NFL Week 14 superlatives

Best Game - Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The NFL is certainly an offensively-dominate league, but here’s Exhibit A (see below for Exhibit B) for why defense is still important when the weather turns cold.

The Ravens didn’t stop the Chiefs offense, but they held them to 24 points through regulation and 5.3 yards per play. Baltimore even had several chances to win in regulation.

Ultimately though, the Chiefs came through with big plays, including two fourth-down conversions, to score the game-tying touchdown and send the game into overtime. Harrison Butker hooked a field goal wide right at the end of regulation, but he didn’t miss again in overtime. The Chiefs defense then stopped the Ravens to win, 27-24.

Patrick Mahomes may have moved back in front in the MVP race. He went 35 of 53 with 377 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Tyreek Hill battled through multiple injuries to lead the Chiefs with eight catches and 139 yards.

Craziest Play - The Miami Miracle 

New England appeared to have its 10th victory of the season all but wrapped up when Stephen Gostkowski hit a 22-yard field goal to extend the Patriots lead to, 33-28, with 16 seconds left. After the kickoff return, the Dolphins needed 69 yards in seven seconds.

Well, Miami got just what it needed. Ryan Tannehill completed a 16-yard pass to Kenny Stills, and then two laterals later, Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake was in the clear. Drake beat everyone to the end zone, giving the Dolphins an extremely improbable, 34-33, victory.

The Miami Miracle will surely be the play of the year, but it was also a rare case of Bill Belichick making some costly errors. In retrospect, New England’s play calling wasn’t aggressive enough in its first-and-goal situation. While it left Miami little time on the clock, a touchdown would have sealed the victory, and instead of throwing at least once, the Patriots simply ran clock, keeping the ball on the ground and kicking the field goal.

Belichick also elected to have tight end Rob Gronkowski as his free safety on the final play. Since Miami needed a crazy play rather than a simple Hail Mary to win, that was a curious decision. The final defender Drake beat to the end zone was Gronkowski.

Best Game Honorable Mention - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

This was a wild one. After a first half with just two field goals, the Eagles and Cowboys exchanged touchdowns several times in the final two quarters and headed to overtime tied at 23.

Dak Prescott turned it over three times in the second half, helping to keep the Eagles in the game, but he found his new favorite target, Amari Cooper, for a third touchdown with 1:55 left in overtime to win, 29-23.

Dallas has won five straight and can clinch the NFC East with a victory next week. After this one, Philadelphia falls to 6-7 and needs a miracle to defend its title in January.

Best Playoff Fantasy Performance - Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys 

I have to give Cooper some love. Despite playing better since joining the Cowboys, he made my list of biggest fantasy disappointments in 2018. Well, he shut up his critics in Week 14.

Cooper absolutely exploded with 10 receptions, 217 yards and three touchdowns. In standard leagues, he tallied 39.7 fantasy points. Cooper has two 30-point fantasy games in the last three weeks.

Anybody who stuck with him through the rough beginning of the season or bought low on him at the trade deadline is surely smiling, as he likely led lots of owners to a first-round playoff victory.

Best Revenge Performance - Brandon Bolden, Miami Dolphins

This will probably get lost in the shuffle after the crazy ending, but Dolphins running back Brandon Bolden really stuck it to his former team Sunday. He only had two rushing attempts but ran for 60 yards and scored on both carries.

Prior to Week 14, Bolden hadn’t scored a touchdown since 2014 with the Patriots.

Best History - Tom Brady, New England Patriots

New England fans are probably too shell shocked to do any celebrating, but Brady did reach a pretty remarkable milestone Sunday. Including the playoffs, he’s thrown 580 career touchdowns, which is an NFL record.

Of course, it helps when you’ve played like 900 playoff games. Ok, that’s an exaggeration. Brady has only played 37 postseason games -- so basically more than two additional seasons.

By the way, Brady also made my biggest fantasy disappointments from 2018. Apparently, like Cooper, he read the article and stuck it to me, throwing for 358 yards and three touchdowns.

Best Field Goal - Brett Maher, Dallas Cowboys 

At the time, this kick only put Dallas ahead 6-0, but it turned out to be rather significant since the Cowboys needed overtime to hold off the Eagles.

To end the first half, Maher hit a 62-yard field goal. On a day that was rather rough for kickers, Maher went 3-for-4 and made both his extra-point tries in the Dallas victory.

Worst History - Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

In the fourth quarter, Elliott became the first offensive player the NFL penalized for lowering his helmet.

The new rule has been called a lot against defensive and special-teams players, but despite multiple instances of where it could have been called this season, Elliott became the first offensive player to commit the foul.

It’s not hard to see why it’s a rule. Elliott briefly left the game for the trainers to evaluate him for a concussion.

Biggest Upset - Oakland Raiders over Pittsburgh Steelers 

The Steelers haven’t won in Oakland since 1995. Pittsburgh has visited the Oakland Coliseum just five times since then but have lost to some very bad Raiders squads in the Bay area over the last two decades.

Add this one to the list. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play most of the second half, and the Raiders scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes to win.

After the Raiders first fourth-quarter touchdown, “Big Ben” played the role of hero, returning from a rib injury to drive the Steelers down the field to retake the lead. But the Raiders answered with the game-winning touchdown on fourth and goal with 21 seconds remaining. Oakland won, 24-21.

Biggest Kicking Embarrassment - Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers

In one year, Boswell has gone from one of the most reliable kickers to one of the worst.

A hobbled “Big Ben” again moved Pittsburgh into scoring position with a crazy hook-and-ladder play in the final few seconds of regulation. A Boswell made field goal from 40 yards away would have sent the game into overtime.

But on his attempt, Boswell slipped on the Oakland Coliseum turf. Yeah, that field is ancient, but what’s his excuse for missing a different try in the first half?

