Biggest Stories and Best Highlights from NFL Week 13

Sunday's early action in Week 13 of the 2017 NFL season featured a triumphant debut by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and an overtime battle between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which ended in a 26-20 victory for the playoff-hopeful Packers. 

Highlights of the late afternoon games included the Cleveland Browns welcoming back wide receiver Josh Gordon for his first game since Dec. 21, 2014, and New York Giants quarterback Geno Smith making his first start this season after the organization announced it would bench Eli Manning in Week 13.

On Sunday night, the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles will take on the 7-4 Seattle Seahawks in an NFC clash on NBC.

Here's a look at the rest of Week 13's biggest stories and best highlights.

1 p.m. ET Recaps

The Tennessee Titans beat the pesky Houston Texans and held on to the AFC South lead with a 24-13 win in Nashville. Running back Derrick Henry's 75-yard touchdown jaunt with under a minute left sealed the game:

A shootout occurred in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as the New York Jets beat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-31. Josh McCown threw for 331 yards and one score for the Jets, while the Chiefs' Alex Smith tossed two touchdowns apiece to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garappolo won his starting debut 15-14 at the Chicago Bears. Robbie Gould's late field goal was the winning score.

The New England Patriots shut down the Buffalo Bills in Western New York, beating their AFC East rivals 23-3. Rex Burkhead had two touchdowns for the Pats.

Aaron Jones' 20-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted the Green Bay Packers to a 26-20 victory at Lambeau Field. Jamaal Williams rushed for 113 yards and a score for the Pack.

The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the Indianapolis Colts 30-10 thanks to an excellent defensive effort and 309 yards from quarterback Blake Bortles. Jags defensive backs Jalen Ramsey and Tashaun Gipson each recorded a pick against Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett, while Paul Posluszny chipped in with 1.5 sacks.

Twenty-four fourth-quarter points buoyed the Baltimore Ravens to a 44-20 victory over the Detroit Lions. Running back Alex Collins scored twice, and wide receiver Mike Wallace had 116 receiving yards.

The Minnesota Vikings beat the Atlanta Falcons 14-9 in a defensive slugfest to move to 10-2 on the season. Jerick McKinnon and Kyle Rudolph scored receiving touchdowns for Minnesota.

4 p.m. ET Recaps 

After losing their first four matchups, the Los Angeles Chargers have won six of eight and improved to 6-6 Sunday afternoon with a 19-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. Because the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the New York Jets earlier in the day, Los Angeles and Kansas City now hold identical 6-6 records atop the AFC West.

If the Chargers make the playoffs, they would be only the second team in NFL history to do so after an 0-4 start (in 1992, the Bolts went 11-1 in their final 12 games to make the postseason).

The Oakland Raiders were without top wideouts Amari Cooper (concussion, sprained ankle) and Michael Crabtree (suspended for fighting with Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib) against the 2-9 New York Giants, but still managed to pull out a 24-17 victory. The Silver and Black are now also 6-6 in the AFC West, making for a compelling playoff race in that division.

The 5-7 Arizona Cardinals fell to the 9-3 Los Angeles Rams without running back Adrian Peterson, who has a neck injury, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Los Angeles' hold on the NFC West could become even more absolute if the Seahawks fall to the Eagles on Sunday night. 

The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, who had identical 8-3 records heading into Week 13, restored a hierarchy in the NFC South as New Orleans moved into the top spot with a 31-21 victory over its division rival. The Saints now own the tiebreaker after winning both this matchup and the first meeting in Week 3.

     

NFL Playoff Picture

The NFC's Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks and AFC's Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals have yet to play, but even without those results, the NFL playoff picture came into clearer focus in Week 13.

Prior to Sunday Night Football, here is where the top six teams in the AFC stand:

1. New England Patriots (10-2)

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-2)

3. Tennessee Titans (8-4)

4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4)

6. Baltimore Ravens (7-5)

And here's how the playoff seeding in the NFC would shake out:

1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)

2. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)

3. Los Angeles Rams (9-3)

4. New Orleans Saints (9-3)

5. Carolina Panthers (8-4)

6. Seattle Seahawks (7-4)

Five teams have been eliminated from playoff contention: the Cleveland Browns (0-12) and Indianapolis Colts (3-9) in the AFC and the New York Giants (2-10), San Francisco 49ers (2-10) and Chicago Bears (3-9) in the NFC.

