The secret formula to beating Ravens, and what else we learned in Week 13

FOX Sports' NFL experts provide the biggest takeaways from every Sunday game in Week 13 and what they mean for each team going forward.

Texans: We talk so much about the Texans' offensive woes in the second half of games, but what about the defensive side of the ball? DeMeco Ryans' unit is just as much at fault for the team's season-long late duds. It happened again on Sunday. The Mac Jones-led Jaguars, who combined for 13 points the past two games, scored 14 points in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter, creating a nail-biting finish. Breakdowns by Houston's defense piled up — just like against Tennessee last week, when the Texans allowed a 70-yard catch and run touchdown in the fourth quarter of their surprising loss, and against Detroit in Week 10, when Houston gave up 19 unanswered points in the second half. With a quarterback like C.J. Stroud and a running back like Joe Mixon, Houston can close any game. But scraping by is not a sustainable recipe for success against playoff-caliber teams in January. 

Jaguars: Is this the last we've seen of Trevor Lawrence this season? It has to be at least under consideration. He was quickly ruled out Sunday with a concussion after taking a late, vicious hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, leading to the QB being carted to the locker room. And Lawrence had entered the game less than 100 percent, with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder that forced him to miss the previous two games. Jacksonville has five games left in a season that's going nowhere, Doug Pederson's tenure as Jaguars coach is very likely over after the season — if not sooner — and the franchise is less than six months removed from its five-year, $275 million investment in Lawrence. So it makes sense to keep the QB on the shelf for the rest of the year, even if he's healthy enough to finish 2024, and get him prepped for a resurgent 2025. — Ben Arthur 

Cardinals: It looked for much of the game like the kind of validating win that would elevate Arizona to a legitimate playoff team, but a late-game collapse puts the Cardinals back in the middle of the logjam atop the NFC West. Just as Arizona lost, the Seahawks rallied for a late touchdown to beat the Jets. That division is tight enough that one game could prove the difference between hosting a playoff game and missing the playoffs entirely. Going 1-for-6 in the red zone is something you can't do against a playoff-caliber team, and it's why Arizona lost and isn't leading the West anymore. That makes next week's home game against Seattle close to a must-win for the Cardinals. 

Vikings: Down 19-6 in the second half, Minnesota rallied to pull off a tough win behind their red-zone defense and Sam Darnold. Arizona outgained the Vikings in yardage big-time, but Brian Flores' defense was strong in the red zone. Minnesota keeps the pressure on Detroit, and there's a fine line between the fifth seed in the NFC as a wild card and the conference's top seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs. It was a rare comeback win for Darnold, who had been 0-23 in his NFL career when trailing by 13 points or more. Unlikely wins like this — Minnesota won despite no Vikings player rushing for more than 22 yards — could be huge in January when the Lions and Vikings close the regular season against each other. — Greg Auman

Seahawks: In his time with the Jets and Giants, Leonard Williams was known as a good player who never had the impact expected from a first-round pick and big-money player. But the veteran defensive tackle sure showed what he is capable of in his return to the Meadowlands on Sunday. Williams had two sacks and a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown. One of his sacks even came on the Jets' final drive, essentially sealing the game. He and the defense made up for a horrific day by Seattle's special teams — three fumbled kickoffs (two lost), a blocked extra point and giving up a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It wasn't a great homecoming for former Jets quarterback Geno Smith either, but his defense gave him just enough room to go win the game. 

