NFL Week 13: Broncos, Patriots and Texans clinch playoff berths

Example: Monday, Dec. 3, 8:30 p.m. ET

FedEx Field, Washington D.C.

The NFC West stayed relatively healthy in Week 13, but a couple of players did go down with injuries.

The NFC South did not see any major injuries in Week 13, but a few key players did get nicked up.

New Orleans was able to escape the game without any serious injuries, although its playoff chances were dealt a major blow because of the loss.

Taylor is by far the best corner on the Steelers and leaves them with a serious hole going into their last four games, as they push for the playoffs.

Sunday was not a great day to be a receiver in the NFL, as numerous wideouts suffered injuries that knocked them out of action and has their statuses for next week’s games in question.

Here are the details on the key injuries from the week so far, and their potential impact:

Here’s how the seeding in the AFC looks right now:

Only two of the four division winners are locked in at the moment. Indianapolis’ incredible season is keeping things close in the AFC South, mathematically at least. Those teams play twice in the last three weeks of the season.

Megatron is just one of the top players in the game, probably the best skill player in the game, and likely one of the top ten most valuable players in the league. Which is great because that makes him one of the most valuable players in fantasy football and a great bet to be a safe pick in the first round of any season. His production is just ridiculous and one more great game could all but guarantee him the single-season record for receiving yards in a season.

In conclusion, damn he’s good.

This is a list of the best, worst, and most painful performances from around the NFL on Sunday:

I can’t stop saying good things about Adrian Peterson because he can’t stop doing good things. It happened again with 210 yards and a touchdown against the Packers, a season-high, and continue a run of six straight games with at least 100 yards.

And the Oscar goes to ...

Enterprising marketers know that Rob Ryan’s defensive play sheet has a nice open spot on the back of it, just waiting for an advertisement to fill the void. For this week’s game between the Cowboys and Eagles, the Dallas defensive coordinator is pitching Houston alt rock band Blue October.

Dallas was 1-3 in the month of October too.

Harbaugh went in saying congratulations, planning on saying what appeared to be some pleasantries, when Tomlin blew him off. When Harbaugh went to get his words in (he said “Hey! Hey!”), Tomlin turned around, said “good talk,” clapped him on the back and walked away.

To recap: Harbaugh, the loser, left hanging by Tomlin, the winner. Victors and spoils and so on and so forth.

This season ,the first-year coach has preached a ‘play to the whistle’ mentality to his players, which largely impacts plays like this. Detractors view this as a lack of sportsmanship, and unnecessary contact on a meaningless play. Sure, there’s precedent for a turnover happening out of the victory formation, but maybe the same sense of urgency should be shown on every play -- not just the last one.

The good news is that Batch has incredible flexibility for an older quarterback.

Fantasy stud

Manning overcame a third-quarter interception to complete go 27-of-38 for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas deserves a nod here, too, for his 99-yard, two-score day.

See, we just can’t stop comparing them.

Golf’s No.1 took time out from his Aspen vacation with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki to weigh in via Twitter on the quarterback controversy brewing in the bowels of MetLife Stadium:

FAT GUY TOUCHDOWN!

Mitch Unrein is a 6-4, 291 lb defensive tackle. He has 11 tackles this year, and now a touchdown -- a spectacular, fat guy touchdown. Not even a bobble on that wide open pass could prevent his jubilation!

Just look at that thing of beauty. Sliding his feet, setting it with his butt, clipping an unsuspecting player, and not drawing a whistle (clearly)? Somewhere, Kevin Garnett is nodding and shouting obscenities to no one in particular in approval.

Fantasy Impact: For the most part, Flacco has been his usual frustrating self, with poor throws and questionable decision-making.

Fortunately for the Ravens, the Steelers have been even worse on offense. We’ll see if Flacco can pad his stats in a crucial week for fantasy owners.

Sanchez was removed by Jets head coach Rex Ryan after completing less than half of his passes and throwing three interceptions.

With the win, the Jets improve to 5-7 on the season, while the Cardinals continue their slide to 4-8.

The Jaguars offense has been suddenly potent over the last two weeks, nearly knocking off Houston two weeks ago and besting Tennessee last week. The Bills defense, however, plugged the Jags’ run game, holding them to only fifty yards, and kept Henne to only 236 yards passing.

Fantasy Studs: The Bills’ runners. Spiller had a frustrating day for three quarters, but snapped off a 44-yard touchdown run that redeemed his fantasy value, and Jackson ran for 109 yards. Shorts had seven catches for 77 yards and a touchdown before he had to leave the game with a head injury.

Characteristic of the game’s final few minutes, Seattle’s game-winning touchdown wasn’t a simple one, as Sidney Rice fell into the end zone after catching a pass from Wilson:

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The Patriots improved to 9-3 with the win. New England clinched the AFC East with the victory.

Miami fell to 5-7 with the loss. The Dolphins have lost four of their last five games.