Top 10 performances of NFL Week 14

First, a quick recap from the MNF experience, as the road Bengals topped Dallas, 27-20. Tied 20-20 at the two-minute warning, the game turned when a blocked Cincinnati punt was mishandled downfield by Dallas upback Amani Oruwariye and recovered by the Bengals near midfield. (Did anyone else have a Leon Lett flashback? Anyone?)

With a minute left, Joe Burrow then hit Ja’Marr Chase on a 40-yard catch-and-run to put the Bengals up 27-20, which is where it finished when Dallas turned the ball over on downs.

The Monday nighter finished off another NFL weekend weighted with close games. Eight one-possession games, to be exact. Even more evident was the number of teams that put a number of points on the board — eight squads put up 30 or more, 12 scored at least 26 — with the Rams and Bills scorching SoFi with 86 combined points.

Needless to say, this week’s top 10 tilts heavily toward offensive performances. In fact, Venus De Milo could count on one hand all the defensive players who made this week’s list.

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So, here we go with the 10 best performances from Week 14 of the NFL season.

1. QB Sam Darnold, Vikings vs. Atlanta

   On the day of Kirk Cousins’ return, Darnold stole the ex-Minnesota quarterback’s thunder by throwing lightning bolts all over the field. Dalton passed for 347 yards and five touchdowns — both career highs — as the host Vikings pulled away from the Falcons in the fourth quarter and won, 42-21. He became just the ninth QB in NFL history to, in the same game, pass for at least 325 passing yards, five touchdown passes, zero interceptions, and to have both a completion percentage of least 75 percent (78.6) and a passer rating of 155 or higher (157.9).

    

   Darnold’s most impressive play came late in the third, when he escaped the Atlanta rush and, rolling right, fired a 52-yard strike to Justin Jefferson. That play almost by itself warranted the “MVP” chants that Vikings faithful serenaded Dalton with late in the game.

2. QB Josh Allen, Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams

   We usually reserve the higher ranking for players on winning teams, but you have to expect a win when you engineer 42 points for your team. That didn’t happen for the Bills in their 44-42 loss to the Rams, despite a seismic afternoon from the veteran QB. Allen accounted for all six of Buffalo’s touchdowns — throwing and running for three each — and totaled 426 yards of offense (342 passing, 82 running). Even in the loss, he too solidified his contention for league MVP.

   

    

3. WR Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals vs. Dallas

   Chase has a thing for Monday Night Football, doesn’t he? The AFC’s best wide receiver had a career-best 14 receptions for 177 yards in Cincinnati’s 27-20 win over the Cowboys. He also caught two touchdowns, the second of which was the game winner, when he caught a short pass and spun away from Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland for a 40-yard touchdown with just over a minute left. In four career Monday night games, Chase has totaled 43 catches, five touchdowns and 585 yards — a robust average of 146 receiving yards per game. Chase may be the biggest thing on MNF since a guy named Cosell lorded over the evening.

4. WR Puka Nacua, Rams vs. Buffalo

   The second-year receiver hauled in 12 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, as the Rams outlasted the Bills in the highest-scoring game of the season. Nacua also rushed for 16 yards and a touchdown, becoming only the third receiver in NFL history to surpass 160 yards and score a TD both through the air and on the ground in the same game (Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Lance Alworth being the others). Of his 12 catches, none was more spectacularly deft than his toe-dragging sideline gem midway through the second quarter. Nacua’s 162 receiving yards was the third highest total in his brief but so far highly productive career.

5. WR Jordan Addison, Vikings vs. Atlanta

   After a sluggish beginning to 2024, Addison has turned it on of late for the 11-2 Vikings. On Sunday, he snared eight passes for 133 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, as host Minnesota ran away from Atlanta, 42-21. Addison had two catches of 40+ yards, a 49-yard touchdown catch and run and, with the score tied early in the fourth, a key 42-yard completion that ignited a Vikings run of 21 unanswered points.

6. RB Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks vs. Arizona

   Talk about taking that “next man up stuff” to heart. With starting running back Kenneth Walker III sidelined, Charbonnet came through with a career day of 136 yards as the visiting Seahawks smacked Arizona, 30-18. And when we say “career day,” it’s not even close. Only three times in his albeit short career has the second-year back topped 60 yards rushing in a game, the second-highest being the 91 yards he posted against Miami back in Week 3. (Think about it, his 51-yard TD burst in the second quarter would have one of his biggest ever games.) Charbonnet’s forceful performance came at an opportune time for his team, since, with the win, the Seahawks take sole possession of first place in the NFC West.

7. TE George Kittle, 49ers vs. Chicago

   After being held to one catch in the cold and snow in Buffalo, Kittle broke out against the Bears, repeatedly showcasing his RAC skills on his way to 151 yards (25.2 average on six catches). The 49ers routed the Chicago, 38-13. Kittle was kept out of the end zone, which keeps him down on a list flush with tremendous offensive performances. (A 32-yard reception put him close to paydirt and ultimately set up a San Francisco field goal.) When Kittle is involved in the game plan to the extent he was on Sunday, the San Francisco offense can be formidable.

   

    

8. RB Saquon Barkley, Eagles vs. Carolina

   The front-runner for Offensive Player of the Year carried the Eagles offense on a day when the plucky Panthers’ held Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia passing game to just 83 yards. Barkley ran for 124 yards — his ninth 100-yard day of the season — breaking the Eagles’ mark for rushing in a season (now at 1,623). The seventh-year RB seems to make this list every week, and we wouldn’t be doing our due diligence to write him up and not include a highlight. So, what the heck, here is a package of his best runs from Sunday.

9. QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins vs. New York Jets

   After a road loss to Green Bay on Thanksgiving, Miami got back on track thanks to Tua’s 337-yard passing day. The Dolphins’ QB completed 33 of 47 passes and also threw two TDs against New York, the most clutch of which was his 10-yard game-winning throw to tight end Jonnu Smith in overtime to give Miami the 32-26 win.

10. Rico Dowdle, Cowboys vs. Cincinnati

    We said the Cowboys would have a chance for their third win in a row Monday night if Dowdle could double down on his Thanksgiving Day effort against the Giants. In fact, he improved upon it, slashing his way for 131 yards on just 18 carries against the Bengals. Of course, Dallas still lost, but what was thought to be an area of need to be addressed this offseason (i.e., the running game) may be in good hands with Dowdle in 2025.

Honorable mention

• New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 339 yards and a TD, though the Jets again came up short in losing to Miami.

• Rodgers’ favorite targets against the Dolphins, receivers Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams, both had 100-yard days. Wilson caught seven passes for 114 yards, and Adams had nine catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.

• San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy bounced back from a tough performance in Buffalo with a near flawless one against Chicago. The third-year signal-caller completed 80 percent of his passes and threw for 325 yards and two TDs in the 49ers dominant win.

• Purdy’s teammate, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, notched three sacks in San Francisco’s victory. We’re temped to carve out a slot in the top 10 for Gross-Matos, but the performance did come against a Bears offensive line that has allowed the most sacks (56) of any line in the league.

• Kansas City defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton sacked Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert twice in the Chiefs’ 19-17 win over L.A.

• Tennessee RB Tony Pollard rushed for 102 yards in the Titans’ 10-6 loss to Jacksonville.

• Jaguars’ rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr. caught eight passes for 86 yards in his team’s road win over Tennessee.

• Pittsburgh DE Cameron Heyward recorded two sacks and was in on five tackles in the Steelers’ 27-13 home victory over Cleveland.