Jets: Continuing a trend that dates back to when Robert Saleh was still their head coach, the Jets are an undisciplined mess. They committed 12 penalties for 83 yards in their loss to Seattle. Incredibly, 10 of those penalties came in the second half. And even more incredibly, five of them came on Seattle's game-winning touchdown drive — including one on the celebration. That certainly doesn't reflect well on interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, whom Aaron Rodgers wants to become the full-time coach. Under Ulbrich, the Jets had been giving a generally strong defensive effort, but they're not even close to good enough to overcome the barrage of penalties they committed on Sunday. New York nearly had the Seahawks stopped on their last drive — they were down to fourth-and-6 on their own 33. But back-to-back penalties — 12 men on the field and then pass interference on fourth-and-1 — kept Seattle's hopes alive. The Jets have no such hope. — Ralph Vacchiano

Chargers: After giving up a season-high 30 points last week against the Ravens, the Chargers returned to their stingy ways defensively in a road win over the Falcons, holding Atlanta to just 13 points. The Bolts accomplished that feat by putting steady pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins, who entered Sunday's contest with eight interceptions against pressure. Cousins threw another four against the Bolts, including two by cornerback Tarheeb Still, who returned one for a score. The takeaways were L.A.'s first in four games, keeping them in the middle of the postseason conversation in the AFC heading into the final five weeks of the regular season. 

Falcons: Head coach Raheem Morris and his Falcons did not fix their issues during the bye week. And after his team's third loss in a row — this one a heart-breaker to the Chargers — the Falcons dropped to the .500 mark and are in danger of not reaching the postseason after that seemed like a foregone conclusion a month ago. The Falcons have only themselves to blame. Kirk Cousins threw four interceptions, tying a career high. Playing with a hip injury, kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 35-yard field goal. Drake London dropped a pass late that would have put the Falcons in scoring position on the final drive of the game. Bottom line, Morris and his Falcons are reeling, with the Buccaneers nipping at their heels in the NFC South. — Eric D. Williams

Steelers: This was Russell Wilson's best game since his Seahawks days: 414 passing yards are his most post-Seattle (second-most in his entire career) and his three touchdown passes match his most in the past three seasons. And for a Pittsburgh team that has largely won despite its offense this season, this was a prolific day. The Steelers piled up 520 yards and 44 points and just outpaced the Bengals for a key division win. Pittsburgh had offensive balance with Najee Harris rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown to help keep Joe Burrow off the field. With Pittsburgh having just a one-game lead on the Ravens, every win counts, especially with a crucial showdown in Baltimore looming in three weeks. 

Bengals: That really should do it for any surviving hopes of Cincinnati pulling off a playoff push in the final month of the season. At 4-8, the Bengals are one of the biggest disappointments of 2024, spoiling a strong season by Joe Burrow. In games in which a QB throws for 300-plus yards, has three-plus touchdown passes and one interception or fewer, Burrow is now 0-5 this year; the rest of the NFL is 8-1 in such games. The Bengals defense did little to stop the Steelers on Sunday, and this is their sixth loss in which they've given up 34 points or more, moving past Carolina for the most such games this season. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, once seen as a head-coaching candidate when Cincinnati was a Super Bowl team, now has a bottom-five defense. The Bengals are now 0-3 against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. By the time they face the Steelers again in Week 18, it'll be too late to matter for their season. — Greg Auman

Colts: Anthony Richardson is dangerous: He's a liability for opposing defenses … and for his own offense. Ultimately, I love to see the Colts finally sticking with him. And on their game-winning drive on Sunday, it was the Richardson show, both on the ground and in the air. With 12 seconds remaining, he threw a TD pass to Alec Pierce and then scored the 2-point conversion on a QB keeper. The Colts will live or die with Richardson for the rest of the season. If they can sneak into the playoffs, it'll be because they let the second-year QB do a little bit of everything. And that'll mean more mistakes like the two interceptions he had Sunday. His completion percentage won't be a thing of beauty, but Indy has to like this scoreline. And the Colts couldn't have done it without Richardson's three touchdowns. 

