We had some high hopes for week 14 and were not disappointed! Crazy comebacks, massive upsets, a few walk offs and more set the tone for a really exciting slate.
But let's not just hype it up, time to talk turkey:
Patriots 21- Steelers 18
-Mitch Trubisky is really, really bad at quarterback. He didn't really look comfortable or competent at any point in the pocket
-Pittsburgh's inability to pass really hampered Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren's attempts to find running room. The two took 19 combined carries for 40 yards
-Diontae Johnson played alright, to send some compliment to the Steelers' offense. A really meek bunch
-Bailey Zappe looked pretty solid under center for New England, completing 19/28 for 240, 3 touchdowns (three*) and an INT. Not convincing me or many that he's going to lockdown this job long term, but he won't be going back to the bench this week at least
-Throwback Thursday from Ezekiel Elliott, taking 29 touches for 140 total yards, finding pay dirt on a first quarter reception. Classic performance, acting as a safety blanket all evening for Zappe
-Juju Smith-Schuster shined bright against his former team, recording a game high 90 receiving yards on 4 catches. Hunter Henry was the fantasy gem though, posting an efficient 3/40/2 line
Buccaneers 29- Falcons 25
-Anyone seen Mike Evans yet? 1 catch on 6 targets for a measly 8 yards, killing prop bets and fantasy teams alike
-Rachaad White's still really good, pacing the Bucs for 135 total yards and a score on 27 touches. Dude's been a workhorse for this offense
-Suddenly, somehow, Tampa Bay is sitting atop the NFC South. I guess somebody needs to win the thing
-Didn't expect a 347 yard performance from Desmond Ridder, but here we are. He had two fumbles and tossed a bad pick, but we've seen less encouraging performances from the signal caller
-Drake London was the most productive Falcon, having a career day with 10 catches for 172 yards. He's a really talented player, like many on this offense, wasting away with inconsistent quarterback play
Bears 28- Lions 13
-Outside of a brief period in the second quarter, the Bears controlled this game throughout. Jared Goff's play is starting to decline, while the defense is in the tank currently. A once highly-formidable team has really shown some cracks in the armor of late
-Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were awesome, racking up 66 rushing yards each on 10 and 11 carries, respectively. Unfortunately, 3 turnovers and a game script that crept away from them limited what could've been even better days
-Aidan Hutchinson recorded a sack, which isn't a headline you've seen much lately. After a hot start, the former #1 pick has only racked up two sacks in the last two months. Not the production you're looking for
-Detroit can't stop Justin Fields from rushing the ball. 58 more yards on 12 carries, picking up necessary yardage almost at will with his legs. When he can do that and pass efficiently at the same time, he's a tough quarterback to stop
-Seems like this is D'Onta Foreman's backfield now. He was third string a few months ago before a slew of injuries thrust him into the lead role. Despite all 3 Chicago backs being healthy, that's exactly where he remained, out touching Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson 13-3-1
-DJ Moore's awesome. Fields may not be the best thrower in the world, but he's good to find his top wideout a couple times a game for some chunk yardage. 6/68/1 receiving + 3/20/1 on the ground-- a Deebo-esque line
Bengals 34- Colts 14
-Didn't expect the Bengals to pull a stunt like this. They quickly went up 14-0, surrendered the lead in a 30 second span before halftime, then ripped off 20 unanswered to walk out with the win
-Really strong showing by Jake Browning, yet again. 18/24 for 275, 3 total touchdowns, and a pick six that we can look past now. We'll see how long it takes for this Cinderella to reach midnight. Really impressive stretch of performances though
-What was maybe most impressive about Browning was the ball distribution. Nine different players caught a ball from him, but none caught more than three. Tee Higgins and Chase Brown made big plays out of their opportunities, while Tyler Boyd and Ja'Marr Chase were much more modest. If the Bengals are winning, I don't think anybody is caring about sharing
-Weak offensive showing by the Colts after how they handled the Titans last week. The defense produced one of the two scores in the first half, while they were completely inept in the second, producing 92 yards and an interception on their five drives. That's how you fall out of a wildcard chase
-Michael Pittman Jr. caught 8 balls for 95 yards, still playing at a really high level. About the only positive to take from this group
Browns 31- Jaguars 27
-One of the weirder first halves you'll ever see. Twenty total drives- 12 punts, 3 interceptions, 3 touchdowns, a lost fumble and the end of the half. Ugly
-This performance by Joe Flacco jacked me up. 26/45, 311 yards, 3 touchdowns an interception that didn't hurt the team and a fumble that did. Vintage showing
-The quarterback's consistent too, staying true to his tight ends. David Njoku had a crazy day, posting a 6/91/2 line, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game to put the Jags in a hole they couldn't dig out of
-2 picks for second year corner Martin Newsome. Trevor Lawrence threw 3 on the day, once again struggling against a top tier defense. He was playing with an ankle sprain on short notice, but he didn't help his team win
-Christian Kirk was sorely missed. Calvin Ridley doesn't seem to be able to do it alone and the Parker Washington train stayed at the station this week (2/27/1)
-Evan Engram though, have a day: 11 receptions for 95 yards and 2 trips to the end zone. He'll likely produce similar numbers with Lawrence less than 100% and needing to get the ball out quick
Saints 28- Panthers 6
-Bryce Young is bad. Like horrible. Not going to necessarily pin the blame fully on him, but this offense is unwatchable and it starts with him
-Shoutout to Chuba Hubbard for managing 87 yards behind this terrible offensive line and nonexistent passing threat
-Derek Carr isn't much better. Given the amount of injuries he's dealing with, why not just start Jameis Winston?
