Week 13 knee-jerk reactions: Saquon Barkley, Russell Wilson strengthen award cases

Even though the playoff picture didn’t change, the Week 13 slate was still thrilling, as we saw several unbelievable finishes and spectacular performances from some of the NFL’s top stars.  

To recap Sunday’s action, the Philadelphia Eagles rallied from a nine-point deficit to win their marquee road showdown against the Baltimore Ravens, with RB Saquon Barkley strengthening his MVP candidacy. Meanwhile, Steelers QB Russell Wilson is making a case to take home some hardware of his own, as he turned back the clock during his team’s road win over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Here are a few knee-jerk reactions from the 13th week of the NFL season:

Steelers QB Russell Wilson is making intriguing Comeback Player of the Year case

While Bengals QB Joe Burrow is listed as the odds-on favorite to earn Comeback Player of the Year honors, Wilson may have unseated him as the front-runner for the award following Sunday’s vintage performance. During Pittsburgh’s 44-38 road win over Cincinnati, the nine-time Pro Bowler completed 29 of his 38 passes for 414 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Since taking over as Pittsburgh’s starter, Wilson has led the team to a 5-1 record, throwing 10 touchdowns and three interceptions while averaging 271 passing yards per game, the second-most in the NFL. 

Wilson clearly wasn’t a fit for the Denver Broncos, who released him this past March after two disastrous seasons. However, he’s shown during his short time with the Steelers that he’s far from washed up, and several teams should regret passing on him in free agency.

As long as Wilson can continue guiding Pittsburgh to victory, the potential future Hall of Famer’s remarkable redemption tour should conclude with him winning a much-deserved Comeback Player of the Year Award. 

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley takes lead in MVP race 

If there’s one thing the 2024 regular season has taught us, it’s that running backs can still be difference-makers for teams in today’s NFL, and no player has proven this more than Barkley.

After entering the MVP conversation with last week’s 302-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Rams, Barkley likely took the lead in the race for the award during Sunday’s 24-19 road win over the Ravens. The 27-year-old scored a touchdown and crossed the 100-yard rushing mark for the sixth time in his last seven games, finishing with 107 yards, the most Baltimore has allowed this season. 

It’s impossible to overstate how much Barkley has changed the Eagles’ dynamic, and while he has 617 total yards and five touchdowns over the last three games, his contributions aren’t only felt on the field. 

Philadelphia was already one of the NFL’s most talented teams over the past few seasons but lacked the leadership Barkley provides. It’s becoming increasingly evident during Philadelphia’s current eight-game win streak that it is a different team with Barkley, and voters will surely take that into account during MVP balloting. 

Falcons should have an eye toward the future following another troubling performance from QB Kirk Cousins

The Falcons lost their third straight game on Sunday, falling 17-13 to the Los Angeles Chargers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a matchup that saw Cousins struggle mightily. The four-time Pro Bowler threw for 245 yards and four brutal interceptions. In addition to having one of his interceptions returned for a touchdown, Cousins was picked off on each of Atlanta’s two possessions in the fourth quarter.

After a solid midseason stretch, Cousins’ performance has declined dramatically during the Falcons’ current skid. He’s thrown for 724 yards, no touchdowns and an NFL-leading six interceptions during this span, creating an uncomfortable situation for Atlanta.

This past offseason, the Falcons signed Cousins, who was coming off an Achilles tear, to a controversial four-year, $180M contract to finally get over the hump in the NFC South. While Atlanta is still in first place in the division standings, it won’t be for long if Cousins’ woes persist, and due to his contract, the team can’t bench him in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. 

Nevertheless, Atlanta should use its final five games as an evaluation period for Cousins to determine whether the Penix era should begin next season. 

Patriots’ Jerod Mayo should be coaching for his job down the stretch 

Although losing games isn’t the end of the world for the rebuilding Patriots, Sunday’s 25-24 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts is undoubtedly frustrating and resulted from Mayo’s ineptitude. The former Patriots linebacker has made no shortage of head-scratching decisions this season, and several poor choices in the fourth quarter proved costly.

