What We Saw: Week 13

We watched every NFL Week 13 game so you don't have to – Here's What We Saw!

Brett Ford
What We Saw 3 Weeks Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Packers @ Lions
Chiefs @ Cowboys
Bengals @ Ravens
Bears @ Eagles
49ers @ Browns
Jaguars @ Titans
Texans @ Colts
Saints @ Dolphins
Falcons @ Jets
Cardinals @ Buccaneers
Rams @ Panthers
Vikings @ Seahawks
Bills @ Steelers
Raiders @ Chargers
Broncos @ Commanders

Denver Broncos @ Washington Commanders

Final Score: Broncos 27, Commanders 26

Writer: Kyle McCarthy (@KyleStats1738 on X)

A matchup between a Denver Broncos team, riding an eight-game winning streak, and the Washington Commanders team, on a six-game losing streak, may not have carried much anticipation, but it delivered plenty of fireworks. Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos ultimately prevailed again to become the second team this season to reach 10 wins, winning their past four games by a combined 10 points. Marcus Mariota and the Commanders showed a lot of fight, but came up just short and now drop to a 3-9 record. However, there are some positive reports that second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) could be able to return next week in Minnesota.

Three Up

  • Terry McLaurin – McLaurin returned for the first time since Week 8 and looked great. He looked healthy and was moving really well on his routes. Hopefully, he can finish out the season strong.
  • R.J. Harvey – Saw 17 opportunities (rushes + targets), earned the goal line work, and scored two touchdowns. Great sign for his ROS outlook.
  • Zach Ertz – Led Washington in catches and yards. The 35-year-old is still doing it.

Two Down

  • Troy Franklin – Didn’t see him out there for his usual full route share, will need to confirm once the numbers are out. Fewest targets of the season, fewest receptions since Week 3.
  • Jacory Croskey-Merritt – Continues to work behind Rodriguez and McNichols. Looked good on his four carries, but clearly the third back for now.

 

Denver Broncos

 

Quarterback

 

Bo Nix: 29/45, 321 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 2 Carries, 16 Yards

Nix moved the ball pretty well all night. He mitigated negative plays as usual, taking only one sack against Washington’s pass rush. Outside of a horrible interception where he threw it directly to Bobby Wagner, Nix was mostly accurate on underneath throws with a 4.7 aDOT and consistently extended plays with his legs, including his touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. His knee nearly touched the ground, but he released a dart to Sutton just before it touched for the score in the red zone before the half. It was Nix’s second 300+ passing yard game of the season, and he nearly hit that in Week 11 against the Chiefs with 295 yards.

 

Running Back

 

R.J. Harvey: 13 Carries, 35 Yards, 2 TD | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 27 Yards

Harvey was the workhorse for Denver in this game. Washington’s run defense held up surprisingly well, but he found the end zone twice and contributed in the passing game. With J.K. Dobbins out for the rest of the season, Harvey will have some week-to-week volatility, but the usage looks pretty exciting in this game. If you held this long and are in a position to make the playoffs, Harvey is a great player to have in lineups the rest of the way.

 

Jaleel McLaughlin: 6 Carries, 24 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards

McLaughlin’s goal-line usage from last week didn’t stick. He mixed in for Harvey on some early downs, but operated as the clear No. 2. He’s just a handcuff for now.

 

Tyler Badie: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 18 Yards

Badie played on pass downs as usual, earning his most targets in a game since Week 1, and posting his most receptions in a game this season.

 

Adam Prentice: 1 Carry, 3 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Courtland Sutton: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 62 Yards, 1 TD

Sutton was more involved than in previous weeks, collecting his most catches since Week 7, most yards since Week 8, and his first touchdown since Week 9. His touchdown came right before the end of the first half on an impressive play by Nix. It was good to see him reassert himself as Denver’s clear WR1.

 

Troy Franklin: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 21 Yards

Franklin wasn’t as involved in this game. I have not yet seen the snap/route numbers for this game, but he wasn’t on the field as often and saw only one designed target on a screen pass, which Nix threw inaccurately, and Franklin dropped it. The second-year wideout had his fewest targets in a game all season. Hopefully, it’s just a one-game thing, as he is still an explosive playmaker who was showing some good signs of development.

 

Evan Engram: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 79 Yards

Engram racked up the YAC and led Denver in receptions and receiving yards. His longest catch of the night came on a 41-yard catch and run during overtime to set up the game-winning score. He set a season high in all receiving categories in his first true breakout performance as a Bronco. His uptick in involvement could negatively affect Franklin, but it’s too tough to say for sure.

 

Pat Bryant: 7 Targets, 3 Receptions, 42 Yards

Bryant continues to stay involved, seeing his two highest target totals in the past two games. The rookie moves well after the catch for a bigger WR at 6’2″, 204 pounds. He could be an intriguing add if one of Sutton or Franklin were to miss time.

 

Marvin Mims Jr.: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards | 1 Carry, 9 Yards

Minimal usage. Still mostly gadget work.