-207 total yards of offense for New Orleans. Gross, and amazing they managed to win by 22
Jets 30- Texans 6
-I wondered how CJ Stroud would fare against a top flight secondary like the Jets have and got my answer: not good. The rookie only racked up 93 passing yards on 43% completion percentage before being forced out with a concussion, putting his status for next week in question too
-Devin Singletary ran well once again, taking 13 carries for 65 yards and a score
-The Texans defense actually played pretty well to their credit. This game was 0-0 at the break before Zach Wilson decided to play quarterback in the second half. 27/36 for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns, might never see a game like that from Wilson again
-Breece Hall was steady on the ground, taking 10 for 40, but he did most of his damage in the pass game. 8/86/1 receiving, just gashing Houston. Call me crazy, but it seems like good things happen when he has the ball
-That same sentiment applies to Garrett Wilson, who caught 9 balls for 108 yards of his own. No reason to not want to force feed him in the pass game
-Randall Cobb caught a touchdown too, for those wondering if he was still playing
Ravens 37- Rams 31 (OT)
-This is your moment Tylan Wallace, soak it in. Spins out of one tackle, slips another down the left sideline, and he's gone! A walk off punt return touchdown sent Baltimore home victorious, in one of the more exciting finishes of the season
-Outside of an underthrown interception, Lamar Jackson was excellent. Despite the crappy weather, he found his open receivers regularly on the way to a 316 yard performance. He threw for 3 touchdowns and added 70 with his legs in the process, showing why he's worth that contract he signed this offseason
-Maybe Gus Edwards is hurt? He carried the ball on the first play of the game and then not again until close to the half. I'm all for getting Keaton Mitchell more involved, but let's not pretend Gus wasn't a productive member of this backfield
-Love OBJ finding the end zone against some of his former teams this year. He's been a surprisingly solid receiver for this Ravens team
-Have to tip your hat to Matthew Stafford, the man showed out in the rain, throwing for 294 and 3 scores
-Kyren Williams was unstoppable for some stretches of this game, ultimately racking 114 yards on 25 carries. Still unsure why Sean McVay shied away from running the ball
-Felt like the Rams could throw for first downs almost at will. Cooper Kupp was always open, Puka Nacua catches everything-- those I get. But Davis Allen and Demarcus Robinson combining for 96 yards and 2 TDs on top of it? Small red flag for the Baltimore defense
Vikings 3- Raiders 0
-The Raiders need to provide a food or beer voucher to the people who attended this game because whatever happened on the field was a travesty
-The Josh Dobbs experience seems to have ended for 2023, after the Passtronaut was benched for poor play early in the 4th quarter. Going 10/23 for 63 yards will warrant that
-Nick Mullens looked fairly competent in his place and will be starting next week
-Running back Alexander Mattison had a ton of success running the ball before suffering an ankle injury, averaging 6.6 YPC despite no threat from the pass
-Not sure Aidan O'Connell even qualifies as fun anymore. This Raiders' offense sucks
-Looking down the box score: Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Jakobi Meyers, Josh Jacobs. All that talent, just to suck
-Maxx Crosby is very good though, racking up 2 more sacks. He's up to a monstrous 13.5 this year, good for 3rd in the NFL
49ers 28- Seahawks 16
-I'll give Drew Lock his credit here-- looked way better than I was expecting. His two interceptions came in desperation time even, making the box score look a little worse than the product
-Surprising workload split between Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker. The former outgained the latter by 23 yards on just 1 more tote
-Devon Witherspoon's now dealing with a hip pointer for Seattle, which would be a big blow for their defense at a critical time in the season
-Career high 368 passing yards for Brock Purdy, on just 19 completions at that. His supporting cast is world class, but he's playing at an incredibly high level in his own right
-16 carries for 145 yards for Christian McCaffery. A whopping 9.1 YPC. Didn't find pay dirt though, as Jordan Mason got to take the plunge after CMC's 72-yard run set up their first score of the evening
-Deebo Samuel: 7/149/1, Brandon Aiyuk: 6/126, George Kittle: 3/76/1. It's not fair...pick your poison with this offensive unit
Bills 20- Chiefs 17
-Was a shame for Kansas City that Kadarius Toney decided to line up egregiously offsides and not check in, wasted what would've been an incredible conclusion
-The whine-fest by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid after the game was pretty unbearable to listen to. The worst part is, they never even denied the infraction by Toney, they just were expecting the league to swallow a flag due to the moment. Sounds entitled
