Week 13 Notebook: Chop Robinson Breaks Out, Nick Folk Nails a Game-Winner, and the Patriots Are Playing for Each Other
Dolphins: Chop Robinson Delivers in the Clutch
Chop Robinson didn’t just show up in Week 13-he made his presence felt. After entering the game with just one sack on the season, the rookie defensive end put together his most impactful performance yet, racking up 1.5 sacks, five tackles, and a tackle for loss in the Dolphins’ win over the Saints.
It wasn’t flashy, and it wasn’t forced. It was just Robinson playing his game.
“Just be who I am,” Robinson said after the game. “I don’t gotta go out of my zone to be who I’m not, just go out there and play my football.”
That mindset paid off in a big way-especially when the game was on the line. With just 35 seconds left and the Saints facing a 4th-and-1, Robinson and linebacker Tyrel Dodson combined for the game-sealing stop on quarterback Tyler Shough. It wasn’t just a tackle-it was a statement.
“I was grabbing him and I knew he wasn’t moving,” Robinson said. “And I felt T-Dot come in too, so I knew he didn’t get the first down. I knew the game was over.”
The Dolphins have now won three straight and four of their last five, climbing out of a tough start to the season. According to Robinson, the key has been simple: unity.
“Everybody just kept their eyes forward and kept getting better every single day,” he said. “As a defense, everybody just stuck together and just got better.”
That kind of resilience is exactly what defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has been preaching all season. And now, it’s showing up on Sundays.
Jets: Nick Folk Nails It From Deep, Reflects on the Evolution of the Kicker
Nick Folk came up clutch for the Jets in Week 13, drilling a 56-yard field goal to lift New York past the Falcons. It was the kind of kick that used to be a rarity-but in today’s NFL, it’s becoming more and more routine. According to Folk, that’s no accident.
“As the entire locker room gets bigger, faster, stronger... if you’re not the biggest, fastest, strongest, but you’re pretty fast and pretty strong, you go kick, because you want to play,” Folk said.
Folk’s been around long enough to see that evolution firsthand. He credits former NFL kicker John Carney-who played 23 seasons-for showing him the importance of taking training seriously. And now, that mindset is starting even earlier.
“These guys are doing that at an earlier age now,” Folk said. “It’s just survival, to get on the football field when they’re young and they want to play-Well, I gotta be a kicker. So, all right.”
Folk’s longevity and continued ability to hit from deep is a testament to that evolution-and to the work he’s put in to keep pace with it.
Elsewhere in Jets news, owner Jerry Jones clarified that the Cowboys offered Micah Parsons to the Jets for Quinnen Williams and a first-round pick-not Parsons and a first-rounder for Williams, as previously reported.
Injury-wise, the Jets will be without defensive back Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (hip) and linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball (hamstring) for Week 14.
Patriots: Vrabel’s Culture Shift Paying Off in Year One
From 4-13 last season to 10-2 through 12 games this year-the Patriots have flipped the script in a big way under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel. And while the turnaround has plenty to do with scheme and execution, players say it starts with culture.
Cornerback Carlton Davis pointed to a team-building exercise early in the season that helped set the tone. At first, it seemed a little unorthodox. But in hindsight, it was exactly what the team needed.
“At the moment, I was like, ‘What are we doing?’” Davis said. “But through that, you saw guys come together and create camaraderie.”
Vrabel’s approach-cool, personable, and player-focused-has helped build a locker room where guys genuinely want to play for each other. And for him.
“He came off being a cool guy, personable, players coach,” Davis said. “Everybody kind of bought into it, and we kind of created this quick brotherhood and this bond between each other.”
That bond is showing up on the field. The Patriots aren’t just winning-they’re playing with purpose. And in a league where culture often separates contenders from pretenders, that could be the biggest win of all.