Studs and Duds Week 13: Mark Clayton Did His Best Joe Flacco Impression

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Here's Week 13 at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory. (Disclaimer: This will only be for the Sunday games, since you probably can't even remember the Thursday games at this point.)

Studs

Mark Clayton, WR Baltimore (5 catches, 164 yards, 1 TD, 1-for-1 passing, 32 yards, 1 TD) -- Trick plays hardly ever seem to work these days, maybe because they are used with such regularity, or maybe because defenses are too fast to be fooled. I guess I should rework that first sentence a bit -- "Trick plays hardly ever work these days, unless you are playing the Bengals." Clayton had an absolutely bananas grab with one hand for his touchdown pass from Joe Flacco, and then tossed one to Derrick Mason for another score in the Ravens' rout. Clayton doubled his previous yardage total for the season and helped move Baltimore to, wait for it, 8-4 and still an outside chance at a playoff birth.

DeAngelo Williams, RB Carolina (21 carries, 72 yards, 4 TDs) -- In the last three games, the Panthers have rushed for 10 touchdowns! Ten! Williams has been the end zone hoss for seven of those, which makes him the most valuable fantasy guy ever to run for four touchdowns, each from one yard out. Sure, he didn't have a huge yardage day yesterday, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, but he punched it in the end zone when other teams (I'm looking at you, Chicago) could not.

Adrian Peterson, RB Minnesota (28 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD) -- Speaking of the Bears, here is the guy that dismantled their defense. While the secondary was allowing Gus Frerotte to toss 99-yard touchdowns, the front four couldn't hold down the leading rusher in the NFL, and even when they put their hands on the running back he wouldn't go down. Peterson was sidelined with a tweaked ankle, but came back on the field just in time to find the end zone in the fourth quarter. After the game, Peterson said something he doesn't get to utter a lot -- "When you have a balanced offense, it's wonderful. Especially for a running back."

Justin Tuck, DE NY Giants (6 tackles, 2 sacks) -- If you don't have a member of this Giants defense in Studs after the year they've had, you are basically an idiot. Tuck now has 11.5 sacks on the season to go along with his 48 tackles and three forced fumbles. Tuck was one of the main reasons Clinton Portis had such a down game and the Giants improved to a league-best 11-1.

Duds

Drew Brees, QB New Orleans (25-47, 296 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) -- I almost hate to do this to our boy since he's had such a solid season, but when you're a dud, you're a DUD. Brees never looked comfortable in the nasty winds against Tampa Bay, throwing two critical interceptions in the final few minutes to ensure the Saints will not be playing any extra games this season. He has been fantastic at times, but the holes in their offense showed Sunday. When the entire stadium, coaches, players and fans, know you are throwing the ball, it is sure hard to find holes to squeeze it in.

Randy Moss, WR New England (4 catches, 45 yards, two dropped passes) -- Momentum can shift in sports quicker than Carl Lewis on a moving sidewalk, and Moss found that out first-hand against the Steelers. Tied 10-10 with less than a minute left, Matt Cassel and the Patriots drove down the field and looked to be in perfect scoring condition. Cassel delivered one of the few great passes of his day, a strike to Moss in the end zone, who dropped it with nobody around. Stephen Gostkowski then missed a 27-yard field goal and that was the game. Moss said afterwards, "Once you drop one ball, you drop another ball, it does start to affect you mentally."

Clinton Portis, RB Washington (11 rushes, 22 yards) -- We have a rule around these parts that Portis is basically a stud until proven otherwise, but this week we just couldn't do it. Portis had 84 yards in the first game against the Giants but couldn't come close to that Sunday, marking his least productive day of the year on the ground. When Portis touches the ball 15 times or less this season, the Redskins are 0-3. Maybe Jim Zorn should take Clinton's place in this category.

Brett Favre, QB NY Jets (23-43, 247 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) -- In a game that was played in nasty weather, one quarterback (the young one) looked comfortable while the other (the old one) looked as happy with the rain as a lady in a wedding dress. Favre overthrew people all day long, never seemed to find a groove, and found Laveranues Coles, the second leading receiver on the team, a total of two times for a whopping two yards. It wasn't his worst game of the season, but after three straight weeks where No. 4 looked like a legitimate MVP candidate, this was a stinker when the Jets needed potpourri. Good news for Jets fans -- their next three games are against teams with a combined record of 12-24.

Near Studly -- Joe Flacco, Roddy White, Matt Ryan, Robert Mathis, Peyton Hillis, Thomas Jones, and Bernard Berrian.

Near Dudly -- Peyton Manning, Kyle Orton, Marc Bulger, the Cleveland Browns, and Cedric Benson.