The Rams can ill-afford to let one of their best players walk. Get it done, Lester.

By Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP Dec 3, 2019, 1:08pm CST

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
When looking at the Los Angeles Rams’ roster, one player who doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his performance is ILB Cory Littleton.
Littleton is a former undrafted free agent that transitioned from his college role which included spurts on the edge to one of the league’s best true off-ball linebackers. In just his first season as a full-time starter, Littleton made the pro bowl and was named a Second-Team All-Pro on special teams.
The positive in this story is that the Rams found a gem of a player in which they didn’t even need to spend a draft pick on. The negative is Littleton’s impeding free agency, which allows him to hit the open market this offseason in March.
The Rams — which don’t have an abundance of cap space or draft picks — will need to find a way to retain Littleton’s services. In his two seasons as a starter (to this point), Littleton has totaled 227 tackles, 6.5 sacks, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, one touchdown, 21 pass deflections, 13 tackles for loss, 12 total pressures, and eight QB hits. He’s also allowed five touchdowns in his coverage, though his missed tackle percentages have been low, particularly this year as he’s only missed four tackles (3.8%).
Littleton has remained a source of big-plays for a Rams defense loaded with talent, which sets the 26-year-old up well as he’s continued to play incredibly well in his contract season.
Looking at ILB contracts around the league, we can try to accurately predict the range in which Littleton’s price tag will cost. Let’s jump into the comparisons (all figures from Over The Cap)

Seattle Seahawks ILB Bobby Wagner and New York Jets ILB C.J. Mosley are in their own tier as it relates to inside linebacker contracts. Wagner’s deal is slated to earn him $18m average per year (APY) and Mosley’s will earn him $17m APY. One thing to note: Mosley struck it rich by reaching the free agent market (which almost always helps inflate value) whereas Wagner was extended by his club while under contract. Wagner is a five-time pro bowler and Mosley is a four-time pro bowler. It’s probably safe to assume Littleton won’t be making similar money to these two, but it’d be wrong to not at least point out what the top of the market possesses.

This second group of off-ball linebackers is exactly where I believe Littleton will be slotted, but there are some differences among the options. Jacksonville Jaguars ILB Myles Jack, Atlanta Falcons ILB Deion Jones, and Dallas Cowboys ILB Jaylon Smith all signed their extensions in 2019 (July through September) while Carolina Panthers ILB Luke Kuechly and New York Giants ILB Alec Ogletree signed in 2015 and 2018, essentially rendering their deals useless as a comparison.

The first three names above in Jack, Jones, and Smith are incredibly relevant as it pertains to Littleton, which is why we should examine them and attempt to re-create a suitable figure based on their recent extensions.

Recent:
Like I mentioned above, Jack, Jones, and Smith provide us with the best guide to predict what Littleton will pull in his next deal. The first of the three to sign was Jones as he signed on July 20th, with Smith following (August 20th) and Jack being the most recent (September 1st).
Not only is the timing relevant, but the talent level of all four players are comparable. Jack has yet to earn any accolades in the league (yet is paid the most) as does Smith, but Jones is a one-time pro bowler (same as Littleton).
Simply due to timing, we can expect Littleton to top all three of these deals, though the details of the extension aren’t going to be predictable. The Rams, Littleton, and his agent will have to work those numbers out. The sides could opt to bring down the APY by upping the guarantees, or they could do the opposite, or they could find a middle ground.
Here are the figures of the three players above:
Jack: $57m total, $14.25m APY, $33.06m guaranteed
Jones: $57m total, $14.25m APY, $34m guaranteed
Smith: $63.75m total, 12.75m APY, $35.4m guaranteed
Looking at all three contracts, you realize just how similar they really are, with only the most recent player seeing the slightest uptick in guaranteed money (Smith). If we extrapolate for Littleton’s potential deal, it could look something like this:
4-year extension, $59m total, 14.75m APY, $36.5m guaranteed
A potential deal for Littleton is fun speculation, but it should be of the utmost importance for the Rams. Littleton is the leader of the defense, is an outstanding player defensively and on special teams, and has done things the right way since going undrafted in 2016. The Rams would be wise to keep #58 in town for a little while longer, but the strain on cap space available will surely make it tricky.

Jared Goff did his part on Sunday. Now you do yours. Vote!


