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Santiago Leon and Carlos McWhorter preview the 2023 NFL Week 13
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Carlos McWhorter – @doncarlos52
Cowboys 41, Seahawks 35: Dallas (9-3) held on for its fourth straight win in a back-and-forth thriller against Seattle as the superstar duo of Dak Prescott (299 yards, 3 TD) and CeeDee Lamb (12 catches, 146 total yards, TD) continued their torrid play.
Prescott threw three touchdown passes and the Cowboys won their 14th consecutive home game, rallying to beat the Seahawks 41-35 on Thursday night.
Prescott’s 12-yard pass to Jake Ferguson put Dallas in front with 4 1/2 minutes remaining as the Cowboys (9-3) set up a rematch with NFC East rival Philadelphia by escaping for a fourth consecutive victory since falling to the Eagles 28-23 to start November.
Dallas trailed 35-30 when Zach Charbonnet was stopped on fourth-and-1 near midfield. Seven plays later, Ferguson scored, and Prescott hit Brandin Cooks for the 2-point conversion. Cooks also had a TD catch in the second quarter.
Metcalf had a season-high 134 yards on six catches in his second career three-TD game as the Seahawks scored touchdowns on five of their first seven drives after coming in with 20 consecutive possessions without an offensive TD.
- Cowboys quarterback: Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes.
- Seahawks: Scored touchdowns on five of their first seven possessions.
- Cowboys defense: Stopped the Seahawks on fourth down twice in the fourth quarter.
- Penalties: The Cowboys and Seahawks combined for 19 penalties, including six defensive pass interference calls.
The Cowboys’ win improved their season record to 9-3, including 6-0 at home. The Seahawks fell to 6-6.
Predictions
IND-TEN
The Titans will look to minimize the Colts’ rushing attack after allowing 193 yards on the ground the last time they met. Tennessee will have defensive tackle Teair Tart this time around, which will boost the run defense. The Colts will be without Jonathan Taylor (thumb), but Zack Moss’ 672 rushing yards place him 10th in the NFL. The Titans pride themselves on stopping the run and will have their hands full against the Colts’ offense that is 11th in the league with 1,335 yards on the ground. — Turron Davenport
CM: IND
ATL-NYJ
Desmond Ridder vs. Tim Boyle isn’t exactly a marquee quarterback matchup. Ridder has 18 turnovers in nine starts (5-4), while Boyle, who began the season as the third string, threw two interceptions in his first start. The Jets are seeking to avoid their eighth straight game with fewer than two touchdowns, which would be the longest streak by any team since the 2011 Rams. –
CM: NYJ
DET-NO
The Saints could be down their top three receivers with Michael Thomas on injured reserve (knee), Rashid Shaheed nursing a thigh injury and Chris Olave in concussion protocol. That’s bad news for an offense that failed to score a touchdown against the Falcons last week. The Saints’ have struggled in the red zone, which will make it difficult to go score-for-score against a Lions offense that ranks second in yards per game. — Katherine Terrell
CM: DET
DEN-HOU
From Week 9-12, the Broncos have held opposing quarterbacks to a QBR of 31.9 (fourth-lowest) and are keeping opposing offenses to 18.0 points per game (13th-lowest). But Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has a QBR of 68.3 (fifth-best) during that same span. This matchup will be the collision of one strength vs. another. — DJ Bien-Aime
CM: HOU
LAC-NE
Backup quarterback Bailey Zappe is expected to make his first start of the season for the Patriots, replacing Mac Jones, who has been pulled from four games. Zappe said he hopes to follow a similar formula to last season when he started two games that the team won, and he was able to “limit turnovers.” The Chargers have a plus-three turnover differential on the season (15 takeaways, 12 giveaways). — Mike Reiss
CM: LAC
AZ-PIT
After firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Steelers gained more than 400 yards in a game for the first time in 58 regular season games. But the yards didn’t translate into an explosion of points. That could change this week. The Cardinals’ defense is second-to-last in the NFL in points allowed, giving up an average of 26.8 points per game. Arizona’s rushing defense is also one of the worst in the league, giving up an average of 174 yards on the ground in its past three games. — Brooke Pryor
CM: PIT
MIA-WAS
Washington coach Ron Rivera will take over as the defensive playcaller for the fired Jack Del Rio; it’ll be Rivera’s first time calling defensive signals since 2018, when he was Carolina’s head coach. It won’t be easy Sunday. Miami leads the NFL with 42 offensive touchdowns while Washington has allowed the second-most with 35. Also, Miami is second with 57 plays of 20 yards or more, and Washington has allowed the most with 59. — John Keim
CM: MIA
CAR-TB
At 4-7 and having dropped six out of the last seven games, the Bucs are miraculously just one game out of first place in the NFC South while the 1-10 Panthers are hoping a coaching change can galvanize the team. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, who spent seven games with the Panthers last season, certainly expects it. “Having been in that spot before, everybody rallies around it, honestly. It’s one of those things that brings people together,” said Mayfield, who is expected to play despite leaving last week’s game briefly with an ankle injury. — Jenna Laine
CM: TB
SF-PHI
Following their 31-7 NFC Championship Game loss to the Eagles last January, a sentiment out of the 49ers locker room was that the outcome of the game would have been much different if quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t exit with an injury midway through the first quarter. They’ll have a chance to back that up on Sunday. Purdy has completed over 70% of his passes this season and has a league-leading QBR of 75.6. The Eagles are 29th versus the pass (255.7 YPG) and have yielded the second-most passing touchdowns in the NFL (23).
CM: PHI
CLE-LAR
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off a game where he threw a season-high four passing touchdowns, which was as many as he had in his previous four games combined. The Browns have allowed just 10 passing touchdowns this season, which is tied with the Ravens for the fewest in the NFL, so Stafford and the Rams face a significant challenge. — Sarah Barshop
CM: CLE
KC-GB
The Packers are undefeated (15-0) in December since Matt LaFleur took over as coach in 2019, but they haven’t played the Chiefs in the final month of the calendar year during that stretch. Jordan Love’s first NFL start came at Kansas City in a 13-7 loss in November 2021. Meanwhile, this will be Patrick Mahomes’ first-ever appearance at Lambeau Field.
CM: KC