Had high hopes for a dog filled week 15, which didn't really come to fruition. Unfortunate for my parlays, nothing new there though!
Regardless, fun week overall. We had some big performances, some crappy December weather, and one of the more unprecedented offensive outputs you'll ever witness, by the Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders 63- Chargers 21
-From 0 points to 63, in a span of four days. That has to be an untouchable record for biggest differential by a team between two games. Absolutely unreal
-Touchdowns for Zamir White, Brandon Bolden, Davante Adams, Tre Tucker, Jakobi Meyers (passing and throwing) and Michael Mayer for good measure. A very giving display by the Chargers, fitting for this time of year
-It was 49-0 before they managed a 79-yard score to Joshua Palmer to break the shut out
-Jack Jones one-handed pick six was incredible. Read the screen, jumped it, yoink! Walk in touchdown
-If you didn't know what it looked like for an NFL to quit, go back and watch LA in this matchup. One of the sadder displays I've ever seen, leaving Dean Spanos no choice but to (finally) can Brandon Staley
Bengals 27- Vikings 24
-Jake Browning does it again. Trailing 17-3 after a pretty pedestrian three quarters, he led the Bengals on three consecutive touchdown drives to send things to extra time. Everything he did was working-- roll, duck and chuck, throwing across his body...man's a playmaker
-Tee Higgins was his big play man once again, turning his body with a defender on him to extend his arm and score an incredible touchdown to tie things up late. It was his second trip to the end zone on the day
-Not even saying this to disrespect Mixon, but Chase Brown needs to be more involved. The rookie runs fast and hard
-Nick Mullens was pretty okay all considered, but his two interceptions in Cincy territory were as senseless as they were back breakers. One was literally thrown as he was falling, off his sacker's face mask, back off his own ass and into the defenders lap. Gave Mark Sanchez a run for his money
-Ty Chandler is better than Alexander Mattison, not sure why he doesn't manage to get more work when the latter is healthy. He rumbled for 159 total yards on 26 touches, regularly gashing the Bengals' front seven
-Have a day Jordan Addison. He'd been quiet over the last month or so with all the QB turmoil in Minnesota but went nuts Sunday, posting a 6/111/2 line. Having Justin Jefferson back definitely pulled some eyes off of him
Colts 30- Steelers 13
-Pittsburgh went up 13-0 early, all seemed well with the world. Then they just stopped playing, on both sides of the ball, surrendering a hapless 30 unanswered
-Mitch Trubisky is unwatchable. In a season filled with subpar, fill-in QB play, the former #2 pick has been particularly disappointing, so much so that Mike Tomlin replaced him with Mason Rudolph for the final drive. Tis the season for Rudolph, I suppose
-The Steelers have fallen to .500 overall, pretty indicative to the level of play they've put on the field this entire season. Credit Mike Tomlin for having as much success with this group as he's managed to
-Took a little while to get going, but Gardner Minshew was dialed in once he did. 7.7 YPA, 3 touchdowns and no turnovers; you take a day like that every day of the week
-Zack Moss hurt his arm scoring on a pass play in the second quarter, opening the door for Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson to shoulder the load. The two cast offs were outstanding, combining to rush for 157 on 28 carries, good for 5.6 yards a pop
-Hoping Michael Pittman Jr. heals up quick from his concussion, dude took a massive hit. Surprisingly, DJ Montgomery and Mo Alie-Cox, not Alec Pierce or Josh Downs, were Minshew's preferred targets after MPJ was forced out
Lions 42- Broncos 17
-The ride appears to be over Broncos Country. Fun little month though, had us believing for a little there
-Russell Wilson was strip sacked right outside of the Lions red zone on their first drive of the game. It didn't result in points, but it did flip the field drastically. Denver wouldn't cross midfield again until after the break, once they'd already dug an ominous 21-0 hole
-Opposing teams have really keyed in on Javonte Williams recently, which has had negative results for the offense as a whole
-Jared Goff's back: 24/34 for 278 and 5 touchdowns. Surgical, just dismantling a defense that had been playing at a really high level
-Amon Ra St. Brown's 7/112/1 line was eye catching, but Sam LaPorta's 3 touchdown catches are what will be remembered. The rookie tight end's having a top tier inaugural campaign
-The Gibbs/Montgomery firm trampled the league's worst run unit, en route to 185 yards on just 28 carries. The tandem was unstoppable
Browns 20- Bears 17
-Joe Flacco. Elite.