By Brandon Bate@NoPlanB_ Dec 3, 2019, 4:28pm CST


Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff was tremendous in the team’s 34-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13. Following a brutal loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and at a time in the season where postseason aspirations grew increasingly more uncertain, the Rams needed a strong performance from their signal-caller. And they got it.
Goff has been named a finalist for the FedEx Air Player of the Week award for Week 13. It’s his first nomination of the season. You can, and must, vote right here.
Here’s a look at Goff’s Sunday performance, along with those of this week’s challengers:

• Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff completed 32 of 43 attempts (74.4 percent) for 424 yards, 2 touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 120.8 passer rating in a 34-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
• Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 27 of 39 attempts (69.2 percent) for 365 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception for a 113.7 passer rating in a 37-31 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed 29 of 38 attempts (76.3 percent) for 338 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception for a 118.1 passer rating in a 24-20 win over the Detroit Lions.

MORE FROM TURF SHOW TIMES

• Rams-Seahawks: Week 14 game hub
• How will Panthers’ firing of Ron Rivera affect rest of NFL?
• JoJo Natson placed on IR, Kendall Blanton promoted
• Should the Rams re-sign LB Cory Littleton?

1. https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...ittleton-contract-extension-roster-management

Rams place JoJo Natson on IR, promote TE from practice squad


Cameron DaSilva
5 hours ago


Sean McVay announced on Monday that return specialist JoJo Natson would be out 4-6 weeks after injuring his hamstring in Week 13. It turns out he won’t be back this season as the Rams placed him on injured reserve Tuesday.
In a corresponding move, they promoted tight end Kendall Blanton from the practice squad, taking Natson’s place on the 53-man roster.

Blanton was signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri this year. He’s a bigger tight end at 6-feet-6, 262 pounds, running a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at the combine. In his final season at Missouri, he caught 22 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games, missing three games with a knee injury.
It’s unclear if his promotion is related to Gerald Everett’s status. Everett missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury and is considered day-to-day, according to McVay.
The Rams now have four tight ends on the active roster.

What's going to happen when the Rams win the Lombardi this year? How many in the media, and among the fans are going to say "I had no doubts".

My brothers and sister fans....it wasn't so long ago we wished for the pain to end....remember those days? Seasons of endless frustration with no end in sight? All I can say is it's time to chill and enjoy the ride. We are in December and the team is still in contention. We still have something to hope for. There was a time that in December was when all we could do was talk about next year.

Yeah the bad old 90's a decade of frustration and futility. Then again from 2004 through 2016, more misery, right? How things have changed haven't they. We have come to expect more, often times forgetting what it took and how long it took to get here. This team is on the right track. Starting next year we aren't going to be seeing a whole lot of high priced over the hill vets to plug holes. Next year this team will be drafting for depth, and sustainability.

Oh yeah I'm enjoying this ride.

Not a surprise.

Shurmdog is prolly next.

It seems an unpopular choice, I see so many talk about cutting him. But, Brockers is my favorite Ram. He has a fire, he needs to be in a 4-3 in the middle, but he’s such a leader. I just like him, always have. I hope he never leaves this team.

Goff is a better QB than Russell Wilson because Goff is the Rams QB. Wilson sucks because he is the Seahawks QB. The most important stat is the one that notes the team they play for.

Sure, Wilson, in a perfect football vacuum, without any team name or the pukeass ugly sea-foam alge-green colored uniform - in that vacuum, maybe I could give him credit for all of his skills.... but in reality he stilll plays for the stupid ass fucking seahawks, so statistically speaking, based on the most important stat of all, Wilson is not as good as Goff.

Here is the road to be travelled. Some topics like this one already started... here is a clean snapshot heading into week 14.

VIKINGS (8-4):
Detroit
at Chargers
Green Bay
Chicago

SEAHAWKS (10-2):
at Rams
at Carolina
Cardinals
49’ers

49’ers (10-2):
at Saints
Atlanta
Rams
at Seahawks

RAMS (7-5):
Seahawks
at Dallas
at 49’ers
Cardinals

Rams future is now !!

Was sent this article & sort of makes me think about The 2019 season & it’s meaning.


This article & guy whoever he is ,is not a Rams fan or understands Demoff,Snead,&Mcvay !!


As a long time Rams fan I have never seen a season like this. Basically The Rams went to rebuilding towards the future.