Patriots: There's a lot going wrong with the Patriots this year. And we've talked a lot about Drake Maye looking good despite the messy situation. But New England has a bright spot not named Maye. It's Christian Gonzalez, the team's CB1 and 2023 first-round pick. On a team that so badly needs young talent to emerge, Gonzalez has done exactly that. After returning from a shoulder injury that limited his rookie season to four games, Gonzalez has locked down some of the best receivers in the NFL this season. On Sunday, he made a play that could've helped the Patriots pull off a win over the Colts with a fourth-quarter interception on Anthony Richardson. The only problem was, Maye and company went three-and-out and the Colts scored the game-winner on the ensuing drive. — Henry McKenna

Titans: Right when you find a reason to be optimistic about the Titans, they find a way to disappoint you. Take Sunday's game, Tennessee's first since upsetting the Texans last week. Will Levis had his fourth straight strong performance, but that was merely a subplot as Tennessee couldn't claw out of a four-score deficit it created for itself early in the second quarter. It was many of the same issues — offensive line penalties, disastrous special teams play — but new ones too, like Tony Pollard's first lost fumble of the season and horrific run defense. The Titans' infuriating inconsistency comes down to poor coaching. The team plays hard for first-year head coach Brian Callahan, but his growing pains are present on a weekly basis. 

Commanders: The Commanders have their mojo back, snapping a three-game skid with a 23-point victory, including a 28-0 first-half lead, and tying a season-high 42 points against a good defense. All that shows that Washington is ready to challenge the red-hot Eagles for the NFC East crown — with a run game that can take pressure off rookie QB Jayden Daniels. After failing to reach 100 rushing yards in two of their past three games, the Commanders had 267 (!) on Sunday, marking their season-high by a wide margin. Washington has its bye up next and then a date with the Saints, who are very beatable, before its rematch with the Eagles. Philadelphia is one of the hottest teams in football, but the Washington team that showed up this week can make the NFC East a fight. — Ben Arthur 

Rams: Edge Jared Verse might have justified his draft slot with a single play. And, perhaps, this was a statement game from the rookie, whom the Rams picked at 19th overall this year. He closed out the game with what probably should have been a strip sack on fourth-and-2 with a minute left in the game. Either way, he hacked at Derek Carr's arm and the ball fell incomplete. At that point, the Rams had essentially won. Verse logged six QB pressures to add to his 64 on the season. His QB pressure rate in this game (24.1%) was even better than his season average (18.9%). Verse and fellow rookie Braden Fiske are doing their part to replace the irreplaceable Aaron Donald. Certainly, the arrow is pointing up on both young pass-rushers. And the Rams remain playoff-relevant in the NFC with a 16% chance, per Next Gen Stats. 

Saints: They aren't mathematically eliminated, but they seem emotionally eliminated from the playoffs. And by that, I mean that this team is downtrodden. It's bleak, folks. When Taysom Hill got onto the medical cart with a knee injury late in the game, the Saints were toast. It's not even that I buy into his value all that much. He's a fun player. He's also a gimmick player. It's just that he felt like one of the few good things still going for this team. Now it's down to Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Carl Granderson and … maybe Kool-Aid McKinstry? It's a low point for this organization, and if Saints fans weren't already looking toward the offseason, they should start now. But there's bad news there, too: The Saints are already $62 million over the cap. Sorry to be a downer, but that's what this team is to watch: a downer. — Henry McKenna

Eagles: It’s hard to believe now, but back in the first month of the season there were questions about whether new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was the right fit in Philadelphia. Whatever he was teaching sure wasn’t working. But they have been on fire since and gave a virtuoso performance on Sunday, holding the Ravens to 302 yards until their garbage-time touchdown drive. They stuffed Derrick Henry, holding him to 4.3 yards per carry — tied for his worst since opening day. And Lamar Jackson threw for only 237 yards and was sacked three times — only the second time he’s been sacked that much in a game this year. This Eagles defense is playing as well as any unit in the NFL. And it might be better than the 2022 defense that helped their Super Bowl run.

