NFL Week 14 Recap: Mr. Irrelevant's Wild Ride

The San Francisco 49ers pulled off an amazing win last week, but it came at a high cost: losing Jimmy Garoppolo. Jimmy G ended up leaving the game early in the first quarter due to a foot injury, and the news broke that week that it was season ending. An update stated that Jimmy G could return for the playoffs, but now even that is doubtful. So with Jimmy G and Trey Lance out, who did the Niners turn to last week, and again this week? None other than Brock Purdy.

If you're asking, "Who?!," you're not alone. I knew absolutely nothing about this Brock Purdy, and then I learned something quite important. Brock Purdy was this year's "Mr. Irrelevant." For those who don't know, "Mr. Irrelevant" is the unfortunate (yet humorous) nickname given to the final pick in the NFL draft, and that's what Purdy was: the 272nd and last pick in this year's NFL draft. This week, Purdy started in front of the home crowd against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose quarterback was this guy named Tom Brady. I'm pretty sure I've heard of him; seven rings, three NFL MVPs, over 100,000 passing yards. I'd say this Brady guy did pretty well for himself.

So a funny thing happened. This Purdy kid blasted the Bucs. I couldn't believe it. The Bucs were coming off a comeback Monday night win, so I figured they'd feast on the Jimmy G-less Niners, especially since that game saw them lose Deebo Samuel as well. But that didn't happen. The Niners won 35-7 and increased their lead in the NFC West, as the Seattle Seahawks lost at home to the Carolina Panthers, 30-24.

So once again, the NFC South is full of under .500 teams, but as a result of Tampa Bay's loss and Carolina's win, the latter now finds themselves one game out of first place. The team who was blowing it up and planning for the future, now finds themselves in a prime position this late in the season. Not only are the Panthers one game out, but they do have a win over the Bucs this season. I do hope the Panthers somehow win the NFC South, because it would be a great story, plus it would probably lead to the interim tag being removed from Steve Wilks' title, and he'd be permanently hired. It is very hard for Black coaches to get hired, and these are the extra hoops they have to jump through just to get a HC job. Regarding the rest of the South, the Falcons and Saints were off, but they're very close as well.

So Baker Mayfield had quite an interesting week. On Tuesday, December 6, Mayfield was signed by the Los Angeles Rams after the Panthers waived him. They were quite desperate for a QB, as Matthew Stafford was still out, and John Wolfford was also injured. On Thursday Night Football, two days later, Mayfield started for the Rams, and it didn't look good for the team, as they were down by quite a bit against the Las Vegas Raiders. Even worse, a Raiders punt placed the ball on the Rams' two yard line, and with under two minutes left, Mayfield had to pull off the impossible. Sure enough, he did just that. A game-winning 98-yard touchdown drive! I get they were close to Hollywood, but even Hollywood couldn't make this up. The Rams avoided elimination, but only for now, as their next loss could still end their season.

Could the Jacksonville Jaguars actually end up winning the AFC South? After this week's 36-22 victory over the Tennessee Titans, it definitely looks like a real possibility. The win alone was monumental; this was the Jags' first win in Nashville since the 2013 season. Also, while the AFC South isn't as bad as their NFC counterpart, it's pretty close. The Titans' 7-6 record leads the division, but Jacksonville is two games out. This was their first meeting of the season, and the rematch in Jacksonville will take place during the final week. If the Jags gain one more game in the standings over Tennessee, and it stays that way entering the final week, then that rematch will be winner-take-all for the division. The current AFC South is in its 21st season. In the past 20 years, the Jaguars have only won the division once, doing so in the dream 2017 season that saw them come close to reaching the Super Bowl.

The Dallas Cowboys weren't the only team who barely survived a dead team this week. The Kansas City Chiefs cruised to a 27-0 lead in the first half, but for some reason, the defense (who caught a Pick 6 in the game) decided to put the foot off the gas, and it nearly cost them. They did manage to hold on for a 34-28 win, which eliminated the Broncos from playoff contention. The Chiefs have the efforts of Jerick McKinnon to thank for their "closer than it should have been" victory. How well did he show out? Let's go to the numbers.

Fantasy scoring for runningbacks is simple: one point for every 10 rushing yards, and touchdowns are six points. Receiving rules also apply. McKinnon didn't have much on the ground; only 22 yards (2.2 points). When it comes to receiving, though: seven receptions (7 points), 112 yards (11.2 points), and two touchdowns (12 points). Overall, McKinnon racked up 32.4 fantasy points, which led all runningbacks during Week 14. The Chiefs needed a Los Angeles Chargers loss to clinch the AFC West, but the Chargers would defeat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football. The Bolts moved past the playoff line with that win, but the New England Patriots' Monday night win over the lowly Arizona Cardinals pushed the Bolts back behind the line, as the Patriots moved into a Wild Card position.

There are now four weeks left in the regular season, but for fantasy owners like me, that's playoff time. Week 15 is the final week before the holidays get involved, and it kicks off with an NFC West battle between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. We will also get our first taste of Saturday football with three games: the Minnesota Vikings (coming off their loss to the Detroit Lions) hosting the Indianapolis Colts, an AFC North battle between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, and an AFC East battle between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. On Sunday Night Football, the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders will face each other for the second time in three weeks, and Monday Night Football will see the Green Bay Packers host the Los Angeles Rams.

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Check out my story about the NFC East!