Week 14 in the NFL has come and gone. Here is one takeaway, thing we have learned, or observed about every AFC team.
Packers
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.
Bucs
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.
Vikings
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.
49ers
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.
Rams
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.
Falcons
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.
Seahawks
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.
Lions
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.
Eagles
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.
Giants
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.
Panthers
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.
Saints
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.
Cardinals
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.
Cowboys
Had the Cowboys established the run earlier in the season, rather than passing it 40-50 times per game, Dak might still be healthy, and they might have won some more games early on. Dowdle is a legitimate NFL RB and he has finally gotten enough carries to prove it. He has had back-to-back 100+ yard rushing games.
Bears
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.