Welcome to another installment of my weekly NFL Column. My goal is to watch everything so that you don’t have to. I will present to you the best games to watch back; the craziest moments; the best individual performances and the season-long stat leaders and records. I will also be previewing the upcoming gameweek, too.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check in each week.
Not everybody in the UK has the ability to watch almost 20 hours of live NFL every week, but I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything you’d wish you didn’t. Without further delay…
This is what happened This Week in the NFL.
Game of the Week
If you can only watch one full game in its entirety, watch this one:
Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans
There is one game I will use to describe this game: unhinged. If you watched RedZone this weekend, you will inevitably have seen numerous of the wild moments in this game. There were 11 Sacks, 2 turnovers, endless impressive plays, and late-game drama.
The Texans were without their rookie sensation C.J. Stroud, meaning that Case Keenum had to step up and start, and they were also without Nico Collins, Will Anderson Jr. and George Fant. Tennessee had an opportunity to earn their 6th win and stay on the very edge of playoff possibility, while Houston needed to step up despite the injuries to keep themselves firmly in a playoff spot.
This was a fun one.
Other games to watch back
Minnesota Vikings @ Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles @ Seattle Seahawks
Upset of the Week
Atlanta Falcons 7 – 9 Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are not having a very good year. They entered the week at a tragic 1-12 record. However, Arthur Smith’s Atlanta Falcons are capable of anything. I wouldn’t want to suggest that it was his fault, but I do actively root against the Falcons every time he chooses to demote Bijan Robinson from the lead back. He only had 7 carries this week and I simply don’t think that’s acceptable. Cordarrelle Patterson was given multiple rush attempts on standard run plays, and Tyler Allgeier had 14 carries, too. Robinson is a star in the making and he deserves more touches.
Carolina weren’t exactly a dominant force, they were just less bad. The walk-off field goal from Eddy Pineiro was his third of the day, making him responsible for all of the Panthers’ 9 points. To lose a game without conceding a touchdown is not an optimal way to enter the festive period, especially for a team who – despite trying their hardest to be terrible – are still fighting for a division title!
Honourable Mention: Los Angeles Chargers 21 – 63 Las Vegas Raiders
Winners and Losers
Winners
Las Vegas Raiders (6-8)
Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
Indianapolis Colts (8–6)
Detroit Lions (10-4)
Cleveland Browns (9-5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
Houston Texans (8-6)
Miami Dolphins (10-4)
Kansas Chiefs (9-5)
New Orleans (7-7)
Carolina Panthers (2-12)
Los Angeles Rams (7-7)
San Francisco 49ers (11-3)
Buffalo Bills (8-6)
Baltimore Ravens (11-3)
Seattle Seahawks (7-7)
Losers
Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)
Denver Broncos (7-7)
Chicago Bears (5-9)
Green Bay Packers (6-8)
Tennessee Titans (5-9)
New York Jets (5-9)
New England Patriots (3-11)
New York Giants (5-9)
Atlanta Falcons (6-8)
Washington Commanders (4-10)
Arizona Cardinals (3-11)
Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6)
Philadelphia Eagles (10-4)
Standout Individual Performers
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
18 rush attempts for 115 rushing yards and rushing TD, plus 5 receptions for 72 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
Here we go again. The Niners are dominating and Christian McCaffrey is at the forefront of their dominance, as per usual. The best fantasy football RB in the league left his mark on your fantasy playoffs this week, putting up an unbelievable performance. He rushed the ball 18 times for 115 rushing yards and a touchdown, plus he caught all 5 of his targets for 72 more yards through the air, adding two more TD’s. A hat-trick and 187 scrimmage yards, what a week.
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
25 rush attempts for 179 rushing yards and a TD, plus 2 receptions for 42 receiving yards and a TD.
Speaking of running backs who won fantasy managers their playoff matchup this week, James Cook balled out this week. In Buffalo’s second statement win in a row, he ran the show. The Bills fed him a career-high 25 carries, and it paid off. He set a new career-high with a whopping 179 rushing yards, while also finding the end zone. Cook added 2 more receptions for 42 receiving yards and another score.