-Seriously though-- what a fourth quarter, what a final drive. Such a gutsy win by a guy who was surrounded by 6 kids on his couch a month ago
-They didn't run the ball well either, putting the fate of the game squarely on Joe Cool's right arm. David Njoku was his top target, catching 10 balls for 104 yards and a score, but Amari Cooper led the way with 109 yards and the game-tying touchdown with 3:08 left. Classic Flacco win
-Same old Justin Fields. All looks good early, then literally no adjustments. This time, it also resulted in no scoring in the second half. 19/40 for 166 yards and 2 interceptions. He did throw a touchdown, and managed not lose either of his fumbles, but this is yet another painful loss on his brief resume
-How does Darnell Mooney not catch that Hail Mary? Insult to injury with that finish
-D'Onta Foreman carried the ball 6 times for -6 yards. Hard to do
-Two and a half sacks for Montez Sweat, providing some really good return on investment for Chicago
Buccaneers 34- Packers 20
-Baker Mayfield has been awesome on the road this season, which continued again Sunday. He had just 6 incompletions to 4 touchdowns, dicing the Packers corners every chance he had
-Just another day at the office for Rachaad White, 23 touches for 139 total yards and a score. What a productive piece he's emerged as
-Mike Evans bounced back from his dud last week to post a 4/57/1 line, but it was Chris Godwin having a season best performance, catching 10/12 targets for 155 yards
-Jordan Love also bounced back from a terrible showing, throwing for 284 and 2 touchdowns. He simply lost a shoot out to a quarterback on a mission
-Good ball distribution by Love, a usual trend when he's on, with six pass catchers having 3 or more receptions
-Tight end Tucker Kraft is worth a look in your fantasy semifinals. The third rounder's averaging 60.5 yards and 4 catches over his last two games, showing good rapport with his quarterback
Texans 19- Titans 16 (OT)
-Add Case Keenum to the list of backups who've started this season, one who led a game-tying and game-winning drive at that!
-Noah Brown has really shown to be a talent at receiver, posting an 8/82/1 line with the third string QB. He's earned himself a decent little paycheck this offseason
-Devin Singletary's enjoyed a renaissance too since his offseason castoff, carrying the ball 26 times for 121 yards. A holding penalty reversed what would have been a long, walk-off TD
-Still plenty encouraged by Will Levis' performance. Far from perfect, but he generally makes good decisions and is willing to push the ball down field
-No running room to be found for the Titans, with Derrick Henry mustering 9 yards on 16 carries. Not a misprint either, a whole 0.6 yards a pop
-Shoutout former Ravens' 4th rounder Chris Moore. He makes rosters because he can ball on special teams, but he always seems to make his way into a team's receiving rotation for a few games. A modest 3 catches for 39 yards in this one
Dolphins 30- Jets 0
-The Jets have been shutout now for 3 of their last 4 halves. Outside of their second half explosion against Houston, they've managed to score 1 touchdown since Halloween. It's an impressive and unenviable degree of incompetence
-Zach Wilson got demolished by Bradley Chubb on his first drive, fumbling the ball-- and quite possibly his career-- away. Wilson was out of the game before the end of the first half after sustaining too much damage. 4 sacks on 5 drives, including some big hits. Surely contributed to his paltry 4/11 pass line
-103 total yards by this dog shit offense. More turnovers than they forced incompletions. And eliminated from playoff contention, yet again