The Eagles can become the first team to officially clinch its division with a win over the Seahawks on Sunday night.

Injury Report

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree left the game against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half with an elbow injury and was ruled out, as the L.A. Times' Lindsey Thiry reported:

Just before his injury, Ogletree returned a Blaine Gabbert interception 41 yards for a touchdown.

Two key Buffalo Bills players were injured Sunday.

Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor was carted off the field with a knee injury in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots. Mike Rodak of ESPN.com provided more details:

Nathan Peterman stepped in for Taylor.

Later in the game, Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White had to leave after being hit in the back of the head by New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski following an interception. Rodak offered more commentary:

The Detroit Lions played the end of their game against the Baltimore Ravens without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Per Tim Twentyman of the team website, Stafford left with a right hand injury. He did not return and was replaced by backup Jake Rudock.

Plays of the Day

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram added another feather in the cap of his impressive season with this 72-yard run through traffic against the Carolina Panthers:

The Los Angeles Rams defense put the smackdown on the Arizona Cardinals, which was epitomized by this 41-yard Alec Ogletree pick-six that helped put the Rams up 16-0 in the first quarter:

The box score will show Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers, but he ran back as far as his own 24-yard line before taking it to the house:

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill went deep for a 79-yard touchdown reception against the New York Jets:

Josh Gordon Makes Big Impact in Return 

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon took his first NFL snap since 2014 on Sunday, and the talented but troubled wideout proved that he still has a lot to offer. 

Officially reinstated on Nov. 1 after multiple suspensions for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, Gordon was eligible to play for the first time Sunday.

Gordon wasted no time starting his comeback off hot, connecting with rookie DeShone Kizer on the first play of the Browns' first drive for a nine-yard gain.

Near the end of Cleveland's bout with the Chargers, Gordon wowed with this 39-yard reception:

Gordon finished his day with four receptions for 85 yards, averaging 21.3 yards per reception and giving Kizer a legitimate downfield threat.  

Jimmy Garoppolo Shines in 49ers Debut

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

The Jimmy Garoppolo era began in earnest for San Francisco on Sunday, as the former New England Patriots backup quarterback made his first start in a 15-14 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Garoppolo relieved an injured C.J. Beathard in Week 12 and raised eyebrows around the league when he completed a remarkably efficient touchdown drive—though it was just 23 yards—on his one and only series.

His stat line wasn't quite as pretty Sunday, as he went 26-of-37 for 293 yards with an interception, but it was still enough to help the 49ers earn their second win of the year.

It's unclear when the Garoppolo era would have begun had Beathard's injury not forced the 49ers' hand. But now that he has taken over as the starter, it's safe to say Garoppolo won't be seeing his old friend, the bench, for the rest of the year.

Big Fantasy Names Struggle Early

Week 13 marks the end of the regular season in many fantasy leagues, and many fantasy owners were likely frustrated by the struggles of multiple big-name players Sunday.

In the Atlanta Falcons' 14-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, top wideout Julio Jones netted just 4.40 fantasy points (in Yahoo Fantasy points-per-reception scoring) with only two receptions for 24 yards.

Another receiver drafted early in most leagues, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' DeSean Jackson, matched Jones' score. Jackson also had two receptions for 24 yards in the Bucs' 26-20 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Speaking of the Vikings, though Minnesota got a win, wideout Adam Thielen didn't do much. Thielen had his third-lowest points total of the season in Week 13, scoring just 9.10 against Atlanta.

Though the Chicago Bears have limped to a 3-9 record this season, running back Jordan Howard has been a mostly reliable source of points for fantasy owners. That wasn't the case in Week 13, as Howard managed only 4.30 points in the Bears' 15-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Still to Come

The NFL's best team—the Philadelphia Eagles—will take on the 7-4 Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football.

Now that the Minnesota Vikings are 10-2, the 10-1 Eagles need a win to sink their talons deeper into the NFC's No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

In second place in the NFC West and with seven teams ahead of them in the conference, the Seahawks would put their playoff hopes in jeopardy with a loss.

Philadelphia has the highest-scoring offense in the league, averaging 31.9 points per game.

Even Seattle's stout defense may not be able to contain that unit.