NFL Week 13: Everything You Need to Know for Sunday's Games
We have almost reached the final month of the 2015 NFL season. We are in the final month of the calendar year, which means January and the accompanying NFL postseason are right around the bend.
These final five weeks are going to be filled with drama and excitement as teams make their push for the playoffs.
The Green Bay Packers managed to strengthen their playoff hopes Thursday night. Actually, they did it on the game's final play—a Hail Mary that sailed true to provide a 27-23 win over the Detroit Lions.
On Sunday, 28 other teams will try to join the Packers as Week 13 victors. Not all of them cling to playoff hopes, of course, but we should get 14 excitement-soaked contests regardless.
Here's your guide to what you need to know about them.
Biggest Questions
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What Will the Patriots Offense Look Like Without Gronkowski?
On Sunday, New England will be without star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is dealing with a knee injury and bone bruise. His absence will drastically impact an offense that has already lost running back Dion Lewis and receiver Aaron Dobson for the season and will be without wideout Julian Edelman for the foreseeable future.
Without Gronkowski, the Patriots are going to have to make some major adjustments. The fact that wide receiver Danny Amendola is listed as questionable with his own injury doesn't help matters. He and Brandon LaFell are the only healthy and proven receivers on the roster.
Against the Philadelphia Eagles, we're likely to see a run-heavy offensive approach. The Eagles are ranked just 27th in run defense (126.6 yards per game allowed). However, we can expect the Patriots to put together some semblance of a passing game, at least so long as Tom Brady remains breathing.
What will be worth discovering is exactly how the Patriots manage to put a passing attack together. Will the team lean on younger receivers such as Keshawn Martin? Will tight end Scott Chandler become the offensive focal point? Will Brady simply sling the ball repeatedly to running backs James White and Brandon Bolden?
Whatever we see Sunday could give us an idea of what the Patriots offense is going to look like down the stretch and in the playoffs—especially if Gronkowski's injury becomes a long-term problem.
Can Matt Hasselbeck Continue Leading Colts Toward the Playoffs?
Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Andrew Luck remains out with a lacerated kidney and an abdominal injury. This means the Colts will once again rely on 40-year-old journeyman Matt Hasselbeck.
For Indianapolis, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Hasselbeck has been excellent on the field this season, even brilliant at times. He's completing 64.7 percent of his passes and holds a passer rating of 94.4. More importantly, he has gone 4-0 as a starter for the Colts.
Though he has played better than Luck in many ways this year, Hasselbeck knows that his time as the primary signal-caller will only last as long as Luck remains out.
"This is 100 percent Andrew Luck’s team," Hasselbeck said, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com. "Not only is he the quarterback of the future, he’s been the quarterback of the past. He has earned every bit of respect that he gets in this locker room. Nothing has been given to him. It’s his team. I think he and I are clear on that."
The reality, though, is that Hasselbeck is the man right now, and with the Houston Texans suddenly hot and on Indy's heels in the division, he has to keep the Colts winning. This week, the challenge will be to match pace with Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers' explosive offense.
Will Todd Gurley Regain His Dominant Form?
St. Louis Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley was setting the NFL world on fire about a month ago. He averaged 141.5 yards per game and scored three times in his first four starts, averaging more than 5.5 yards per carry in each of them.
However, Gurley hasn't topped the 100-yard mark in any of his past four games. He hasn't rushed for more than four yards per carry in the last month, either. He rushed for just 2.6 yards per carry against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 and 2.1 yards per carry last week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The most logical conclusion is that injuries along the offensive line have forced Gurley to do a lot more on his own. For a young rookie back who is just getting used to the pro game, this is an obvious issue.
The Rams have a tough matchup this week against the Arizona Cardinals. The good news is that starting right tackle Rob Havenstein is expected to return to the lineup. Having him back should help improve the blocking in front of Gurley.
However, it will be up to the rookie to prove he can be the same explosive playmaker he was earlier in the season.
Game of the Day
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What: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Fox
We're going to get a couple of games between potential playoff contenders, but the matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks has to be at the top of the must-watch list.
Both of these teams would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. In fact, this would be the exact matchup we would get to open the playoffs (third seed vs. sixth seed).