-Miami absolutely destroyed an opponent that was far out of their league. Tua looked just fine without his top weapon in Tyreek Hill, finding Jaylen Waddle 8 times for 142 and a long score. Encouraging showing
-Raheem Mostert had 2 more touchdowns, bringing him up to 20 total this season for the Dolphins. That's a record for a franchise that's had some pretty big names on offense-- and there's 3 games left to add to it
Chiefs 27- Patriots 17
-Kansas City's offense was pretty ineffective early before picking up some steam before halftime. Rashee Rice was the catalyst once again, catching 9 more passes for 91 yards and a touchdown
-The rookie's emergence has really helped alleviate the pressure that Kadarius Toney's put on the receiver room, because that dude is terrible. Another interception, which bounced multiple times off of his hands, that helped set up a late score for the Patriots. Butterfingers has to give this guy a call for sponsorship
-Bailey Zappe eventually looked...okay. He made a few decent plays, more than Mac Jones would've given us
-Hunter Henry was the apple of his eye for a second straight weekend, posting a 7/66/1 line
-Big fan of Demario Douglas. Good hands, quick in open space. Seems like a very rare, nice find by GM Bill Belichick in this year's 6th round
Saints 24- Giants 6
-It's over Tommy DeVito. The kid was in way over his head against Dennis Allen's defense, managing just 193 total yards. I was guilty of drinking the Kool-Aid, and I know I wasn't alone
-Saquon Barkley, predictably, couldn't get anything going with terrible QB play like that. 9 carries for 14 yards...better than Derrick Henry I suppose
-Nice to see Darren Waller make his way back to the field, snagging 4 balls for 40 yards. Given their record, I'm not sure it's worth the injury risk for the Giants' recent investment, but as a fan of Waller-- happy for the guy
-Shocked to see Derek Carr play as well as he did against a good secondary and without his top wideout Chris Olave. 23/28 for 218 and 3 touchdowns, reminding the world that just because I say you're washed, doesn't mean it's true
-Is it 2013? Jimmy Graham's scored touchdowns in 3 straight games now, showing he's still got a little somethin' in the tank
-Alvin Kamara was the driving force for New Orleans' victory, taking 21 touches for 110 yards. He's such a safety valve for Carr, while still providing more than enough in the ground game
Panthers 9- Falcons 7
-Wow.
-Bryce Young now has two game-winning drives on his resume. The same number of wins he's managed
-Chuba Hubbard continues to play well, a constant reminder of that bad Miles Sanders contract
-Not sure what Bijan Robinson to put himself back into Arthur Smith's doghouse, but it was clear almost immediately that that's what was going on. A lost fumble late in the third only further muddies that forecast for next week
-Long list of things I'd rather do than watch Desmond Ridder play quarterback. Garbage
-487 yards of offense for both teams combined. Rumor has it that tickets to the game were going for less than a dollar around 12:45. Those people got exactly what they paid for
Rams 28- Commanders 20
-Sam Howell got himself benched after a 4th quarter interception. He was a pathetic 11/26 for 102 yards and 1 TD/INT before finding the pine, as the Commanders trailed 28-7
-Then Jacoby Brissett made things interesting! Two touchdown drives in the 4th somehow put Washington within reach of an improbable comeback. It was not to be though
-Chris Rodriguez was clearly the preferred runner with Brian Robinson out, ceding the pass downs to Antonio Gibson. Interesting split to monitor
-Terry McLaurin cooked, taking 6 receptions for 142 and a house call. Imagine what he could've done with a whole game of competent quarterback play?
