NFL Reactions: Week 13

-Bad Sam Darnold returned Sunday, tanking many a fantasy lineup while the Jets played against one of the league's very most inviting defenses. He finished 28-of-48 for 239 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions, even as Robby Anderson turned 10 targets into seven catches for 101 yards. Jamison Crowder was implausibly unproductive, his nine targets somehow resulting in two catches for eight yards. Le'Veon Bell sank with the rest of the offense, catching four of five targets for 35 yards but providing just 32 yards on 10 carries otherwise. Darnold will likely remain inconsistent for at least the rest of this year, though his good weeks in the meantime still indicate substantial long-term promise. Unfortunately, Adam Gase's mismanagement and poor temperament endanger Darnold's development the longer Gase is around.

-The Jets' inept showing on offense made for a leisurely game script for the Bengals, allowing Joe Mixon to accumulate 19 carries for 44 yards and one touchdown as well as four catches for 26 yards on four targets. Andy Dalton was adequate if harmless in his return to the starting lineup, completing 22-of-37 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd (five catches for 59 yards on 10 targets). Auden Tate was the team's receiving yardage leader, totaling 66 yards on four catches and seven targets.

-Ryan Tannehill was again a steadying presence for the Titans offense, throwing only 22 passes but completing 17 for 182 yards and two touchdowns despite a ruthless pass rush (six sacks, nine quarterback hits). Derrick Henry dominated again, taking 26 carries for 149 yards and a touchdown, even catching three of three targets for another 17 yards. The pass-catching rotation in Tennessee is a source of frustration as long as Tannehill's pass attempt volume remains so low. All of A.J. Brown (three catches for 45 yards on four targets), Corey Davis (one 23-yard catch on two targets), Jonnu Smith (two catches for zero yards on two targets), and Anthony Firkser (three catches for 22 yards on four targets) are above average receiving threats, but there generally isn't much to go around.

-The Colts just don't have much talent left on offense when you take away Andrew Luck, Marlon Mack, and T.Y. Hilton, so it shouldn't be so surprising that Jacoby Brissett struggled in such conditions, especially against a solid Tennessee defense that recently got over some important injuries. Brissett completed 25-of-40 passes for 319 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, perhaps leaning too heavily on Jack Doyle (six catches for 73 yards and one touchdown on 11 targets). Zach Pascal was very efficient at least, turning 10 targets into seven receptions for 109 yards. Running back Jonathan Williams was probably the biggest fantasy disappointment for the Colts, his eight carries resulting in just 14 yards while he was outpaced by both Nyheim Hines (four carries for 22 yards and one touchdown) and Jordan Wilkins (11 carries for 47 yards).

-Carson Wentz was useful in fantasy against the Dolphins but largely struggled in real life terms, completing 28-of-46 passes for just 310 yards (6.7 YPA), three touchdowns, and one interception. To be fair, the interception was on a Hail Mary. Still, the Eagles lost, and even the big day for Alshon Jeffery (nine catches for 137 yards and one touchdown) was less than efficient on 16 targets. Zach Ertz was a major letdown as he tried to play through his hamstring issue, dropping a couple passes and finishing with three receptions for 24 yards on six targets. Miles Sanders at least played well out of the backfield, turning 17 carries into 83 yards and five targets into five catches for 22 yards and one touchdown. Jay Ajayi saw just two carries for nine yards.

-Ryan Fitzpatrick outdueled Wentz in Miami, Ryan Fitzpatrick outdueled Wentz in Miami, completing 27-of-39 passes for 365 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, but it's DeVante Parker who was Miami's MVP in the upset. Parker caught seven of 10 targets for 159 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 854 yards and six touchdowns through 12 games. Mike Gesicki also had a big game, catching five of seven targets for 79 yards and a touchdown. Patrick Laird struggled to run the ball (five yards and one touchdown on 10 carries) following a leg injury to Kalen Ballage, but Laird was strong as a receiver, turning five targets into four catches for 43 yards. Laird was a poor runner and strong pass catcher in college, so results like these make sense. If Ballage misses time, rookie back Myles Gaskin (two carries for 20 yards) might form a committee with Laird, with Gaskin doing more running and Laird more pass catching.

-Aaron Rodgers had one of his best games of the year despite heavy snow against the Giants on Sunday, completing 21-of-33 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Davante Adams caught two of those (six catches for 64 yards on 10 targets), Allen Lazard caught another (three catches for 103 yards on three targets), and Marcedes Lewis caught the third on a one-yard reception. It seems pretty clear that Lazard is better than Geronimo Allison (two catches for 20 yards on three targets), but their committee approach at slot receiver endured another week. Marquez Valdes-Scantling (no catches on two targets) was invisible.

