#ProTops Week 13 NFL Update
As we run into the last month of 2019, sadly this means that the NFL regular season is about to come to a close. Fear not, as I bring early gifts (no holiday puns intended) on how the present Hilltoppers in the NFL have done in Week 13. Will the respective teams keep on spreading holiday cheer or deal with a lump of coal? Let’s recap this past week of action.
Thanksgiving Day kicked off with an NFC North battle between the Bears and the Lions in Detroit. Joel Iyiegbuniwe had 22 special teams snaps. The Bears ended up winning the contest and spoiling the One Pride faithful as they beat the Lions 24–20. They are currently 6–6, but still on the outside looking in for a playoff spot.
Moving on to Sunday, “Tight End U” was in full force.
Capt. Jack Doyle reaped the benefits of being the number one tight end option early after the had his highest game total of the season in receptions during the Colts 31–17 loss to the Titans. Jacoby Brissett wasted no time getting him involved in an already injury-plagued offense. He did have six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. He was also targeted eleven times. Here’s a clip of the touchdown along with the “captain spike” celebration below:
Doyle now has 36 receptions, 366 yards, and 4 touchdowns on the year. The Colts are now 6–6 following Sunday’s loss and now face a tight spot in keeping their wild card hopes alive.
Later in the day, Tyler Higbee and the Rams got back to their dominant offensive ways as they manhandled the Cardinals 34–7. Higs had a career day as he nabbed seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted eight times.
Jared Goff and company moved for 529 yards of total offense. The Rams move on to 7–5 of the year, keeping their playoff hopes alive in the very competitive NFC West. Higbee has 33 receptions, 319 yards, and two touchdowns for his 2019 season. Here is his post-game feature interview after the monster day:
Deon Yelder did not see any action during the Chiefs 40–9 win over the Raiders. They’re still atop the AFC West with an 8–4 record.
Taywan Taylor did not play during the Browns 20–13 loss to the Steelers. They are eliminated from playoff contention. This creates an interesting situation regarding his future with the team in the offseason. After being traded by the Titans earlier this season, he has only seen three games in Cleveland. He only has three returns for 53 yards on the year.
Mike White is still on the practice squad for the Jets. The Jets are no longer in playoff contention after gifting the Bengals their first win of the year.
Closing out the week, George Fant and the Seahawks battled the Vikings on Monday Night Football. This game was the catalyst for wild card hopes amid the dominating division leads by the 49ers and the Packers. He was shuffled in his usual rotation as a blocking tight end and at left tackle, picking up some key blocks for Russell Wilson, Rashaad Penny, and Chris Carson. Fant played 42 snaps on offense (56% of the plays) and 7 snaps on special teams. Seahawks Rising credited George Fant as the Seahawks MVP in last night’s win as the team had a season high in rushing yards and only allowed 2 sacks on Russell Wilson.
Stay tuned as we cover the rest of the season. PROOOOOOOO TOPS!!
(p.s., don’t forget to vote Higs, Capt. Jack, & Big George for the Pro Bowl)
