Week Fourteen Headlines
Brock Purdy has record NFL start, Jared Goff unleashes, Baker Mayfield leads comeback win, Patriots outlast Murray-less Cardinals
49ers crush Tampa Bay in Mr. Irrelevant’s debut
Most years, Tom Brady playing poorly usually means nothing come playoff time. This may finally be the year where he can’t overcome it. The Buccaneers’ 35-7 loss was an embarrassment that exposed how dreadful Tampa Bay really is. The defense was torched by Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, in his first career start. Christian McCaffrey also showed out, totaling 153 scrimmage yards with two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Brady had his worst game of the season, going 34 of 55 for 253 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.
It’s ridiculous that a team this bad is most likely going to have a home playoff game. The Panthers are a D.J. Moore celebration penalty away from being first in the NFC South right now. That’s how bad this division is.
Lions spoil Vikings’ quest for division title clinch
Jared Goff is not a bad quarterback. Many were calling for Goff to be replaced after last year. However, Detroit can be playoff contenders with Goff under center. His latest performance is an example of this, as he went 27-of-39 for 330 yards and three touchdowns. From Jameson Williams to Penei Sewell, Goff was finding players to get the ball in this 34-23 victory. After a sluggish start to the year, Detroit seems to have found their footing.
Baker Mayfield rallies back against Las Vegas in Rams debut
If you told me Baker Mayfield would make a comeback with this Rams team after being in L.A. for just two days, I’d call you crazy.
Unless you told me it was against the Raiders.
While the season is over for the Rams, they can at least be content with Baker Mayfield, who led a 98-yard comeback drive with less than two minutes left and no timeouts. This is the type of display that will have other teams potentially looking at Mayfield.
For the Raiders, I still think Derek Carr is an above average quarterback that gets too much flack. With that being said, I can’t keep defending these losses.
Patriots keep playoff hopes alive with Monday night victory
Despite the subpar rating, Mac Jones actually played decently in this game. He threw the ball downfield, contrasting from his usual style of short completions. The Patriots run game showed up as well, totaling 103 yards and two touchdowns despite playing without Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. Rookie Marcus Jones continues to make plays in all three phases of the game.
