From the Seattle Seahawks reestablishing themselves as a Super Bowl contender to the Detroit Lions proving the past is history, there were a lot of lessons that we learned from last week in the NFL. And that was just on Thanksgiving. Here are four things we learned from Thursday and Sunday of Week 13 of the NFL season.
The Seattle Seahawks Are Back In Business
Seattle was criticized for losses to the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs, but they have bounced back with a pair of dominant wins over the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. It’s clear the Legion Of Boom of old is back. The Seahawks won both of those games by identical 19-3 scorelines and the biggest takeaway is that the secondary is locked in and ready to lead the defending Super Bowl champions in to the playoffs.
Seattle is in control of its own destiny with a trip to Philadelphia this week before playing each of the other three teams from the NFC West over the final three weeks of the season. After dominant back-to-back wins, it’s clear the Seahawks are back and it won’t surprise anyone if they clinch the top seed in the NFC West by running the table over the final four weeks.
The Detroit Lions Are Destined For The Playoffs
It would have been easy to write off the thought of Detroit as a playoff team following back-to-back losses to the Cardinals and New England Patriots, but they rallied for a big Thanksgiving Day win over the Chicago Bears this past week that made it clear that they aren’t fading off into the sunset.
The Lions have suffered some tough losses to Carolina, Buffalo, Arizona, and New England this season, and they might not be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but a relatively mediocre schedule the rest of the way has left the door wide open for them to find their way in to the postseason. Detroit will play Tampa Bay and Minnesota over the next two weeks and a pair of wins will likely mean they need to come out on top in only one of their remaining two games to sneak in (at Chicago and Green Bay). The Lions have suffered some late season collapses in the past but a weak schedule is the biggest reason they are destined for the playoffs this year.
The San Diego Chargers Are Far From Done
San Diego is a team that seems to thrive in the underdog role. Just when you think they are done they seem to come out and play their best football. Philip Rivers threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-33 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13 to guide the Chargers into the fifth seed in the AFC. They now control their own destiny the rest of the way.
The Chargers face an extremely difficult schedule, though, with games against New England, Denver, San Francisco, and Kansas City to finish the season. They will have a tough time making the playoffs but after last week’s win, it is clear they are still far from done.
Tom Coughlin’s Time Is Up: The New York Giants Are In Need Of A Major Overhaul
Two Super Bowl rings bought head coach Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning a ton of rope in New York but last week’s loss to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars is yet another reminder that this team is in need of a major overhaul. It might be time for both Coughlin and Manning to move on. Manning threw for 247 yards and a touchdown but was also sacked four times and made plenty of poor throws as the Giants blew a 21-0 lead against a Jacksonville team that was just 1-10 heading in to that contest.
The inconsistency from week-to-week combined with an obvious lack of direction on both sides of the football are indications that a major overhaul is needed in New York.
