NFL Scores Week 13: Results and Top Fantasy Star for Every Sunday Game

Teams that win in the month of December usually tend to win games in January, too. There were plenty of playoff implications—both in fantasy and in the NFL—in many of the contests during Week 13's schedule. 

Speaking of playoffs, the Carolina Panthers won their eighth game in a row on Sunday, taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-6. The winning streak broke a franchise record, as the team announced on Twitter:

The win puts heavy pressure on the New Orleans Saints, who face the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football with a tenuous one-game lead in the NFC South.      

On the fantasy side, there were some young players who stepped up with monster individual performances this weekend, including a couple of up-and-coming receivers who are well on their way to becoming league superstars.

Here's a look at the results from every game on Sunday's schedule, along with a closer look at the thrilling contest featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. Afterward, continue reading for a look at Sunday's top fantasy stars. 

Results

WINNER	LOSER	SCORE
Indianapolis Colts	Tennessee Titans	22-14
Jacksonville Jaguars	Cleveland Browns	32-28
Carolina Panthers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	27-6
Minnesota Vikings	Chicago Bears	23-20 (OT)
New England Patriots	Houston Texans	34-31
Philadelphia Eagles	Arizona Cardinals	24-21
Miami Dolphins	New York Jets	23-3
Atlanta Falcons	Buffalo Bills	34-31 (OT)
San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis Rams	23-13
Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	35-28
Cincinnati Bengals	San Diego Chargers	17-10

Philly Hangs on at Home Against Arizona

The Eagles and Cardinals both entered Week 13 tied with a divisional team for a playoff spot. 

Philadelphia entered the week tied with Dallas atop the NFC East with a record of 6-5, while Arizona was tied with San Francisco for the No. 6 seed in the NFC with a record of 7-4. 

Dallas won over Oakland on Thanksgiving, putting pressure on Chip Kelly's team to keep pace, and the Eagles responded with a huge win at home against the surging Cardinals. It was the team's fourth in a row:

Nick Foles was brilliant once again as he's been all year long, throwing three touchdown strikes and zero interceptions. This was in stark contrast to Carson Palmer, who did what he's done all year long, throwing two interceptions to go along with his three touchdowns. 

The Eagles built up a 24-7 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Cardinals came storming back with two late touchdowns, pulling to within three points of the lead. 

Philadelphia was able to put the clamps down on the comeback bid, however, prompting Foles to congratulate his teammates for pulling together to achieve a tough team win:

Top Fantasy Stars

GAME	PLAYER	POS.	TEAM	POINTS	STATS
Titans at Colts	Adam Vinatieri	Kicker	Indianapolis	20	Five made FGs and one extra point.
Jaguars at Browns	Josh Gordon	WR	Cleveland	38	10 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
Buccaneers at Panthers	Cam Newton	QB	Carolina	26	331 total yards and three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Bears at Vikings	Josh McCown	QB	Chicago	22	355 total yards and two touchdowns.
Patriots at Texans	Ben Tate	RB	Houston	28	102 total yards and three touchdowns.
Cardinals at Eagles	Nick Foles	QB	Philadelphia	23	259 total yards and three touchdowns.
Dolphins at Jets	Ryan Tannehill	QB	Miami	21	353 total yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Falcons at Bills	Steven Jackson	RB	Atlanta	20	84 total yards and two touchdowns.
Rams at 49ers	Colin Kaepernick	QB	San Francisco	17	296 total yards and one touchdown.
Broncos at Chiefs	Eric Decker	WR	Denver	41	Eight catches for 174 yards and four touchdowns.
Bengals at Chargers	A.J. Green	WR	Cincinnati	14	Five catches for 83 yards and one touchdown.

Josh Gordon Proving Himself as Legitimate Top-Five WR

Since entering the NFL as a compensatory draft pick last year, Josh Gordon has shown flashes of becoming one of the league's elite. 

He caught 50 passes for 805 yards and five touchdowns last season as a rookie, and he's done nothing but continue to shine in his sophomore campaign. 

Heading into Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gordon had already exceeded last year's totals in terms of receptions (54) and yardage (988), and he'd caught five touchdowns.

Furthermore, he'd logged double-digit fantasy points in six of his nine starts before the Jags game. 

Gordon caught 10 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville, earning 38 fantasy points for owners who started him (ESPN.com fantasy leagues)—including a 95-yard score in the fourth quarter that put Cleveland up by three with just under four minutes in the game. 

Incredibly, Gordon did something nobody had ever done before in the league, catching 200-plus yards two games in a row, per ESPN:

Unfortunately, the Browns then surrendered a last-minute touchdown to lose the game.

But Gordon's fantasy value is skyrocketing, and he's certainly become one of the top playmakers in the NFL today. He's going to be a hot player during next year's fantasy drafts, and he'll be a boon to fantasy owners the rest of the way in 2013.    

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78