2018: Five [Opfer's Take]aways from NFL Week 14

Historic performances from Week 14:

Entering Thursday Night’s tilt with Jacksonville, Tennessee’s Derek Henry was averaging 10.7 carries and 39.5 yards per game. His season high for yards in a game was 58. All he did was explode for a franchise record 238 yards and four TDs on 17 carries, including becoming the second player in NFL history with a 99-yard TD run (Dorsett). He is also broke the record for fewest carries (17) in a game with 200+ rush yards & 4+ rush TDs in the Super Bowl era (NFLResearch).

Amari Cooper continues to turn his season around after his trade to the Cowboys. On Sunday, he became the first player in NFL history with three go-ahead receiving TDs in the fourth quarter/OT of the same game (ESPNStats&Info). He is the third Cowboys player – joining Michael Irvin (1992) and Frank Clarke (1962) – with 200 receiving yards and 3 rec TDs in the same game (ESPN).

Fun Fact: Sunday marked the first time in team history the Cowboys had a 400-yard passer, 200-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher in the same game (ESPNStats&Info).

Five takeaways

5. Stop overpaying QBs!
Yes quarterbacks are the most important piece of putting together a championship roster. And yes, the NFL is a QB driven league. But at what cost? Of the QBs earning the highest salaries in 2018, only one is currently in the playoff hunt.

It has been a rough season for the highest paid QBs (NFLResearch).

4. Panthers & Steelers heading in wrong direction.

What has happened to Carolina? Once sitting at 6-2, the Panthers have lost five in a row after their loss to Cleveland on Sunday and find themselves on the outside looking in for a spot in the postseason. QB Cam Newton hasn’t been the same since his hot start, with a TD-INT ratio of 9-8 during the losing streak. The defense hasn’t helped matters, surrendering an average of 30.4 points in its last five, including 365.2 yards per game (6.4 yards/play). It doesn’t get any easier for the Panthers, as two of their final three games are against the top-seeded Saints. Once a lock for a playoff berth, it’s going to be tough for Carolina to break through as a wildcard.

Meanwhile, it hasn’t been much better in the Steel city, where the Steelers have lost three in a row, including a 24-21 setback to the lowly Raiders this past Sunday. It seems to happen every season with this team – losing to less talented competition. There is absolutely no reason they should have lost to an Oakland team that came in having lost eight of its last nine games. A porous defense and turnovers have been the main culprits for the black and yellow, surrendering 344.3 yards per game in its last three, while having a (-5) turnover differential. Much like Carolina, it doesn’t get any easier, as the Steelers welcome New England to town this week – a team they’ve had little success against in the past (have lost five in a row and nine out of the last 11) – before they travel to New Orleans in Week 16. The next two weeks will decide if we can cast the Steelers as contenders or pretenders.   

3. Seahawks soaring... with running game.

Winners of four straight (and eight of 11), Seattle continues to inch closer to locking up its sixth playoff berth in the last seven seasons. Considered an afterthought in the preseason, the Hawks are finding success with an old school philosophy -- running the football. The Seahawks boast the number one rush offense (avg. 153.8 yards per game), and are running the ball on over 50 percent of offensive plays (highest rate in the league). Of their 64 plays on Monday night, they ran the ball 65.6 percent of the time (42) for 214 yards. Their stable of young backs – Chris Carson (179 for 794), Mike Davis (93 for 418), & Rashaad Penny (81 for 413) – provide a dynamic trio with all three capable of carrying the load. And it’s the perfect recipe for winning games (or at least keeping them close) late in the season, especially in colder weather.

Chris Carson heads the league's number one rushing offense (sportingnews). 

There can’t be many teams that want to see the Hawks come playoff time. Not to mention, they have one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league in Russell Wilson (ranks fourth in passing TDs with 29), who has big time game experience, including a Super Bowl ring.

Fun Fact: In 10 of its 13 games this season, Seattle has rushed for at least 100 yards – tied for most in the league (NFLResearch).

2. Bears make statement.

In a primetime matchup against the league’s number two scoring offense, the Chicago defense put the rest of the league on notice with yet another dominant performance. They held the high-octane Rams – a team that entered the night having scored 30 or more points in 10 of its 12 games – to six points. MVP candidate Todd Gurley totaled just 28 yards on 11 carries, while Jared Goff had the worst start of his career, completing a mere 45 percent of his passes (20/44) for 180 yards and four interceptions. For the Bears, it was nothing new for a defense that ranks first in takeaways with 34 (including a league-best 25 INTs), third in total defense, and fourth in sacks (40).

Mack continues to impact an elite Bears defense (newsweek). 

While the defense continues to impress, it’s the offense (ranked 22nd) that needs to improve in order for the Bears to be contenders. As we saw last year with the Jaguars, it takes more than a top defense to make a run. If the Bears have any intentions of playing deep into January, it starts and ends with the quarterback play of Trubisky.

Fun Fact: The Bears have more wins this season (9), than their last two seasons combined (8). It marks their first winning season since 2012.

1. Miracle in Miami.

For most NFL fans, few things are better than seeing the Patriots lose. It’s even sweeter when it comes at the hands of an underdog in dramatic fashion (i.e. the Eagles in last season’s Super Bowl or the Giants in SB XLII). On Sunday, the Dolphins followed suit with one of the greatest plays in NFL history.

Trailing by five with seven seconds to go from their own 31-yard line, the Dolphins had a 0.1 percent chance of winning, according to ESPN metrics. What happened next was one of the most improbable plays of all-time. QB Ryan Tannehill dropped back and found Kenny Stills across the middle at the 45. Stills then lateraled to Devante Parker, who ran toward midfield and pitched it to Kenyan Drake who weaved his way 52 yards through the remaining Pats defense to stun the visitors and send the crowd (& rest of the NFL community) into a frenzy. It was the longest play from scrimmage to win a game with no time remaining in the fourth quarter in the Super Bowl era.

It was all-timer, and even sweeter that it came at the expense of division rival New England. For yet another season, Tom Brady and the Patriots couldn’t solve the riddle -- defeating the Dolphins in Miami (they've lost five out of the last six in South beach). It has become a place of horrors - Brady is now 7-10 all-time as a starter in Miami. But the blame for Sunday’s loss has to be on head coach Bill Belichick. Why in the world would he put Rob Gronkowski as his last line of defense? No quarterback outside of Mahomes is making a 75-yard heave to the end zone. Especially not Tannehill who is not even at 100 percent. Not to mention how fragile and less athletic Gronk has become throughout the course of this season.

Regardless, the Phins capitalized with the best play this season, and one that will go down in franchise history for a long, long time.