It was another crazy week of football as we got our first taste of December. There were tons of quality quarterback performances from players such as Derek Carr, Andy Dalton, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Teddy Bridgewater, and of course, Aaron Rodgers, who continues to front run the MVP race.
The Vikings won a thriller in overtime, Andrew Luck led another thrilling comeback, the Manziel era begins with Brian Hoyer continuing to perform poorly, to another Rams shutout, to Tampa Bay eliminated from the playoffs despite playing in the NFC South, to a career day from Julio Jones, to Seattle and New England making a statement against the Eagles and Chargers respectively, to San Francisco getting shell shocked by the Raiders, how do we choose the best from this week?
That’s what the NFL Week 14 Awards are here for.
Best QB: Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders)
Props to this rookie. After an 0-10 start, Carr hasn’t let up, and has helped lead the Raiders to 2 wins in their last 3 games. And on Sunday, he was the best QB on the field.
While nothing Carr threw was spectacular, he was more hit than miss on his passing, and his quality throws were money. The mistakes the rookie from Fresno State made earlier in the season (sloppy footwork, panic in the pocket) were nearly absent here, as he made a couple good moves in the pocket. Ultimately his performance was the nail in the coffin for the 49ers playoff hopes, as Oakland shocked San Francisco in the Battle of the Bay Area 24-13.
Carr finished 22/28 for 254 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, a 140.2 passer rating, and a 91.2 QBR. Not bad for a rookie.
Honorable Mentions: Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers
Best RB: Le’Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers)
No surprise here, as Le’Veon Bell once again ran lights out for the Steelers. The 2nd year runningback was superb in patient footwork and strength, breaking tackles and ankles with relative ease. Bell might be the best runningback of 2014. He lacks the durability of DeMarco Murray, but he gets more yards with less carries. To put it bluntly, he’s having an All-Pro year.
Bell finished with 185 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 7.1 yards per carry. The Steelers got the win 42-21 over the Bengals.
Honorable Mentions: DeMarco Murray, Jonathan Stewart, Arian Foster, Andre Williams
Best WR: Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons)
Despite the 43-37 loss, it was a career day for Julio Jones. Matt Ryan struggled in the first half, but found his groove in the 2nd, and this set up Jones to put up monster numbers.
Jones’ route running and precise footwork frustrated Packers fans everywhere, whose defense was exposed from the very beginning. He took advantage of poor secondary coverage from guys such as Sam Shields more often than not, and his injury is a testament to him carrying the Falcons offense.
Jones finished with 11 catches for 259 yards (a new Falcons franchise record), 1 touchdown, and 23.5 yards per reception.
Honorable Mentions: Jordy Nelson, T.Y. Hilton, AJ Green, Calvin Johnson
Best TE: Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)
Quietly having a great season, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been nothing short of an explosive offensive weapon for Kansas City. Kelce played excellent on Sunday with 7 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, and a questionable fumble call is really the only down spot for him.
Personally, I think the call is 50/50. It doesn’t take away anything from what continues to be a great season from the 2nd year tight end. (Yes, Kansas City lost to the Cardinals 17-14)
Honorable Mentions: Jared Cook, Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, Greg Olsen
Defensive Player of the Week: Elvis Dumervil (Baltimore Ravens)
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Dumervil was dominant Sunday against the Dolphins.
With 3.5 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits and a forced fumble, Elvis took control of the Ravens front 7. In fact, 2 of his sacks were on the Dolphins final 2 drives, and these 2 set up 2nd and long (via Pro Football Focus).
Baltimore got a huge 28-13 win, and thanks to guys like Dumervil, increased their playoff chances.
Best Kicker: Mason Crosby (Green Bay Packers)
Packers kicker Mason Crosby struggled last season, but is having a more efficient kicking game this season. On Sunday, he went 3/3 from field goals, including a long of 53, and his missed XP kick was blocked.
Biggest Upset: Carolina Panthers
After a 7 game non winning streak (tie against the Bengals started it), the Panthers somehow pulled out a 41-10 victory at New Orleans, which is impressive considering they got their asses kicked by the Saints 28-10 in Carolina before.
Cam Newton, who’s struggled all season long, had his best game of the season, as the offense and protection finally clicked long enough to give Newton his best game of 2014. He finished 21/33 for 226 yards, 3 touchdowns, 83 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, no interceptions, a 114.0 passer rating, and a 90.0 QBR.
Jonathan Stewart, along with Newton, got the run game going, going for 155 yards, a touchdown, and 7.8 yards per carry. Tight end Greg Olsen, who’s having his best season yet, caught 10 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown.
The defense held their ground as well, only allowing 10 points, as Drew Brees and the Saints offense continued their woes (though Brees isn’t playing nearly as bad as people think).
The NFC South is terrible, but it’s terrible enough to give the Panthers some glimmer of hope to make the playoffs for the 2nd straight season. They are currently the only team that has failed to do that.
Best Team: Seattle Seahawks
Despite a slow start to the season, Seattle has come back to life and has once again become the most dangerous team in the NFL.
Against the Eagles, it was a statement game. Russell Wilson had one of his best performances of the season, continuing his creative ability to avoid sacks and make something out of nothing. His deep ball ability was better apparent in this game, as he was throwing less screens than he was 20+ yard passes. While Wilson slowed down on the run game for a change (48 yards this time, but with a touchdown), his passing game was efficient. He finished 22/37 for 263 yards, 2 touchdowns, a 99.3 passer rating, and an 82.8 QBR.
Marshawn Lynch, while inefficient on yards per carry (3.7) did enough to provide breathing room for Wilson’s play action passing. The run game as a whole got 188 yards and 4.1 yards per carry. Doug Baldwin was especially good on the receiving game, catching 5 passes for 97 yards, a touchdown, and 19.4 yards per catch.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Seahawks without the Legion of Boom, and that’s what happened on Sunday. While Mark Sanchez started off well, throwing 2 touchdown passes early, the Seahawks defense managed to get a hold of him for the rest of the game, only allowing 82 yards of passing and 10 completed passes. Richard Sherman especially had a good game that the stat sheet won’t show, putting enough pressure on Philly’s receivers and inducing tight coverage.
The rush defense was even better, only allowing 57 yards on 22 carries. As a whole, the Seahawks defense got 3 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 4 deflected passes, and 3 QB hits.
The Seahawks feasted 24-14, and continue their quest towards a 2nd consecutive Super Bowl title and the first dynasty since the New England Patriots of the 2000s’.
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