REPORT: Following the game the Steelers learn the unfortunate news that one of their important players slapped the referee.

The most recent information, plot developments, and more are covered by The Athletic’s NFL insiders and specialists.

NFL Week 13: Schedule, odds, live MNF coverage, and playoff standings
The Cowboys defeated the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football to start Week 13! For the most recent NFL news, injury updates, game previews, and analysis, visit The Athletic.

In the middle of a Joe Montana-esque run, Brock Purdy
Despite outrushing the Philadelphia Eagles 146 to 46, having no turnovers, and scoring touchdowns on six consecutive possessions, the San Francisco 49ers lost the time-of-possession battle 31:39 to 28:21.

How could that be true? Well, their brief possession of the ball in the shaky first quarter amounted to barely over two minutes. On a few of their touchdowns, they also scored rapidly. For example, Deebo Samuel’s 46-yard catch and run on a tunnel screen, which set their winning score, took two plays and fourteen seconds to complete.

Even though the majority of the starting lineup was sidelined for the final five minutes of the game, the offense managed to tally 59 snaps while the defense managed 72. This is the breakdown of the separate snaps.

NFL officials have an impossible task ahead of them; the league or we must reform.
It wasn’t appropriate for us to discuss NFL officiating on Sunday night and Monday morning.

We could have spent our time talking about how Packers quarterback Jordan Love appeared to mature during the team’s 27-19 upset of the Chiefs, who are currently ranked #1 in the world. We could have been discussing how head coach Matt LaFleur of Green Bay skillfully orchestrated a season comeback that has put his 6-6 Packers firmly in the running for the postseason.

Rather, these were the feelings that prevailed late on Sunday night in the early going after the Packers’ victory: confused, bewildered, and not in the slightest astonished that the referees had once again become a significant character in the narrative.

The numerous officiating errors that occurred in the latter moments of the competition remained the main topic of discussion on Monday morning’s recap shows on radio, television, and podcasts. The wringing of hands extended to our group texts.

Sunday night served as what seems to be a weekly reminder that the NFL still has an inefficient officiating system in this day and age. And now that it’s abundantly evident, one of two things needs to occur.

Vikings mailbag: Kevin O’Connell’s draft priorities, the QB choice, and more
Hi everyone, welcome back. The week of bye is ended. With a 6-6 record, the Minnesota Vikings will now start what looks to be a wild trip in the second half of the season.

There are still five games. There are many questions. Many of you were interested in learning who quarterback coach Kevin O’Connell will start this week and how the team’s offseason selections would be influenced by the first 12 weeks of the season.

Even though December is only getting started, a lot of New York Giants supporters have already started fantasizing about the player their team might select in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Even if the Giants won back-to-back games before taking a bye in Week 13, a top-10 pick still seems more likely than a postseason spot. Austin Mock of The Athletic developed a projection model that puts New York’s chances of making the playoffs at 0.4 percent.

Since the postseason is probably out of reach, Dane Brugler, draft analyst for The Athletic, will be sharing his first mock draft of the season. That means we’ll be focusing on the draft for this story at least. In Brugler’s mock draft, the No. 6 pick went to the Giants for wide receiver Malik Nabers of LSU. After Sunday’s schedule

When the Lions play the Chicago Bears this week, they might be without a few important players. Center Due to a knee injury, Frank Ragnow, a Pro Bowl player from the previous season, was unable to play the entire Sunday against the Saints. Although Campbell stated that the team has received “good news” regarding Ragnow’s injury, he may still be sidelined this week.

Alim McNeill, a third-year defensive tackle and one of the league’s best this season, may also be out for Sunday’s contest. On Sunday against the Saints, he seemed to have a knee-bump with Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson and departed the game for a short while. In the post-game locker room, McNeill played down his injuries, but Campbell’s remarks seem to indicate that there may be unresolved concerns. Fortunately, it