What a fantastic weekend of football that was. Week thirteen of the 2019 schedule will be fondly remembered as the moment in the schedule when the lowly teams decided to turn up and play: the Miami Dolphins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, the Redskins won in Carolina to take consecutive wins for the first time since October 2018, and the Cincinnati Bengals took their first victory of the 2019 season against the, shall we say, unpredictable New York Jets. Along with a few other massive matches - Ravens sneaking past the 49ers and Deshaun Watson leading the Texans to a big victory over the Patriots - week thirteen was not one to miss; The British Playbook awards for the ‘Week of the Underdog’ are unmissable in my books as well.

Team of the Week: Buffalo Bills

I watched this Thanksgiving Day clash between the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills, and it was thoroughly entertaining. The Bills all-but-secured their place in the playoffs, although their upcoming clash against the Steelers in two weeks could prove decisive. This Buffalo team is tremendously coached - Sean McDermott absolutely deserves to be in the conversation for Coach of the Year - and their defense is legit. I like Tremaine Edmunds a lot but it was rookie Ed Oliver (I pegged him as the defensive player to watch before the season) who starred in Dallas. Oliver was magnificent as he registered his first career multi-sack game, including a key strip sack when the game was tied late in the second quarter. As well as Oliver, sophomore Josh Allen is developing extremely effectively into a reliable quarterback. He completed 79% of his passes as Allen threw for 231 yards and a score at ‘Jerry World’. Receiver Cole Beasley had a top game against his former team, whilst running back Devin Singletary was a versatile option throughout. It’s time to face the facts: I was very wrong about Buffalo, and I might even go as far to suggest that, with the powers of Tom Brady waning and the Jets still being the Jets, this young Bills roster could legitimately take control of the AFC East in the not-too-distant future.

AFC Offensive Player of the Week: Devante Parker (Miami Dolphins)

I remember when Parker got drafted in 2015 by Miami, and I have watched over the years as he never truly developed into the number one option the Dolphins hoped he would become. The 2019 season appears to be a new year for the wideout however, and his total of 854 yards through 12 games is the most in Parker’s career thus far. Arguably the best performance of his career came on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, as Parker racked up 159 yards from just seven passes, scoring two touchdowns. He tore the underperforming Philly secondary to pieces, showing off an ability to contest and win jump-ball plays that we haven’t come to expect from the first round pick.