NFL Week 14 winners and losers: Vikings receivers shine, Browns’ drought continues originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Several playoff contenders were on bye in Week 14 — but that didn’t make Sunday any less exciting.
Four of the seven games in the early window were decided by six points or less, including one that went to overtime and three others that were a late play away from a different outcome.
This week could be a precursor to a hectic conclusion to the regular season. Bye weeks are now over, Saturday games will be added soon and there’s even a Christmas tripleheader in the near future.
Here are the winners and losers from Week 14:
WINNER: Vikings wide receivers put on a show
Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have made life easy for Sam Darnold.
The Minnesota Vikings’ star duo combined for 15 receptions, 265 yards and five touchdowns in Sunday’s 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Darnold, to his credit, made a handful of big throws after evading a suddenly frisky Falcons pass rush. The veteran QB was 22 of 28 for 347 yards with all of his scores going to Jefferson (2) and Addison (3).
While the Vikings are now 11-2, the Falcons fell to 6-7 with their fourth straight loss. Minnesota is still in the mix to get the NFC’s top seed, while Atlanta is in danger of a complete collapse. Kirk Cousins had two interceptions in his return to Minneapolis, giving him eight picks and no touchdowns during the Falcons’ losing streak.
LOSER: Browns drought continues
Another year without a win in Pittsburgh for the Cleveland Browns.
After Sunday’s 27-14 Steelers victory, the Browns have now lost 21 straight regular season games at Acrisure Stadium. Cleveland did win a playoff game in Pittsburgh, but their regular season drought now dates back to October 2003. The result also meant that Cleveland still hasn’t swept Pittsburgh in a season since 1988.
The Steelers (10-3) got another step closer to returning to the postseason for the second straight year, while the Browns (3-10) continue to position themselves for a top draft pick. Russell Wilson had 158 yards and two touchdowns in another steady performance, while Jameis Winston had two touchdowns and two interceptions.
WINNER: NFC South battle heats up
The aforementioned Falcons loss, combined with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, has shifted the balance of power in the NFC South.
Tampa Bay is now 7-6, one game ahead of Atlanta — who owns the tiebreaker by virtue of its season sweep over the Bucs. Even so, it’s becoming clear that these two teams are trending in opposite directions with the season winding down.
The Bucs’ win this week wasn’t perfect, but they handled business against a lowly Raiders team. Baker Mayfield had three touchdowns and two interceptions, while the defense forced two turnovers of its own.
LOSER: Another heartbreaker for the Jets
The New York Jets keep finding new ways to lose.
This time it was against the Miami Dolphins in overtime, despite Aaron Rodgers putting together arguably his best effort of the year. The 41-year-old QB had 339 yards and a touchdown — his first 300-yard game in his last 35 starts. But Miami forced extra time with a last-second field goal and then marched down the field on their next possession to seal the win.
The Dolphins, now 6-7, remain in the hunt to make the postseason. The Jets, meanwhile, are 3-10 in a lost season that can’t end soon enough.
WINNER: Saquon Barkley inches closer to history
Saquon Barkley can’t be stopped.
The Philadelphia Eagles running back had 124 yards and 20 carries in Sunday’s 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers — another historic performance in multiple ways. He became the Eagles’ single-season rushing leader, passing LeSean McCoy in just 13 games. Barkley also stayed on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. The star is at 1,623 yards with four weeks to play, needing 483 yards to surpass Dickerson’s mark.
While Barkley was great again and the Eagles won again (their ninth straight), the Panthers put up an unexpectedly tough fight. The 3-10 Panthers lost by just six points and had a near game-winning touchdown in the final moments that was ruled incomplete. Bryce Young’s turnaround continued as there’s finally some hope in Carolina.
LOSER: Quarterbacks in New Jersey and Nashville
If you were a quarterback at MetLife Stadium or Nissan Stadium on Sunday, you had a rough afternoon.
Starting up in New Jersey, the New Orleans Saints defeated the New York Giants 14-11 on Graham Gano’s missed field goal at the end of regulation. Drew Lock was 21 of 49 for 227 with no touchdowns and an interception for the Giants; Derek Carr was 20 of 31 with one touchdown and one interception for the Saints. The former started the game by going 0 for 8, the latter left in the fourth quarter with an injury.
Down in Nashville, Mac Jones and Will Levis went head to head in an AFC South matchup. The Jacksonville Jaguars scored the 10-6 road win over the Tennessee Titans, but it had little to do with their backup QB. Jones was 23 of 31 for 220 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. On the other side, Levis didn’t had a turnover or a touchdown while totaling just 168 passing yards.
