Windy City Gridiron
Football and the holidays go together like peanut butter and jelly. This is the perfect time of year when you can sit down for a long holiday weekend and watch football for the entire time. Between Thanksgiving, Black Friday, college football, and typical NFL Sundays, it’s one of my laziest weekends of the year, and more importantly, one I look forward to all year. With the holidays comes the closing of the regular season. Following Week 13’s results, the season is down to just five weeks with plenty on the line coming down the stretch. With some surprising results and multiple big-stakes games, there’s been another shakeup in the Top 10 heading into Week 14.
1. New England Patriots (11-2) Previous Week: 2
Could the Patriots pick a better way to head into their bye? Because I can’t think of one. From the opening snap, they were all over the Giants and did not relent. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye continues to play at an MVP level and, at this point, should be considered for the award. Just as impressive is how physical the defense continues to play. Going from worst to first is one thing. Finding a way to go from the third-worst team in the AFC to the top dog is another. Head coach Mike Vrabel has completely turned this franchise around in less than a calendar year.
Next up: Bye Week
2. Los Angeles Rams (9-3) Previous Week: 1
Of all the surprises in Week 13, this was one I did not see coming. I keep saying I don’t understand the Panthers, but it was shocking to see the Rams let them hang around all game and ultimately come up short. For my money, this is the best team in football, but they didn’t play like it on Sunday. Part of that was an uncharacteristic day from quarterback Matthew Stafford en route to a three-turnover performance. Either way, I fully expect them to get back on track next week against a struggling Arizona squad.
Next up: At Cardinals
3. Denver Broncos (10-2) Previous Week: 3
Nine in a row. It wasn’t pretty, and there have been plenty of them that haven’t been there, but in the end, they continue to win games and have a stranglehold on the AFC West with five games remaining in the regular season. Sunday night was back-and-forth, and Denver might have benefited from a few bad calls that went against Washington, but in the end, they’ve proven time and time again that they can pull out wins no matter the situation. With a trip to Vegas on the horizon, they’re inching closer to being one of the first teams to clinch a playoff spot.
Next up: At Raiders
4. Seattle Seahawks (9-3) Previous Week: 4
The Seahawks keep finding new ways to win, even when their passing offense struggles. It wasn’t pretty, but in the end, they blanked the Vikings 26-0, despite Sam Darnold throwing for just 128 yards and scoring one offensive...
