Patrick Mahomes needs to be tired of seeing stripes. The Bengals defeated the Chiefs 27-24 Sunday-- the 3rd time in a row, including in last period's AFC title game. It was just one of several competitions in Week 13 in between teams in playoff settings coming into the 49ers defense handled to reduce the high-octane Dolphins violation enough to find away with a 33-17 win. But San Francisco currently has a large concern after starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was hauled off with a season-ending Seahawks kept up in the NFC West with Geno Smith leading a game-winning drive to beat the Rams 27-23 while the Raiders won their 3rd straight, covering the Chargers 27-20 behind a two-touchdown effort from Davante on Sunday, the Eagles had no worry as the team with the organization's finest record dealt with the Titans conveniently: 35-10 behind three Jalen Hurts goal passes as well as a run for a , the Giants and also Commanders had a slugfest that finished in a 20-20 connection after a Jahan Dotson touchdown from Taylor Heinicke tied it up with 1:45 left in policy. The NFC East entered into the weekend with all 4 teams in playoff Ravens had to sweat out a 10-9 sway the Broncos after losing Lamar Jackson early to a knee injury. Baltimore had a brilliant outlook heading down the stretch with among the organization's simplest routines, but after shedding to the Jaguars last week, hardly beating the Broncos as well as Jackson's injury, points instantly look Rodgers once more possessed the Bears with a 28-19 gain Justin Fields in Chicago, Kenny Pickett took out a 19-16 triumph versus the Falcons, and the Vikings held back the Jets' late rally with a 27-22 also marked the return of Deshaun Watson, as he made his Browns debut adhering to an 11-game suspension for breaking the NFL's individual conduct policy after more than two dozen women charged him of sex-related misconduct and also attack. The Browns beat Watson's previous team, the Texans, 27-14 behind 2 defensive touchdowns and also a 76-yard punting return touchdown by Donovan Peoples-Jones. The Athletic's Tim Graham,  Jeff Howe and Kalyn Kahler offer their thoughts on Sunday's NFL  Bengals are currently 3-0 versus Patrick Mahomes and also the Chiefs since last season. Where do you have Cincinnati in the AFC pecking order now?Graham: Joe Burrow is damn good when he's not a scribble mark on the turf, like Beetle Bailey after Sarge functions him over. Cincy has actually won 4 directly, and also Burrow has actually been sacked only 5 times over that stretch. Kansas City got him when, which makes a colossal distinction for a group that obtained off to a 2-3 beginning. Additionally in the Bengals' four-game streak, Samaje Perine has actually been a whammer on the ground. He battered out 21 carries for 106 lawns, never ever going with greater than 10. That helped Tunnel censure the Chiefs and also offers us something to consider in the AFC North with Lamar Jackson possibly sidelined. The Expenses are the AFC's front runner at the minute, won 3 roadway games in 12 days and own victories over all three first-place teams in the meeting. I still have the Chiefs second because they must ring up very easy sway the Broncos as well as Texans and also their total 2022 body of work, yet if the Bengals can keep Burrow upright, then they'll shake off all those early-season : The Bengals are worthy of to be right there in the leading rate with the Costs and Chiefs. Bengals fans are justifiably rolling their eyes at the inclusion of the Chiefs in that top group, as Cincinnati has actually now beaten them 3 times in 11 months, but Kansas City is still a giant. While winning 8 of their last 10, the Bengals have ripped off the Jets, Dolphins, Titans and also Chiefs-- all currently in the playoff area. The Bengals are dipping into an exceptionally high level, as well as they got over the loss of Ja'Marr Chase for four weeks. They likewise survived some of those early-season issues, which is indicative of a group that can change on the fly as they're coached well and led by high quality players. If there was any unpredictability over the Bengals' standing as Super Dish challengers, they erased it with a remarkable win versus the : The Bengals just won the hardest game that was left on their timetable. They finish the season with the Expenses as well as the Ravens, however this Kansas City game was certainly the large one and now they have actually proven they can defeat the Chiefs 3 times in a year. I believe the Bengals, Chiefs as well as Expenses are the top rate of the AFC, and also they have actually come a long means from when we were all asking for Zac Taylor to surrender play-calling after Week 2. It hasn't all been smooth this period, but they have actually persisted through major injuries as well as defense concerns. But as Tim explained, the offensive line has enhanced as the season has actually advanced as well as Burrow has actually profited from taking fewer win for the 49ers topping a great Dolphins team. But how much