The Gurley & Donald signings were already in place. Now it’s Goff & Ramsey who both have basically cost The Rams 5 first round picks plus ??

so here we are as Rams fans. We get a chance to see the development of some future Young Rams who have been added to the core of the organization.A long with some Excellent veterans, and Super Bowl experienced players from 2018.

In The Rams I trust !!

Rookie safety Taylor Rapp gets first career interception

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The chances had been there both before and during Sunday's game against the Cardinals, but for reasons in and out of Rams rookie safety Taylor Rapp's control, that first career interception remained elusive.

Until early in the third quarter.

With a 31-yard pick six off Arizona QB Kyler Murray in Los Angeles' 34-7 road victory, Rapp was finally able to check off the career milestone.

"The first one, I was so mad at myself, and the game back in London (against the Bengals), too, I dropped another sure (interception), so I was super mad at myself," Rapp said. "I was thinking about that one all the way up until I got the one that actually counted, so I was happy I could get one under my belt."

Indeed, opportunity would knock three times for Rapp against the Cardinals before he got his first interception.

His earliest shot at it came with just over six minutes remaining in the first half. Murray dropped back to pass and looked over the middle, appearing to initially look for WR Christian Kirk. With Kirk covered by Rams CB Jalen Ramsey, Murray went for RB Kenyan Drake, who ran a wheel route out of the backfield. Rapp read Murray's eyes and jumped the pass but couldn't haul it in, settling for a pass breakup instead.

The Rams' secondary was quick to encourage him, as both Ramsey and CB Nickell Robey-Coleman patted him on the helmet after the play was over.

"We kept telling him it was going to come back to him," Ramsey said. "The first one slipped out of his hands – probably wasn’t expecting it."

Sure enough, the ball would find Rapp again – twice, in fact, in the same period.

Less than 90 seconds into the third quarter, Rapp seemed to find redemption for his missed opportunity. The Cardinals' field position was almost identical to that late second quarter drive, only this time Murray appeared to look down the middle the entire way. His pass deflected off WR Larry Fitzgerald's hands and into Rapp's, but the play was wiped out after Arizona successfully challenged for defensive pass interference against Robey-Coleman.

Nearly five minutes later, Rapp finally hit paydirt, getting in front of another Murray pass intended for Fitzgerald and taking it to the house.

"I was able to read his eyes, and able to capitalize on it," Rapp said.

"It was great for him to be able to make that play," Rams head coach Sean McVay said. "I was trying to give him a game ball. He was probably doing an interview and was late to get into the locker room."

After safety John Johnson III landed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury in Week 6, Rapp moved into a starting role in Week 7. In the six games since, he's collected 42 of his 73 total tackles on the season, plus five of his seven pass breakups.

The one key stat missing through those first five starts, though, was the same one his teammates have been giving him a hard time about for the last several weeks due to the number of opportunities he had.

Rams QB Jared Goff said Rapp was due to make the play.

"His first one was a pick-six," Goff said. "Pretty good."

Imagine this...the Cowboys could lose out and go 6-10 and still win their division while the Rams could win out at 11-5 and miss the playoffs. This would call for a change in format that won’t happen...but should.

According to rams-wire-usatoday website.

Possible KP-PR duties to go to Henderson or Webster.

I was not a big JoJo fan, however he has been decent and has not been much of a liability like I thought he would be. I wanted Webster to be the KR coming out of TC as he would not be taking up a roster spot like Jojo does. sorry to see him injured.
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I've watched every Rams game for going on 50 years. Actually, there were some I only could listen to on the radio in LA, back before they televised the games if you can believe they ever did that. In any event, it was always obvious to me that aside from watching the Rams play, the only games I really enjoyed watching were Playoff games (before there were SNF/TNF, Monday Night Football was up there too). Every other game I could take or leave.

The only change from this (until recently), was that I learned to enjoy watching division rivals (9ers, Seahawks) lose their games to further our playoff hopes. I'd actually skip doing something else to watch a game like this. But this could turn out badly if the team you're wanting to lose actually wins the game.

But I recently discovered a new breed of game I'm calling CONFLICTED games. These are games where I want both teams to lose so badly, I can taste it. I thought I'd hate games like this, because there are always bad things going on. I was wrong. The recent 9ers vs Seahawks game was one of the best times I've had watching a non-Rams game. Every drive, something would happen to make me happy. For every good thing happening to one team, bad things were happening to the hated other team. Add the fact that I was conflicted over playoff implications of either, and I had no clue who I truly wanted to win this. I of course wanted both to impossibly lose.