With 4:02 remaining in regulation, Mayo opted not to challenge a seven-yard completion that Colts tight end Will Mallory appeared to have dropped. The Colts would go on to cap off a 19-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, during which Mayo only used one of his three timeouts. 

Then, on the game’s final drive, Mayo questionably sent Joey Slye out to attempt a 68-yard field goal, which would’ve been an NFL record, rather than attempt a Hail Mary.

As a first-year head coach leading one of the NFL’s worst rosters, it’s not surprising Mayo has had some growing pains this season. However, he’s repeatedly making inexcusable clock management and end-of-game decisions, raising doubts about his potential as an NFL coach. 

The Patriots can afford to waste some brilliant showings from rookie QB Drake Maye this season, but it can’t ruin his development by having him grow under the wrong coach. 

Jaguars need to keep QB Trevor Lawrence bubble-wrapped until 2025 

Jacksonville fell to 2-10 on Sunday, suffering a 23-20 home loss to Houston, with the biggest story of the divisional clash being Lawrence. The former No. 1 overall pick suffered a concussion while trying to slide on a late, vicious hit by LB Azeez Al-Shaair in the second quarter. 

The illegal hit sparked a brawl between the teams, and Al-Shaair was unsurprisingly ejected from the contest.

It’s unclear how long the concussion will keep Lawrence sidelined, but even if he can return by season’s end, the Jaguars would be wise to shut him down for the year. One could argue that Lawrence shouldn’t have suited up Sunday, given that he wasn’t fully healthy after missing two games with a shoulder injury. 

There’s no reason for Jacksonville to foolishly continue to risk the health of its franchise quarterback toward the end of a lost season, especially while it employs a lame-duck coaching staff. 

Loss to Seahawks should officially seal QB Aaron Rodgers’ fate in New York

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Rodgers is considered a “long shot” to return to the Jets in 2025, and any possibility of him staying on the team after this season should be ruled out following Sunday’s loss. New York dropped its third straight game, losing 26-21 at home to the Seahawks, ensuring a ninth consecutive losing season for the team. 

As part of their latest embarrassing loss, the Jets blew a 14-point lead while Rodgers once again looked like a shell of himself.

Rodgers, who celebrates his 41st birthday on Monday, finished 21-of-39 passing for 185 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, which Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams returned for a 92-yard touchdown. As pointed out by SNY’s Connor Hughes, the Jets are now 0-5 this season when Rodgers has had an opportunity to drive down the field, score a touchdown or field goal and win the game.

Interim HC Jeff Ulbrich told reporters during his postgame news conference that he didn’t envision making a quarterback change “as of today.” Even so, it’d be in the Jets’ best interest to bench Rodgers to help improve their draft position in hopes of landing a top quarterback prospect and finally turning the page on the most disappointing chapter in franchise history. 

Buccaneers look poised to throw a wrench in the playoff picture 

Tampa Bay survived an upset bid by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, securing a 26-23 road win in overtime behind rookie RB Bucky Irving’s career-high 205 yards from scrimmage. Thanks to Atlanta’s losing streak, the injury-riddled Buccaneers have remained within striking distance of a playoff spot, and now the teams each have a 6-6 record.

The Falcons may have swept Tampa Bay in the season series, though the Buccaneers are well-positioned to pass them in the standings if both teams continue on their current trajectory. Not only does Tampa Bay have the fourth-easiest remaining strength of schedule among teams, but it also has a 58% chance to make the playoffs, per NFL.com’s projections.

The Buccaneers proved during WR Mike Evans’ three-game absence that they’re capable of putting up a competitive fight against talented teams despite being undermanned. 

They’ve lost to Baltimore, Kansas City and San Francisco by 10 points or less, providing optimism that they can finish the season strong and potentially pull off an upset in the playoffs.