Week fourteen, we hardly knew you. Last round of byes, a couple of stinkers and a game of the year candidate-- setting the stage for a dramatic final month of ball. And we can't wait.
In the meantime...
The Man Scores Points
Let's throw a few more flowers at Josh Jacobs. I ripped the Packers for signing him in the offseason, and while he isn't always the most efficient, the man gets that ball across the goal line. His eight touchdowns over the last four games stands evidence.
Driver's Seat
It got a little shaky there for a second, but the Lions ultimately disposed of their divisional rival Green Bay on Thursday night. After watching Philly struggle with Carolina at home on Sunday, speculation should only be strengthening that Detroit is the class of the NFC.
Probably One They'll Regret
Nobody steps on an NFL field with the intention of losing, but at a point it does provide some benefit to a franchise. Jacksonville had a gutsy win over the sad Titans, but the only thing that'll come from it is damaged odds for #1 pick. They're now each sitting at 3-10, trailing the Raiders and Giants for the premier selections in the upcoming draft. Tankathon's going to be busy over this next month.
Will Levisn't
Clever huh? Levis couldn't lead Tennessee to a touchdown versus one of the worst pass defenses in league, only averaging 5.3 YPA along the way. He also got absolutely demolished by Josh Hines-Allen at the end of the first half, in a hit he was lucky to return from. He knows the system and is cheap for the next year or so, but there's no way the Titans can go into 2025 with Levis as their QB1. Not unless they want to run this disaster back.
300 Yards!
There were 34 games between Aaron Rodgers' last 300 yard performances. December 12th, 2021 was the last time he topped the milestone; against the Bears. With an extensive and mediocre track record like that, one has to wonder what Woody Johnson and Co. were thinking when the essentially gave him full control of the franchise. But hey, this is what the Jets do!
Walk Off
Gritty win by the Dolphins over New York to salvage what mathematical chance they have at playoffs. They've got a long way to go, but would be a dangerous seven seed if they're able to sneak in-- assuming their wildcard game occurs somewhere above 40 degrees.
Good Decision Minnesota
Not sure the Vikings could've picked a better time to move on from Kirk Cousins. Between cost, age and a recent Achilles' rupture, the red flags were beyond imminent. Sam Darnold's outstanding season is just the icing on top of the cake.
Bad Decision Atlanta
Not sure ignoring red flags like age, cost and a recently ruptured Achilles' was prudent by the Atlanta Falcons. They'll be dealing with the weight of that contract for at least one more season, whether Kirk's in town or not. Suddenly, drafting Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall doesn't seem like the worst decision of Terry Fontenot's offseason-- though neither is currently instilling trust in his GM abilities.
The 'Sons
What an afternoon from the Vikings pass catchers...with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison combining for a whopping 265 total receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Toss in 4 catches for 45 yards from TJ Hockenson and it's clear to see how the Falcons got son'd up in Minnesota.
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A Rare Interception
It's been a really bad year all around for the Giants, on both sides of the ball. They did snap one infamous streak on Sunday though, recording their first interception in 12 weeks off of Derek Carr, with Tre Hawkins III securing the pick. Probably the only good thing of note by the G-Men from this one.
Face Plant
Not sure what was going through Derek Carr's head during his stupid hurdle attempt over two Giants defenders. Other than some turf that is. He predictably landed flat on his face, injuring his non-throwing hand in the process. Quite possibly the saddest highlight in a long list of bad showings from Derek down in NOLA.
Round of Applause
After one of the bumpier beginnings to a head coaching tenure, Dave Canales has really turned things around in Carolina. Bryce Young looks better than ever, Chuba Hubbard's been consistently effective and the defense even is coming around some. The Panthers have gone from a complete train wreck to scrappy in a few weeks and Canales needs some credit for that.
Questions About Jalen Hurts?
The Eagles star QB hasn't been very productive through the air their last three games, racking up just 405 passing yards over that stretch. AJ Brown's began to voice his discontent, while teammate Brandon Graham idiotically added fuel to the fire on his talk show by discussing a rift between Hurts and Brown. For a team that's 11-2, they're certainly not without drama.
Making a Name for Himself
Jerry Jeudy was ripped for years by Broncos fans for drops and failing to live up to his draft billing, but it seems like Jameis Winston and the Browns have managed to unlock the beleaguered receiver. Since Winston took over as starter, Jeudy's averaging 6.3 catches and 113 yards per game-- easily the best stretch of his career. He has four games to collect 56 more yards, which would put him over 1k for his first time ever professionally. Nice turnaround for a guy Denver, and many others, wrote off.
