Winners and Losers of Week 14 of the 2024 NFL Season – NBC Sports Philadelphia

Several playoff contenders were on byes in Week 14 – but that didn’t make Sunday any less exciting.

Four of the seven early games were decided by six points or fewer, including one that went to overtime and three others that had a different result at a later date. Division races and potential playoff placement were then impacted in the late three-game window.

This week could be a harbinger of a hectic finish to the regular season. The bye weeks are now over, Saturday games will be added soon and there will even be a Christmas tripleheader in the near future.

Here are the winners and losers of week 14:

WINNER: The Vikings wide receivers put on a show

Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison 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. To his credit, Darnold made a handful of big throws after evading a suddenly lively 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 have fallen to 6-7 with their fourth straight loss. Minnesota is still in the process of securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC, while Atlanta is in danger of 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: The Browns’ drought continues

Another winless year in Pittsburgh for the Cleveland Browns.

Following the Steelers’ 27-14 win on Sunday, the Browns have now lost 21 straight regular-season games at Acrisure Stadium. Cleveland won a playoff game in Pittsburgh, but its regular-season losing streak now dates back to October 2003. The result also meant that Cleveland still hasn’t beaten Pittsburgh in a season since 1988.

The Steelers (10-3) took 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 consistent performance, while Jameis Winston had two touchdowns and two interceptions.

WINNER: The NFC South battle is heating up

The Falcons’ aforementioned loss, combined with a 28-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 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 – which holds the tiebreaker due to its regular-season win over the Bucs. Nevertheless, it is clear that these two teams are following an opposite trend towards the end of the season.

The Bucs’ win this week wasn’t perfect, but they handled business against a weak 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 went to overtime against the Miami Dolphins, although Aaron Rodgers had arguably his best performance 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 overtime with a last-second field goal and then marched down the field on the next possession to seal the win.

The Dolphins, now 6-7, remain in the hunt for the postseason. The Jets, on the other hand, are 3-10 in a losing season that can’t end soon enough.

WINNER: Saquon Barkley is just inches closer to history

Saquon Barkley is unstoppable.

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 more ways than one. He became the Eagles’ all-time scoring leader in a single season, passing LeSean McCoy in just 13 games. Barkley also kept his pace, breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. The star is at 1,623 yards with four weeks to go and needs 483 yards to surpass Dickerson’s mark.

While Barkley was great again and the Eagles won again (their ninth straight win), the Panthers put up an unexpectedly tough fight. Losing by just six points, the 3-10 Panthers scored a nearly game-winning touchdown in the final moments, but it was ruled incomplete. Bryce Young’s turnaround continues as there is finally hope in Carolina.

LOSERS: Quarterbacks in New Jersey and Nashville

If you were a quarterback at MetLife Stadium or Nissan Stadium on Sunday, you had a rough afternoon.

The New Orleans Saints, starting in New Jersey, defeated the New York Giants 14:11 after Graham Gano missed a field goal at the end of regulation. Drew Lock was 21 of 49 for 227, with no touchdowns and one interception for the Giants; Derek Carr was 20 of 31 with a touchdown and an interception for the Saints. The former started the game 0-for-8, the latter left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury that NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport later reported was believed to be a fracture in his non-throwing hand.

Down in Nashville, Mac Jones and Will Levis squared off in an AFC South matchup. The Jacksonville Jaguars scored a 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 hand, Levis had neither a turnover nor a touchdown while totaling just 168 passing yards.

Winners: The Los Angeles Rams and the NFC West race

The Los Angeles Rams kept pace with the Seattle Seahawks thanks to their thrilling 44-42 upset victory over the Buffalo Bills in the highest-scoring game in the NFL this season. Matthew Stafford and the Rams scored a team-high 44 points, led by Puka Nacua, who had 12 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. Kyren Williams added 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a seven-yard run that gave the Rams a 31-14 lead midway through the third quarter. The Bills cut the Rams’ lead to three before Nacua answered with a 19-yard touchdown with 1:54 left.

The Seahawks maintained their one-game lead over the Rams with their 30-18 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Zach Charbonnet ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Seahawks defeat their division rival for the seventh straight game. It was the fourth straight win overall for the 8-5 Seahawks, who hold a one-game lead over the 7-6 Rams. The Seahawks and Rams are scheduled to play in Week 18, with the Rams currently holding the tiebreaker following their 26-20 overtime win at Seattle in Week 9.

Loser: The Buffalo Bills’ best hopes

A potential AFC Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs is likely to take place at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bills started the weekend one game behind the Chiefs, but thanks to their 30-17 result against Kansas City in Week 11, they were able to hold on in the tiebreaker, making them the Chiefs’ only loss of the season to that point. The Bills may have lost their chance to gain ground on Sunday with a 44:42 defeat against the now 7:6 Los Angeles Rams. The Bills, who have already secured their fifth straight AFC East title, are 10-3. The 11-1 Chiefs host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.

Winner: Josh Allen

Josh Allen made history for the second year in a row. He became the first player in NFL history to score three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in the same game. But even that wasn’t enough as the Bills lost 44-42 to the Los Angeles Rams. Allen completed 22 of 37 pass attempts for 342 yards and had 10 carries for 82 rushing yards. This achievement came a week after he became the first quarterback to pass for a touchdown, run for a touchdown and catch a touchdown in the same game.

Winner: San Francisco 49ers

The one-sided series of defeats is over. The San Francisco 49ers entered Sunday’s game having lost 38-10 to Green Bay and 35-10 to Buffalo in back-to-back weeks – in which they also lost star running back Christian McCaffrey to a knee injury that left him paused for 8 p.m. At least the rest of the regular season. They were on the right side of a one-sided game this week, taking a 24-0 halftime lead in a 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears. Brock Purdy connected with Jauan Jennings for two first-half touchdowns and found George Kittle for 151 receiving yards. McCaffrey’s replacement, Isaac Guerendo, added 78 rushing yards and two touchdowns to help the 49ers keep their playoff hopes alive – but he left the game in the fourth quarter with a foot injury.

Loser: Thomas Brown

The New Voice strategy didn’t work for the Chicago Bears this week. The Bears lost to a head coach in a season for the first time in franchise history after parting ways with Matt Eberflus, losing 38-13 to the San Francisco 49ers in Thomas Brown’s first game as interim head coach. The Bears, who trailed 24-0 at halftime, lost their seventh straight game and finished 4-9. In the last 10 seasons, teams with interim coaches have now gone 13-12 in their first game with a new coach.