Week 13 of the NFL season is over, and there are only five weeks of regular-season action left.
But despite the first phase of the 2021 season nearly over, teams still need every victory because playoff spots are still up for grabs.
However, the genuine contenders separate themselves from the pretenders because they get the job done.
Despite challenges such as player injuries, the next person steps up to maintain their team’s postseason chances.
On the other hand, some squads did not show up this week.
Here are the teams that played poorly during the latest NFL games.
3. Houston Texans
Being the only team that failed to score points in Week 13 is an automatic part of the list.
Houston is already out of playoff contention after a 31-0 defeat against the Indianapolis Colts.
A few years ago, a Houston-Indianapolis showdown often dictated the balance of power in the AFC South.
Unfortunately, that pairing turned into one-sided affairs in the Colts’ favor.
The Houston Texans are the first NFL team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention this season. pic.twitter.com/ViSNWOSbKf
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 5, 2021
This game is no different as the Colts limited the Texans to 141 total yards.
Tyrod Taylor’s absence is another massive blow for Houston, and Davis Mills isn’t much of an upgrade either.
In contrast, Jonathan Taylor outgained the Texans with 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Carson Wentz didn’t have to do much to take their seventh victory in 13 games, especially when the opponents only had 18 minutes of possession time.
2. Denver Broncos
The battle for the AFC West title was shaping up to be a photo finish with the four teams just one game apart coming into Week 13.
However, that scenario changed when the Denver Broncos failed to show up against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Scoring nine points in a division game isn’t acceptable, mainly because the Broncos had more yards, fewer penalties, and three successful fourth-down conversions.
Denver also had the edge in possession, but they failed to capitalize.
Teddy Bridgewater threw two interceptions, spoiling the big games that Javonte Williams and Jerry Jeudy had.
The Kansas City Chiefs have defeated the Denver Broncos 12 times in a row.
— Steven St.John (@SSJWHB) December 6, 2021
Despite those numbers, the Broncos scored only nine points.
That output won’t be good enough to compete against a good offensive team in Kansas City.
Scoring nine points is also counterproductive to making the playoffs.
Worst, the Broncos are still looking for their first victory against Patrick Mahomes.
1. Minnesota Vikings
No, they weren’t badly beaten in Week 13.
But they’re the worst performer after giving the Detroit Lions their first win after 15 games.
That streak of futility dates back to 2020, and they’ve come close to breaking the spell multiple times.
However, the Minnesota Vikings handed the Lions the victory, and that’s the best adjective to describe the game-winning drive.
The Lions had to cover practically the entire field in under two minutes and with no timeouts.
The @Vikings. Good lord! They give up the game-winning TD as time expires to the then-winless @Lions. I know Cousins doesn’t play defense, but I’m just not surprised that HiS team would lose a game like this! Who’s their leader? Don’t expect Zimmer here after this season.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) December 5, 2021
Mike Zimmer’s crew had one opportunity to preserve a victory.
Unfortunately, they made a terrible defensive play by covering the back part of the end zone.
That opening allowed Amon-Ra St. Brown to receive the game-winning touchdown pass off a hook route.
It was an easy play with no Vikings defender near him.
Allowing the longest active NFL winless streak to be broken lands them at the top of this list.
NEXT: 3 Horrible Texans Stats From A Week 13 Beatdown