However, being in position to make the postseason doesn't mean that either of these teams can afford a loss. Thanks to the late-game miracle Thursday night, the Packers can reclaim the top spot in the NFC North if the Vikings lose. A loss would potentially bump Seattle out of the No. 6 seed.
In addition to the stakes, this game provides a clash of stout defenses and exhilarating ground attacks.
Seattle rookie running back Thomas Rawls has already rushed for 685 yards this season despite making just five starts. He's averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has one 200-yard game on his 2015 resume. Vikings star Adrian Peterson has 1,164 yards rushing and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He too has a 200-yard game this season.
Those defenses? They're pretty good. The Vikings and Seahawks are rated seventh and ninth overall in defense, respectively, by Pro Football Focus.
Though much of this game will come down to defense and rushing, we can't discount the pending young-quarterback duel between Teddy Bridgewater and Russell Wilson.
All in all, this one is going to be a blast.
Honorable Mention: Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Sunday night matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers doesn't look quite as juicy as it might have when the season began, but it's still going to be a good one.
Like the Seahawks-Vikings tilt, a lot is on the line for both teams. The Colts are on top of the AFC South at 6-5 but share a record with the Houston Texans. A loss and a Texans win would change everything in the division.
The Steelers are also sitting at 6-5 but are on the outside looking in due to tiebreakers. A win potentially gets Pittsburgh back in the mix.
The fact that these two teams possess defenses that aren't good gives us the potential for a high-scoring shootout. The Colts and Steelers are rated just 24th and 29th in overall defense, respectively, by Pro Football Focus. Expect a lot of points and a lot of intrigue Sunday night.
The action kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Stats of the Week
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Yards passing by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Yes, the Patriots are missing weapons. No, this doesn't seem to be stopping Brady from having one of the best seasons of his career.
Yards rushing per game averaged by the Kansas City Chiefs, sixth-most in the NFL. Kansas City has played six of its 11 games this season without star running back Jamaal Charles, who suffered a torn ACL. Backups Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware have filled in nicely.
Rushing yards per game surrendered by the Oakland Raiders defense this season. This is good for a ranking of 18th in the NFL. Oakland has shown improvements this season, but the team remains vulnerable on defense. The Chiefs will have an opportunity to take advantage Sunday.
Receiving touchdowns scored by Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert this season. No player has scored more. Unfortunately, the Bengals are unlikely to have Eifert against the Cleveland Browns Sunday.
Yards per game surrendered by the Browns defense this season. Not having Eifert isn't likely to prevent Cincinnati from improving to 10-2 this week.
Receptions of 20 or more yards this season by Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson. You probably haven't noticed because Jacksonville has rarely been relevant this season, but Robinson is emerging as one of the biggest game-breakers in the NFL.
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Who's Favored?
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Here are the odds for Sunday's games, via Odds Shark:
| Game Time (ET) | Away Team | Home Team | Favorite |
| 1 p.m. | Houston | Buffalo | Buffalo -3 |
| 1 p.m. | San Francisco | Chicago | Chicago -8.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Cincinnati | Cleveland | Cincinnati -10.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Baltimore | Miami | Miami -3.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Seattle | Minnesota | Seattle -1 |
| 1 p.m. | NY Jets | NY Giants | NY Jets -1 |
| 1 p.m. | Arizona | St. Louis | Arizona -7 |
| 1 p.m. | Atlanta | Tampa Bay | Even |
| 1 p.m. | Jacksonville | Tennessee | Tennessee -2.5 |
| 4:05 p.m. | Kansas City | Oakland | Kansas City -2.5 |
| 4:05 p.m. | Denver | San Diego | Denver -3.5 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Carolina | New Orleans | Carolina -7 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Philadelphia | New England | New England -10.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Indianapolis | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh -7.5 |
Matchups to Watch
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Houston Pass Rush vs. Tyrod Taylor
We mentioned earlier that the Houston Texans will have an opportunity to take over the AFC South lead if they can notch a win to go along with a Colts loss. However, taking care of the first part is going to be a challenge.
Houston has been winning largely because of a dominant defense and, in particular, the pass rush. However, Buffalo features one of the quickest and shiftiest quarterbacks in Tyrod Taylor. J.J. Watt and Co. are likely to spend the better part of 60 minutes playing tag with the first-year starter.
