Patriots look vulnerable while Ravens continue to gain momentum

Cue up the fiery New England Patriots hot takes.

Tom Brady and the Patriots offense is in a slump and New England looks vulnerable. The loss Sunday night in Houston thanks to an aggressive Deshaun Watson knocked the Patriots out of the pole position in the AFC playoff picture. Moving ahead of the Patriots are the Ravens, who had another statement win Sunday, beating the NFC's top team -- the 49ers.

This Sunday might have also seen the end of the playoff hopes for the 2019 offseason champions, the Cleveland Browns. Turns out, the AFC North still is the domain of the Steelers and the aforementioned Ravens.

Quick hits: Catch up on Sunday's best

• 32 things we learned in Week 13: As the NFL kicked off its final month on Sunday, several teams strengthened their playoff cases while others took huge blows.
• Week 13 winners and losers: While Mike Tomlin's work this season with the Steelers has him in the coach of the year conversation, there's something off about Tom Brady's play of late. 
• Playoff picture: Week 13 couldn't have gone much better for the Ravens, who would be the AFC's top playoff seed if the season ended today.
• First-round draft order: The Bengals might have collected their first win, but they remain in position for the No. 1 overall pick.
• Deshaun Watson was not only responsible for scoring a wild-trick play TD reception, but also for coming up with the idea for the play.
• Several Patriots players were listed as questionable for Sunday due to illness, but Tom Brady said that wasn't the source of New England's problems vs. Houston.
• Football is fun again in South Florida, as the Dolphins ran the trick play of the season in Sunday's win over the Eagles.
• After Sunday's win over the Browns, Steelers players ridiculed Freddie Kitchens for his decision to wear a T-shirt that said "Pittsburgh Started It."
• The Cowboys and Eagles approached Week 13 as if no team seemingly wants to win the NFC East.
• The Chargers found a new way to blow a game and it was a stunning/heartbreaking way for the Broncos to get the win at home.
• Tom Brady was credited with a tackle after throwing an interception against the Texans. But the play looked nothing like an NFL tackle.
• A hit by 49ers safety Jimmie Ward left Ravens coach John Harbaugh upset, but Richard Sherman said the NFL needs to provide more clarity for defenders.
• Minshew Mania made a return, but it might have been a bit too late as the Jaguars suffered a fourth straight defeat.
• The Colts' mascot, Blue, didn’t handle Sunday's loss to the Titans all that well.
• Ravens TE Mark Andrews mocked the 49ers' Nick Bosa with his plant-the-flag touchdown celebration.
• Redskins LB Ryan Anderson was ejected after leveling a helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers TE Greg Olsen.
• Giants QB Daniel Jones got hit so hard that the "Y" flew off his helmet.
• Panthers QB Kyle Allen missed an open receiver on his embarrassing, game-ending fumble.
• Despite a humbling Thanksgiving loss at home to the Bills, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he won't be making an in-season coaching change.
• Emotions were running high in the Cowboys locker room after the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Bills.
• The Bills' win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day apparently has made quite an impression on the NFL.
• Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly's Thanksgiving tribute was a must-watch.

• PHOTOS: Best of Week 13 | Cheerleaders | NFL at 100

What our experts are saying

• Deshaun Watson's aggressiveness burns Patriots: The Patriots had no answer for the Texans QB, who threw for three TDs and caught another. His boldness was the difference, writes Jarrett Bell.
• Ravens prove important point: The Ravens are led by an MVP-caliber quarterback in Lamar Jackson, but they showed they can win even when he's not in top form, writes Mike Jones.
• Why Browns coach deserves ridicule for brawl shirt: Freddie Kitchens not only compromised the Browns' playoff chances, but also his future with after wearing a  "Pittsburgh Started It” T-shirt, writes Marla Ridenour.
• Colts could end up kicking themselves for FG woes: After three more missed kicks in Sunday's loss, the Colts' kicking unit has now left 30 points on the board and cost the Colts yet another win, writes Jim Ayello.

Week 13 rundown

• Texans 28, Patriots 22: Deshaun Watson accounted for four touchdowns as New England was knocked out of the AFC's top playoff seed.
• Broncos 23, Chargers 20: The Chargers continue to find creative ways to lose football games.
• Chiefs 40, Raiders 9: Oakland didn't look like a team playing for a share of the division lead.
• Rams 34, Cardinals 7: The Rams rebounded nicely from Monday night's embarrassment against the Ravens.
• Buccaneers 28, Jaguars 11: Nick Foles was benched as Jacksonville suffered its fourth consecutive loss by at least 17 points.
• Packers 31, Giants 13: The Giants were the perfect elixir for a Packers team that needed to wallop an inferior opponent after last week's rout by the 49ers.
• Redskins 29, Panthers 21: Washington now is riding a two-game winning streak.
• Dolphins 37, Eagles 31: Gifted a chance to tie the Cowboys atop the NFC East, the Eagles absolutely crash in South Florida.
• Steelers 20, Browns 13: The Browns lost for the 16th consecutive time at Heinz Field. This one likely ended Cleveland's playoff aspirations.
• Bengals 22, Jets 6: Andy Dalton to the rescue! Back in the starting lineup, Dalton guided Cincinnati to its first win of the season.
• Ravens 20, 49ers 17: If they hadn't already, this win cemented the Ravens' status among the NFL's elite.
• Titans 31, Colts 17: Tennessee is very much now in the AFC playoff race after this pivotal win.
• Saints 26, Falcons 18 (Thursday): This win earned New Orleans its third consecutive NFC South title.
• Bills 26, Cowboys 15 (Thursday): Buffalo had a statement win as Dallas was humbled at home.
• Bears 24, Lions 20 (Thursday): Undrafted rookie QB David Blough was a revelation, but in the end the Lions lost a fifth straight game.

Coming this week

Monday: Week 13 wraps up with an NFC playoff picture-altering clash between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). The game features a showdown between two of the hottest quarterbacks in the league, Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson.

Tuesday: Paste BN Sports' NFL experts offer their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 13. 

Thursday: Two 6-6 teams square off at Soldier Field as the Chicago Bears host the Dallas Cowboys (8:25 p.m. ET, FOX and NFL Network). Before the game, make sure to check out Paste BN Sports for expert picks for every Week 14 game.

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