By Matt Quinn

The NFL Playoff picture is becoming more clear after an intense Sunday of football. Russell Wilson turned back the clock with a vintage performance against a division rival. Josh Allen scored touchdowns seemingly every possible way in a snow bowl game against the Niners, and the Eagles made their case for possibly the best team in the NFL with a dominating performance against Baltimore. There were alot of big plays yesterday in clutch moments as we inch closer and closer to the big dance.

Steelers- 44 Bengals- 38

We start in Cincinnati where defense took a back seat to some high flying offense in one of the rare high scoring shootouts in the AFC North. Joe Burrow is continuing to have an MVP type season as he went for 309 yards and 3 TDs. The problem with that, however, is the Bengals defense was routinely carved up yet again, this time by Russell Wilson, who had his best game as a Steeler and brought to mind his younger days with Seattle. Russ threw for 414 yards and 3 TDs and was picked once on a play that never should have happened. Russ threw a screen to George Pickens, but Pickens was pulled down by his head in front of the referee but there was no flag and Bengals corner Cam Taylor-Britt took it to the house for an early 7-0 lead. Outside of that play, Russ was fantastic and makes this Steelers team dangerous as they get closer to an AFC North title.

49ers- 10 Bills- 35

Ahh the glory that is December football. Last night was a great example of that in the snow globe that was Highmark Stadium in Buffalo. Unfortunately the game itself wasn’t very competitive. Early on it looked like the 49ers would put up a fight. They had an early 3-0 lead and RB Christian McCaffery was finding some big lanes and was very effective. That didn’t last though as the star running back left the game with what has since been determined as a season-ending PCL injury. The story of the night was MVP front runner Josh Allen. He was incredible again as he scored touchdowns in three different ways. He threw for two, rushed for one, and registered a receiving td from a pass that he threw. He threw a slightly off target pass to Amari Cooper, who then lateraled it back to Allen who took it the rest of the way. It was a showcase of why Allen should be the winner of his first MVP award and the Bills look to be a strong contender in the AFC playoff race.

Eagles- 24 Ravens- 19

The Eagles are the best team in the NFL right now. They do everything well and yesterday’s game against Baltimore was an example of that. The defense did give up some big plays but overall was solid, holding the Ravens high powered offense to just 19 points. Running back Saquon Barkley had another solid outing, out pacing the other fantastic running back for the Ravens, Derrick Henry, by racking up 107 yards on 23 carries and 1 touchdown. The Ravens on the other hand, look like they might be in trouble. They had opportunities in this game and held a 9-0 lead for the majority of the first half, but 3 missed kicks (2 FG, 1 PAT) from usually reliable kicker Justin Tucker who is having a nightmare season, ultimately cost them this game. It’s an issue that needs to be resolved before the playoffs because if there’s one thing that can send you home early in the playoffs, it’s unreliable special teams. The Eagles move to 10-2 and closer to the NFC East title while the Ravens’ hopes of winning the AFC North took a huge hit with this loss, coupled with the Steelers win earlier in the day.

Chargers- 17 Falcons- 13

The Falcons have a Kirk Cousins problem. Earlier in the year when Cousins struggled a bit, you could chalk it up to rust from missing the previous season with the torn Achilles. After a horrific four interception performance on Sunday at home against the Chargers, however, it might be time to start thinking about seeing what they have in rookie QB Michael Penix. They now drop to 6-6 and open the door for the suddenly surging Buccaneers, who are hot on their tail with another 6-6 record. The Chargers didnt have their best day offensively. QB Justin Herbert was 16 of 23 for just 147 yards and no tds. The offense as a whole failed to reach the end zone but because Kirk Cousins was in an early holiday spirit and giving out gifts for most of the game, they were still able to make enough plays to secure victory. The Chargers now move to 8-4 and sit in great shape for a wild card berth.

The season is getting really exciting now here in week 13. Only 5 weeks of the regular season remain and this is where champions are molded. Only the strongest, most battle tested will survive and only the hungriest will lift that precious Lombardi in February. The only question that remains, is who wants it more?