Anyway, this weird dynamic was truly awesome. I even enjoyed the Ravens (after crushing us) vs 9ers, where I was hoping we'd see injuries in the endzone on one of either team's over-practiced end zone dances. Every play there was misery on the field for me to enjoy.

Tonight is one of those games. I dislike the Vikes from the 70's playoff losses when we were clearly the better team, so watching them lose will feel good to my soul and technically improve our playoff hopes. But my hatred of the Cold Miser and his misfits is newer and fresher. It would be great to watch them lose, even if it helps our playoff chances a little less. Either loss is going to help some, and this makes me happy. Either team losing makes me happy. Every play, a group of players will be suffering somehow, for me to enjoy.

Just throwing this out there so maybe some of you can learn to enjoy watching these types of games. Remember, some team you hate is getting beat!

Personally, Maybe because I am being a HOMER (Rams Fan!) but I really think that the Rams and Vikings will end up tied with 10-6 Records at the end of the season and it will take the Tiebreaker to determine which Team moves on to the Playoffs and which Team stays home! Of Course, I hope I am wrong and the Rams end up 11-5!!!

Niners @ Saints
Niners @ Seahawks

Both games the Niners would be underdogs - no guarantee of what happens and obviously they could win either - but these also happen to be two of the most difficult places to play, and both teams would be trying to secure home field advantage when they play.

Seahawks @ Rams
Rams @ Cowboys
Cardinals @ Rams

I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but the Rams should win these games. The Cowboys have struggled, and the other two we're at home and will be looking for revenge on Seattle.

If the Niners lose those two and we win those three..

If we were to beat the Niners in week 16, and the rest fell into place, we would both end up 11-5, but we would have a better division record and would get a wildcard over them.

Or taking it one game at a time:

Beat Seattle next week. Root for New Orleans.

The following week we have a tough game in Dallas - pull it out - let the Niners beat down the Falcons.

The week after, go into SF and find a way to win - maybe a blocked punt and defensive TD?

At that point, we would be 10-5 and they would be 11-4

We're home for the Cardinals and they are at Seattle - shouldn't be a problem for us, so throw on a Russell Wilson jersey (just kidding) and pray for a Seahawks win, and we're in!


If we want to avoid any confusion, just do these simple things: root against the Niners and Vikings, and root against Seattle when they're not playing the Niners and Vikings.

***Niners could still make the playoffs if the Vikings falter in this scenario.

This season and especially yesterdays game confirms what I think of Goff.

When you give him time or give him plays where he can use his athletic ability to avoid sacks - Goff is one of the best QBs in the league

However, if you give him no time and give him plays where he has to stay in the pocket and get crunched by the pass rush - Goff is one of the worst QBs in the league.

I am hoping McVay learned his lesson from the game yesterday that moving Goff around occasionally will let Goff focus on his strengths to get the ball to the open receiver. In addition, it upsets the opposing teams pass rush by doing that thereby giving Goff more time in the pocket when he does stay in the pocket.

Maybe he will get better at getting the ball out faster on teams with a ferocious pass rush but in the meantime - give Goff the plays to avoid the pass rush.

Moderators - thinking about this - maybe Merge this with the Why I still think Goff is great thread

Thanks

So yeah we all know the Cards can't cover TEs. And most of us are still waiting for Everett to be that move weapon that can't be stopped in McVay's scheme. But you know this dude Tyler Higbee just keeps getting better as an all around TE and has already eclipsed his career high in yards. Now, granted, we're not talking big yards here and his current total of 319 pales in comparison to top TEs.

But yeah whatever. The interesting question here for me right now is whether Higs is turning a corner. Could it be that he is close to being that weapon that lives up to his talent? The guy is talented after all, I mean go to camp and watch him he's got the frame to be an OT just about in terms of size and while he isn't the athlete that Everett is he is still quite athletic certainly enough to be a featured weapon in a pass attack.

Looking back at his play and the "why" he hasn't lived up to his talent just yet in the receiving game, it's been mostly due to his hands. Now drop rates are like pressures in that they're hard to find but if you look just at completion percentages he has improved year to year, from 56% in 2017 to 71% in 2018 to 79% this season. And 79% btw is good enough for 5th in the league so he's been one of the most secure options in his usage. Additionally it's not like he's being used only on short passes. He is being asked to stretch the field a bit and he has executed very well in that role this season when they call his number.