confidence do you have in their Super Bowl hopes with Jimmy Garoppolo done for the year?Graham: In this room last week, I revealed questions concerning the 49ers WITH Garoppolo. Take away Trent Sherfield's surprise 75-yard touchdown on the first play, San Francisco manhandled an outstanding opponent. The Dolphins' protection, nevertheless, has been thoughtful away from South Florida, averaging 38.3 factors admitted their six road video games. Consequently https://www.gamedayhoustontexans.com/collections/max-tooley-jersey, I'm tempted to be persistent, double down as well as declare San Francisco didn't show much Sunday. Yet when a team can down with a division leader with seventh-round novice Brock Purdy, it's time to admit I may have misread the scenario. Purdy wasn't specifically impressive. The last quarterback composed in April tossed an interception and also was sacked three times. But the Niners were so extraordinary as a group Sunday that the sport's crucial setting was a compatible component. Nick Bosa and their elite defense made an MVP candidate look pedestrian at ideal and at times overwhelmed. Maybe a game manager can draw this off, with the Seahawks just a video game back in the NFC West. It'll be a fascinating final month out : Definitely an excellent win, as the 49ers showed how their wealth of skill can get rid of the selection of injuries that have actually limited them sometimes this period. However, for a group with Super Dish aspirations, the Garoppolo injury is the one that could damage them. Undoubtedly, their defense is significant, and they have actually obtained the coaching and offensive weapons to system up methods to move the round with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. However I don't recognize if that'll suffice to make it through the NFC with the Eagles, Cowboys and Vikings playing so well. It's a destructive impact for a team in a championship : First, I just have to air vent. I am so distressed that we are being deprived of what might have been the best back-up story of all time. We will never reach see Jimmy's revenge Super Bowl win after being discarded by the Niners this offseason. Ugh. The rookie Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy played well Sunday, however as high as I enjoy a great back-up story, I don't see a Super Dish as the finale of the 2nd excellent back-up tale this season in San Francisco. I think there's often a back-up QB effect that resembles the acting instructor result, where the team rallies hard around the surprise man who has to can be found in the video game, yet it does not last. Additionally, Miami's protection has actually enabled basically everybody to score consistently. This is a very QB-friendly violation, so I am not going to say all hope is lost, however I do not anticipate the Niners to go as much are your impressions of Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson's return? Cleveland won smoothly, however the infraction had no : Watson was a nonfactor versus his old group. The Browns' finest violation originated from their defense as well as unique teams, and Watson did like somebody who had not played an NFL video game in 700 days. Despite. Watson's inefficacy is moot. Cleveland is out of the playoff image. Watson's return offers the Browns an opportunity to get him 6 video games of experience in preparation for 2023 yet additionally, more notably-- as well as sadly-- a longer runway to stabilize his presence as a quarterback. By following September, the disputes about his eligibility will be old news. Oppose teams will certainly be revealing by comparison. Fans will be anxious to relocate on, and also critics will be broken from being neglected. An additional NFL firestorm or three will have emerged already. That dynamic is what the Browns and the league are trusting, which's basically what will certainly take place, as horrible as the entire condition : It would have been unrealistic to believe Watson would begin strong after a two-year lack. Quarterbacks who miss training school or a couple of weeks throughout the season constantly look corroded, as well as Watson's instance was even more severe than that. The Texans, that are riding the Bryce Young Express on their method to the No. 1 choice, are rated 23rd in factors permitted and 29th in lawns allowed this season, so this wasn't a hard examination. It'll be much a lot more challenging in the coming weeks against the Bengals and Ravens, and also I would certainly be surprised if Watson's development is anything greater than a slow : Myles Garrett summed it up well after the game: "We don't anticipate him to be Superman available. He hasn't played in two years." Watson looked equally like a quarterback that hadn't seen regular-season activity in 700 days https://www.gamedayhoustontexans.com/collections/tim-boyle-jersey, tossing an interception ultimately area on a window that closed well prior to his receiver might get to the round. This was anticipated as well as makes it all the more overwhelming that Browns