Best Tight End Fantasy Performance - George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Cooper will steal all the headlines because his performance came in a much more important game, but Kittle was unbelieve too. He posted seven catches for 210 yards and a score, tallying 27 fantasy points in standard leagues.

And Kittle did it all in the first half. He finished just four yards shy of the tight end record for most receiving yards in a game.

Denver never gave up, but San Francisco won, 20-14.

Best Kicking Performance - Michael Badgley, Los Angeles Chargers

Badgley needed a couple offsides penalties to nail down his game-winner last week in Pittsburgh, but he required no help this week. Against the Bengals, Badgley went 4-for-4 and hit both of his extra points.

That includes a 59-yard field goal at the end of the first half. If not for Maher’s kick, Badgley would have earned two superlatives.

On an NFL day that saw so many missed kicks, we can’t take this kind of performance for granted. Behind Badgley’s six made kicks, the Chargers beat the Bengals, 26-21.

Best Touchdown - Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

While the quarterback the Giants could have drafted (Sam Darnold) continues to struggle to stay on the field, Barkley is an absolute stud. NFL fans already knew that, but it was again confirmed against the Redskins.

In Week 14, he recorded two long runs on his way to 170 rushing yards. That includes a 78-yard touchdown. He has 13 touchdowns this season.

Behind Barkley’s huge day and Eli Manning’s three touchdowns, the Giants routed the Redskins, 40-16.

Worst QB Performance - Mark Sanchez, Washington Redskins

Maybe the best part of the victory for Giants fans was they received a chance to poke fun at Mark Sanchez one more time. The former Jets first-round draft pick went 6 of 14 for 38 yards and threw two interceptions.

One of those picks went back for a Giants touchdown.

Sanchez isn’t the answer for Washington. Expect the Redskins to start Josh Johnson next week. Prior to Sunday, he hadn’t thrown a pass since 2013, but he went 11-for-16 for 195 yards with a touchdown and interception in relief of Sanchez versus the Giants.

Most Unique Touchdown - Bradley Sowell, Chicago Bears

Here’s Exhibit B of why defense still matters in the NFL. The Bears trounced the visiting Los Angeles Rams, holding them to 214 offensive yards and 3.5 yards per play.

The lone Bears touchdown in their 15-6 victory came from an offensive lineman. Last week, Chicago defensive lineman Akiem Hicks scored on a goal line play. On Sunday night, the Bears used Hicks in a play-action fake, and then Mitch Tribisky threw a touchdown to offensive lineman Bradley Sowell.

A-plus to Matt Nagy for creativity.

Longest Winning Streak Snapped - Houston Texans

On a day that saw a lot of craziness in the AFC, one can almost forget the No. 3 seeded Texans lost too.

With a victory, Houston would have moved into sole possession of a first-round bye, but instead, they remain in a tie with New England, and the Patriots hold the tiebreaker. Houston surprisingly lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 24-21.

T.Y. Hilton was absolutely terrific in the victory, hauling in nine receptions for 199 yards. Andrew Luck was great too, throwing for 399 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Dumbest Coaching Decision - Joe Philbin, Green Bay Packers

Philbin didn’t waste any time trying to make an impact as head coach of the Packers. The only problem was he overcoached and wasted two challenges in the first two minutes of the game.

That’s right, Philbin used up both his challenges before the 13-minute mark of the first quarter. Oh, and he got both challenges wrong.

Green Bay didn’t need them anyway, though, as the Packers bounced back with a 34-20 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.

Worst Christmas Spirit - Atlanta Falcons & Green Bay Packers

It hasn’t been a good season for either of these teams that came into the season as Super Bowl contenders. So it’s not a surprise either are in a foul mood.

But emotions boiled over when Falcons defensive back Brian Poole made contact with a sliding Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. This escalated nearly into an all-out brawl.

These two teams probably won’t be exchanging Christmas cards this season.

Second-worst Christmas Spirit - Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In Tampa Bay, teammates might not be swapping gifts either. Despite leading during the first half, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and center Ryan Jensen exchanged heated words and had to be separated on the sidelines.

Winston mostly took care of the ball this week, but he only threw for 213 yards on 38 attempts. Drew Brees struggled too, but the Saints scored 25 unanswered points in the second half to beat the Buccaneers, 28-14.

Best Celebration - Cleveland Browns

It was cold up and down the east coast on Sunday. So why not a celebration with a campfire?

That’s exactly what the Browns did after one of their touchdowns against the Panthers.

The Cleveland fans did plenty of celebrating Sunday too after the Browns knocked off the Panthers, 26-20. Cleveland has won five games this season for the first time since 2014.

Meanwhile, Carolina is absolutely reeling, having lost five straight to fall below .500.

Worst Attempted Tackle - Steven Hauschka, Buffalo Bills

There’s a fun cliche about “kickers being people too.” Well, this is why they have the reputation that they do.

On a 86-yard kickoff return from Jets receiver Andre Roberts, Bills kicker Steven Hauschka attempted a tackle that’s more suited for soccer.

It should have been a penalty, but the Jets scored on the drive anyway, and still won, 27-23.

Biggest Snoozer - Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals

Not all defensive football is created equal. While it was wildly entertaining watching the Bears and Ravens stall and slow down the Rams and Chiefs, respectively, this defensive battle was pretty much a snoozer.

To be fair, it was probably more the product of bad offenses than good defenses. There was just one offensive touchdown in the Lions, 17-3, victory against the Cardinals. The other Detroit score was a pick-six.

Matthew Stafford stunk up the joint. He threw 23 times and barely reach the century mark with 101 passing yards. Josh Rosen wasn’t all that much better with 240 passing yards and an interception.

Between the two teams, there wasn’t 500 offensive yards and together, they averaged 4.14 yards per play.