Now irt hands overall I do think he is never going to be a contested catch stud and his pedestrian contested catch performance to date backs that up. However, he is quietly doing some really good things this season...

When you look at YAC which is a stat that is important for the "elite" TE passing game options, he is putting up a very respectable 6.2 YAC which places him at 18th in the league among all receivers (WR/TE/RB). And if you look at his YAC per reception he is at an even more respectable 5.9 yards which puts him 10th in the league (for reference purposes Goedert is #1 at 7.2 yards, Kittle is #5 at 6.4, and Hockenson is #7 at 6.1). Looking a bit deeper at the average targeted air yards he's at 5.5 which isn't great however it is higher than Goedert (who sits at 4.9).

Last but not least in terms of consistency and difficulty of shutting a TE down it is actually a GOOD thing to be a primary blocking threat to a defense as that run blocking threat and brief delay when they do release into the pattern typically comes with a very high rate of the defense disregarding said weapon. This is how you end up with a TE running free on a down/distance where you know damn well the offense is going to go to him statistically speaking, with opposing fans smashing remotes and pullin their hair out.

In summary I feel like the remainder of this season might start to feature Higs a bit more. He's not going to be an early read on any down/distance in this offense, but I do think they'll call his number more often (i.e. make him an early read) and enough for him to finish out this season as a respectable threat in this attack. McVay tends to reward the guys who produce with more early reads in the pass game and tbh there is every reason to think Higbee is going to benefit from that.

I'm sick of it eating away at me, and when I bring it up, I have a few folks here saying "drop it, it's not the reason", but it is the exact reason we have to pull a miracle to make the playoffs.

You might complain, "It shouldn't have been close enough for the refs to influence", and to me that just shows you're naive. If you think there's THAT much difference between teams in the NFL, you're dead wrong. We can't be expected to play as well as we did against the Cards every week and hope that every team plays as poorly, so we can overcome poor/biased officiating.

If we even get 1/4 of the 50/50 calls against the Seahawks and Steelers (we got exactly ZERO and even had some flat out imaginary calls against us), we are 9-3 and in the driver's seat.

Even opponent's fans can see, it's not just homer-itis. Read this from Cards subreddit:

Anyone watching this game could see how one-sided the officiating was, but no biggie, look at the score. I say BIGGIE, because the score of two of our losses would have had us WINNING, which is...I don't know...KIND OF IMPORTANT.

I'm going to let it go, but it won't be until a week or two after we're eliminated, because our departure from contention will be 100% related to officiating.

/endRant

Marcus Peters talents as a cornerback have been on display the last few weeks with 3 or 4 games with a pick 6. But the other side reared it’s ugly head against the 9ers. Peters was in position to make the tackle on the long td run but he didn’t seem to have a lot of interest in taking on the rb. He was also in position to prevent the long td pass from the 9ers, the receiver was bracketed but somehow MP couldn’t locate the ball or make the tackle.
For a guy of his talent to continue to have lapses like this has to drive you crazy if he’s on your team. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Playoffs? What a finish that would be.

Five Takeaways: Rams bounce back with complete performance against Cardinals

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Rams got back to their winning ways behind a complete performance against the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.

Here are five instant takeaways from the game:

1) Higbee shows he’s a complete tight end

When the Rams extended TE Tyler Higbee, head coach Sean McVay noted that they ask a lot of their tight ends: they have run blocking responsibilities, pass blocking responsibilities and have to make plays in the passing game. Higbee's versatility because of his ability to do all three makes him valuable to the organization.
Higbee put all three together on Sunday, finishing with new career highs in catches (7) and receiving yards (107) along with his second touchdown of the season.

Up until Week 13, Higbee had primarily been used by the Rams in run blocking situations. According data collected by scouting service Pro Football Focus (PFF), he had 165 run blocking snaps to 130 receiving snaps, while TE Gerald Everett – who missed Sunday's game with a knee injury – had 141 to 262 in each of those situations respectively.

When the PFF box score for Sunday's game comes out, there's a good chance he finishes with more than his season-high of 25 passing snaps. And since he contributed to RB Todd Gurley's 19 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown and the Rams pass protection allowing just one sack, Higbee also should grade out well as a run blocker and pass blocker.