owner Jim Haslam gave Watson a fully ensured, five-year, $230 million contract. Watson may return to develop by the end of the period, or it might take up until following period, but the truth of the issue is we do not understand. And not only did the Browns commit a wild quantity of cash to a quarterback that ran out the video game at the time they traded for as well as authorized him, but they also did not know the length of time he would certainly be out. They either didn't care or didn't prepare for that he could not quickly be elite, as well as if you're not anticipating a player to be Superman out there, how do you validate that contract?How high should the worry degree be for Baltimore after Sunday's narrow win and also Lamar Jackson's injury?Graham: John Harbaugh's success this weekend had not been nearly as joyous as his brother's. The Ravens are in trouble. Parrying intensely in your home to nip a laughingstock challenger like the Broncos was irritating enough, but one more Jackson injury would jam this quondam Super Dish challenger into a perilous area. The Ravens have to be strong down the homestretch at Steelers, at Browns, Falcons, Steelers, at Bengals). Neither the Browns neither the Steelers will challenge for the AFC North crown, however if the Ravens jumble towards second area behind the Bengals, they may be knocked senseless of the wild-card image as well as lose out on the event : There ought to be a high degree of problem. Jackson and the Ravens infraction have been streaky for the past number of months, so a knee injury of any type of size will not aid the reason. Tyler Huntley played well last period in alleviation of Jackson, however this is a much better Ravens group that wants to compete for an AFC champion. A limited Jackson would seriously limit their capacity, specifically within a crammed : Taking into consideration the toughness of the AFC, this is a big problem for Baltimore. The timing of this injury has shades of last season, when Jackson missed out on the last four video games with an ankle joint injury. Baltimore shed all four of those video games. Back-up Tyler Huntley played well sufficient to win last season's Week 10 video game at Chicago, and also three of those 4 straight losses were one-score games two were one-point margins). The truth, nevertheless, is that in a jampacked and also skilled AFC, the Ravens require Jackson to reach the postseason. I'm likewise fretted about how this injury will certainly affect Jackson's contract settlements with Baltimore, which have not been NFC East entered into the weekend break with all four teams in playoff places. Does the Giants-Commanders connection make you feel much better or even worse about those two as playoff contenders?Graham: With uncertainties bordering each team's success, I intended to enjoy one different from the other on Sunday. So we obtain a tie. Their game was a Rorschach test; whatever you wish to see or believe concerning the Giants or Commanders, you witnessed plenty to support your sights, positive and unfavorable. Neither group remains in the Eagles' course-- Hurts offered the Titans a swirly-- or likely to surpass the Cowboys for second location. But groups needn't be dominant to make the playoffs. In spite of the Giants-Commanders' anticlimactic tie, there's too much murkiness in the other NFC divisions to see any sexier wild-card contender : First, this was an extremely impressive performance by the Eagles. They've been battling it for about a month, and also they just took down one of the most difficult as well as best-coached groups in the organization. That was a declaration. As for the Giants and Commanders, they aren't contenders in the sense that they're topped for a playoff run. However among them-- otherwise both-- will be in the playoffs, as well as they're mosting likely to be a pain in the butt to defeat. They're well-coached. They play hard. They have defenses that make everything rather hard. So while I think the Eagles, 49ers although Jimmy Garoppolo's season-ending injury is an issue), Cowboys and also Vikings are in a course above the remainder of the seminar, none would be thrilled to draw the Giants or Commanders in the wild-card : Give thanks to God we get the sequel to this in simply two weeks. 2 groups can not tie each various other two times in the very same season, right? At least we won't have to wait long to figure out. The Eagles once again showed that they remain in a course of their very own at the top of the NFC with a big win over the Titans, who I thought could provide them a run for their money. There's a likelihood the Giants and the Commanders will make the playoffs, but I intend to toss out one certifiably insane concept for an NFC wild-card team: What regarding the Lions? With a dominant gain Jacksonville, they improved to 5-7. They won three video games in a row until that extremely close Thanksgiving loss to the Costs; first-round pick Jameson Williams is back though he really did not do much of anything Sunday); and after a tough