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
70.6% completion rate, 278 passing yards and 5 TD’s for a 134.6 QB rating.
Wow. The Detroit Lions walked their way to a comfortable 42-17 win on Saturday night. Jared Goff put in one of the best performances of his career, throwing 278 yards while finding the end zone five times! This was just the second time he’s ever thrown 5 TD’s, and the first time since 2018. While Goff has had some wobbles, but on the whole he has been really good in his stint at the Lions. Now it’s time to see if he can take them on a playoff run.
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
5 receptions on 6 targets for 56 receiving yards and 3 TD’s.
Goff will have the headlines having thrown 5 TD’s, but oh boy, Sam LaPorta balled out. While casually putting up one of the best rookie tight end campaigns of all time, LaPorta added a hat-trick this week to even further improve his stats for the year. On 6 targets, he caught 5 of them for 56 receiving yards and the 3 TD’s.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
78.6% completion rate, 381 passing yards and 4 TD’s for a perfect 158.3 QB rating.
Nobody has ever gone on the road to Lambeau Field and been perfect before. But, now they have. Baker Mayfield was absolutely incredible this weekend, and in his fantastic performance he earned the elusive 158.3 ‘perfect’ Quarterback Rating. In the 34-20 win, Baker was playing on a different level. He earned his perfect QBR by the way of 381 passing yards and 4 TD’s, against the Packers defense.
Charvarius Ward, CB, San Francisco 49ers
2 solo tackles and an assist, plus 2 INT’s, including a 79-yard pick-six.
Obviously, the Niners offense is terrifying, but they have defense on lock, too. This week, cornerback Charvarius Ward had himself a day against the Cardinals. He had two interceptions, one of which was a 79-yard pick-six! The veteran corner also added 2 solo tackles and an assist in their runaway win.
Bradley Chubb, DE, Miami Dolphins
5 solo tackles and 2 assists, including 3.0 Sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Same story… The Dolphins defense gets overlooked, but they have some talent on that side of the ball! Miami’s star edge rusher Bradley Chubb made 7 combined tackles this week, including 3.0 Sacks. As he recorded the second hat-trick of his career, he forced 2 fumbles and recovered one of them. The ex-Bronco dominated this week as Miami shut out the Jets, knocking New York out of playoff contention.
Aidan O’Connell, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
58.9% completion rate, 248 passing yards and 4 TD’s for a 120.7 QB rating.
Okay, we should probably address the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders went from getting shut out last week to breaking their franchise record in a week. In an absolutely unfathomable 63-point performance, rookie QB Aidan O’Connell had the best performance of his first campaign as they embarrassed the Chargers. He threw 248 passing yards and 4 TD’s, earning himself a 120.7 Quarterback Rating.
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
64% completion rate, 242 passing yards and 4 TD’s for a 135.3 QB rating.
I will admit, I have been trying to pump the breaks on people talking about Brock Purdy as an MVP frontrunner. However, his consistency is undeniable. Coming off the back of two 300-yard weeks in a row and 6 TD’s across the fortnight, he put in another good performance this week in their win. He completed 16 of 25 pass attempts (64.0%) on the way to 242 passing yards and 4 TD’s.
Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, New Orleans Saints
5 solo tackles and 1 assist, including 3.0 Sacks.
You would be forgiven for having never heard of Tanoh Kpassagnon before, but the 29-year-old defensive end made himself known this week. As New Orleans hosted the Giants, Kpassagnon tormented their offensive line, making 5 solo tackles and one assist, while sacking Tommy DeVito three times. What a performance.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
6 receptions on 6 targets for 111 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
The Vikings lost this week in heart-wrenching overtime walk-off fashion, but the one silver lining was the epic performance of their first-round rookie WR. Jordan Addison balled the hell out this week. Seeing 6 targets, he caught all of them, for 111 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, in the hard-fought loss to Cincinnati.