-Rashee Rice is a really solid piece for the Chiefs. Far from a bona fide WR1, but a quality piece for a receiving core that's sorely lacking
-It wasn't always pretty, but Josh Allen did what he had to to pickup this win
-James Cook needs to be involved in the game plan every week. 10 carries for 58 yards + 5 receptions for 83 and a score-- the man is a weapon
-Buffalo suddenly might be the scariest team in the AFC, despite currently sitting in the 11 seed. What a weird year it's been
Broncos 24- Chargers 7
-We've witnessed the Chargers quit. It may have officially happened last week in Foxborough, but they brought that same energy this Sunday
-Justin Herbert's injury wasn't the cause either, with the quarterback going 9/17 for just 96 yards and an interception prior to his finger injury. It was a pathetic performance
-Austin Ekeler actually looked competent running the ball this week, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He also added 49 receiving yards, probably putting to bed any reports that he was going to cede touches
-Wouldn't describe watching Russell Wilson as a fun experience, but he got it done once again Sunday
-It feels like Courtland Sutton's making a ridiculous touchdown catch every Sunday. This week's version featured a defender draped all over him, pinning his left arm against his body as he made the spectacular grab while falling to the ground. Elite concentration
-9 QB hits and 8 pass deflections for Denver's defense, they were all over the place
Cowboys 33- Eagles 13
-Dak finally answered the call in a big moment. 24/39 passing for 271 and 2 touchdowns, just masterful. This one never felt close
-No massive performances jumping off the stat sheets for anyone either, this was a complete team performance. 96 total yards for Tony Pollard, 72 and 71 for Jake Ferguson and CeeDee Lamb, respectively. Michael Gallup found the end zone for the second time in 2023. Cowboys' fans have to be feeling good right now
-Drops and fumbles, that's how Philadelphia fans will remember this game. Devonta Smith and AJ Brown are as good a tandem as you'll find in the league, but they definitely hurt their team Sunday night
-The Eagles' secondary is toilet paper; single-ply at that. Credit to Jonathan Gannon, because this group's fallen from elite to bottom barrel in just a few months, with many of the same personnel
-Haason Reddick notched 2 sacks, while rookie Jalen Carter returned a fumble 42 yards for a score. To mention something positive about Philly. Short list of things
Titans 28- Dolphins 27
-If Will Levis never wins another game in the NFL, he'll always have this wild comeback to hang his hat on. The Titans had a 0.4% chance to win with about 3 minutes left on the clock, but here we are
-Derrick Henry averaged as many yards per carry as he scored touchdowns: 2 each
-Deandre Hopkins, on the other hand, went nuclear to help spark this upset. 7 catches for 124 yards and a score for the All-Pro receiver
-Shoutout Ty'Jae Spears for being an active contributor in the pass game too. The rookie's been seeing an uptick in usage, taking the opportunity to really shine Monday night with 89 yards on 6 receptions
-Bad loss by Miami here. They still have some say in their ability to capture the #1 seed, but a defeat like this shakes the confidence of many in this team's Super Bowl aspirations
-We've speculated on it based on usage alone, but I don't think anyone expected Tua and this offense to look as terrible as they did with Tyreek Hill sidelined. If this ankle injury lingers, it could be a big problem
-21 carries for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns for Raheem Mostert. The man's having a tremendous season. And as electric as Devon Achane's been, nobody's knocking Mostert from that top dog spot anytime soon
Giants 24- Packers 22
-Tommy DeVito, take a bow. Incredible game, inspiring final drive to set up Randy Bullock for the game winning field goal. If he never starts another game after this season, the kid's made himself a lot of money
-Wan'Dale Robinson was his favorite target, snagging 6/7 targets for 79 yards. He's a really exciting player with the ball in his hands
-This offense's workhorse though, is Saquon Barkley. 20 carries, 86 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no answer from Green Bay
-Jordan Love was flying so high over the last few weeks but plummeted back to Earth Monday night. Two early turnovers and his general inability to move the ball doomed the Packers
-Jayden Reed's a really exciting young player. I do appreciate Matt LaFleur's deliberate effort to get the ball in his hands, with 4 carries and 8 catches for the rookie. Unfortunately, he could only convert those into 65 yards
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@Choppinglines
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