5 winners from Week 14 of the 2019 NFL season

Dec. 7 was the day college football’s conference titles were decided. Dec. 8 was the day the NFL’s playoff race got a little clearer.

Week 14 was a litmus test for postseason contenders. The Patriots and Chiefs each had plenty to prove in a rematch of last year’s AFC title game — only this time it was New England’s late rally that fell short. The Bills’ quest for their first division title since Toy Story was in theaters ran into their biggest challenge thanks to a visit from MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. The Titans kept their hot streak alive against the fading Raiders in a battle with major implications for the AFC’s final wild card spot.

Those games each had their moments, but none were as thrilling as the controlled chaos of a 49ers-Saints showdown in the Superdome. San Francisco outlasted Drew Brees in a 48-46 shootout that saw 10 passing touchdowns and only three punts.

In the end, Kansas City clinched the AFC West crown, Baltimore took a nigh-insurmountable lead in the race for homefield advantage, and the Niners kept their hopes for the NFC’s top spot alive by finishing the toughest three-game stretch in league history with a 2-1 record. But Week 14’s winners weren’t solely decided by final scores and their place in the standings.

Before we get who we picked as this week’s winners, let’s look first at who it wasn’t ...

Not considered: the Jacksonville Jaguars. All of them.

It was only a few weeks ago that things looked promising for the Jags. They were 4-4 and only a few wins from working their way into the AFC Wild Card race. With Nick Foles set to return from a broken collarbone and the heart of an intimidating defense still intact — minus Jalen Ramsey — there was hope Jacksonville could return to the postseason for just the second time since 2007.

Because this is the Jaguars, that hope was misplaced. Jacksonville was so outclassed that, for the third straight week, Big Cat Country published their postgame recap before the third quarter was even over. In Week 14, they lost 45-10 to a Chargers team that averaged 19.3 points per game over its last eight weeks. It was the Jaguars’ fifth straight loss, all of which have come by at least 17 points.

Jacksonville inserted Gardner Minshew back into the starting lineup when it became Foles couldn’t spark his new offense, but the rookie was ineffective in his return. The former Washington State star needed 37 passes to throw for just 162 yards, and while he protected the ball well (zero turnovers) he also finished the game with a lower passer rating than his punter Logan Cooke (83.4 to 104.2).

How are the Jags going to fix this? Minshew has some ideas.

Some extremely vague ideas, sure. But for a team that’s handed out $142 million in contract value to Foles and Blake Bortles since 2018, it’s not the worst plan they’ve come up with.

Now on to Week 14’s actual winners, starting with ...

5. Terry McLaurin, the No. 1 reason for Washington fans to be excited for its future

Washington doesn’t have much to look forward to. The franchise fired longtime head coach Jay Gruden after five-plus years and zero playoff wins. It fell to 3-10 after losing in Green Bay Sunday and currently fields the league’s 32nd-ranked offense in both points scored and yards gained.

But late in that Week 14 loss was a glimmer of hope. Not for 2019 mind you. Though Washington could still fight its way to the top of the NFC East with a 6-10 record, it’d lose on a tiebreaker no matter what. Instead, it’s the twinkle of untapped potential McLaurin could bring to an offense that’s lacked a homegrown star receiver since the glory days of Gary Clark. McLaurin faced double-teams from the Packers’ secondary, but still finished as his team’s leading receiver with four catches, 57 yards, and one completely absurd touchdown catch.

That touchdown capped off an expertly run two-minute drill from rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Haskins had gained just 95 yards on 19 passes with zero touchdowns and an interception before he was tasked with leading Washington back from almost certain defeat. The former Ohio State star — Haskins, not McLaurin, in this case — leveled up to complete six of seven meaningful passes (with one clock-stopping spike) for 75 yards and the points needed to turn a 20-9 deficit into a one-possession game.

That wouldn’t be enough to lead a road upset in one of the league’s least accommodating stadiums, but it was still enough for the two young prospects to stake their claim as part of Washington’s foundation. Even if 2019 is a lost year, the Haskins-McLaurin combination could make 2020 a lot more tolerable in the nation’s capital.

4. Quarterbacks named Drew, who had a whole day

We expect big things from Drew Brees. The future Hall of Famer is close to owning the league’s all-time touchdown record. His five touchdown passes against the 49ers weren’t enough to lead New Orleans to a home win, but they did give him 537 career passing TDs — second only to Peyton Manning’s 539 in NFL history.

Brees dialed up a throwback version of himself. The soon-to-be 41-year-old completed 29 of his 40 passes for 349 yards, even after losing key target Jared Cook (two catches, 64 yards, two touchdowns) to injury in the second quarter. Unsurprisingly, it was Michael Thomas — currently on pace for an NFL-record 149 receptions this season — who served as Brees’ co-conspirator when he needed to carve up San Francisco’s defense:

Despite a prolific day, Brees wound up on the unhappy side of the scoreboard. Another, overlooked Drew wouldn’t be denied.

Drew Lock spent the bulk of his rookie season on injured reserve after falling to the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He only got the chance to earn snaps with the Broncos after Joe Flacco suffered a season-ending neck injury and Brandon Allen sputtered through a three-game stretch of mediocrity in his stead. That pushed Lock into a Week 13 debut against the Chargers. In a 23-20 win, he threw touchdown passes in each of his first two drives.