RB1 in Steel City
Najee Harris may have the title and workload of an RB1, but Jaylen Warren's been outplaying him pretty soundly over the last month. During that five game stretch, Harris has racked up 382 total yards at 3.9 a touch-- compared to Warren who's averaging just under 6.0 every time the ball ends up in his hands. Warren's got a smaller build so he'll probably never usurp Najee from the role, but he's earned a strong role each week.
Brock Bowers Record SZN
The 13th overall pick from this past draft has made history, breaking Sam LaPorta's record for most receptions by a rookie tight end with 87. The craziest part is, there's still a month left in season. Bowers could really put that number out of reach for future tight ends.
EDIT-- maybe the craziest part is that he's done this with Larry, Curly and Moe at quarterback. Vegas needs to get this man a competent QB.
Jalen McMillan Breakout
A lot of hype surrounding the third rounder from Washington, with many thinking he'd carve out a respectable role as the WR3 behind Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. It hasn't all come to fruition yet, but Sunday's performance was an encouraging one, with McMillan catching 4 balls for 59 yards and 2 scores. Given that his stat line coming into the day was 14/155/1, Tampa surely appreciated the step up.
Running Back Competition in Seattle?
Much like the situation in Pittsburgh, RB2 Zach Charbonnet has looked substantially more explosive than starter Kenneth Walker III over the last month and a half. Since their loss to Buffalo at the end of October, Charbonnet's recorded just 32 less yards than Walker on 38 less touches. The latter has been a little banged up, but the inefficiency is alarming nonetheless-- especially when the guy backing him up is averaging 5.7 yards anytime he gets the ball.
18 Tackles
Budda Baker nearly exited the game in the first half with an injury, yet still managed to throw himself around on the field to the tune of 18 tackles. Underwhelming game from the Cards across the board though, taking a massive hit to their playoff aspirations.
No Defense and Bad Coaching
Poor Josh Allen, losing on the road to the Rams despite accounting for a historic 3 passing and rushing touchdowns. To call the Bills' defense a sieve would be very generous, while Doug McDermott made some supremely questionable coaching decisions down the stretch to compound matters. When do we start speculating about a change of leadership in Buffalo to help take them to the next level?
Puka
Phenom. Dude has 708 yards and he's played in just 7.5 games. He absolutely owned Buffalo Sunday afternoon, making some ridiculous catches while pacing the passing game with 162 receiving yards. Unbelievable find by the Rams in the fifth round of last year's draft.
Slow Starters
The Bears have been horrible in the first half all season, but it came to a head in San Francisco, as the team was outgained 310-2 by the Niners. Not a misprint. Predictably, Chicago trailed 24-0 at that junction as well. As usual, the second half provided plenty of promise, but this team's not going anywhere until they get out of the gate with any semblance of competency.
George Kittle
Six catches, 151 yards and, somehow, no trips to the end zone. The star tight end's only recorded less than 5 catches in two games since the beginning of October, eclipsing 57 yards all but once. With Brandon Aiyuk out and Deebo Samuel fading away, Kittle has quietly emerged as the top weapon in the Bay Area.
They Did It Again...
If only luck was a measurable metric, because these Chiefs are teeming with it. A lucky doink off the left upright allowed them to go home victorious on Sunday night, capping off an otherwise dull game. They're 12-1 with a +56 point differential, which is an anomaly we may not see again for a long time.
Typical Chargers
A big win, right in their clutches. On the road against a division rival, huge wild card implications. And the Chargers lose in a fairly obscure fashion, coming up just short at the end. Heard this one before?
Built Different
In a week full of good receiver play, Ja'Marr Chase stood out, catching 14 of 18 targets for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Dude's had a special season, standing atop the league for receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns. With Chase showing the ability to shoulder this load, and a defense that's ass among donkeys, how can Cincy justify giving big money to Tee Higgins?
Nice Try
The Cowboys playoff hopes took a massive hit with this loss to the Bengals, but let's give some credit to Mike McCarthy for having them playing so competitively. It also raises massive questions about just how competent Dak Prescott is, because Dallas didn't look nearly this good with him under center.
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@Choppinglines
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