NFL Week 13 in review

—Can the Buffalo Bills derail the Kansas City Chiefs’ bid for a theepeat? That is one of the interesting questions of the season as the teams head into December. The Chiefs have the best record in the AFC at 11-1 but barely escaped with a 19-17 win over the Raiders with the help of bad clock management by the Raiders and a premature snap the Chiefs recovered. The Chiefs last 14 wins by one score bu.t aren’t playing like a team ready for a playoff run

–Meanwhile, Buffalo boosted its record to 10-2 by beating San Francisco, 35-10, in a snowstorm.. Although the Bills are a game behind the Chiefs, they have the tie breaker if the tie the Chiefs because they handed the Chiefs their only loss and except for the upcoming game against the Lions, they should have no trouble in their final three games against the Pats (twice) and the Jets.

–In the NFC, it also looks like a two team race between the 11-1 Lions and the 10-2 Eagles. The Lions escaped with a 23-20 victory over the Bears with the of bad clock management by coach Matt Eberfluss that got him fired.  Meanwhile the Eagles continue to roll and beat the Ravens 24-19 as kicked Justin Tucker cost them seven points by missing two field goals and an extra point.

–The Vikings also remain a game behind the Lions at 10-2 as they got help from the opposing coach to edge the Cardinals. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the five-yard line late in fourth quarter, coach Jonathan Gannon decide to go for a field goal to go up by six instead of going for the touchdown and a chance 10-point lead. The Vikings then came back to score a touchdown and win, 23-22. Gannon was too conservative and it cost him.

–In the most talked about play of the week, Azeez Al-Shaair of the Texans hit a sliding Trevor Lawrence and knocked him out of the game with a concussion and that started a brawl. Not surprisingly, he was suspended for three games and that will cost him close to $2 million. The league noted he is a repeat offender who has been fined in the past. He issued an apology and said Lawrence slid too late for him to pull up but the league didn’t buy that explanation even when coach DeMeco Ryan defended him. The Jaguars signed quarterback John Wofford so Lawrence will probably be out a week if not longer.