Five [Opfer's Take]aways from NFL Week 13

Ten nuggets from week 13

No team in NFL history has had a worse 28-game stretch (1-27) than the Cleveland Browns (FoxSports). They are 4-45 since Thanksgiving 2014…

The Miami Dolphins recorded two safeties in the same game for the first time in franchise history…

The Giants failed to score 30 points during the entirety of Ben McAdoo’s tenure (28 games) with the team. Only the Bears (35) and the Browns (39) have longer active streaks (Elias)… 

Colts RB Frank Gore moved to fifth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, passing Hall of Famers LT and Jerome Bettis (ESPN)…

Chiefs QB Alex Smith is the first player in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) with a 70-yard completion and a 70-yard rush in the same game (Elias)…

Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein connected on four field goals, giving him a staggering 36 FG’s this season, the most by any player in NFL history through the season’s first 12 games (NFL.com). The NFL record for a season is 44…

Chargers WR Keenan Allen is the first player in NFL history to have at least 10 catches, 100 receiving yards, and a TD reception in three consecutive games (NFL)…

Vikings QB Case Keenum went 18-of-18 on passes thrown between the painted field numbers, the most attempts without an incompletion since it was first tracked in 2006 (Schefter). He was also perfect in completing passes in the second half (12-of-12)…

Bears Tarik Cohen became the first rookie to score a rushing, receiving, passing and punt return TD in a single season since Gale Sayers (also a Chicago Bear) in 1965 (NFL)... 

Saints rookie sensation Alvin Kamara has scored a touchdown in six straight games and gone over 100 yards from scrimmage in five straight. 

Five Takeaways

5. Big Ben owns Ohio

Ever since he was drafted 11^th overall in 2004 by the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger has dominated his division rivals in Ohio. A homer himself having played high school (Findlay) and college (Miami OH) football in the state, it should come as no surprise. After Monday night’s win in Cincinnati, the beefy signal caller has lost just four games (25-4) in Ohio throughout his 13-year career – two each in Cleveland and Cincy. He has amassed a staggering record of 45-9 (83%) against his AFC North counterparts.

Fun Fact: Roethlisberger has thrown for 12,407 yards and 75 TD’s against the Browns and Bengals in his career, just under a quarter of his career total (50,052). 

4. Mile high mess

After starting the season 3-1, the Broncos have lost eight straight. From suspensions (Talib) to poor play, Denver is reeling under first-year head coach Vance Joseph. A major concern is the play behind center. On Sunday, Trevor Siemian was a porous 19-of-41 (46%) for 200 yards, zero TD’s and three interceptions. It’s shocking he was never pulled. But then again, the backups are ineffective twin towers, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch. All three have more interceptions than touchdowns (combined 14 TD to 18 INT) and none have been able to sustain [even minor] success. To make matters worse, in their last six games, Denver has given up a league-worst 32.8 points per game. A season after ranking fourth in scoring defense (18.6), they rank 31st (26.3) in ‘17. For one of the most successful franchises in the league, this season has been a rough outlier for Elway and co. One that can't end soon enough.

Fun Fact: With Sunday's loss to Miami, it clinched just the third losing season since 2000 in Denver.     

3. The best worst team in the league

The Tennessee Titans are 8-4, sitting atop the AFC South. It certainly doesn’t feel like it as evidenced by their mediocre offense and defense – ranked 18^th in both scoring offense (22.2) & defense (23.5). They have defined winning ugly, especially as of late, winning their last five (out of six) games by a combined 25 points (5 per). That includes a three-point overtime win against the winless Browns, a four-point last second win against the 3-8 Colts, and a four-point comeback victory over (then) 3-5 Cincinnati. Nothing this team does is exciting, but they continue to find ways to win games, which is ultimately the only stat that matters.

In what seems like a lousy AFC, the Titans are taking advantage (Titansized.com).

A favorable schedule never hurts: six of their eight wins are against teams with a combined record of 19-40 (Colts twice). Their next two? The 5-7 Cardinals and 2-10 Niners. It hasn’t been pretty, but the Titans are on the brink of making the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.  

2. The Bay has found its franchise QB

Jimmy Garoppolo shined in his debut for the 49ers, staking his claim as a franchise quarterback. He finished 26-of-37 passing for a career high 293 yards, capturing just the second win for the Niners this season (in his first start). The most impressive part of the signal callers’ performance is that he did it with second and third-string receivers - Marquise Goodwin and rookie Trent Taylor were the leading pass catchers. And when it counted (down two with over five min to go) – just as great one’s do – Garoppolo led a 14-play, 86-yard drive to set up a game-winning FG with four seconds left. Sure, the win was great. But better yet, the Niners have found a long-term solution under center. A player Kyle Shanahan can groom and build around for years to come.

1. How much is too much?

There is rivalries, and then there is Pittsburgh-Cincinnati. And nothing is fiercer than when the two meet, especially as of late. And it could be argued that Monday was the worst encounter to date. Since 2015, no matchup has featured more extracurricular penalties than Bengals-Steelers: they have combined for 25 unsportsmanlike conduct, unnecessary roughness, roughing the passer, and taunting penalties in that span (NFL research) - by far the most of any matchup. In Monday night’s primetime clash, the teams combined for six such penalties (20 penalties for 239 yards in all), including a blindside hit by JuJu Smith-Schuster on the much maligned Vontaze Burfict (knocking him out of the game) and Bengals safety George Iloka’s retaliation on Antonio Brown in the end zone (a ball in which Brown caught for a TD). Those two plays in particular were the aftermath to an already brutal war of attrition.

The Steelers-Bengals rivalry seems to worsen with each matchup (Si.com).

The first quarter saw a scary scene when Pittsburgh’s linebacker Ryan Shazier led with his helmet on a tackle and instantly fell to the turf having to be carted off (and transported to the hospital). A couple drives later, rookie RB Joe Mixon left the game (for concussion protocol) on a vicious hit. 

It’s always fun when two teams of this nature compete at such a high level. But this rivalry is trending well beyond the game, often times beyond the boundary. And it’s costing both teams significantly.