LOS ANGELES — NFL Sunday in Week 13 didn’t disappoint, as we had some fantastic finishes.
In the late window, Ravens-Steelers and Seahawks-49ers both came down to the wire.
The Ravens scored with 16 seconds left to get within a point and rather than kicking for overtime, Baltimore went for the two-point conversion and the win but came up short, losing 20-19.
The 49ers, also the favored team in their game, drove down the field trying to tie the game but went 0-4 inside the 10-yard-line at the end of the game and the Seahawks came out with the 30-23 win.
Elsewhere, the Miami Dolphins grabbed their fifth-straight win, the Chargers defeated the Bengals handedly in a matchup between two expected playoff teams and Tom Brady and the Bucs took care of business in Atlanta to win their third-straight game.
Let’s check out some of the other top storylines from Sunday’s NFL action.
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Detroit Lions finally get first win
It finally happened. The Detroit Lions finally got their first win on Sunday after coming close so many time this year.
Detroit defeated the Minnesota Vikings 29-27 on a last-second touchdown as time expired from Jared Goff to rookie wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, his first career touchdown catch.
It was only fitting the Lions won a last-second score, after they’ve been beaten on field goals as time expired three times this season and have lost four games by three points or less, and also tied one game against the Steelers.
It was a much-needed win for first-year head coach Dan Campbell, who has been the subject of criticism for his in-game decision making over the past several weeks, especially in Detroit’s nationally-televised game against the Bears.
But, Detroit finally did it. The Lions finish their schedule at Denver, home against the NFL-best Cardinals, at Atlanta, at Seattle and home against Green Bay. With the tough schedule, it’s hard to find many or any more wins for them this season, but it won’t be for a lack of trying.
Arizona Cardinals are the first to 10 wins
The NFL’s first 10-win team this season is the Arizona Cardinals after they moved to 10-2 with a 33-22 win over the Bears in Chicago on Sunday.
Sunday marked the return of starting quarterback Kyler Murray and top wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who have both been out for four weeks, lending even more credit to how impressive Arizona’s record is through 12 games.
In Murray’s return, he threw two touchdowns, including one to Hopkins, and ran for two more scores.
James Conner continued his impressive comeback season with 75 yards on the ground in Chicago and a receiving touchdown.
Arizona’s defense intercepted Chicago’s Andy Dalton four times and sacked him three times.
With the win, the Cardinals moved to 7-0 on the road this season. They’re chasing that No. 1 seed in the NFC and they’ll finish their schedule vs. the Rams, at the Lions, vs. the Colts, at the Cowboys and conclude at home against the Seahawks.
It was a good tune up for the Cardinals coming off their bye week as they face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night next week.
The Cardinals throttled the Rams in Week 4 in L.A. and were the first team to show the Rams’ weaknesses. But in the NFL it’s hard to beat a team twice. L.A. will seek revenge in Arizona come Monday.
Chiefs win fifth-straight as they push for AFC top seed
The Kansas City Chiefs were at one point this season last in the AFC West. Now, they’re tied for the best record in the AFC with the Patriots, Ravens and Titans at 8-4.
Tonight’s Bills-Patriots game could shake that up a bit.
The Chiefs made it look easy on Sunday night as they went for their fifth-straight win, defeating the Denver Broncos 22-9. The Chiefs intercepted Teddy Bridgewater twice in the game.
In their last four games, the Chiefs have held opponents to 14 points or fewer in each game.
“Mostly it’s been about a commitment to each other, believing in each other, not letting outside noise dictate what we feel,” Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said after Sunday’s win. “It’s been a total team effort to stay committed to each other.”
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have defeated some strong teams in recent weeks and they’ll finish their schedule facing tough teams including next week at home against the Raiders, then against the Chargers in L.A., home against the Steelers, at the Bengals and at Denver.
Washington hops into second NFC Wild Card slot with fourth-straight win
The Washington Football Team just keeps winning. They’ve now won four-straight games after defeating the Raiders 17-15 in Las Vegas on Sunday.
That puts them at 6-6 on the year after starting 2-6 and they’re suddenly in the second NFC Wild Card slot.
Washington came into the season expected to have one of the NFL’s best defenses, but that wasn’t happening in the first half of the season, as they ranked near the bottom of the league.
But, the defense has played a major role in their current win streak, holding teams to 21 points or less in four-straight games, including the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Now Washington is carrying serious momentum into next week’s contest at home against the Dallas Cowboys. The NFC East looked like a runaway for Dallas in the first half of the season, but now Washington is just two games back of the Cowboys and the two teams square off twice in the next three weeks.