40 things we learned
In Week 13, Chiefs CB Eric Berry stole the show and Tom Brady became the winningest QB ever,
The 40 things we learned from Week 13 of the NFL season: 1. And on the first weekend of December: Snow in Green Bay. And Chicago. OK, game on. 2. Tip of the helmet to the players: #CleatsForACause. 3. Our favorite was Raiders owner Mark Davis wearing purple Chucks to raise domestic violence awareness. 4. Break up the Baltimore Ravens.
5. On the Ravens’ first two drives, Joe Flacco was 11-for-14 with two TDs. Elite numbers. And he just kept on going.
6. Tom Brady is now the NFL’s all-time winningest quarterback with 201 victories. And we bow in his honor.
7. But the best story of the day was Chiefs safety Eric Berry. We don’t care who you cheer for (Falcons fans, excluded), this has to make you smile.
8. Playing near his hometown, where two years ago he was treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Berry celebrated with a pick-six — and then gave the ball to his mother. And that almost made us cry.
9. But he wasn’t done. He intercepted Matt Ryan’s pass as the Falcons went for a two-point conversion to extend their lead and returned it the length of the field, giving the Chiefs the winning points in a 29-28 victory. Wow.
10. Of course, some fans were crying tears of another variety in Week 13:
11. Jeff Fisher. Contract extension. Sorry, Rams fans.
12. The first-quarter QB numbers in 49ers-Bears: Colin Kaepernick 0-for-1; Matt Barkley 0-for-2.
13. Kaepernick was later benched. His final numbers: 1for-5 for 4 yards.
14. Broncos-Jaguars featured six possessions in the first quarter. All resulted in punts.
15. Mike Nugent of the Bengals missed an extra-point try. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
16. Blake Bortles threw a picksix. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
17. A Bortles stat we can’t ignore: Career wins: 10. Career pick-sixes: 11.
18. The greatness of the Raiders. And every week we write it, we believe it more.
19. Whenever they show a shot of Odell Beckham Jr. talking to Eli Manning on the sideline — and Manning’s head just nodding — you wonder just what Eli is thinking at that moment.
20. Life without Gronk. Reminder for all of those people who had the Patriots penciled in for the Super Bowl in October: It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
21. Empty seats dressed as fans in Cincinnati. And Chicago. TV ratings aren’t the only numbers that should concern the NFL.
22. Referee Pete Morelli’s crew was assigned to 49ers-Bears in
Chicago on Sunday. If ever a crew got the game it deserved, this was it.
23. Anybody who still thinks the Cowboys are a lock to win the NFC wasn’t paying attention Thursday night.
24. If one play summed up the 49ers’ season, it was this: They got penalized for “celebrating ” a touchdown. And upon review, it was ruled they hadn’t even scored.
25. Halftime yardage: Patriots 230, Rams 25.
26. Popcorn alert: The Chiefs post back-to-back victories on the road against the Broncos and Falcons. Think Arrowhead will be rocking Thursday night when the Raiders come to town?
27. The fact the Lions walked into the Superdome — not the easiest place to win — and took care of business so matter-of-factly was pretty impressive.
28. Any thought the Broncos would consider switching to rookie Paxton Lynch late in the season were probably put to rest Sunday. He’s just not ready.
29. You can tell we are getting late into the season when a certain result can affect, like, four teams in the playoff field. (Yeah, the NFL doesn’t use a committee to vote on who reaches the playoffs.)
30. Speaking of that, the Cowboys are the first to clinch a spot. And if the season ended today, the Buccaneers would be the sixth seed in the NFC ahead of Washington.
31. Keep an eye on the Bucs, who won another tough road game Sunday in San Diego. As stated before, we gave up way too early on them. But we’re back on the boat now.
32. A lot has been made about the new PAT rule — as well it should, given the #kickerfail from 33 yards. But what about the back
end of the rule, where you can now return a blocked kick or fumble/interception for two points? Two games have now been decided by the defense in those scenarios: Broncos over Saints and Chiefs over Falcons. Crazy. And cool.
33. Drew Brees’ record of 60 home games in a row with a touchdown pass came to an end Sunday. And that left us thinking … 60 home games in a row with a TD pass! Damn.
34. His holdout, the fact he plays for a West Coast team and his team having a losing record has meant rookie DE Joey Bosa has not gotten the national attention he deserves. He is a force … and deserves every penny the Chargers wouldn’t pay him.
35. So about that much-ballyhooed showdown between Beckham and Antonio Brown. The real star was … Ladarius Green. The Steelers tight end was the best re- ceiver on the field with six catches for 110 yards and a TD.
36. We were giddy — yes, giddy — when Raiders coach Jack Del Rio did not “chase the point” when they scored to close the gap to 24-22 late in the third quarter. Too often, coaches do it too early and it comes back to haunt them.
37. See what happens when you give the Browns a bye: Every team in the AFC North won in Week 13.
38. With credit to Andrew Siciliano of the Red Zone channel for noticing: A pass to Eli Rogers was intercepted by Eli Apple and the ball went back to Eli Manning.
39. The 2016 Khalil Mack is the 2015 Von Miller. That is all.
40. Redskins coach Jay Gruden showed some fire in the locker room after losing to the Cardinals, telling his guys they weren’t ready to play. That was probably a fun flight home.