2) Woods maintains consistency with a big game

Robert Woods has been one of the Rams’ most consistent wide receivers over the last month. That was no different against the Cardinals.

The former USC star posted a career-high 172 receiving yards and matched his career-best for catches with 13.

He had four receptions for 41 yards on the Rams' first offensive series alone. He's also historically played well against the Cardinals, finishing with six catches for 89 yards and one touchdown in their second meeting last season after posting six for 81 in the first.

Overall, it's the fourth time in last five games he’s had at least five catches and 80 yards receiving. It's also his second double-digit reception game on the season.

3) Rapp stays with it

The third time was the charm for Rams rookie safety Taylor Rapp.

After dropping his first chance and seeing his second wiped out due to a penalty against L.A.’s defense, Rapp finally broke through for his first career interception early in the third quarter. He jumped in front of Cardinals QB Kyler Murray’s pass intended for WR Larry Fitzgerald and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.

It’s a testament to his mental fortitude to not let that - or the previous two moments in Sunday’s game - affect him the rest of the contest.

4) Big day for Rams pass rush

Los Angeles’ defense set a new season high with six sacks against Arizona, the third time this season it has registered five or more. Each occasion has corresponded with an L.A. win.

Thanks to that pressure, the Rams were mostly able to keep Murray contained, save for a late 15-yard touchdown run. However, Murray still completed just 55.9 percent of his pass attempts, his second lowest completion of the season. That pressure also helped the Rams' secondary hold Murray to just 4.8 yards per attempt, his third-lowest in a game this year.

5) Special teams steps up

It wouldn't be accurate to call this a complete team win without mentioning the contributions of the Rams special teams.

Kicker Greg Zuerlein made 2 of 3 field goal attempts, including the game's first points, and converted all four of his extra point attempts. Each of his six kickoffs went for touchbacks.

Punter Johnny Hekker averaged 41.3 yards per punt. Outside of the Cardinals' final possession with 20 seconds left, each one obtained via a Rams punt began no further than their own 26.

Eagles suffer worst loss of Doug Pederson era in Miami

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Philadelphia Eagles' 37-31 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday was the worst of the coach Doug Pederson era -- a kind of defeat that has the ability to splinter a locker room, and one that will test this team's leadership group with four games left. Facing a stripped-down 2-9 Miami team and with a clear path to the NFC East title right in front of them, the Eagles choked.

A defense that had held its past four opponents to 17 points or fewer reverted to its old ways, as the secondary yielded one big play after another -- mostly to DeVante Parker (7 catches, 159 yards, 2 TDs), who became the eighth wideout to eclipse the 100-yard mark against this unit. Miami hadn't scored this many points since October 2015.

Familiar issues appeared on offense, such as drops (the one by tight end Zach Ertz near the goal line late in the third quarter was a killer) and bad penalties.

The good news is that the Eagles (5-7) remain just a game back of the Dallas Cowboys (6-6) and, with a home game against Dallas looming, still somehow control their own destiny. They could end up division champs, but after a loss like this, it's hard to think they deserve to be.

QB breakdown: Carson Wentz (28-of-46, 310 yards, 3 TDs) bounced back from arguably the worst performance of his career against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12. His final TD pass came early in the third quarter, however, as the Eagles scored only three points the rest of the way. The Eagles led 28-14 in the third quarter. The last time they lost when leading by 14 points in a game was in 2018's Week 7 against the Panthers (led 17-0 but lost 21-17).

Buy a breakout performance: Rookie running back Miles Sanders had 105 total yards and a touchdown and averaged 4.9 yards per carry on the ground. With Jordan Howard slow to recover from a stinger in his shoulder, Sanders has received the lion's share of the snaps over the past three weeks and is looking more comfortable in the lead role.

Eye-popping stat: Wentz and the Eagles are now 0-7 in games in which they trailed in the fourth quarter this season.

Monday Night Football: Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 13 will wrap up on Monday night at CenturyLink Field as the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings will get together for an ultra-critical battle for playoff position in the NFC. This will be a "Monday Night Football" rematch from 2018 when Seattle pulled away from Minnesota in the fourth quarter for a 21-7 victory.

