WINNERS
Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson was back for the Jets in Week 14, and boy, did he deliver. After sitting for two straight losses, Wilson had probably his best game as a pro on Sunday, going 27/36 for 301 yards and two scores. It’s still very unlikely that he’ll be able to continue this for the Jets to claw back into playoff conversations, but after all the abuse that he’s had to take in his career, it was nice to see Wilson step up. In the last four weeks, New York will play Miami, Washington, Cleveland and New England. If Wilson can at least look close to the player we saw against Houston, there’s a good chance he’ll stick around in New York as Aaron Rodgers’ backup next season. It may not be the role fans expected him to be playing in Year 4, but it’s still where he belongs right now.
Chicago Bears
The beginning of the season was horrible, but this Bears team is officially in not-that-bad territory. They made that clear in Week 14, as they beat the 9-3 Detroit Lions 28-13. The offence certainly still has some consistency issues, but when they’re playing well, they make things look easy against mediocre defenses. That was the case on the very first drive against Detroit, as Justin Fields and the Bears marched 69 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Defensively, things are even better. In their last three wins, the team hasn’t allowed more than 13 points against. Chicago still has a way to go before they’re competing for playoff spots, but with a possible first overall pick and another top ten selection coming in next year’s draft while these kinds of steps are being made, the future is looking…bright?
Dak Prescott
In a season where no one is running away from the pack in the MVP conversation, it’s time we start taking a real look at Dak Prescott. The Cowboys are 10-3, Dallas’ offence is the best in the league, and Dak is truly firing on all cylinders. In his last seven games, he’s thrown 22 touchdowns and two interceptions while going for over 300 yards four times. He’s also led the ‘Boys to wins in all but one of those contests. In the massive Week 14 tilt against the Eagles, Prescott clearly outplayed Jalen Hurts, and Dallas won by 20 because of it. The Cowboys haters certainly won’t like the idea of an MVP in the big D, but with the way Dak is playing right now, he deserves to be in every one of those conversations going forward.
LOSERS
Patrick Mahomes
It’s always been hard to find people who truly dislike Patrick Mahomes, but after Week 14, it may be a little easier. After a questionable offsides call took an incredible scoring play off the board that Kansas City could not make up for, Mahomes was visibly livid with the officials. Of course, tempers flare all the time in professional sports, but the Chiefs’ QB was mad in a way no one had seen before. In his post-game handshake with Josh Allen, he continued to complain about the call, and his press conference an hour later wasn’t much better. Although many people believe that Mahomes had a right to be upset, it certainly wasn’t Josh Allen’s fault that Kadarius Toney was offside. We still love Mahomes, but whining about a call to a guy who’s gone through a LOT more heartbreak wasn’t his best look.
Chargers Fans
Things are going from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Chargers right now. Bradon Staley will almost certainly be fired in the offseason, Austin Ekeler is alarmingly slow all of the sudden, and Justin Herbert is out for the rest of the year. Oh, and their very expensive defence is one of the worst in the league. And Quentin Johnston, the team’s first pick in last year’s draft, might not be good at all. We’ll see what backup Easton Stick can do on Thursday Night against the Raiders, but there really aren’t a lot of teams in a tougher spot than Los Angeles at the moment. I think I speak for the majority of NFL fans when I say, PLEASE get Justin Herbert some help.
Anyone Who Went To Allegiant Stadium in Week 14
For just the third time in 40 years, an NFL game ended with a score of 3-0. Even with the talents of Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs all out there on the field, Minnesota and Vegas mustered up a combined THREE points in four quarters of play. Before the drive that set up Greg Joseph’s field goal with two minutes left in the contest, both teams had only been on the opponents’ side of the field once and had combined for eight three-and-outs. Now, I know that some people love defence, but no one loves it that much. Kudos to the fans that stuck around for the whole thing at Allegiant Stadium, but if you decided to leave early, I don’t blame you one bit.
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