The 10 biggest takeaways from NFL week 14: 49ers steal instant classic and Rams discover their horns

We’re in the endgame now, folks. There are just three weeks left of regular season action, as week 14 threw playoff standings into doubt in both the AFC and NFC.

Four huge fixtures failed to disappoint, but there was plenty to talk about in this week’s ‘lesser’ games too. Here are the 10 biggest takeaways from Sunday’s match-ups...

49ers come back to win classic

We hoped this would be a slobberknocker between two of the NFC’s very best, and we were not let down. The San Francisco 49ers edged the New Orleans Saints 48-46 thanks to a Robbie Gould field goal as time expired when the Saints thought - or at least hoped - they had won it when Tre’Quan Smith ran in a touchdown with less than a minute remaining.

Both quarterbacks were excellent in this one, combining for 10 total touchdowns (six for Drew Brees, five passing one rushing, and four for Jimmy Garoppolo), while Emmanuel Sanders added another through the air on a trick play. Sanders wreaked havoc all game, finishing with seven catches for 157 yards and a score, to go with that TD pass. He was helped by another strong performance from Raheem Mostert (averaging 6.9 yards per carry) on the ground.

This game treated us to a delightful back and forth, with Brees opening the affair with four straight touchdown drives, before Garoppolo led three straight to steal the lead before the half. Two of the league’s best defenses were regularly torched, showing there is rarely substitute for barn-burning offense in the modern NFL. San Francisco’s win - plus Seattle’s defeat - puts them back in charge in the NFC West, while New Orleans have dropped out of a playoff bye (for now).

The old Rams might be back

Los Angeles Rams fans must be wondering if it’s too little too late, after a second straight excellent performance saw them comprehensively take down the soaring Seattle Seahawks 28-12. At 8-5 the Rams are still well in the NFC playoff hunt, but may need to win out to get there. If they keep playing like this it would be a shame to see them miss out.

Jared Goff (22 of 31, 293 yards, two TDs, two INTs) again looked to Tyler Higbee (seven catches, 116 yards) and Robert Woods (seven catches, 98 yards, TD) in the passing game, while Todd Gurley’s usage continued to improve - perhaps LA had been saving him for the late-season? Gurley rushed 23 times for 79 yards and a score, and added 34 more from four receptions to go over 100.

While the Rams moved the ball well and were efficient in the red zone, they owe much of this victory to their defense. They sacked Russell Wilson (22 of 36, 245 yards, INT) five times and picked him off once on a rare difficult night for the MVP candidate, and matters were made worse for Seattle when running back Rashaad Penny, who was just starting to look worthy of his first-round selection, went down with a torn ACL. The Seahawks slip out of top spot in the NFC West and out of a playoff bye with this defeat. Week 17 against the Niners is going to be huge.

The Patriots are running out of time

The New England Patriots don’t tend to lose in December, but they’ve now lost two in a row against fellow AFC contenders, and once again they have their ailing offense to blame. The Pats could only muster 16 points against the Chiefs, falling 23-16 for their first home defeat in 22 games. Barring disaster they will still win the AFC East and look good for a bye, but if they cannot fix the offense it’s hard to see New England beating teams like these Chiefs and the Ravens come January.

The Pats, to be fair, got very unlucky with the officiating in this game, and had two likely touchdowns wiped out by bad calls. First, Travis Kelce was ruled down by contact when Devin McCourty forced a fumble which Stephon Gilmore was beginning to return to the house. The refs awarded the fumble on review, but Gilmore’s return had to come back. Then, late in the game, N’Keal Harry was incorrectly ruled out of bounds as he reached for the pylon, and Bill Belichick had no challenges left to try to reverse the call.

The Chiefs essentially won this game in the first half, going into the break with a 20-7 lead. Patrick Mahomes (26 of 40, 283 yards, TD, INT) comfortably outdueled Tom Brady (19 of 36, 169 yards, TD, INT) despite barely having a running game to lean on. Mecole Hardman’s 48-yard touchdown sprint was the highlight for the Kansas City offense, but it was a defensive play - a big pass break up from Bashaud Breeland late in the fourth quarter - which sealed the win.

Lamar Jackson’s season is officially historic

Lamar Jackson is now just the second quarterback to ever rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season, and had three games to pick up the handful of yards that will take him past Michael Vick’s record of 1,039. Jackson carried 11 times for 40 in a defensive 24-17 win over the Buffalo Bills, keeping the Baltimore Ravens on top in the AFC.

Jackson was efficient passing the ball, completing 16 of 25 for 145 yards, three touchdowns (to Nick Boyle, Hayden Hurst and Willie Snead) and an interception, but it was the Baltimore defense which shone. They sacked Josh Allen six times and held the Bills to just 209 yards on offense. The longer this season goes on, the more the Ravens are looking like the complete package, and the more they are looking like the team which might be celebrating with the Lombardi trophy in Miami.

