Week 14 saw special performances and some memorable cleats, none more than those of Cardinals punter Andy Lee. Bravo.
Arizona Cardinals: Andy Lee
The Cardinals’ punter hit three boots for a 55-yard average. More importantly, he wore some cleats that were special to him and others. Lee, kicker Zane Gonzalez and long snapper Aaron Brewer all wore cleats for Madelyn’s Fund, a non-profit started by Andy Lee and his wife, Rachel, in November 2016. Madelyn’s Fund provides support to infant and pediatric patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and their families, particularly those who experience the trauma of infant loss. It is named in honor of Madelyn Lee, Andy and Rachel’s late daughter, who passed away in February 2015 at just 8 days old. “Doing this and going through all this, it’s just really helped us kind of heal from that loss,” Lee told the Arizona Republic. “I mean, obviously, it is still … I mean it sucks. It’s horrible. There’s not a day goes by — I still sleep with her blanket, her baby blanket, every night. “She’ll always be there, but doing this, it’s just helped us to be able to turn the worst thing that’s ever happened to us into something positive for other people.”
Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan was 20-of-34 for 313 yards and a pair of TDs in the rout of Carolina. More importantly, the veteran Falcons QB went over the 50,000-yard mark. becoming the 10th NFL QB to do so. In the win, Olamide Zaccheaus hauled in the longest touchdown pass of Ryan’s career, a 93-yarder.
Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson
With 40 yards rushing, Lamar Jackson upped his total to 1,017, which is 23 short of breaking the single-season record for quarterbacks set by Michael Vick in 2006. He didn’t have a huge game but 1,000 yards rushing is quite the accomplishment.
Buffalo Bills: The defense
The scoreboard should not fool you. The Bills’ defense did a helluva job against Baltimore, which was held to a season-low 257 yards, and punted seven times for an offense that entered the game with just 24 punts on the season.
Carolina Panthers: None
Another week, another abysmal effort all around. This team is completely in the tank with five straight losses. Such a freefall from a few years ago.
Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky
Mitchell Trubisky had a massive game as the Chicago Bears handled Dallas on Thursday. The former second overall pick threw for 244 and rushed for another 63 yards in one of the better efforts of his career.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Mixon
The Bengals’ running back had the game everyone in fantasy football was expecting weekly in 2019 … but hadn’t gotten. Joe Mixon went off against Cleveland for 146 yards on 23 carries and a score. He added three catches for 40 yards.
Cleveland Browns: Nick Chubb
On the other offense, Nick Chubb had a strong game against the Bengals. The Browns’ RB rushed for a 7.1 ypc clip with 106 yards on 15 carries in the win.
Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott
Not much to choose from here as Dallas threw in another awful game. Ezekiel Elliott did have a solid fantasy game, rushing for 81 yards and two TDs.
Denver Broncos: Drew Lock
Has John Elway struck gold with this second-round pick from Missouri? The Broncos went into Houston and stunned the Texans, roaring to a 38-3 lead. Drew Lock made his second start another winning one as he completed 22-of-27 for 309 yards and a trio of TDs.
Detroit Lions: Sam Martin
The Lions went nowhere in scoring seven points against the Vikings. So, it was up to punter Sam Martin’s leg to keep them in the game. He delivered, averaging 49 yards per kick on seven punts and dropping three of them inside Minnesota’s 20.
Green Bay Packers: Aaron Jones
Green Bay RB Aaron Jones came up huge against Washington, rushing for 134 yards and a score and catching 6 passes for another 58 yards as the Packers improved to 10-3.
Houston Texans: Zach Cunningham
The Broncos trampled the Texans. Give some credit to Houston’s Zach Cunningham, who was in on 17 tackles, 12 solo and a pair for loss. That’s earning your paycheck.
Indianapolis Colts: Marcus Johnson
Wide receiver Marcus Johnson had a great game in the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Texas product caught 3 passes for 105 yards and a TD.
Jacksonville Jaguars: None
You lose by five touchdowns at home to the Chargers and no one gets props. No one.
Kansas City Chiefs: Harrison Butkner
Patrick Mahomes was glorious in the first half and did enough to get the win. But don’t overlook what Harrison Butker did in the Chiefs’ victory. He kicked 3 field goals and a pair of PATs that enabled KC to leave Foxboro with a victory.
