NFL Week 13 Disappointments

Each loss and negative play that mounts in the late stages of the season sting a little bit more than mistakes made in the beginning of the year. Franchises are hoping to improve with an eye towards the playoffs, or with a goal to play better football in the near future. We’ll take a look at some performances that left NFL fans wanting more.

At this juncture, the New England Patriots feel like an automatic win on the schedule, but the Los Angeles Chargers made things a lot more difficult than they had to be. Granted, the weather conditions in New England weren’t great for this game, but to skate away with a 6-0 win against arguably the worst team in the league feels a little concerning for the Chargers.

With some extra time to rest and gameplan, the Detroit Lions were a good bet to bounce back from a Thanksgiving embarrassment against the Green Bay Packers. Early on, they took it to the New Orleans Saints, and were reminiscent of the team that has been one of the best in the NFC. However, the Saints got back into the game, and Detroit looked a bit shaky before ultimately holding on.

There was little to no chance that Atlanta was going to blow out a moribund New York Jets team, but they’re extremely lucky to have come away with a win. The Falcons defense forced turnovers at critical times against the Jets’ reserve quarterbacks, but the offense couldn’t get critical first downs late in the fourth quarter. They’ll need to work on executing that if they want to win the division.

It was a disjointed afternoon to say the least in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers and Arizona Cardinals tilt was delayed multiple times due to inclement weather. This seemed to bother Pittsburgh more than Arizona, as the frisky Cardinals surprisingly took down a Steelers team hoping to sneak into the playoffs. Pittsburgh also lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to an ankle injury in the contest.

For a little while there, it appeared as if Washington had found their quarterback of the near future. However, Howell’s play has regressed sharply as a passer in recent weeks. Perhaps no play exemplified this more than an attempted screen pass that Miami Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel intercepted and took to the house. Howell should never have thrown the pass.

The San Francisco 49ers walloped the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, and kept the defending NFC champions down just as it seemed like they might be gaining momentum. There was a strange exchange on the sideline that resulted in 49ers’ linebacker Dre Greenlaw being ejected after poking Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro in the face.

The Houston Texans continued their exciting campaign and march towards a potential playoff berth, securing a win at home against the Denver Broncos. However, it looks like they will be without emerging wide receiver Tank Dell for a little while, as the rookie wideout fractured his fibula. It’s a disappointing turn of events for what has been a high octane offense.

The state of Florida is already up in arms about a college football team not making the playoffs because of an injured quarterback, and fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping their NFL squad won’t be added to that list. Lawrence went down with what is being called an ankle injury on Monday Night Football, and their lead in AFC South suddenly feels tenuous at best.