The Seahawks (9-2) improved to 6-0 on the road in 2019 as they grinded out a 17-9 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. Rashad Penny had a breakout day running the football with 129 yards on 14 carries, including a 58-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Russell Wilson was not at his best against a ferocious Philadelphia defense as he completed 13 of 25 passes for 200 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The weather at Lincoln Financial Field wasn't ideal either, especially the windy conditions. The bright side for the Seahawks is that they were able to win a key road game without relying on Wilson to carry the team on his back. Turnovers were critical in this game as the Seattle defense flew around all afternoon long and caused five turnovers.

Minnesota (8-3) is coming off of a much-needed bye week following a tougher-than-expected game from Denver in Week 11. The Broncos came out on fire against the Vikings, sprinting out to a 20-0 lead. But, Minnesota's resilience rose to the occasion as the Vikings rallied at home for a 27-23 victory. Kirk Cousins completed 29 of 35 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. It hasn't always been the smoothest of rides for Cousins since signing his fully guaranteed contract worth $84 million but the comeback against Denver was just another example of him stepping up when his team needs him the most. That was especially the case since the Broncos limited Dalvin Cook to 26 yards on 11 carries.

Minnesota at Seattle

Kickoff: Monday, Dec.2 at 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Seahawks -3

Three Things to Watch

1. Seahawks' passing game vs. Vikings' secondary

Typically, the Seattle offense loves to set the tone by running the football. However, the Vikings are a very sturdy defensive front that is limiting teams to 94.2 yards per game on the ground. This means Russell Wilson is going to have to make plays in the passing game in order to free up opportunities to grind out some yards on the ground as the game progresses. Minnesota has had its issues in the past couple of weeks vs. the pass, surrendering 663 yards through the air the past two games, including 397 from Dak Prescott in a 28-24 win at Dallas in Week 10. DK Metcalf will need to bounce back from a forgettable performance in Philadelphia where he had two drops including one that would have been an easy touchdown in the second quarter that could have busted the game open. Tyler Lockett should be healthier this week as he continues to work his way back from a leg injury, he suffered back in Week 10 in the overtime win vs. San Francisco. Last week, Lockett saw just two targets, catching one of them for 38 yards.

2. Dalvin Cook vs. Seahawks' defense

Cook couldn't get much going in last year's matchup with Seattle, managing just 55 rushing yards on 13 carries. The lack of touches for Cook played a big part in the Vikings' loss to the Seahawks and was indicative of how Minnesota strayed from its strengths last year on offense. New offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski has re-established the Vikings as a run-first team and Cook has thrived. He's currently third in the league in rushing with 1,017 yards along with another 455 as a receiver. Cook will need to get the football early and often on Monday night as any success he has on the ground could help quiet the 12s at CenturyLink Field as well as move the chains and eat up some clock. That also will take pressure off of Kirk Cousins and open up some things in the passing game. Seattle has done a pretty good job at times against the run and I would imagine that defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. will stack the box against Cook. That strategy worked against San Francisco, as it forced Jimmy Garoppolo to beat the Seahawks with his arm. It's no different with Minnesota, although Cousins has put up some big games this season.

3. Turnover battle

The Seahawks have done a tremendous job of taking the football away in 2019 with 24 takeaways in 11 games, one of the big reasons why Seattle has a plus-nine turnover differential. Minnesota has created 16 turnovers and enters this game with a plus-four margin. Ball security is going to be paramount as Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny can ill afford to put the ball on the ground on Monday night. The Seahawks have already lost 12 fumbles with Carson, in particular, having some issues holding on to the ball. Fortunately, both quarterbacks have been fairly smart with the football as Wilson and Cousins have combined to throw nine interceptions thus far. It will be up to the defenses to try and dominate the line of scrimmage and get consistent pressure on the two signal-callers. The Vikings don't lack for playmakers on defense, including end Danielle Hutner, who has 8.5 sacks and 71 quarterback pressures. He's joined by linebackers Eric Kendricks (86 tackles, 12 passes defended), Anthony Barr, and safety Harrison Smith. Any of these guys are capable of coming up with a big play.

Final Analysis

These two teams are going to battle each other late into the fourth quarter. The Seahawks and Vikings have a ton at stake, so avoiding the catastrophic mistake will be a huge factor in determining a winner on Monday night. Seattle has a 28-5-1 record under Pete Carroll in primetime and the Seahawks will once again step up on the national stage on Monday night in front of a raucous home crowd. Russell Wilson will make one more play in the passing game down the stretch to help secure Seattle's 10th win of the season in dramatic fashion.

Prediction: Seahawks 23, Vikings 17

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