Drew Lock is earning the job in Denver

What a disaster for the Houston Texans. They found themselves 38-3 down to the Denver Broncos early in the third quarter, and by then it was too late even for Deshaun Watson to mount such a large comeback. The Broncos stunned Houston from the offset, scoring on each of their first five possessions, as Drew Lock turned in another impressive performance which will give him hope of earning the starting QB job for next season. He finished an effective 22 of 27 for 309 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, connecting well with fellow rookie Noah Fant, who went for 113 yards and a touchdown from four catches.

Watson threw the ball 50 times in a desperate attempt to claw a result from nowhere, but two of the Texans’ three touchdowns came with his legs. He also threw two picks - which happens when you toss the ball so many times - one of which former Texans Kareem Jackson returned to the house. Houston’s place atop the AFC South is now in doubt...

Titans have a real shot at the AFC South

The team who may steal it from them? The Tennessee Titans, who blew out an opponent for the third straight week - this time a 42-21 win over the Oakland Raiders. It’s hard to think of the perennially 9-7 Titans as a ‘good’ team, but that’s exactly what they’ve been since Ryan Tannehill took over at quarterback. He was on top form again, with 391 yards and three touchdowns, one of which was a 91-yard blitz from rookie receiver AJ Brown. He’s getting plenty of support from Mr December, Derrick Henry, who had 103 yards and two touchdowns from 18 carries.

For a while the Raiders looked like they might be one of the stories of the season, after a mid-season hot streak put them right in the AFC playoff picture, but Sunday’s defeat leaves them praying for a miracle. A January run would have been a magical way to cap their final season in Oakland, and while 6-7 is a marked improvement on the dross they turned out for much of last year, it is a shame their final game in the city is now unlikely to have any real January ramifications.

The Steelers’ defense could win them games in January

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ brilliant defense took down Kyler Murray’s Arizona Cardinals, holding them to little over 200 yards of offense in a 23-17 win that moves them to 8-5 after an 0-3 start. Pittsburgh sacked Murray five times, Joe Haden picked him off twice (including the game sealing interception late on), and TJ Watt added another at the goal line as they swarmed like angry bees all over Kliff Klingsbury’s attack. 

The Steelers’ offense may be deeply limited, but alongside this D all it needs to do is be efficient, and they achieved that on Sunday. Devlin Hodges went 16 of 19 for 152 yards and a score, though the lack of run game in the absence of James Conner continues to be a problem. It didn’t matter much here, thanks in part to Diontae Johnson’s 85-yard punt return helping Pittsburgh to an early lead they never surrendered. This is not the Steelers team we have been used to in recent years, but Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and company missed the playoffs last year. Duck Hodges’ men aren’t going to make the same mistake.

Packers move into bye position

The Green Bay Packers now have possession of a bye in the NFC - at least for now - after a 20-15 victory over the Washington Redskins. The offense didn’t really roll on Sunday, but it was able to lean on Aaron Jones, whose electric form continued with 192 scrimmage yards and a touchdown from 22 touches. Jones led the team in rushing and receiving, averaging 8.4 per carry on the ground. He is becoming a bona fide star in Matt LaFleur’s offense, which only goes to show Mike McCarthy up for forcing him to split carries with Jamaal Williams for so long.

For Washington, Dwayne Haskins is yet to really convince under centre, and was sacked four more times here, taking his tally to 26 from just four games. He also has seven interceptions to just three touchdowns - the kind of numbers which may tempt this team to look elsewhere with the incoming high draft pick in a strong QB class next spring.

Philip Rivers finds his form

We heard this week that Philip Rivers has been in danger of losing his job in Los Angeles. He was relieved of his duties on Sunday, but that was only because he rolled back the clock - on his 38th birthday - to rip apart the Jacksonville Jaguars, and could be afforded a rest with the game comfortably won. 

Rivers went 16 of 22 for 314 yards and three touchdowns before Tyrod Taylor came in and added another score, capping off a 45-10 win which also belonged in part to Austin Ekeler. Ekeler had more than 200 yards from scrimmage and also added a touchdown from just 12 touches. Jacksonville game up more than 200 yards on the ground for the fourth time this season - a fatal flaw for a team not good enough to handle one.

Jameis Winston is the NFL’s most predictable QB

Jameis Winston had the ultimate Jameis Winston game on Sunday (I feel like I’ve said that a lot this season), throwing for 456 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions (two to Darius Leonard) in an enjoyable 38-35 Tampa Bay Buccaneers win over the Indianapolis Colts. Winston orchestrated the winning drive late on, one which all but ends the Colts’ season, showing flashes of brilliance alongside the infuriating mistakes which are a hallmark of his game.

Leonard’s two picks (one of which he took 80 yards for a touchdown) kept the Colts in this game. They need far more firepower on offense if they are to help Jacoby Brissett succeed next year. Marcus Johnson did have 105 yards and a touchdown from just three receptions, but Indy’s receiver corps turns into a game of Guess Who? Whenever TY Hilton is out injured. In the end they have paid the price.