Another wild, wacky, and wonderful week of professional football is in the books. With just four more NFL regular-season weekends left, let’s savor every minute.
In a couple of months, we’ll long for the kind of action — with the kind of performances worthy of game balls — we got in NFL Week 14 from the likes of Sam Darnold, Puka Nacua, Jonnu Smith, and others.
Detroit Lions | RB David Montgomery
With Thursday night’s Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions game on the line, Dan Campbell trusted in his offense. Running back David Montgomery, in particular, delivered.
Campbell’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Packers’ 21 with less than a minute left in a tie game could have backfired massively — and nearly did. Quarterback Jared Goff tripped over a teammate’s foot when he went to hand the ball to Montgomery on that decisive play.
But Goff was able to complete the exchange, and Montgomery did the rest, busting through the line for seven yards and the first down. Jake Bates made the ensuing 35-yard field goal to put the Lions into the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time in three decades.
In all, Detroit converted four of five fourth-down tries Thursday night and 68.2% of them on the season — the sixth-best rate in the league. Montgomery finished the game with 84 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 19 touches.
Miami Dolphins | TE Jonnu Smith
Jonnu Smith’s stat line through 60 minutes of regulation in Week 14: One target, zero catches, zero yards.
Smith’s stat line in overtime vs. the Jets: Three targets, three catches, 44 yards — and the game-winning touchdown.
It was the latest special moment in a special season for Smith, who, with four games left on the schedule, has the fifth-most receiving yards (692), fifth-most receptions (61), and seventh-most touchdowns (five) in a season among Miami Dolphins tight ends in franchise history.
The team record for receiving yards by a Dolphins tight end in a season is certainly within reach. Randy McMichael has owned that record (791) for the last 20 years.
Minnesota Vikings | QB Sam Darnold
The 2024 Sam Darnold plot twist is the stuff of Hollywood. The one-time draft bust has more than rehabilitated his career with the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold has become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC and was serenaded with MVP chants after performing at his absolute best Sunday.
Darnold set career highs in passing yards (347) and touchdown passes (5) in the Vikings’ 42-21 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. His QB+ score (A-, 92.2) was the eighth-best of any NFL quarterback this season and Darnold’s best dating back to at least 2019. It was also the highest by a Vikings QB since 2019 (the prior high was Kirk Cousins’ 91.0 in 2021 Week 18 vs. the Bears).
New Orleans Saints | DL Bryan Bresee
A big man is not supposed to move the way Bryan Bresee did Sunday. Bresee got serious lift on his way to saving the New Orleans Saints’ season with a field-goal block in the final moments of the team’s 14-11 victory over the New York Giants.
Bresee hopped over New York’s line to block Graham Gano’s 35-yard field-goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining to give interim coach Darren Rizzi his third win in four games.
It was an unforgettable way to cap a phenomenal game by Bresee, who had a sack, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and two passes defensed in just 46 defensive snaps.
The Saints still have a very slim chance to make the playoffs (3.7%, per the PFN Playoff Predictor), but it’s impressive how hard Bresee and his teammates are still playing for Rizzi.
Philadelphia Eagles | LB Zack Baun
The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense is rolling. After their closer-than-expected victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 14, they’ve now held nine straight opponents under 225 passing yards — their longest streak in 27 years.
A key to the Eagles’ success has been the acquisition and development of players like Zack Baun, who has flourished in his first season in Philadelphia after four largely anonymous years in New Orleans.
Baun on Sunday had 11 tackles (three for loss), a sack, two QB hits, and three pressures in just 10 pass-rush snaps (30% pressure rate).
Baun, whose 3.5 sacks on the season are a career high, was disruptive all the way to the end, bringing heat on Panthers QB Bryce Young’s desperate final pass, which fell incomplete.
Pittsburgh Steelers | DL Cameron Heyward
The ageless Cameron Heyward had a vintage game in a turn-back-the-clock win over the Cleveland Browns Sunday.
Heyward produced five tackles (two for loss), two sacks, and three pressures in 44 defensive snaps, helping hold the Browns to just 4.3 yards per play after averaging 6.6 against the Denver Broncos the week before.
Heyward, on the season, has eight sacks — which are the fourth-most by a player 35+ years old in a season in the last decade. Julius Peppers (born in 1980) had 10.5 in 2015 and 11 in 2017. Cameron Wake (1982) recorded 10.5 in 2017.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | RB Rachaad White
More than a few fantasy managers were salty over Bucky Irving’s usage Sunday (four carries, three yards), but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t have time to care about things like that.