-Speaking of which, Matthew Stafford was locked in-- on Cooper Kupp in particular. The duo connected on all eight targets for 111 and a score, cashing a big win for their playoff outlook
-Kyren Williams is incredible too, recording 27 carries for 152 and a touchdown. Such a difficult back to tackle, huge for LA to have him back to full strength
49ers 45- Cardinals 29
-Feels like Brock Purdy has now taken the driver's seat for league MVP. Another 4 touchdown, 0 turnover performance
-If it's not Purdy, Christian McCaffery certainly has an argument for the award. 115 yards rushing, 72 receiving and 3 total scores on the day, looking as unstoppable as the numbers suggest
-Deebo Samuel also made his way to the end zone on 2 of his 4 receptions. His back shoulder score was a thing of beauty
-That's why there's some skepticism in Arizona about Kyler Murray being the guy moving forward. When you've got to play a team like San Francisco twice every season, you've simply got to look better than Murray did
-The Cardinals surprisingly managed to run the ball well too, with James Conner averaging 6.1 yards per carry and Emari Demercado busting a 49-yard touchdown
-Trey McBride is awesome. 10 more catches for 102 yards, putting him over 700 on the year. He'd easily top 1K with Kyler under center all season
Bills 31- Cowboys 10
-Not sure who made the louder statement: Buffalo, with this thorough dismantling-- or Dallas, for completely lying down on the road
-It wasn't hero ball either, this was an ass kicking from the second the clock started. Josh Allen only had to throw the ball 15 times, racking up a meager 94 yards in the process
-3 pass catchers caught balls from Allen, 2 of which being his running backs. Unicorn type of performance from Allen
-James Cook, here's your flowers. We've been calling for him to get the ball more, harping on the success it's borne for the Bills. It came to a head Sunday, toting the rock 25 times for 179 yards and a touchdown. He did whatever he wanted on the ground. Cook also added 2 receptions for 42 and another score, really highlighting a career day
-So, assuming Dak has cratered out of the MVP discussion at this point. He threw a pick and averaged a paltry 3.9 YPA, unable to get anything going through the air
-Tony Pollard somehow eked out 52 rushing yards, despite absolutely no threat from the passing game. He, Jake Ferguson and CeeDee Lamb managed respectable fantasy numbers, all considered
Ravens 23- Jaguars 7
-Trevor Lawrence is a phony. Two game losing streak, at home, backs against the wall and he completely shits the bed. Incapable of sustaining regular drives, turnovers, the inexcusable throw in bounds at the end of the first half-- take your pick. Not calling him a bust, but he's certainly not been the prodigal son many expected
-Zay Jones and Calvin Ridley were his busiest pass catchers, but neither could do much against a stingy Ravens secondary. The Jaguars couldn't get going at all down the field, outside of Jamal Agnew's touchdown
-Travon Walker had himself a nice day for the Jags D line, recording a sack while generally disrupting the pocket
-It doesn't always show on the stat sheet, but Lamar Jackson is just on a different level some weeks. This was one of them. He faced crazy interior pressure on so many of his drop backs, yet he routinely alluded the rush with frightening agility and precision. Any other QB would've been sacked at least twice as many times
-The worst of breaks for rookie breakout Keaton Mitchell. The kid was averaging 8 yards a touch before tearing his ACL in the midst of another big run. Terrible development for a player who liked like a star in the making
-Nice showing by Rashod Bateman. He disappeared a little late, possibly due to the game script, but he was integral in moving the ball early
-Isaiah Likely has really excelled in filling Mark Andrews' shoes. He hasn't quite reached the safety blanket level of trust, but he's a dynamic, young player that's strengthening his rapport with his quarterback
Seahawks 20- Eagles 17
-Drew Lock! Season on the line, 92 yards to go, just under two minutes. Wow, legendary drive for the young QB, putting on for his city!
-Hard to believe how well Kenneth Walker ran against a stout Philly run defense. He averaged just under 5 yards a carry, making life much easier for his backup quarterback
-Jaxon Smith-Njigba made a spectacular catch to put the Seahawks ahead in the final seconds, torching James Bradberry on a go route for the 29-yard score. He's really come on strong in the past month or so
-Those concerns about Jalen Hurts' passing ability are starting to gain a little traction after this outing. 17/31 for 143 and 2 interceptions, not the line you're looking for from your MVP runner up. It was misting all evening, and he'd been a little under the weather, but he was a liability through the air
-Really bad loss for Philadelphia on a night where they looked superior for about 58 of the 60 minutes. Squandered a prime opportunity to reestablish themselves atop the NFC East
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@Choppinglines
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