The NFL world widely expected the game of the week to be over long before Sunday’s slate got under way, with nothing on the weekend to match up. The NFL world was wrong.

For all the thrills and tension that Thursday night’s Lions-Packers encounter engendered, there was at least one better spectacle at the weekend, and several others that at least threatened at upset before going the way of the formbook. As a result, the 2024 playoff picture gained a little more clarity, while the chase for first pick in next April’s NFL Draft saw a couple of contenders tripping over themselves. Just another week in football.

WEEK 14 NFL SCORES (as of Monday 9^th December)

New York Jets (3-10) 26 @ Miami Dolphins (6-7) 32 (OT)

Atlanta Falcons (6-7) 21 @ Minnesota Vikings (11-2) 42

New Orleans Saints (5-8) 14 @ New York Giants (2-11) 11

Carolina Panthers (3-10) 16 @ Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) 22

Cleveland Browns (3-10) 14 @ Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) 27

Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) 13 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) 28

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10) 10 @ Tennessee Titans (3-10) 6

Seattle Seahawks (8-5) 30 @ Arizona Cardinals (6-7) 18

Buffalo Bills (10-3) 42 @ Los Angeles Rams (7-6) 44

Chicago Bears (4-9) 13 @ San Francisco 49ers (6-7) 38

Los Angeles Chargers (8-5) 17 @ Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) 19

GAME OF THE WEEK

Buffalo Bills 42 @ 44 Los Angeles Rams

Barnstormer. Shootout. Duel. Staredown. Slugfest. Scrap. There are so many possible descriptions of what occurred at SoFi Stadium in Sunday’s late window but, whichever one you choose, there can be no denying the entertainment on show as the hometown Rams refused to prostrate themselves in front of the hitherto marauding Bills.

Chasing a playoff spot that few maybe expected to be on the line just weeks ago, the Rams had more than just pride to play for — and it showed from the opening kickoff. Whatever Matthew Stafford and Co delivered, however, Josh Allen and the Bills appeared to have the answer for, even matching 70-yard drives to open their respective accounts on the night. Where Stafford was content to let his arm — and his myriad rushers and receivers — do much of his talking, Allen took matters into his own hands on three occasions, mixing in a hat-trick of rushing touchdowns with three more through the air (the first ever to achieve that feat) in what quickly became the highest-scoring game of the season so far.

Allen finished the game with 342 air yards, plus another 82 on the ground, but still ended up on the losing side, largely because Stafford produced a near-flawless performance of his own, while Puka Nacua added two scores — one rushing, one receiving — to 178 yards and a couple of unbelievable receptions. WR colleague Cooper Kupp also hauled in a touchdown despite the attentions of two Bills defenders, while Khalil Shakir, Ty Johnson and Mack Hollins were on the receiving end of Allen’s TD tosses.

Determined not to be left out of the box score of a game that could go on to be remembered alongside other high-scoring Rams exploits, special teams also got in on the act, as linebacker Jacob Hummel blocked a Sam Martin punt at the Bills 48 and TE Hunter Long scooped up the loose ball to rumble 22 yards to the endzone. It was Long’s first NFL score, despite having been drafted in 2021, on the Rams’ first punt block in six seasons.

It might not have been a game for defensive purists, and dented the reputation of a promising Bills unit (which has regained Matt Milano in recent weeks), but fittingly could have been decided by back-to-back interference penalties on the Rams that marched Allen into range for a goalline plunge to bring the sides within two points of each other. When Tyler Bass’ onside kick was corralled by Rams running back Ronnie Rivers, however, the game was up, with the home side able o run down the clock before punting the ball away with no time for their opponent to reply.

MVP OF THE WEEK
Sam Darnold

Yes, Josh Allen had a hand in no fewer than six touchdowns this week, where Darnold merely threw for five, but Super Bowl history has shown (with one notable exception) that losers cannot be MVPs, so this week’s best performance recognition goes to the Vikings quarterback rather than his counterpart to the north.

In a matchup billed more as a Kirk Cousins return (can there really be a ‘revenge’ element when the player was not wronged?) game, it was his replacement in purple who stole the show, as Darnold led his side out of a tricky situation to win by exactly twice Atlanta’s score. The once-derided QB also managed five more air yards than Allen as he posted a career-high 157.9 passer rating, refiring Justin Jefferson’s season with two touchdowns sandwiched between a hat-trick for Jordan Addison, the receiving duo becoming the fifth in history with 130+ yards and two-or-more touchdown catches.

Darnold didn’t leave all the work to his wideouts either. While RB Aaron Jones capped a three-score final quarter for the home team — an effort which turned a 21-21 game into a blowout — the quarterback made things happen with his legs, evading the Falcons D on more than one occasion before pulling off a seemingly unlikely play. Where Cousins wilted, in part due to the defense he once played alongside, Darnold continued to write his comeback story — one which looks set to continue into the postseason.

Loser
Kirk Cousins (again)

Even after featuring in this exact spot last week, and having the added incentive of returning to an old stomping ground (where we he generally excelled it should be remembered), Cousins came out on the losing side, and with his season looking even more tattered than it had before heading back to Minnesota. Yes, there were some eye-catching plays, including a handful of longer downfield throws, but Cousins again relied on his running backs to get across the line to paydirt — with Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson getting a TD apiece — and has now thrown eight interceptions and zero (yes, ZERO) touchdowns in his last four games.

