Other than a matchup on MNF between the Bengals and Cowboys, week 14 in the NFL is in the books, and it told us a lot about these teams. Here are two things we learned, observed and will consider about these teams moving forward.
Green Bay @ Detroit:
Green Bay is clearly a run-first offense at this point. Jordan Love missed a wide-open Tyler Kraft in the end zone and was not sharp throughout. The Packers are best when Josh Jacobs is running well (he had three rushing TDs), and they can use their play-action passing attack.
One of the best ways to defeat the Lions is to put pressure on Jared Goff. The Packers barely got pressure on him, and he was able to sit in the pocket and throw three TD passes (including two to Tim Patrick), carving up the Packers secondary. Once Goff is throwing well, the Lions running attack is impossible to defend.
New Orleans @ New York Giants:
This was a costly game for New Orleans as Derek Carr injured himself in the late fourth quarter as he was trying to run for a first down. Carr attempted to hurdle over a couple of players and landed awkwardly and is expected to miss time. This would be quite a disappointment, considering New Orleans is playing well and has an outside chance of making the playoffs.
This game was a microcosm of the Giants season. They had a chance to tie it at the end but then had a field goal blocked at the very last minute to lose the game 14-11. You can sense the frustration on Malik Nabers’ face. He’s not used to losing, and the team needs to make wholesale changes quickly, or he could be a locker-room distraction.
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh:
Jameis Winston couldn’t produce more magic this week as the Browns offense sputtered against a very aggressive Pittsburgh defense which had three sacks and two interceptions. Winston did connect with Jerry Jeudy on a touchdown, but they really miss Cedric Tillman, who was out once again with a concussion.
Standout Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was declared inactive with a hamstring injury right before kickoff so it was not surprising to see the Steelers rely on their running game, which had 120 yards on 35 carries. Najee Harris had 53 yards and a touchdown. Pat Freiermuth had 48 yards and a touchdown and is someone to watch as the Steelers need a second receiver to emerge.
Atlanta @ Minnesota:
In Kirk Cousins’s return to Minnesota, the game was tied 21-21 going into the fourth quarter. But in the final quarter, the Vikings scored 21 unanswered points, and Cousins threw two interceptions as the Falcons lost. On a positive note, Darnell Mooney had 142 yards receiving, and Bijan Robinson had 92 yards rushing,
Sam Darnold was the second-best overall quarterback of the weekend, throwing for 347 yards and five touchdowns, including three to Jordan Addison and two to Justin Jefferson. Addison and Jefferson combined for 15 catches for 265 yards and five touchdowns making them pretty much unstoppable. Darnold is going to get a huge contract in the off-season from Minnesota or another team.
Las Vegas @ Tampa Bay:
Raiders quarterback Aiden O’Connell left the game with an injured knee and was taken off in a cart. The injury looks to be season-ending. Brock Bowers had three receptions, which gives him the most rookie tight end receptions of all time—and there are still four games to go.
Baker Mayfield threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns including two to rookie Jalen McMillan to lead Tampa to the victory. Rachaad White had 90 yards rushing as well as 19 yards receiving and had both a rushing and receiving touchdown. Bucky Irving left the game with an injured back, so it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to play in Week 15.
Carolina @ Philadelphia:
If it wasn’t for a terrible drop by Xavier Legette late in the game, Carolina would have pulled off a huge upset on the road to beat Philadelphia. Bryce Young continues to play much better, throwing for 191 yards and a touchdown. Most important is his mobility, which keeps plays alive and allows him to find his receivers downfield.
Saquon Barkley had 124 rushing yards to lead the Eagles and is the new season leading rusher for Philadelphia. Of concern is the Eagles lack of a passing attack. Jalen Hurts completed 14 passes for 108 yards, which is just not enough to please A.J. Brown, who seems incredibly frustrated by his lack of production.
Jacksonville @ Tennessee:
In a defensive battle of two inept offenses, Jacksonville was led by Tank Bigsby who had 55 yards rushing and a touchdown. Bigsby played well earlier in the season before he got injured, but he outcarried Travis Etienne 18 to 4, showing that the Jaguars prefer to give Tank the football, especially in close games.
If the Titans want to win they need to surround their skill players with a better quarterback. Will Levis is young but he’s still not showing the skills necessary for a starting quarterback. Almost every quarterback has had a career day against Jacksonville’s defense, and Levis could only muster 168 yards passing.
New York Jets @ Miami:
Aaron Rodgers had his first 300-yard game of the season, throwing for 339 yards and a touchdown. Garrett Wilson led the Jets with 114 yards, and Davante Adams also had 109 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Davis surprisingly played better than Braelon Allen, running for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Jonnu Smith did not have a catch during regulation time, but in overtime, he had three receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown to help Miami pull off the come-from-behind win. Tyreek Hill had 115 yards receiving and a touchdown to help Miami keep their faint playoff hopes alive.
Seattle @ Arizona:
No Kenneth Walker, no problem! Zach Charbonnet was unstoppable, going for 193 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs. The knock on Charbonnet has always been that he’s not an explosive runner, but he certainly looked fast enough, scoring on a 51-yard TD run.
If you watch this game on film, you will see a definite lack of targets for Trey McBride in the first half. Arizona was so concerned with establishing the run that they forgot to feed their best receiver. McBride finished with seven catches for 70 yards (on a whopping 14 targets) but it was too little, too late.
Buffalo @ Los Angeles Rams:
Josh Allen made history on Sunday by throwing for 3 TDs as well as running for 3 TDs. Sadly, his great day could not help the team to a victory on the road against the Rams. The Bills RBs only had six carries as the Rams got out to an early lead, and Buffalo was never able to settle into their ball-control offense. On a bright note, Amaro Cooper had his best game as a Bill going for 95 yards receiving.
As Kyren Williams goes, the Rams go, too. Williams had 29 carries for 87 yards and 2 TDs. Los Angeles had 42 rushing attempts for 137 yards, exposing Buffalo’s Achilles heel: its run defense. Puka Nacua also helped lead the team to victory with 12 receptions for 162 yards and a TD.
Chicago @ San Francisco:
Chicago was behind from the onset and never got comfortable in their offense. Caleb Williams was under siege as San Francisco had six sacks. Williams has been sacked 50+ times this season and there are still four more games to go. The one bright note for Chicago was that rookie receiver Rome Odunze scored twice in the loss.
Rookie running back Isaac Guerendo was having a terrific first start, rushing for 78 yards and 2 TD (he also had 50 receiving yards) until he left the game in the fourth quarter with a foot sprain. The 49ers can ill afford to lose Guerendo after losing Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason already this season. George Kittle was the outstanding player of the day, with 151 receiving yards.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City:
If you were wondering how important Ladd McConkey is to the Chargers offense, think no more. The Chargers were held scoreless in the first half as Justin Herbert struggled to find his other receivers. Will Dissly got injured right before halftime and backup Stone Smartt came in and provided the team with a needed spark. The Chargers need McConkey back to make sure they make the playoffs.
Kansas City won their ninth straight division title, but not without a little suspense. Matthew Wright’s last-second kick “doinked” off the goal post and went in for the Chiefs’ victory. Isiah Pacheco led the Chiefs with 55 yards rushing, but it was the Chiefs defense that really was the key, pressuring Herbert all game long.