If Taylor can get outside the pocket, he has all the tools to do damage with both his legs and his throwing arm. Keeping him contained and bringing him to the turf when the opportunity arises will be critical for Houston.
LeGarrette Blount vs. Eagle Run Defense
The Eagles have struggled over the past few weeks, especially on the defensive side of the football. The team has surrendered 110 points over its last three contests.
Normally, you wouldn't view a matchup with New England as an opportunity to stop the bleeding, but this Patriots offense is banged up. If the Eagles can manage to slow the few remaining weapons on the Patriots roster, Philadelphia will have a legitimate chance at the upset.
The challenge in this game will be to contain LeGarrette Blount and the rest of the Patriots rushing attack. Blount was held to just three yards per carry in last week's loss to the Denver Broncos, and a lack of a strong running game made the New England offense one-dimensional.
This is the blueprint the Eagles need to follow.
Though Philadelphia hasn't been great at limiting rushing yardage this season (126.6 yards per game surrendered), the team is actually rated 10th overall in run defense by Pro Football Focus.
Slowing Blount is far from an impossible task.
Matt Hasselbeck vs. Steelers Secondary
Because Pittsburgh has Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and DeAngelo Williams, the Steelers have the potential to score just about any time they possess the football.
As the Seattle Seahawks proved a week ago, the best way to combat the Pittsburgh offense is to exploit its defense and try to win the shootout. The Seahawks were able to do their damage on the young arm of Russell Wilson. Indianapolis will have the 40-year-old arm of Hasselbeck.
We've already mentioned, though, that Hasselbeck has been far from a liability this season. Pass defense has been a liability for Pittsburgh, however. Pro Football Focus rates the Steelers dead last in coverage for the year.
It's going to be fun watching Hasselbeck try to slice through the defense with enough frequency to counter what Big Ben and Co. are doing when they have the ball.
Injury Report
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Each week, we'll take a look at the most significant injuries from around the league.
Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots (out): Gronkowski (knee) has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Eagles. Wide receiver Danny Amendola (knee) is listed as questionable.
Ryan Mathews, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (out): Mathews will miss Sunday's game against New England with a concussion.
Darrelle Revis, CB, New York Jets (out): Revis (concussion) won't suit up Sunday against the New York Giants. Fantasy owners of Odell Beckham Jr. should take note.
Karlos Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills (out): The Bills will be without running back Karlos Williams (shoulder) and starting guard John Miller (ankle) against the Texans. According to Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com, the Bills plan to add running back Mike Gillislee to the active roster.
Maxx Williams, TE, Baltimore Ravens (out): Williams (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.
Rishard Matthews, WR, Miami Dolphins (out): The Dolphins will be without Matthews because of a rib injury. Tackle Ju'Wuan James (toe) and defensive tackle Earl Mitchell (calf) have been ruled out as well.
Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals (doubtful): Eifert is listed as doubtful with a neck injury. Cornerbacks Leon Hall (back) and Adam Jones (foot) are questionable.
Joe Haden, CB, Cleveland Browns (out): Haden is out again with a concussion. Also out and on the concussion squad are cornerback Justin Gilbert, receiver Taylor Gabriel and receiver Andrew Hawkins.
Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (out): Hurns has been ruled out with a concussion. Running back Toby Gerhart (groin) and linebacker Dan Skuta (groin) have also been ruled out.
Garrett Celek, TE, San Francisco 49ers (out): Celek (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday. Running back Carlos Hyde is also still out with his foot injury.
Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans Saints (doubtful): Snead is officially listed as doubtful with a calf injury. Defensive tackle Johnathan Jenkins (concussion) is out.
Charles Tillman, CB, Carolina Panthers (out): Tillman will miss Sunday's game against the Saints with a knee injury.
Husain Abdullah, S, Kansas City Chiefs (out): Abdullah is officially out with a neck injury. Linebacker Justin Houston (knee) and center Mitch Morse (concussion) are also out.
Anthony Castonzo, T, Indianapolis Colts (out): Castonzo has been ruled out with a knee injury. Receiver Phillip Dorsett (ankle) and quarterback Andrew Luck (abdominal) are also out.
Injury reports courtesy of ESPN.com.
Expert Picks and Predictions
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Each week, we take a look at picks and predictions from Bleacher Report's top NFL writers. We also spotlight the experts' results on a week-to-week basis.
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