offensive standouts, but Ladd McConkey, who still has the appearance of a rising star, was there. With 117 receiving yards at the end, the rookie receiver contributed over 60% of the Chargers’ 187 total yards. The Chargers demonstrated their ability to win ugly, which is sometimes necessary in the NFL. In a sense, Atlanta won this game because of Kirk Cousins. In addition to throwing four interceptions, the Falcons quarterback gave the Chargers the lead in the third quarter with a pick-six. Two of Cousins’ interceptions, including one in the end zone, were also made in the fourth quarter. A fantastic day was overshadowed by Cousins’ nightmare performance. The Falcons defense held Los Angeles to less than 200 yards of total offense and sacked Justin Herbert five times. The Falcons are now in danger of choking away the NFC South after suffering three straight losses.

Over Arizona, Minnesota won 23–22.

B. Although the Cardinals could have easily won this game, their offense collapsed each time it went into the red zone on Sunday. The Cards only managed one touchdown despite making SIX trips inside Minnesota’s 20-yard line. Chad Ryland missed one kick and four field goals during the remaining five possessions. After playing a strong game for the majority of it, Kyler Murray lost it in the fourth quarter after making two ugly interceptions. Since taking the lead in the NFC West, the Cardinals have now dropped two straight games, and this defeat has caused the division to slip away from them. B. In this game, Sam Darnold provided an answer to any doubts about his ability to step up for Minnesota in a pinch. In the fourth quarter, Darnold had an incredible performance, throwing for 107 yards and one touchdown, which put the Vikings ahead with just 1:13 remaining. In the fourth quarter, Justin Jefferson saved a fourth-and-five with a 30-yard grab and a 12-yard catch. Unless they had to be, the Vikings’ defense was subpar. Both Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy had interceptions in the fourth quarter alone. The Vikings’ comeback from a 19-6 deficit in the third quarter demonstrated some serious resiliency, and the victory may boost their confidence in similar situations in the future.

New England is defeated 25–24 by Indianapolis.

The focus of this game was Anthony Richardson’s development. After throwing a backbreaking interception in the fourth quarter, the Colts quarterback recovered to lead an 80-yard drive that ended with Richardson throwing a touchdown and making a two-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to give Indianapolis the victory. A young quarterback’s confidence can be greatly boosted by a comeback victory like this one, but if the Colts hope to have a chance at the playoffs, Richardson, who only completed 50% of his passes for 109 yards, will need to play better overall in the final stretch. B-Although the Patriots suffered a devastating defeat, they can take great pride in the fact that Drake Maye still looks like a franchise quarterback. On a day when the Patriots offense was cruising with a season-high 422 yards, Maye finished with 297 yards (238 passing, 59 rushing). Aside from their fourth-down play, the Patriots defense performed admirably. During their 80-yard game-winning touchdown drive in the closing minutes, the Colts converted all three of their fourth-down attempts during the game. For the second consecutive season, the Patriots have suffered double-digit losses, but they could have avoided defeat if a single big play had been made by a member of the defense.

Seattle over N. 26–21. Y. Jets.

C+The Seahawks were on the verge of losing this game for the first quarter and a half, but Leonard Williams’ 92-yard pick-six seemed to ignite this squad. Following Williams’ goal, the Seahawks defense didn’t let up another point during the match. Williams, who also recorded both of Seattle’s sacks during the game, was a one-man wrecking crew. Although the Seahawks made a lot of mistakes in this game, winning makes the mistakes less noticeable. Now that they have won three in a row following their Week 10 bye, the Seahawks appear to be the best team in the NFC West. C-The Jets had a great start to the game and then vanished entirely, which was similar to their season. With only 103 yards in the second half, Aaron Rodgers and the offense were shut out. Despite displaying greater mobility, Rodgers’ game has simply changed. He only managed 90 passing yards in the second half after throwing a backbreaking pick six in the first. The Jets’ offense is currently in disarray, and it’s unlikely that New York will be able to improve it before the season ends.

Over Tennessee, Washington won 42-19.

All you needed to do was watch the first half of this game to understand why the Titans were 3-8 going into Week 13. Tennessee made a lot of mistakes against the Commanders, and bad teams make bad mistakes. In the first quarter, the Titans lost two fumbles in ninety seconds, the first being caused by Tony Pollard and the second by Jha’Quan Jackson on a kickoff return. The Titans were behind 28-0 in a game they had no chance of winning by the time they made their first midfield crossing. The Commanders had to pick up their game after dropping three in a row, and they did just that against the Titans. The big workhorse for a 42-point Washington offense, Brian Robinson went over 100 yards for the first time since Week 4. Although he only threw for 206 yards, Jayden Daniels was effective, scoring four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). As good teams do, the Commanders defense outperformed a poor Tennessee offense. The Commanders will now enter their Week 14 bye with a strong sense of their playoff prospects at 8-5.

Jacksonville is defeated by Houston 23–20.

