Oh, no, Buffalo! Ravens, too. The Chiefs are back, while the Browns and 49ers remain in the hunt. Dalvin did it, Kittle, too, and this running back was worth a bunch more than a Penny on Sunday. And what were the Raiders thinking?!
The Buffalo Bills are in trouble. Week 14 (losing its second straight game) looks very different from Week 5 (beating the Chiefs). After a 4-1 start, Buffalo has proceeded to go a dismal 3-5. Going up against New England is nothing new, but adding a Brady game is cruel. The bottom line is that the odds-on favorite to win the AFC East and vie for the #1-seed in the AFC is now clinging to the last playoff spot with another game on tap in two weeks with those pesky Patriots.
LA Rams’ second-half woes. The Rams thought a QB change might be what they needed to the next step. But a 7-1 start was followed by a 1-3 stretch going into tonight’s Monday Night Football contest against the NFC leading Cardinals. But are their woes more about the head coach than the quarterback? Many people think McVay can’t make halftime adjustments, which leads to second-half troubles. LAR needs a bounce-back game, and it’s unlikely to happen tonight.
Big Ben rolls back the clock. Thursday Night Football was a classic Big Ben game. Right after an “anonymous” source let it slip that Ben planned on this season being his last ride in Pittsburgh, he went out and put on a show to the tune of 300 yards and three TDs. But Ben’s big night was cut short by Chase Claypool, who chose to celebrate a first down instead of getting back to the line of scrimmage on time. That move may have cost the Steelers a chance at running one more play–a play they needed but didn’t get.
Ravens hold their breath. “Lamar Jackson was carted off the field.” Those words bring cries of grief to Charm City. It looks like an ankle sprain, but that is still TBD. The bigger problem is that the Ravens host the Packers next, and a loss might drop this previously #1 AFC seed out of the playoff picture. If Lamar can’t go on Sunday–and, especially, if he ends up missing more than one week–this team (just like the Bills, so promising just a few weeks ago) is in big-time trouble. “Injuries galore” is the headline for the Ravens in 2021.
Week 14 Power Rankings
Raiders and Chiefs. The Raiders don’t know when to stop taunting, so Vegas decided the best place to hold their pregame meeting would be right on the midfield logo in Kansas City. The Chiefs responded to the tune of a 48-9 blowout.
Bucs. Tampa Bay came out hot and led for nearly the entire game before the Bills came roaring back. But, in the end, Brady did to Buffalo what he almost always did as a Patriot–win. Tampa Bay is now three games up in their division, sitting comfortably as the #3-seed in the NFC. Buffalo? Fracken’ Pegula!
Browns. Cleveland also got off to a hot start against the Ravens and (then) had to hold on to win (shutout in the second half), even though Baltimore had plenty of time in the end and only needed a FG to win. The win keeps Cleveland alive in the AFC North, just a game back of Ravens.
49ers. San Fran got a gritty win. They were up big early, but the Bengals would not go away. Burrow brought Cincy all the way back to send the game into overtime. Then, the Bengals went ahead on a FG before the Niners got a TD and the win. Like the Browns, there’s a sigh of relief on the West Coast as these 49ers live to play another game.
Mount Rushmore Performances
Dalvin Cook, 205 yards, 2 TDs. Cook carried the Vikings to a huge Thursday Night victory. Yeah, I know, it was against the Steelers, a team that has been giving up lots of rushing yards to the other team’s leading rusher–even in the first half of games. That has never happened in Tomlin’s career in Pittsburgh.
Josh Allen, 308 passing yards, 109 rushing yards, three total TDs. With over 400 total yards, including a season-high in rushing yards, he dragged the Bills back to life against Brady.
George Kittle, 151 yards, 1 TD. After a clutch performance in Cincinnati, Kittle makes another appearance on Mount Rushmore this week. He made big third-down catches to keep drives alive, including a full-extension catch that led to the game-winning score.
Rashad Penny, 137 yards, 2 TDs. Penny came into this game with 78 total rushing yards and no touchdowns. But this week was a different story. Seattle needed someone to step up and take over the run game, and that’s exactly what Penny did.