 

Adam Trautman: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 47 Yards

Still the backup TE. Most targets, receptions, and yards in a game all season.

 

Washington Commanders

 

Quarterback

 

Marcus Mariota: 28/50, 294 Yards, 2 TD, 1 INT | 10 Carries, 55 Yards

Mariota set a career high in pass attempts and nearly led Washington to the upset come-from-behind victory. Washington’s plan of attack early was clear: get the ball out quickly to negate Denver’s pass rush. That plan was effective, as Washington held Denver to just a 17.9% pressure rate, their lowest in a game since their historically bad game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, where they allowed 70 points, per Next Gen Stats. Then, as Washington’s pass protection settled in, Mariota was chucking it deep consistently in the second half and ended with an 11.7 aDOT. He had a bad interception in the first half where he tried to throw it away, but played a clean game otherwise.

 

Running Back

 

Chris Rodriguez Jr.: 11 Carries, 41 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Target

Rodriguez led Washington in carries again and scored another touchdown, marking his third home game in a row with a score. The eight-yard touchdown run was well-blocked, and he finished the run with a hit stick on the safety in the end zone. He ended with just 3.7 yards per carry, but he looked good again as Washington’s primary ball carrier, consistently fighting forward for extra yards and showing improved burst in his third season. Rodriguez is a better player to roster in standard leagues because of his lack of involvement as a receiver.

 

Jacory Croskey-Merritt: 4 Carries, 20 Yards

Croskey-Meritt has the juice to be impactful, but he struggled in the middle part of the season and had his fewest carries in a game since Week 2.

 

Jeremy McNichols: 6 Carries, 30 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 0 Yards

McNichols always makes plays when he is called upon. He always knows where the first down marker is and will almost always break a couple of tackles and find a way to make it. He also had an impressive run where he made something out of nothing to gain around five to six yards on the play. McNichols is a good player, but of course, limited for fantasy.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Terry McLaurin: 14 Targets, 7 Receptions, 96 Yards, 1 TD

McLaurin has missed a lot of time this season, but finally healthy, he looked fantastic in this game. He looked spry and fluid in his routes, beating Patrick Surtain II off the release on a few routes and drawing an illegal contact penalty. The veteran was still on a limited snap count, but when he was on the field, he was peppered with targets. McLaurin’s presence in Washington’s offense can’t be overstated.

 

Deebo Samuel Sr.: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 64 Yards | 2 Carries, 5 Yards

Samuel was slow out of the gate, but picked up the production in the second half and overtime. In just the third game together with McLaurin, where he started and finished the game, Samuel has been productive in all three. McLaurin’s vertical ability opens up everything underneath, where Samuel has thrived. However, the former 49er also won on a vertical route for a 38-yard gain in overtime to set up a touchdown. Both wideouts should be weekly WR2/WR3 types for fantasy moving forward.

 

Zach Ertz: 13 Targets, 10 Receptions, 106 Yards

Ertz turned back the clock in Sunday night’s game. It was his second game with 10+ catches and 100+ yards since joining Washington, with the other coming in the NFC Championship game against his former team in the Philadelphia Eagles. He joins Travis Kelce and Tony Gonzalez as the only TEs in NFL history age 34 or older to post multiple games of at least 10 receptions and 100 or more receiving yards, according to Stathead. In addition, his 45 yards after the catch were his most in a game since Week 9 of the 2019 season, and his 89 yards on targets between the numbers were the fifth most by a tight end in a game this season, per Next Gen Stats. He was Mariota’s go-to guy on late downs all night, and he delivered multiple tough catches and could have had an even bigger day. He dropped a touchdown during overtime, and nearly came down with what would have been close to a 40-yard gain on a deep pass, but had the ball knocked out at the end by linebacker Alex Singelton.

 

 

Treylon Burks: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards, 1 TD

Burks had the best one reception for a five-yard game you’ll ever see, with a remarkable one-handed touchdown catch in the third quarter. With cornerback Riley Moss draped all over him and a high ball from Mariota, Burks had to elevate and extend to pluck the ball from the air and then secure it to his body and control it to the ground. To make it even more impressive, Burks missed the last game after undergoing surgery on his right middle finger that was broken in half during Washington’s Week 10 loss against the Lions. Burks used that recently repaired finger to help secure the catch. Hopefully, the former first-round pick in 2022 can build on this performance moving forward.

 

 

Jaylin Lane: 1 Target

 

John Bates: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards

Colson Yankoff: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 14 Yards

Series Navigation
Introduction
Packers @ Lions
Chiefs @ Cowboys
Bengals @ Ravens
Bears @ Eagles
49ers @ Browns
Jaguars @ Titans
Texans @ Colts
Saints @ Dolphins
Falcons @ Jets
Cardinals @ Buccaneers
Rams @ Panthers
Vikings @ Seahawks
Bills @ Steelers
Raiders @ Chargers
Broncos @ Commanders