Doric SamDecember 1, 2023
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Week 13 officially kicked off as the Dallas Cowboys scored a 41-35 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football
With the playoffs looming, Thursday’s game had its own set of implications, and there are more games on the docket today that will shake things up.
Here’s a look at the postseason picture following Thursday’s game:
AFC
1. Baltimore Ravens (9-3, first-round bye)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (8-3, tiebreaker over Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins) vs. 7. Indianapolis Colts (6-5, tiebreaker over Houston Texans and Denver Broncos)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3, tiebreaker over Miami Dolphins) vs. 6. Cleveland Browns (7-4)
4. Miami Dolphins (8-3) vs. 5. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4, tiebreaker over Cleveland Browns)
NFC
1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-1, first-round bye)
2. San Francisco 49ers (8-3, tiebreaker over Detroit Lions) vs. 7. Seattle Seahawks (6-6)
3. Detroit Lions (8-3) vs. 6. Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
4. Atlanta Falcons (5-6, tiebreaker over New Orleans Saints) vs. 5. Dallas Cowboys (9-3)
The Cowboys now have the second-best record in the NFC, but they will remain in the 5th seed thanks to the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles’ continued reign atop the conference. The loss for the Seahawks dropped them to the seventh seed, as the Minnesota Vikings have a better record in conference games.
Elsewhere in the NFC, the marquee match in the NFC will see the Philadelphia Eagles take on the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of last season’s conference title game. Philadelphia has a two-game cushion for the top spot in the NFC, so it will take more than a loss today to knock the reigning conference champ from its perch.
Still, San Francisco will be highly motivated to exact some revenge. The 49ers will be seeking their fourth straight win, while the Eagles will be looking to extend their win streak to six games. Sunday’s match has the potential to be one of the most exciting games of the year.
Another intriguing match will be the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions taking on the New Orleans Saints, who are tied with the Atlanta Falcons atop the NFC South but do not own the tiebreaker. The Falcons will be facing a New York Jets team riding a four-game losing streak, so it will be vital for the Saints to be triumphant if they want to keep up in the race for the division title.
Over in the AFC, the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens are on a bye and the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins have very winnable matches against the Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders, respectively. The intrigue in Week 13 lies at the bottom half of the conference.
The Houston Texans vs. Denver Broncos will be the game to watch on,