Montez Sweat, DE, Chicago Bears
5 solo tackles and 2 assists, including 2.5 Sacks and a forced fumble.
After being traded to Chicago, mid-season, Montez Sweat had two weeks where he was near enough invisible on the stat sheet. However, over the last month, he has been playing very well. Having amassed 3.5 Sacks and 10 combined tackles in thew previous 3 games, he had his best game of the season in Sunday’s loss to Cleveland. Sweat had 5 solo tackles and 2 assists, including 2.5 Sacks and a forced fumble. His 2.5 Sack game is a new career-high for the 27-year-old edge rusher.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
8 receptions on 9 targets for 142 receiving yards and a TD.
The Dolphins’ 30-0 romp to end the Jets’ season was a strong showing, made even more impressive by the lack of an injured Tyreek Hill. In Cheetah’s absence, WR2 Jaylen Waddle stepped up and dominated. He caught 8 of his 9 targets for 142 receiving yards and a touchdown, which had the director’s box waddling. It’s terrifying to know that when Tyreek is out, there’s another elite athlete waiting right behind him on the depth chart to step up.
Stat Leaders Through Week 14
Passing Yards – Tua Tagovailoa MIA, 3921
Passing TD’s – Brock Purdy SF, 29
Rushing Yards – Christian McCaffrey SF, 1292
Rushing TD’s – Raheem Mostert MIA, 18
Receiving Yards – Tyreek Hill MIA, 1542
Receiving TD’s – Tyreek Hill MIA, 12
Total TD’s – Raheem Mostert MIA and Christian McCaffrey SF, 20
Tackles (combined) – Zaire Franklin IND, 149
Sacks – T.J. Watt PIT, 16.0
Interceptions – DaRon Bland DAL, 8
Week 16 Preview – What to watch
Christmas Football Schedule!
Thursday Night Football
Saints @ Rams – 1:15AM (Friday morning)
Saturday (December 23rd)
Bengals @ Steelers – 9:30pm
Bills @ Chargers – 1am (Sunday morning)
Full Christmas Eve Slate! (Sunday December 24th)
6pm, 9pm and SNF slots.
Christmas Day Football!
Raiders @ Chiefs – 6pm
Giants @ Eagles – 9:30pm
Ravens @ 49ers – 1:20am (Tuesday morning)
Week 16 Best Games
Baltimore Ravens @ San Francisco 49ers
Dallas Cowboys @ Miami Dolphins
Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
Tyler’s Bold Week 16 Prediction
All three games on Christmas Day will have 50+ total points scored.
Week 16 Storylines
Two 7-7 NFC teams battling it out for a wildcard seed heading into the final fortnight, on Primetime. Saints @ Rams, TNF
Divisional Rivals with eyes on the postseason, despite difficult seasons, face off. Bengals @ Steelers, Saturday 9:30pm
Buffalo look to continue building their momentum as they ramp up to end the year. Bills @ Chargers, Saturday night 1am (Sunday morning)
Can Detroit clinch their first NFC North title in 30 years? Lions @ Vikings, Sunday 6pm
Cleveland’s top-tier defense awaits as C.J. Stroud returns from concussion protocol. Browns @ Texans, Sunday 6pm
The AFC’s 4 seed (Jacksonville) and the NFC’s 4 seed (Tampa Bay) face off. Jaguars @ Buccaneers, Sunday 9:05pm
One of the best offenses in the AFC and one of the best defenses in the NFC meet on Christmas Eve. Cowboys @ Dolphins, Sunday 9:25pm
An iconic AFC West matchup to kick off Christmas Day football! Raiders @ Chiefs, Monday 6pm
New York look to pounce on a limping Philly team to keep their season alive. Giants @ Eagles, Monday 9:30pm
A potential Super Bowl preview between the two current #1 seeds to end Christmas Day! Monday night, 1:15am (Tuesday morning)
