Neil Reynolds
American Football Expert & Columnist
Tom Brady and Bucs dig deep, there's trouble in Jacksonville and is Micah Parsons on course for Defensive Player of the Year?
Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds has the final word on Week 14 in the NFL; join Neil and guests for Inside the Huddle, every Tuesday at 9pm on Sky Sports NFL as they look back on the best of the weekend's action...
Last Updated: 14/12/21 5:55pm
With four weeks of the regular season remaining, the race to the Super Bowl remains as fierce and as crowded as ever.
There are no clear favourites and no team is safe, as the league-leading Arizona Cardinals discovered on Monday night when losing to the Los Angeles Rams.
Five Major Takeaways from Week 14
1) Tight at the top
The top of the NFC now features a three-way tie between the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona following a hard-fought and entertaining Monday Night Football game.
The Cardinals were beaten 30-23 by a Los Angeles Rams squad who saw their big names step up when they really needed them. With the NFC West effectively on the line, Matthew Stafford threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, Cooper Kupp had 13 catches for 123 yards and a score, and Odell Beckham Jr. and Van Jefferson combined for eight receptions, 135 yards and a TD apiece.
Defensively, the Rams also saw considerable improvement against a Cardinals offense that threatened until the very end. The Rams recorded four sacks and picked up a pair of crucial interceptions. The final play of the game would have warmed Sean McVay's heart as Von Miller harassed and chased Kyler Murray before Aaron Donald dropped him for a sack.
2) Brady and the Bucs dig deep
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked in great shape at the half of Sunday's game with the Buffalo Bills, leading 24-3, having racked up more than 300 yards of total offense in the first two quarters.
By the end of regulation, Tampa's sideline was filled with faces of concern, bewilderment and frustration. Buffalo had stormed back to tie the game at 27 apiece and send it into overtime. The Bills, led by the outstanding Josh Allen at quarterback, were unlucky not to win as they could have been given a pass interference penalty in the endzone in the dying seconds.
But in overtime, one Buccaneer, who looked more angry than worried, stepped to the fore. It was Tom Brady's time to take over and maintain his dominance over the Bills. After Buffalo went three-and-out, Tampa took the football and Brady delivered a game-winning 58-yard strike to Breshad Perriman, who was reeling in just his fourth catch of the season. Not only did they have to dig deep in this game, the Bucs had to go deep on their roster.
3) Chiefs forceful once more
It's just as tight at the top of the AFC, as the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs are all tied on 9-4 records. New England look strong and Tennessee are always tough, but don't rule out the Chiefs reaching a third consecutive Super Bowl.
Andy Reid's men hammered the Las Vegas Raiders 48-9 on Sunday and, while they had some good moments on offense and a few Patrick Mahomes highlight-reel plays, it was more of a complete team win. The Chiefs rushed for 132 yards and three scores and Mahomes threw for 258 and two scores.
But the defense is now borderline dominant and could be the unexpected driving force down the stretch. The Chiefs forced five turnovers against the Silver and Black, scored on a Mike Hughes fumble return and sacked Derek Carr four times. In their six successive wins, KC have allowed an average of 10.8 points per game and are showing some of the steel that will be needed in the playoffs.
4) Parsons on Defensive Player of the Year charge
The early part of this 2021 NFL season featured conversations about Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons being a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Forget that, this guy should be the Defensive Player of the Year, regardless of experience or longevity.
You'll notice when introducing Parsons, I didn't give him a position. Is he a defensive end? An edge-rushing linebacker or an off-the-ball linebacker? How about all three? Offenses can't manufacture blocking schemes days in advance of playing the Cowboys because they don't know where Parsons is lining up from play to play.
The rookie phenom had two more sacks and a forced fumble in Sunday's 27-20 win over the Washington Football Team. He now has 12 sacks on the season and 9.5 in his last six games! There is not a more dominant defender in the game. Oh, and he also broke up a pass 25 yards downfield. This is no one-trick pony. Parsons is a stud.
5) Trouble in Jacksonville
The bad news keeps on coming for the Jacksonville Jaguars and this season cannot end soon enough. It's time for the Jags to regroup and rebuild around young quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who threw four interceptions in Sunday's 20-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
That loss came hours after news broke that head coach Urban Meyer had argued fiercely with veteran receiver Marvin Jones and reportedly belittled his assistant coaches - a claim Meyer has refuted, insisting he will fire whoever is leaking stories to the media.
I wanted to see how the Jags players responded on Sunday and there was nothing. That suggests to me that the head coach has lost his locker room, if he ever had it. The future is most definitely going to be Lawrence and as he grows, so will this team. I genuinely believe that. But a few storm clouds are going to need to be blown away before the sun comes out again for these Jaguars. And when it shines again, I doubt it shines on Meyer.
Player of the Week: Dalvin Cook
The Minnesota Vikings had to have their Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers - and it looked like they might be without star rusher Dalvin Cook, who tore his labrum five days earlier.
But with Adam Thielen already missing from the offensive lineup, Cook sucked it up and wore a harness on his left shoulder. He then proceeded to carry the football 27 times for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-28 victory. Gutsy indeed.
Play of the Week
You might not ever see a prettier or more physically-impressive throw than the one that left the hand of Justin Herbert on Sunday evening!
The Los Angeles Chargers star rolled away from pressure being created by the New York Giants and launched a John Elway-like rocket that whistled 65 yards through the air before Jalen Guyton reeled the football in at the two-yard line, diving into the endzone. I actually think the football might have been travelling so fast that it dragged Guyton across the line. It was stunning.
The ball was also thrown so high that it disappeared off the top of our TV screens, yet it was only in the air for three seconds, according to my stopwatch work. Incredible! Just incredible.
Coach of the Week: Aden Durde
I'm stepping away from head coaches for this week because the defensive linemen under the guidance of British coach Aden Durde were in dominant form for the Cowboys on Sunday.
Parsons (he spends a lot of time working with the defensive line and is always in their meeting rooms), Randy Gregory, DeMarcus Lawrence and Neville Gallimore all recorded sacks as Washington quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen were dropped five times.
Aden's group also came up with eight quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, with the game being won by Gregory on a strip sack and recovery. I hope Aden got himself a game ball for that afternoon's work.
On my Radar
This does not affect the 2021 NFL season, but it is big news if confirmed at the NFL owners' meeting next week. Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Super Bowl at the end of the 2023 campaign is being moved from New Orleans to Las Vegas.
The league adding an extra game to proceedings means the title game now conflicts with Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. The next three Super Bowls would then be on the western side of the United States in L.A., Arizona and Las Vegas.
I'm sure the NFL coaches will have no concerns about their players being in Sin City leading up to the biggest game of their lives. I keep hearing teams want to come into Super Bowl cities later and later. They'll probably turn up on the morning of the game in Vegas!
Join Neil Reynolds and guests for Inside The Huddle, every Tuesday from 9pm on Sky Sports NFL for a look back on the best of the weekend's NFL action.