B-Despite losing to teams like the Jets and Titans on the road this season, the Texans were able to pull off a victory here, largely due to Joe Mixon. 81 of the 101 yards the Texans running back rushed for came in the second half, when he helped Houston run out the clock. All that matters for a team that just moved one step closer to winning the AFC South for the second time in a row is that the Texans won, even though the defense was burned for 161 yards in a fourth quarter that nearly choked away a 17-point lead. For staying this close, the Jaguars deserve a great deal of praise. It appeared as though a blowout was imminent when the Texans led 23-6 in the fourth quarter and Trevor Lawrence was taken out of the game, but the Jags were able to stay close. In the fourth quarter, Mac Jones returned to the game with a pass for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Doug Pederson may be able to maintain his position for the rest of the season because the Jaguars are undoubtedly still playing hard for him.

L. . A. . Over New Orleans, the Rams won 21–14.

Matthew Stafford revived the offense in the game’s final two quarters after the Rams were shut out in a terrible first half. The Rams quarterback completed 10 of 14 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, almost perfect. Kyren Williams was a huge help to Stafford, keeping the offense running smoothly with 104 yards and a touchdown. Even though the Rams weren’t playing at their best, they managed to win, and as a result, they are still in the running for the NFC West championship. B-With a 6-0 lead at halftime, the Saints appeared to be in control of this match, but the second half saw everything fall apart. The offensive line only managed 22 yards in the third quarter while the Rams amassed 180 yards, which made things particularly ugly. The Rams took charge at that point. Alvin Kamara had a strong day (23 carries for 112 yards), but it wasn’t quite enough to propel the Saints offense, and Derek Carr struggled to make any big plays in the second half. With this victory, the Rams ended New Orleans’ season, which was already on life support.

Tampa Bay defeats Carolina (OT) 26–23.

C+ The Buccaneers appeared to be headed for an upset for the better part of three quarters, but in the fourth quarter and overtime, their offense took off. This team won thanks to the efforts of Bucky Irving and Baker Mayfield. For 97 of his 152 yards in the fourth quarter, Irving ran. One of the main reasons the Bucs won was because of Mayfield, who went 11 of 12 for 114 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime combined. The Bucs need their best players to step up in the clutch if they want to steal the NFC South from the Falcons, and that’s exactly what happened in this game. B-The Panthers are the only team that has the ability to play spoiler in the final moments. Due in large part to Bryce Young, the Panthers have appeared like a totally different team since November. Young appears to have found his calling, as evidenced by his strong football play, which included this game. In addition to throwing for 298 yards, he led Carolina to a short lead in the fourth quarter by constructing a 60-yard drive during the two-minute offense. Without a few careless errors, including two missed field goals by Eddy Pineiro and a lost fumble by Chuba Hubbard in overtime, the Panthers might have won this game.

Philadelphia defeats Baltimore 24-19.

A defeat in Week 13 marked the beginning of the Eagles’ second-half collapse last season, but this year it seems like the team is too strong for that to occur. Their defense is performing well and they have a potent rushing attack, both of which are advantageous for a team hoping to advance far in the playoffs come January. Saquon Barkley dominated his way to 107 yards against the Ravens, who had one of the NFL’s top rushing defenses going into Week 13. With eight consecutive victories under their belt, the Eagles pose a serious threat to steal the No. One NFC seed. B. The Ravens are formally dealing with a Justin Tucker issue. Tucker’s three misses ultimately proved to be the game-changing factor, but Baltimore played well enough to win on both sides of the ball. After missing 10 kicks in all this season (eight field goals and two extra points), the Ravens kicker missed two more field goals and an extra point. The Ravens now have to hold their breath whenever he attempts a kick, which is uncomfortable for a team hoping to win the Super Bowl.

San Francisco is defeated by Buffalo 35–10.

The 49ers aren’t prepared for Buffalo weather, if this game taught us anything. For a 49ers team that lost three fumbles and missed two field goals, this game was just one catastrophe after another. When Kyle Juszczyk lost the ball at Buffalo’s 1-yard line, it was the most agonizing fumble. Although the 49ers were able to enter Buffalo territory on each of their first five drives, they were only able to score three points. To make matters worse, Christian McCaffrey had a strong start with 67 total yards before leaving the game with just over 11 minutes remaining in the second quarter due to a knee injury in the first half. Josh Allen was unaffected by the 49ers’ slow play due to the heavy snowfall in Buffalo, but the team’s only bright spot is that they won’t be playing any more cold-weather games this season. With three touchdowns in all, including one to himself, the Bills quarterback took control of the game (you can watch the play here). Only 17 passes were allowed to be thrown by Allen due to the weather, and James Cook completed the remaining passes. On just 14 carries, Cook smashed through the 49ers defense for 107 yards and a touchdown. The Bills played flawless football while the 49ers made three turnovers. This team will not defeat itself in the same way that the 49ers did. The Bills won the AFC East with the victory, and if they continue to play well, they could overtake the Chiefs for the No. 1 pick. One AFC seed.