2023 NFL Week 14 winners and losers: Bills’ playoff hopes, Browns’ Joe Flacco are back in business

The latest wave of NFL action has ushered in plenty of entertainment. The Rams and Ravens went to overtime, where a walk-off punt return helped keep a particular team in good standing for the playoff race. Joe Flacco threw three touchdowns to build upon his rapidly forming Browns legacy. And the Bears didn’t just hang with the Lions this time; they straight-up beat them.

Which coaches, players and teams deserve our biggest praises or critiques? Here are Week 14’s top winners and losers:

Winner: The Bills’ playoff hopes

We keep writing off the Buffalo Bills, and hey, it’s an easy thing to do, considering their roller-coaster crunch-time resume, their boom-or-bust gunslinger at quarterback and their wholly unpredictable defense. But they stepped up when it mattered against the Chiefs of all teams, infuriating Patrick Mahomes to a degree not often seen. In a year where Kansas City is clearly vulnerable (or at least lacks the weaponry required to keep Mahomes at an MVP pace), Sean McDermott’s squad isn’t dead yet.

Loser: Kevin O’Connell’s entire offense

For a little bit this year, O’Connell looked like a real candidate to challenge for Coach of the Year honors. But the Joshua Dobbs magic is now completely gone, as evidenced by the QB getting yanked after a scoreless three-and-a-half quarters against the Raiders. Worse yet, new fill-in Nick Mullens has a severely hampered lineup, with Alexander Mattison, Brian O’Neill, Dalton Risner and, most importantly, star receiver Justin Jefferson banged up on Sunday. At least Brian Flores’ defense keeps overachieving.

Winner: The Joe Flacco revenge tour

Who, exactly, is Flacco proving wrong? Everyone that told him for months that he was too old, too blah, too whatever to deserve a backup job! And especially the Jets, who declined a reunion he sought despite sorely needing quarterback help all year. At 38, he already clearly looks like the Browns’ best QB of 2023,…

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Author : Cody Benjamin

Publish date : 2023-12-11 01:12:57

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