The Falcons’ defeat, allied with the Tampa Bay overcoming an occasionally stubborn Raiders team, has allowed the Buccaneers to take over at the head of the NFC South and, given the division’s far from overwhelming performances, likely out of a playoff spot. Despite that, it looks unlikely that there will be an imminent change under center, with the team believing that Cousins can turn things around. How long that belief holds will depend on how Captain Kirk fares against lesser opposition than his former team.

Winner
Brock Purdy

While rumours of Stafford’s demise appear to have been premature, so too are the doubts surrounding Brock Purdy’s potential (oh yes, they’re still out there!). After missing a game to injury, the former Mr Irrele…. the 49ers starting quarterback roared back against a hapless Bears side under the leadership of interim HC Thomas Brown for the first time. Jauan Jennings, who is still largely seen as a backup receiver being leaned on after the injury to Brandon Aiyuk, underlined his case to become a starter with two more touchdowns in a first half where Purdy orchestrated a 320-2 yardage chasm and led his side to a 24-0 lead (which could have been more had a rushing score for the QB not been nullified by a Ricky Pearsall holding penalty).

The second half appeared to be a different story on paper, as the Bears finally got on the scoreboard, but Purdy wasn’t done, defying a hard hit to the helmet to return for another scoring drive, this time capped by fourth-string RB Patrick Taylor’s first touchdown, which added to third-stringer Isaac Guerendo’s two on a day when the Niners found the endzone (legally) on five occasions. With the Seahawks and Rams still holding sway, the playoffs might be a pipedream, but Purdy and San Fran are not giving up just yet.

Loser
Jacksonville Jaguars

Okay, hear me out… Yes, the Jaguars won. On the road. With Mac JoneS at the helm. But, in doing so, they have temporarily scuppered their chances of securing first pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Without a win in nine games and having lost starting QB Trevor Lawrence to IR following the concussive hit he took against Houston last time out, the Jaguars appeared firmly in the race to be on the clock. Now, however, by beating one of their rivals for first pick, and with the abject Giants and Raiders both losing, the 10-6 road victory over Tennessee could have wider implications for Doug Pederson (if the head coach is even still on the books come April). In what was the NFL’s lowest-scoring game of the season, the Jags defense turned up and showed out, restricting the Titans to two Nick Folk field goals, allowing RB Tank Bigsby’s eight-yard endzone scamper to be the difference between the teams.

Both New York and Vegas now sit a game behind Jacksonville and Tennessee and, as a result, are the two currently contending for what could be an impactful selection in Green Bay next April. Worse still for the Jags, their victory on Sunday now positions them after both New England and Carolina in the draft order, with the Titans, Jets and Browns also sitting at 3-10 through 14 weeks, and Chicago and Cincinnati (pending the Bengals MNF game against Dallas) sitting on four wins.

Winner
Justin Jefferson

When Sam Darnold found Justin Jefferson on a 12-yard second-quarter pass into the endzone at Bank of America Stadium, it not only put their Minnesota Vikings side into the lead against visitors Atlanta, but also broke the longest scoring drought of the celebrated wideout’s young career. The touchdown was the sixth of the season for Jefferson, but his first since Week 6 and helped spark the Vikes to an eventual 42-21 victory (in which JJettas added a second score, this time from 52 yards following a long Darnold scramble).

The double celebration capped another landmark game for Jefferson as his fourth catch of the game, for 21 yards in the third period, ensured that he became the youngest player to reach 7,000 career receiving yards. Having entered the contest needing 63 yards to become the 162nd player all-time to reach 7,000, he ended Mike Evans’ reign and lowered the benchmark to 25 years and 175 days. Jefferson has also taken the third-fewest games to reach 7,000 yards, at 73.His next reception was that 52-yard score.

STATS OF THE WEEK

• The current unbeaten streaks being enjoyed by the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions mark the first time since 2009 where two teams from the same conference have simultaneous active runs of nine-or-more undefeated. The defeats for Atlanta and Arizona also mean that the Eagles clinched a fourth-straight postseason berth, while the Lions secured back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since gaining three straight between 1993-95 with their Thursday night win over Green Bay.
• Puka Nacua’s 159 receptions in 25 career games surpasses former Saints’ WR Michael Thomas (157) for the second-most by a player in his first 25 NFL appearances. Only Odell Beckham Jr. (176 receptions) has more. Nacua also surpassed Juston Jefferson for the fourth-most receiving yards in the same span, having amassed 2,194 by the end of Sunday’s encounter with Buffalo. Again, only Odell Beckham Jr. (2,625), plus Charlie Hennigan (2,468) and Bill Groman (2,453), have more. Nacua now has 11 games with at least 100 receiving yards, surpassing Jefferson (10) for second spot, behind only…. Well, you know who.
• Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers recorded three catches for 49 yards in Week 14, moving himself onto 87 receptions this season and surpassing Sam LaPorta’s 86 for the most by a rookie tight end in NFL history. Bowers also has 933 receiving yards, surpassing Jeremy Shockey’s 894 for the third-most by a rookie tight end, with both Mike Ditka (1,076) and Kyle Pitts (1,026) still in range.
• Josh Allen’s 41 dropbacks against the Rams generated 23.3 expected points added, per TruMedia, but it is the QB’s average of 10.2 yards per dropback that really catches the eye as it represents a first down every time Sean McDermott called a passing play!