Week 14 in the NFL saw a couple teams out of contention still put up stellar fights, the Saint Louis Rams trolled so hard somebody oughta fine them, and—as predicted—the Bengals are desperately trying to give away the AFC North crown. Oh, and did we mention the Broncos have people on the inside? Here’s what had our fist’s bumping in Week 14.
The Best
Cam Newton
Cam broke it all out against the Saints, going 21 for 33 for 226 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 12 times for 83 yards and another score. He refused to get trapped behind the line of scrimmage and managed to avoid any interceptions in the process. At 4-8-1, The Panthers are only (cough) .5 games out of first in the AFC South, and with Newton putting on a show against a shaky divisional opponent, there’s reason again to pay attention the division’s should-be star. Also, fights:
Derek Carr
Speaking of QB highlights of a sub-.300 team, Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders has now lead his team to two wins in the last three games, following a 24-13 victory over the embarrassingly-underperforming 49ers. Carr was thrust into the starting role after Matt Schaub was as bad as everyone expected, and although expectations were low, he is almost assuredly the franchise’s face of the future. Carr only missed six passes all game, totaling 254 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, in typical Raiders fashion, they now have to worry about falling out of contention for the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.
Jeff Fisher
In 2012, the Washington football club was so determined to get Robert Griffin III in the draft that they gave up six picks to slide up to the No. 2 spot to land him. When the Rams met Washington on Sunday, Fisher sent an unusually large amount of players to meet for the coin toss. Six players in fact: Janoris Jenkins, Michael Brockers, Zac Stacy, Stedman Bailey, Greg Robinson and Alec Ogletree, or, the six draft picks the Rams acquired from that Washington trade. As for Robert Griffin III? He sat on the bench.
The Worst
Chip Kelly
The Eagles head coach left the college game last year and is a safe bet to avoid the shuffle of head coaching that has happened during his brief NFL tenure, but he was probably looking to get back to the amateur ranks after his teams performance on Sunday. The Eagles put up a measly 139 total yards and only two touchdowns against the opportunistic Seattle defense. Mark Sanchez, working hard to prove F. Scott Fitzgerald wrong, was brought back down to earth with a total of only 96 yards passing, completing only 50% of his 20 attempts. He did manage two touchdowns, but was intercepted once and was sacked three times. At least the Iggles gave it the old College…
Cincinnati Bengals Defense
The Bengals are in a deep chase for an AFC playoff spot and hosted divisional rival Steelers Sunday. And by hosted, we mean turned into doormats and let the Stillers walk all over them. Pittsburgh totaled 543 yards, 350 of which came from Ben Roethlisberger’s arm. Big Ben also nabbed three touchdowns without and interceptions or sacks, while Le’Von Bell had 26 carries for 185 yards and two more TDs. The game was tight until the 4th quarter when Pittsburgh scored 25 points in an eight minute span. The lead in the AFC North is now essentially a three-way tie, and the Bengals appear to be the shakiest.
Fist-bumping refs
File under Fifty Shades of Shady, these two refs seemed pretty proud of themselves for making a touchdown call in Denver. Buffalo Bills players were none too pleased with this little celebration and with good cause. The common belief is that referees are already not nearly as impartial as we’re supposed to believe, and an outward celebration for an opposing team makes these guys look like they should be on the pro wrestling circuit. Speaking of touchdowns, this game was also significant for someone who didn’t score one. For the first time in four years, Peyton Manning didn’t throw for a TD as all of the Broncos scores were courtesy of running back C.J. Anderson.
Fighting Impositions
Cam Newton! 35.34 points from his wild performance on Sunday carried most of my offense as no one else scored above five points. The Seattle defense contributed with three sacks, one fumble recovery and one INT. It also helps that my opponent played Drew Brees who walked away with 13 points. Once again, Jordy Nelson was the late savior, pulling out 146 receiving yards and two touchdowns for 26.60 points. This brings the Fighting Imps to 4-10, which is bad and out of the consolation playoffs. Even though we had the same record as the eight seed, we were lost out on the points-scored tie breaker. Farewell Yahoo Public League 1194385.
What to watch for in Week 15
The playoffs are still out of reach for the St. Louis Rams, but they can still put on a show as they host the Arizona Cardinals. Kansas City looks to avenge their loss to the lowly Raiders in Week 11, while Denver swoops into San Diego. If they’re allowed to bring their own refs to the game, stuff could get real interesting. The late games provide some late playoff fight with San Francisco at Seattle and Dallas and Philadelphia. Both should help numb the pain of another coming work week.
