AFC stock reports: Critical matchups, hot streaks, and pretenders fall short in Week 13
Wild Card Implications on the line
Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Ryan Tannehill-led Tennessee Titans continued their hot streak as they traveled to take on the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC South showdown. Coming into the game, the Colts were without playmakers including wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell, tight end Eric Ebron, and running back Marlon Mack. To make things even more difficult, wide receiver Chester Rogers left the game during the first series with a knee injury.
Back to back divisional losses for the Colts has them sitting on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Tennessee jumps Indianapolis in the AFC South rankings for second place following the 31-17 win. Making the switch at quarterback, the Titans have gone 5-1 reinventing themselves midway through the season.
Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett looked to be having his best game of the season despite the injuries during the first half. Unfortunately, that all changed in the second half as Brissett threw 2 interceptions that led to points for Tennessee. The first coming late in the third quarter leading to a field goal. The second came late in the fourth quarter which led to Tannehill finding Kalif Raymond for a 40-yard touchdown. The offense sputtered a third time fumbling the ball deep inside Titans territory with only two minutes left in the game.
While there are promising signs for the future on this Colts roster, it’s unclear if Brissett is one of those pieces. Indianapolis will have some tough decisions to make this offseason regarding the quarterback position. For a franchise that has had the luxury of elite quarterback play for a couple of decades with Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, Brissett has far from lived up to the likes of those two.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
Who would have thought that in Week 13 we would be talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers maintaining a spot in the playoff bracket after losing Ben Roethlisberger? Coming into the season, the Cleveland Browns were the talking point from the AFC North, and the Steelers knocked them out of playoff contention without most of their top players on offense. JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner missed their second consecutive game, Mike Pouncey finished his final game of the suspension, and third-string quarterback Delvin Hodges took over at quarterback.
Cleveland took a 10-0 lead early in the game and it looked like they could run away with it. That was the final fight for the Browns as all phases of the team on both sides of the ball seemed to give up after taking a two-possession lead. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, was the more physical team on Sunday and found ways to make big plays despite fielding primarily backups all over the offense.
Wide receiver James Washington broke free with four receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. Week 13 gives Washington 3 touchdowns in the last four games and his first 100 yard game since Week 3. Prior to the last four games, Washington had one touchdown in his career over a 21 game span.
The Steelers improve to 7-5 on the season as the fifth seed in the AFC. Devlin Hodges threw 14 of 21 for 212 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception on the day. Following the loss to Pittsburgh, the Browns fall to 5-7 on the season. Whether head coach Freddie Kitchens holds his job in the upcoming offseason will be a big story to follow. Despite the plethora of talent on the roster, Cleveland has underperformed, lacked discipline, and shown little desire to win which is a result of coaching.