The fourteenth week of the regular season eliminated teams from playoff contention and solidified division leaders. The postseason is a month away and most franchises are getting ready for a higher playoff seed or the offseason. Time to break down this weekends winners and losers.
Winners: Zach Charbonnet
Seattle went into Sunday without starting runningback Kenneth Walker III and played their second game against Arizona in three weeks. Not only did that put more pressure on starting quarterback Geno Smith to get creative and throw for more yards behind a young offensive line, it was a test for the runningbacks to get more positive yardage against a Cardinals defense that’s improved each week.
Charbonnet had his best game of the season and led Seattle to a 30-18 road win. He ran 22 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Charbonnet’s second score was a 51 yard run in the second quarter. That gave the Seahawks their first double digit lead of the afternoon.
One of the best parts of Zach Charbonnet’s breakout game was how he adapted. The offensive line did well and created open holes, but the backup runningback created a lot of problems for Arizona’s defensive front with his agility and creativity. Charbonnet’s big game led Seattle to their third divisional win of the season and shows coach Mike Macdonald can count on him in must-win games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I wrote on here back in August that Atlanta or Tampa Bay would win the NFC south in a close race. December would be the month we’d see which team pulls away. It’s safe to say after Sunday the Buccaneers should be the team that wins the south.
Tampa Bay rolled over Las Vegas in a 28-13 home win. Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 18 of 29 passes for 295 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a 101.9 quarterback rating. Mayfield started hot and played his best on the Buccaneers last scoring drive, throwing his third touchdown to receiver Jalen McMillan.
When Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made a field goal to cut Tampa’s lead to four, the Buccaneers defense knocked out quarterback Aidan O’Connell and played tighter defense. Tykee Smith’s interception off an O’Connell pass late in the third quarter eliminated any chance of Vegas getting their third win of the year.
It got better for the Buccaneers when Minnesota pulled away in the second half versus the Falcons and won 42-21. Tampa Bay is now in sole possession of first place of the NFC south. Both rivals have one team with a winning record each on their schedules, but that one game advantage after yesterday gives the Buccaneers the edge.
Byron Murphy Jr.’s one handed interception against Kirk Cousins
Speaking of Minnesota, their win wasn’t the only impressive feat against Atlanta.
Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. had a fabulous, one handed interception against Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. One would’ve thought he was the receiver if the uniforms weren’t different. Down 14, Atlanta had a chance to score and cut the Vikings lead to seven. That would’ve forced Minnesota to play smart and wear down Atlanta’s defense.
Murphy Jr’s sixth interception of the season sealed a Vikings win. He also downed the ball in the endzone, giving Minnesota enough room to start another scoring drive. That’s a play no one will forget anytime soon.
Losers: Will Levis
Tennessee had an opportunity to build offensive confidence, beat a division rival that’s almost quit the regular season, and give fans some hope. None of that happened in a home loss to Jacksonville.
Tennessee entered the fourth quarter against the Jaguars with six points. Starting quarterback Will Levis struggled against a defense that can’t stop deep-field threats and mobile quarterbacks. Levis excels in both areas, but went 19 of 32 for 168 yards.
The two most important drives of the game after Jacksonville took a four point lead turned into turnover on downs. Levis completed only short passes after Calvin Ridley’s 30 yard catch and run on the first play of the penultimate drive. His three straight, forced incompletions led to the Jaguars getting their third win of the season.
It’s been a wild year for Will Levis. His inability to get the Titans more wins due to his drop in play at serious moments validates the views he’s not a quarterback who can lead a franchise to at least a division title.
Buffalo Bills
Many sports pundits will harp on MVP front-runner Josh Allen’s amazing gamestats and laud Buffalo for only losing by two points to a playoff contender. The comeback and stats are ok, but losing on the road to a Rams team they were favored to beat makes the Bills one of Sundays biggest losers.
For one of the few times this season, Buffalo’s corners were outplayed as Los Angeles receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua did whatever they wanted for four quarters. The receiving duo combined for 17 catches, 254 yards and two touchdowns. When Kupp and Nacua weren’t shredding the Bills secondary, runningback Kyren Williams ran through Buffalo’s front seven with little resistance.
The loss is a step back for the Bills after they beat Kansas City and trailed them for the one seed by one loss. Buffalo is now the third seed in the AFC and would draw Baltimore on wildcard weekend if the standings stay the same. The Ravens pummeled the Bills early in the season and they have the better roster and coaching staff. There’s little chance Buffalo gets the one seed if Kansas City goes into Pittsburgh on Christmas and wins. That could hurt the heads of the same people going crazy over empty stats in a two point loss.
Thomas Brown’s coaching debut
What a circus in Chicago. Bears players and staff members wanted former coach Matt Eberflus fired after complaints of poor leadership and not wanting to win after a jaw-dropping Thanksgiving loss in Detroit. One would think that firing would’ve given Chicago a better chance to win, especially since their next opponent was a battered 49ers team on the road. Talk about wishful thinking.
It was a lopsided loss in San Francisco and the Bears didn’t score until the game was out of reach midway through the third quarter. Interim coach Thomas Brown had a week and a half to prepare Chicago against a depleted 49ers roster and a head coach that could be traded next year. At one point in the first half, San Francisco had 310 yards on offense while the Bears had two. The score made people wonder if the 49ers All-Pro offense was fully healthy.
There’s one month of Chicago football left and that might be too long for any serious fan. Brown has four games left to show why he can be a head coach. Unfortunately they’re all against playoff favorites, (three are against division rivals). It’s also possible Chicago considers another full roster rebuild if things look worse by January.
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