They’ve got a division to win.
And they probably will — Tampa is up to 73.5% to take the NFC South, per PFN’s Playoff Predictor — thanks in no small part to their depth at running back.
With Irving ailing, Rachaad White stepped up, producing 109 yards of offense and two touchdowns on just 18 touches. On the year, the Buccaneers are second to just the Lions among NFC teams in OFF+ (88.3).
Jacksonville Jaguars | RB Tank Bigsby
Tank Bigsby’s topline stats in Week 14 — 55 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries (3.1 per) –were pedestrian, at best.
But there was one touchdown scored in Sunday’s Tennessee Titans-Jacksonville Jaguars game, and Bigsby had it. His eight-yard run midway through the fourth quarter gave the Jaguars their first, only, and decisive lead in a game that featured just 563 total yards of offense and three failures on four combined red-zone trips.
With Mac Jones starting at quarterback for Jacksonville, the Titans loaded the box with defenders. Half of Bigsby’s carries came against heavy fronts, and while his average wasn’t particularly impressive (3.2 yards), three of those nine attempts went for first downs.
Seattle Seahawks | RB Zach Charbonnet
No Kenneth Walker III, no problem in Week 14 for a Seattle Seahawks running game that ranks just 29th on the season in rush EPA per play (-.161).
With Walker out against the Arizona Cardinals due to a calf injury, Zach Charbonnet was a super sub, going for a career-high 134 yards (the most of the week league-wide through Sunday’s games) and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
Charbonnet’s signature moment? A 51-yard jaunt late in the second quarter that gave the Seahawks a two-score lead heading into the half. Seattle made it hold up, beating Arizona to improve to 8-5 and improve its playoff chances to 59%.
Los Angeles Rams | WR Puka Nacua
The key to the Los Angeles Rams’ 2024 turnaround? Having Puka Nacua available. They are 5-3 in games in which Nacua has appeared, 2-3 in games in which he hasn’t.
Fortunately for Sean McVay, Nacua was not only available in Week 14, he was feeling frisky. Puka’s 162 yards (on 12 catches) vs. Buffalo were the most of the week in the NFL through Sunday’s games. He also caught a touchdown and ran for another in the Rams’ 44-42 shootout victory over the Bills.
With Nacua on the field this year, Matthew Stafford has completed 69.1% of his passes, averaged 8.1 yards per attempt, and thrown 11 touchdowns to two interceptions (107.8 rating).
When Nacua has been on the bench, those numbers drop massively — 64.9%, 7.1 y/a, 8-6, and 86.4.
San Francisco 49ers | QB Brock Purdy
The San Francisco 49ers finally looked like the 49ers again Sunday, scoring a season-high 38 points in a romp of the Chicago Bears.
Brock Purdy was marvelous, completing 80% of his attempts, averaging 13 yards per attempt, and throwing two touchdown passes. Purdy posted a QB+ of 90.2 — the third-highest of the week and 12th-best of the year ahead of Monday night’s game.
In the 49ers’ six wins this year, Purdy has completed 67.3% of his attempts for 1,712 yards (10 per attempt), nine touchdowns, and an interception (114.9 rating).
Purdy’s performance in San Francisco losses? 66.3%, 1,320 yards (7.4 per), six touchdowns, and seven interceptions (86.8).
Kansas City Chiefs | DT Tershawn Wharton
When the Kansas City Chiefs desperately needed a defensive play Sunday night, Tershawn Wharton delivered.
The Chargers were thinking touchdown on their final drive of Week 14 but had to settle for three in large part because Wharton dropped Justin Herbert for a seven-yard sack on second down.
That meant the Chiefs needed just a field goal to win on their final drive (which they got at the end of a 14-play, 47-yard drive to run out the clock).
Wharton’s sack was his second of the night. He also had four pressures and two tackles for loss in just 26 snaps.
Cincinnati Bengals | WR Ja’Marr Chase
Sneak peek at our weekly awards: Amani Oruwariye will be the Goat of the Week after going Leon Lett 2.0 and foolishly touching a late-game punt the Cowboys had blocked to let the Bengals keep the football.
His blunder did the unforgivable — he gave Ja’Marr Chase an additional chance to impact the game.
Chase made the most of it, winning the game with a 40-yard catch-and-run touchdown that capped a monster game: 14 catches — which tied for the most in Monday Night Football history — for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