That was just an appetizer compared to what he was cooking up against the Texans. Houston had been flying high after shutting down Tom Brady through most of a win over the Patriots last week. On Sunday, that unit was rendered helpless to Lock’s whims in a 38-24 Broncos win.

The rookie quarterback finished with 309 passing yards on 27 attempts, three touchdowns, one interception, and one epic Buzz Lightyear celebration inspired by the teammates who’d busted him up about checking his wristband playsheets too often in practice.

Lock’s sudden mastery raises an important question. Has John Elway finally found his franchise quarterback? His swings at creating a homegrown version of himself to haunt Mile High Field had resulted in whiffs like Brock Osweiler, Zac Dysert, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Chad Kelly. Somehow, the most successful member of that group in Denver was Siemian.

Lock still has a long way to go before he proves he’s a capable starting quarterback in the NFL, but he’s 2-0 as a starter for a team that was 3-8 before he took the reins. That’s something from which Elway and the Broncos can build. Lock’s got three more games to prove he — and not Flacco, or a 2020 draftee, or a veteran free agent signing — should be Denver’s go-to guy next fall.

3. Ryan Tannehill, who just needed to hit someone to kickstart his heart

I’m not sure enough can be written about Tannehill’s absurd journey through 2019. He began the season facing a probable release from the Dolphins, only to be traded to the Titans for a Day 3 pick. He began the season as Marcus Mariota’s backup, throwing zero passes before Week 6.

Then Mariota got benched, and now Tannehill is the league’s most efficient passer through Week 14 (I know, right?). It looked like his Cinderella magic was going to wear off against the Raiders when his sixth pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Maurice Hurst. That could have sent him into a spiral, but Tannehill hit the reset button before that play could even finish.

Like, really hit it.

HARD.

Tannehill got right back on track soon after, elevating his cast of unheralded wideouts and tight ends into a lineup of monsters over his following nine possessions. The Titans scored touchdowns on each of their next three possessions, including this one-play, 91-yard drive courtesy of rookie A.J. Brown.

Tannehill threw for 391 passing yards, three touchdowns, and the aforementioned turnover. He hasn’t started a single game in 2019 where he hasn’t scored multiple touchdowns.

And the Titans, even after what’s now a 6-1 run through the middle of their season, are still stuck behind the Steelers in the race for the AFC’s sixth and final playoff spot. The good news is they’re now tied with the Texans for first place in the AFC South — and they’ll get the chance to prove their divisional superiority with two games against Houston in their final three weeks.

2. Emmanuel Sanders, the veteran receiver the Patriots wish they’d traded for

Sanders was stuck on a rebuilding team this October when the Broncos made their long-tenured deep threat available in advance of the trade deadline. Hours after the Patriots snapped Mohamed Sanu from the Falcons’ roster, the 49ers swooped in to free Sanders from Colorado.

Here’s how the two players have performed for their new teams in the seven weeks since:

Sanders: 28 catches (on 39 targets), 407 yards, three touchdowns, one passing touchdown in seven games

Sanu: 18 catches (29 targets), 135 yards, one touchdown in five games

Sanders’ value was in full display as San Francisco emptied its tanks in order to outrace the Saints in New Orleans. Not only did he lead his team with seven catches for 157 yards and one score, but he also threw a touchdown pass of his own — something for which Sanu (four career TD passes) has typically been better known:

And yet, he may not have had the most impressive single play of the game. That honor goes to George Kittle, who refused to be tackled on a massive fourth-down conversion late in a 46-45 game, even as Saints safety Marcus Williams grabbed onto his facemask like a handhold on a climbing wall:

The Niners are 11-2 with wins over the Packers and Saints in the last three weeks. They may not have gotten there without the extra gear Sanders brings to their offense.

1. Jason Sanders and Sam Ficken, who gave us an old-fashioned KICKER DUEL

You know who doesn’t belong on this list of winners? The Dolphins, who turned eight drives to the Jets’ 29-yard line or deeper into exactly zero touchdowns. However, their stunning inability to near the end zone gave Sanders a chance to shine.

The second-year kicker, who earned acclaim last week for being on the receiving end of 2019’s best fake field goal (so far), was pressed into duty early and often to bail out Miami’s impotent offense. Seven out of eight times, he came through. Sanders drained kicks from 22, 25, 28, 31, 53, 47, and 37 yards in MetLife Stadium, missing only a 34-yard attempt while falling one kick shy of tying Rob Bironas’ NFL record of eight field goals set back in 2007.

Ficken wasn’t nearly as prolific, with only three field goals (and one extra point on two attempts) to his name. He had the last laugh, though; it was his final kick that ultimately decided the game. The former Penn State walk-on, playing with his sixth team in the NFL since joining the league in 2016, celebrated his biggest moment as a pro — this 44-yard game winner as time expired:

That gave the Jets to a 22-21 win on their home turf and kept Miami’s tanking plans intact. Now everyone in attendance can regale their grandchildren at Christmas 2050 about the time they went to an NFL game and saw the AFC East’s two worst teams combine for eight more field goals than touchdowns scored on a calm December afternoon.