-Saquon Barkley showed some life against Green Bay, turning 19 carries into 83 yards and seven targets into three catches for 32 yards, but his resurgence unfortunately occurred during a day where Daniel Jones struggled at quarterback. Jones finished 20-of-37 for 240 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in the difficult conditions, getting inefficient returns from both Sterling Shepard (three catches for 40 yards and one touchdown on seven targets) and Darius Slayton (six catches for 44 yards on nine targets). Rookie replacement tight end Kaden Smith took advantage of the attention soaked up by Shepard and Slayton, earning eight targets and catching six for 70 yards.

-The Browns have a cripplingly poor offensive line. It's a flaw that negates the entire offense for quarters at a time, and Freddie Kitchens as a coach has proven he has not one means of fixing this crippling problem. Baker Mayfield hit his hand on a helmet and otherwise struggled to 18-of-32 for 196 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while taking five sacks, but very little of what's wrong in Cleveland has anything to do with Mayfield. This is not a serious team, and every quarterback would fail in that offense.

-Duck Hodges' production to this point is incredibly fraudulent, but he's significantly smarter than Mason Rudolph. As much as the Cris Dishman-Antonio Freeman touchdown catch by James Washington is in no way repeatable, credit to Hodges for recognizing the necessity to make the throw anyway. While Hodges isn't a real NFL talent, Washington is proving that he is. The light has really come on in the last couple weeks, and his growth is a reason to buy into the 2020 Pittsburgh passing game if Ben Roethlisberger (elbow) returns. Benny Snell can withstand volume and contact – it's his only standout trait – and there was volume for the taking again with James Conner out. Snell took 16 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown, catching his only target for four yards, while Jaylen Samuels ran for 32 yards on seven carries and caught both targets for 22 yards.

-Derrius Guice is such a talented player -- certainly a better prospect than Sony Michel and Kerryon Johnson, both of whom were selected ahead of Guice in last year's draft. Given that, it was great to see Guice finally get some room to run as Washington upset the Panthers on Sunday. Guice took off for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, hopefully heralding his long-awaited NFL arrival. It's still discouraging, though, that Bill Callahan still called 12 carries for Adrian Peterson, who totaled 99 yards and a touchdown. It's also discouraging that Dwayne Haskins remains the quarterback – the brutally ineffective rookie went 13-of-25 for 147 yards in this one, taking five sacks. Terry McLaurin (two catches for eight yards on four targets) is going to waste in this offense.

-Kyle Allen started off red hot but collapsed toward the second half of Sunday's game against Washington, finishing 27-of-46 for 278 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while running for 22 yards and a third touchdown. Allen took seven sacks and a lost a fumble otherwise. The Washington defense limited D.J. Moore to a 50 percent catch rate at just over six yards per target, but 12 targets offset the dip in efficiency, leaving Moore with six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Curtis Samuel got open a bunch like always, though he only got seven targets and finished with four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.

-The Jaguars fell apart and Jameis Winston played in a clock-killing game script as a result, so nothing got especially wild with the Buccaneers passing game. Nothing was especially exciting about the ground game, either, where Ronald Jones ran for eight yards on six carries and Peyton Barber ran for 44 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. After the game Bruce Arians said he went with Barber because he had the "hot hand." Then he clarified: it was actually because Jones erred on a blitz pickup, after which point, Arians says, you don't get to play anymore. It's not clear how literal the intent was behind Arians' statement – he presumably didn't mean to say that Barber has never missed a block, just as he presumably didn't mean to say Jones is benched forever now – but he's at least made clear that running and pass catching are not priority functions for his running backs. Perhaps he should consider abolishing running backs from his offense entirely and going with an all-fullback offense.

-Nick Foles has been awful since returning from his broken clavicle injury, and the game against Tampa Bay was no exception. He went 7-of-14 for 93 yards and an interception before getting benched, taking three sacks and losing two fumbles. Gardner Minshew struggled himself in relief, 16-of-27 for 147 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, but at least he didn't average a turnover for each five passes he attempted.

-Tevin Coleman lasted five carries (for six yards) before Kyle Shanahan turned away from him for good against the Ravens, handing the keys to the backfield over to Raheem Mostert instead. Mostert more than answered the call, taking 19 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown. Mostert is a former track guy and has legitimate speed, but it'd be a bit odd if San Francisco totally soured on Coleman. Anyway, Matt Breida should be back soon.

-Jared Goff took full advantage of Arizona's helpless defense, completing 32-of-43 passes for 424 yards and two touchdowns. Goff had a brutal month leading up to this, but to be fair the defenses in that stretch were unfriendly. The Seattle matchup in Week 14 might be more friendly than not, as Seattle's cornerback personnel is lacking, but it might be asking a lot for Goff to do well against Dallas (Week 15) or San Francisco (Week 16). He gets Arizona again in Week 17, though.

-Drew Lock wasn't good in his first start (18-of-28 for 134 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception), but he most importantly showed a willingness to throw downfield to Courtland Sutton, who came through in a big way. Casey Hayward is helpless against Sutton, who finished with four catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns on five targets. Lock is better than Brandon Allen, at least.