Los Angeles Chargers: Austin Ekeler
The versatile Chargers RB had a monster game, going over the century mark in rushing and receiving. In all, Austin Ekeler had 213 yards on 12 touches. That is special.
Los Angeles Rams: Todd Gurley
The Rams’ RB has been back in the groove, getting the ball more often and LA has found itself. Twenty-three carries for 79 yards and 4 grabs for another 34. Others had bigger stats but that doesn’t tell the story. It is Gurley who makes everyone better and the Rams more of a threat.
Miami Dolphins: Jason Sanders
At first look, one would wonder why a kicker would get the nod when a team scored 21 points. However, further research shows you that Jason Sanders accounted for all 21 of those Miami points. The kicker was 7-of-8 on the day in the loss. And let’s wait to see who blames him for the one-point loss because of the miss.
Minnesota Vikings: Danielle Hunter
Danielle Hunter had three of Minnesota’s five sacks to spearhead a resurgence by the defense. Hunter became the youngest player in NFL history at age 25 and 40 days to reach 50 sacks by taking down David Blough to force the first of five three-and-out possessions for Detroit. Hunter has 11 sacks in nine games against the Lions.
New England Patriots: Devin McCourty
The Patriots’ secondary was tested by Patrick Mahomes. The DBs bent in the first half but were sturdy in limiting KC to a field goal in the last 30 minutes. Give credit where credit is due. It didn’t result in a win, but New England’s defense isn’t the issue.
New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees
What more can a guy do? Drew Brees threw 5 TD passes and ran for another in the Saints’ 48-46 loss to the 49ers. There were people saying Brees was going to fall off in 2019. Wonder where they are now?
New York Giants: Eli Manning
It would have been nice for Eli Manning to lead the Giants to victory over the Eagles. It wasn’t necessary. The two-time Super Bowl-winning QB showed his stuff when leading the Giants to a 17-3 halftime lead in a game that turned into a 23-17 loss. The two TD passes to Darius Slayton showed everyone the classy Manning deserved better than being relegated like a relic to the Giants’ bench.
New York Jets: Sam Ficken
Sam Ficken gets the nod as he kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired in the Jets’ 22-21 victory over the Dolphins. Ficken was 3-for-3 on 3-pointers. He did miss a PAT. But he was on the money when Gang Green needed it.
Oakland Raiders: None
Three weeks ago people were discussing the Raiders as a playoff contender. Since, Jon Gruden and Oakland have allowed 126 points. Better luck next year.
Philadelphia Eagles: Zach Ertz
The best thing Carson Wentz has going for him is tight end Zach Ertz. Talk about a comforting place to throw the ball when in need. Ertz had 9 grabs for 91 yards and a pair of TDs as the Eagles rallied for a desperately needed victory.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Diontae Washington
Talk about a really big game. Diontae Washington went off against Arizona. He had 6 catches for 60 yards and an 85-yard punt return for a score as Pittsburgh continues its marvelous surge.
San Francisco 49ers: George Kittle
One play can make a huge difference and that is exactly what George Kittle did on his crushing run after taking a fourth-and-2 pass with less than a minute left and destroying the Saints’ defense with a ferocious run.
Seattle Seahawks: Quandre Diggs
On a slow night for the Seattle offense, Quandre Diggs delivered a big play on defense. He had a pair of picks and took one all the way to the end zone in the third quarter.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston
Only Jameis Winston can throw three picks and be the best player on his team. In addition to his errant tosses, the Bucs’ QB threw 4 TD passes and went for 456 yards passing in quite the eventful victory over Indy.
Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill
All it took for Ryan Tannehill to find his mojo was getting the QB from Texas A&M out of Miami, having Marcus Mariota benched and giving him the starting job. Another brilliant game against the Oakland Raiders Sunday. Tannehill went 21-of-27 for 391 and 3 TDs passing. For good measure he added in 4 rushes for 19 yards.
Washington Redskins: Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson became the sixth back in NFL history to reach the 14,000-yard mark, running for 76 yards and a score. Peterson has 14,036 yards in a 13-year career. Curtis Martin is fifth all-time with 14,101 yards.