Ravens: It’s not as easy as it sounds, but there is a formula to beating Baltimore. The teams that have done it have stopped Derrick Henry and put the game in the hands of Lamar Jackson. On Sunday, Henry was held to less than 100 yards rushing for the seventh time this season. The Ravens are 2-5 in those games (and the two wins were close calls against Cincinnati). And it’s not that Jackson has been bad in those games. He’s just been average, like he was against the Eagles, completing 23 of 36 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns (one in garbage time). If Jackson is truly going to make an MVP push, he’s going to have to be better than that when Henry isn’t dominating. And they’ll need to be a true 1-2 punch for the Ravens to make noise against a tough AFC playoff field. — Ralph Vacchiano

Bucs: This is a pro-Bucky Irving publication. When you have a rollercoaster at quarterback like Baker Mayfield, there needs to be a bail-out button built into the offense. Irving is that bail-out button. Down after down, Irving was the picture of consistency in Carolina. He finished with a career-high 152 rushing yards and a touchdown on a whopping 25 carries. Irving also caught three passes for 33 yards. That is the formula that Tampa Bay should ride down the stretch as they attempt to win the NFC South for the fourth straight season. I’d be remiss not to also mention that Mike Evans had 118 receiving yards, making up for the time he missed with a hamstring injury. Coming into the game, Evans needed to average 99.5 yards each game to get to his 11th-straight 1,000-yard season. The Bucs, and Mayfield, are fully on board with that goal, clearly. Tampa Bay is holding up their end of the bargain since their bye week, winning two straight. They’re now at .500 and just behind the Atlanta Falcons, who own the tiebreaker.

Panthers: The kids are all right. In this case, the kid in question is quarterback Bryce Young, who has steadily improved week in and week out since his earlier season benching. Going against Todd Bowles’ blitz-happy scheme where Young faced nearly a 55% blitz rate, he turned in yet another great performance, throwing for 298 yards and a touchdown. He also added a rushing touchdown. Young’s heroics peaked late in the fourth quarter with the Bucs up four points and just over three minutes to play. Young led a picture-perfect drive, throwing the go-ahead touchdown on a 25-yard strike to wide receiver Adam Thielen. It gave the Bucs just 30 seconds to go down and score a field goal to force overtime. They did that, and ultimately won the game, but it wasn’t because of Young. The second-year signal-caller was the reason the Panthers were even in that position. He has continued to blossom under head coach Dave Canales despite his rough start and Carolina should be thrilled that they have their franchise guy, after all. — Carmen Vitali

49ers: While not mathematically eliminated, the Bills dumped snow on any realistic shot San Francisco had of reaching the postseason on Sunday. The NFC representative in the Super Bowl last season, the 49ers could be in line for a top-10 draft pick in 2025. For a second straight week, Kyle Shanahan’s defense was a problem. The 49ers allowed 9.2 yards per play in the first half, the second-most allowed by a defense in any game this season. Yes, the 49ers are missing the team’s best defensive player in Nick Bosa, but San Francisco simply struggled to execute the basics defensively. And on offense, they couldn’t catch or hold onto the football. Alone in last place in the division, the 49ers remain two games behind the NFC West leaders in the Seattle Seahawks (7-5) and have an uphill climb in reaching the postseason.  And San Francisco is running out of games and healthy bodies. The 49ers lost another frontline player when running back Christian McCaffrey suffered a knee injury and did not return. 

Bills: James Cook ran up and down the field as the 49ers struggled to stay on their feet and get him on the ground. Cook’s emergence as the go-to running back for the Bills has coincided with more efficient play from Josh Allen and Buffalo emerging as one of the elite teams in the league. Cook finished with 107 rushing yards and a score, helping Buffalo clinch the AFC East division title for a fifth straight year and a postseason berth with five weeks still left in the season. However, Buffalo still has more to play for, mainly overtaking the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Bills continue that quest for a top seed with back-to-back road contests against the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions. While the Chiefs host the Los Angeles Chargers next week, followed by a road contest at Cleveland. — Eric D. Williams

The following writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano); Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV).

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