Week 14 got off to a surprising start, with four of the early window games ending in blowouts. Things improved as the day went on, with four one-score contests, including the Eagles upsetting the Saints and Washington extending their winning run to four games. We’re getting an idea of the playoff picture too, with four teams now confirmed. Here are the biggest takeaways from Week 14.
Hurts and the Eagles upset the Saints
I don’t think anyone saw this result coming. Entering Week 14 the Saints were unbeaten in nine games, the longest run in the NFL. Despite the promise shown by Jalen Hurts last weekend, the Eagles won’t have had much hope of winning this one. The Saints might not have been explosive on offense with Taysom Hill, but their defense has been the best in the NFL and hadn’t given up 20+ points since Week 8.
The Eagles entered the game with an offense tailored around Hurts. It consisted mainly of screens, read options, and a tonne of play action to make things easier on the rookie. Their ground game was particularly impressive and the Saints were unable to stop them. Entering Week 14 the Saints had not allowed a 100+ yard rusher in 55 straight games, the longest streak in NFL history. In this game they allowed two, Miles Sanders and Jalen Hurts.
The Saints struggled on offense and were shutout in the first half. The result wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggests, but New Orleans did have two missed kicks which cost them dearly in the end. After a performance like that you have to think the starting job is now Hurts’ to lose in Philly, whilst for the Saints they fall out of the No. 1 spot in the NFC with a loss.
Chiefs clinch AFC West with dramatic win
Say what you like about this Chiefs team but one thing is for certain – they don’t make it easy for themselves. The game got off to a terrible start for Kansas City, with the worst quarter of Mahomes’ career. He had a surprising pick on a tight end screen on the first drive, followed by a 30-yard sack to end their second drive. He then threw another pick on the third drive. Having thrown just two interceptions in his last 463 attempts, he had two in seven against Miami.
The team rallied though, helped out by a Dolphins offense that was stop-start all game. The Chiefs put up 30 unanswered points, including a punt return and a safety. The game swung the other way again, starting with Xavien Howard’s ninth interception of the season and Mahomes’ third of the game. It eventually came down to an unsuccessful onside kick from Miami as they were trailing 33-27 in the dying seconds.
The Chiefs secured the AFC West with the win but like the Broncos game last week it raises some concerns. They seem to have an issue with closing games out and they were carved up by a Dolphins team that went no-huddle and pass-heavy in the fourth quarter. A win is a win, but this game should have been much more comfortable.
Rodgers strengthens MVP credentials
As we approach the end of the season the number of potential MVP candidates begins to dwindle. Right now it realistically looks to be between Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. With Mahomes having a poor game against Miami, Rodgers had a chance to stake his claim as this year’s frontrunner and duly delivered.
The win against the Lions might not have been easy, but Rodgers looked excellent throughout. He finished the game 26 of 33 for 290 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers secured their tenth win of the season. He led all quarterbacks in efficiency rating in Week 14, with an incredible EPA per play of 0.610 and CPOE of 10.9.
Through 13 games, Rodgers has 39 touchdowns (the most in the NFL), with just four interceptions. He leads the league in QBR and ranks as PFF’s highest graded quarterback with a career-high 94.7 grade. He also leads the NFL in 20+ yard completions and deep passing yards, with 1,117. There are still games left to play, but right now Rodgers looks back to his best and the frontrunner for the MVP.
Crazy conclusion to Falcons-Chargers
I feel like madness was always on the cards with this one. The Falcons and Chargers are two of the most unpredictable franchises in the NFL who have both shown a tendency to collapse in the fourth quarter. When the two come together it delivered the kind of end-to-end finish that you would expect.
We had already seen one of the most ridiculous plays of the season to end the first half. The Chargers ran the ball with seconds left and no timeouts (sound familiar?) and a miscommunication between their offense and field goal unit led to time expiring before they could take the kick. Fast forward to the fourth quarter with the game tied at 17-17. Matt Ryan executed an 11 play drive into LA territory with under four minutes left. He was then picked off. Herbert then threw a pick back to the Falcons and three plays later, Ryan returned the favour again.
In the end the Chargers managed to get into field goal range and score the winner, but this was a game that both teams will want to forget. You get the feeling that a loss here may have cost Anthony Lynn his job and he remains very much in the hot seat. Neither team has much left to play for, but you can expect a few more wild games from them before the season is over.
Steelers lose again as offense struggles
How quickly things can change in football. After 11 wins to start the season, the Steelers have now lost back-to-back games. This was a really poor showing too and they were outclassed far beyond what the 26-15 scoreline would suggest. Their issues on offense have been the team’s Achilles heel and this game shows that their defense can only carry them so far.
The numbers really didn’t paint a great picture. The Steelers had just 224 total yards all game. Their first five possessions ended in punts and they only opened the scoring thanks to a turnover in Bills territory. Big Ben threw two interceptions, one of which was a pick six, and they managed just one drive of 40+ yards. 10 of their 13 drives ended with either a punt or a turnover. This was all against a Bills defense ranked 16th in DVOA and 22nd in EPA coming into Week 14.
Their defense was good, accounting for two turnovers and pressuring Josh Allen on 48 per cent of his dropbacks. They got a sack too, setting the NFL record for 70 straight games with one or more. It wasn’t enough though and if the Browns can beat the Ravens, the Steelers will have just a one game lead at the top of the AFC North going into Week 15.
Kickers cost their teams
It isn’t easy being a kicker in the NFL. That said, this week will have tested the patience of several fanbases thanks to blunders and mistakes from their kickers. The usually reliable Will Lutz missed two field goals for the Saints as they fell to a 24-21 defeat. Sergio Castillo missed three for the Jets in their 40-3 blowout loss to the Seahawks. Jake Elliott even managed to miss a 22-yard attempt for the Eagles.
The worst performance of the week though goes to Vikings kicker Dan Bailey. He entered the week a respectable 12 of 15, but everything fell apart against the Bucs. Bailey missed three field goals and an extra point as the Vikings lost 26-14. He wasn’t the only problem for Minnesota this weekend, but those misses could have cost the Vikings a potential playoff spot. Rumours are already swirling that he’s going to be cut.
Week 14 MVP
Derrick Henry – Henry is back to his game-breaking best. Against the Jags he had 26 carries for 215 yards, 132 of which were after contact. He scored two touchdowns and takes his total for the season to 1,532 yards and 12 scores. He became the first player in NFL history with four games of 200+ yards and 2+ touchdowns and has now had 100+ yards in nine consecutive road games. This puts him one game away from tying Barry Sanders’ record of 10.
Stat of the week
8 – Davante Adams has now had a receiving touchdown in eight straight games. This breaks Don Hutson’s franchise record that has stood for over 70 years. He now ranks third all time behind Jerry Rice (12) and A.J. Green (9). Adams leads the league in yards per game, touchdowns per game, and yards per route run.