PFT’s Week 13 2024 NFL game preview, led by the Eagles-Ravens

The season should be heading towards a crescendo. Unfortunately, more than half of the league has already crashed.

Seventeen teams are under .500. Unless a few of them get hot late, there won’t be much drama in the final weeks of the season.

The top of the league remains tightly packed, and there are plenty of seeds still up for grabs – including the all-important No. 1 spot in both conferences.

These two races would have been a lot more interesting this weekend if the Bears and Raiders hadn’t botched basic game management decisions that any kid playing Madden can correctly implement.

7-4 Chargers (-2.5) at 6-5 Falcons, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)

LA makes the short week-long trip to Georgia to face a Falcons team that didn’t play in Week 12. Advantage, Atlanta.

The Chargers’ running game has been impacted by the knee injury to JK Dobbins, who has been dealing with an MCL sprain every week.

The Chargers’ four losses came against teams with winning records; Six of their seven wins came against teams that had more losses than wins.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris said his team needed more play-action on offense. The team also needs more wins; The Buccaneers are sneaking up on the division leaders.

8-3 Steelers at 4-7 Bengals (-3), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)

The Steelers have a 12-4 record against the Bengals since 2016.

Cincinnati emerges from the bye week with a record of 1-3 in its last four games. Six of the Bengals’ seven losses came against teams in the playoffs.

Still, quarterback Joe Burrow is tied with Lamar Jackson for the most touchdown passes in the league this season, 27. The last quarterback to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns but not make the playoffs was Russell Wilson with the Seahawks in 2017.

Pittsburgh’s five-game winning streak ends in the snow against the Browns. Pittsburgh ends with the Bengals, the Browns, the Eagles, the Ravens, the Chiefs and the Bengals.

7-5 Texans (-5) at 2-9 Jaguars, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)

The Texans are 11-2 against Jacksonville since 2018, but the teams split in 2022 and 2023. Houston won their first meeting of 2024 in Week 4.

Many around the league were baffled by owner Shad Khan’s failure to fire coach Doug Pederson during the bye. There’s a theory in league circles that Khan may have forgone it to score points with potential 2025 head coach Bill Belichick, who loathes in-season coaching firings.

The Texans have lost four of six games but hold a two-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Colts.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is expected to start after missing two games with a left shoulder injury.

6-5 Cardinals at 9-2 Vikings (-3.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Davis and Greg Olsen)

The Vikings return home for three straight games at US Bank Stadium, culminating in a visit from the Bears on Monday night. Minnesota has won four straight and won three road trip games (Jaguars, Titans, Bears).

After a 16-6 loss in Seattle, Arizona tied for first place in the NFC West with the Seahawks. It was the first time this season that the Cardinals didn’t score a touchdown.

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has 14 turnovers, tied with Gardner Minshew for the league lead. Minnesota officially added Daniel Jones to the practice squad on Friday.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon was an assistant defensive backs coach with the Vikings from 2014 to 2017.

5-7 Colts (-2.5) at 3-9 Patriots, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)

Ten years after #DeflateGate, the Colts and Patriots meet in New England. The Colts are still alive for a wild card spot at 5-7. The Patriots finished at 3-9.

The Patriots have lost four of five home games; Four of the five games at Gillette Stadium were decided by one score.

The Colts remain in contention for the division title and a wild card spot, but their path isn’t easy. They have lost three of four games after starting 4-4.

6-5 Seahawks (-2) at 3-8 Jets, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez)

The Jets return from the break after more chaos, from the firing of GM Joe Douglas to real questions about Aaron Rodgers’ future with the team. The good news is that for the first time since Week 4, he is not listed on the injury report at all.

For Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, it’s a chance to beat the team that drafted him in 2013. It will be his second start against the Jets and his second start at MetLife Stadium since leaving New York. In 2023, the Seahawks will beat the Giants in New Jersey.

While Smith is having another solid year, he leads the league with 12 interceptions.

3-8 Titans at 7-5 Commanders (-5.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty)

Reality has set in for the Commanders, they have lost three straight and could be in danger of losing the seventh seed in the NFC. The offense averaged 29.2 points through the first nine games. Over the last three years, the number per game has dropped to 23.7.

Tennessee upset the Texans in Week 12. Quarterback Will Levis had his second game with a passer rating above 123 in three weeks. While the Titans have little to no chance of making the playoffs, Levis has a chance in the final six games to convince the new coaching staff to stick with him in 2025.

5-6 Buccaneers (-6) at 3-8 Panthers, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth)

The Buccaneers had four rushing touchdowns in Week 12; Previously they had eight all year round. Running back Rachaad White has scored a touchdown in five straight games.

The Bucs remain very much alive in the NFC playoff picture; They are one game (plus tiebreakers) behind the Falcons and in the lead in the NFC South. Tampa Bay trails the Commanders by 1.5 games for a wild-card spot; Tampa Bay holds the tiebreaker after its Week 1 win over Washington.

Bryce Young is starting to improve significantly for the Panthers after being traded after Week 2. He had 263 passing yards in a 30-27 loss to the Chiefs last week.

5-6 Rams (-2.5) at 4-7 Saints, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)

A week after being beaten by the Eagles for 314 rushing yards (the second most in franchise history), the Rams travel to New Orleans to face the one-two punch of Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill, who had just 138 against the Browns Rushing yards accounted for seven carries.

The Saints have won two in a row under interim coach Darren Rizzi; They are just two games behind the Falcons in the NFC South.

Rams receiver Demarcus Robison will play despite an arrest early Monday on suspicion of drunken driving.

9-2 Eagles at 8-4 Ravens (-3), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)

The game of the day features two elite teams and four MVP candidates. The Eagles, who have won seven straight, appear to be the surefire No. 2 seed in the NFC with a chance to overtake the Lions for the top spot. The Ravens are chasing the Steelers for the AFC North title.

This game pits the two best rushing offenses against one another, powered by the league’s two best running backs, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has 10 rushing touchdowns and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson leads all NFL signal callers with 599 rushing yards.

The Eagles are 8-0 this season when receiver AJ Brown plays.

Jackson gets another chance to put up one of the league’s most impressive stats – he’s 23-1 against NFC teams.

5-6 49ers at 9-2 Bills (-7), Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)

A Lake Effect Snow Warning has been issued in the Buffalo area through 7:00 p.m. ET Sunday.

The Bills have won six straight; They are one game behind the Chiefs for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. (Buffalo holds the tiebreaker.) Buffalo has scored 30 or more points in five straight games.

The 49ers were knocked out by the Packers last week. Several key players missed the game due to injuries. At 5-6, the 49ers have already suffered more losses than they did in all of 2023.

Christian McCaffrey has not scored in three games due to an Achilles tendon injury that delayed his debut until November. He averages 3.5 yards per carry.

3-8 Browns at 7-5 Broncos (-5.5), Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)

The Broncos have a chance to solidify their playoff prospects against a team that would likely be in the playoff mix if they had used quarterback Jameis Winston earlier.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has totaled 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions in the last 10 games.

Winston signed with the Saints when Broncos coach Sean Payton was in New Orleans. In 2021, Winston was 5-2 in New Orleans before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.