The biggest blowout of Week 14 was supposed to happen in Dallas, but instead, it happened in New York, where the Eagles throttled the Giants 48-22.
The Eagles' point total marked the most they've ever scored in a road game against the Giants and the second-most they've ever scored overall against them. The Eagles have also now scored at least 35 points in three straight games, which is their longest streak since 2002.
In Dallas, the Cowboys were almost on the wrong end of what would have been the biggest upset of the 2022 season. The Cowboys were a 16.5-point favorite against the Texans, but someone forgot to tell a Houston team that was leading the game 23-20 with under a minute left to play.
So what kind of grade do you get for nearly pulling off an upset? Let's get to the Week 14 grades and find out. If you're looking for a deeper dive on the Rams wild win over the Raiders that was played Thursday, be sure to click here.
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New England 27-13 over Arizona (Monday)
| B | |
| The Patriots owe this win to their defense, which absolutely beat up on the Cardinals. Not only did the Patriots rack up six sacks -- with 5.5 of those coming from Josh Uche (3) and Matthew Judon (1.5) -- but they also forced two turnovers, including a fumble recovery for a TD by Raekwon McMillan in the third quarter that blew the game open. Offensively, the Patriots weren't flashy, but they did come up with several big plays, which has been their M.O. all season. This is a game that the Patriots had to win and that's exactly what they did, and in the end, that's all that matters for a team that's now in the all-important seventh-spot in the AFC playoff race. | |
| C | |
| Even after losing Kyler Murray on the third play of the game, the Cardinals were still able to hang tough for a half, but then they completely imploded. The Cards blew any chance at winning this game when they opened up the second half with a failed fourth down, an interception and a lost fumble on their first three possessions. The lost fumble by DeAndre Hopkins was returned for a TD, and the failed fourth down came on a dropped pass by Marquise Brown. This game basically epitomized the Cardinals' entire season: They showed flashes of being good, but those flashes didn't last long, and they were overshadowed by way too many big mistakes. | |
Patriots-Cardinals grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 27-23 over Houston
| B- | |
| The Texans gave the Cowboys their best shot, but this is the Texans we're talking about, so obviously, that best shot wasn't enough. Houston had Dallas on the ropes for most of this game thanks to Tremon Smith and Chris Moore. Smith picked off Dak Prescott twice, including an interception that set Houston up at Dallas' 4-yard-line with just under six minutes left, a pick that could have iced the game if Houston had been able to score. As for Moore, he came out of nowhere to catch 10 passes for 124. yards. This game was a fun ride for the Texans (1-11-1), but it's probably for the best that they lost since it now puts them one step closer to locking up the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. | |
| C | |
| The Cowboys (10-3) were on the cusp of being one of the biggest upset victims in NFL history, but then Dak Prescott saved the day with a game-winning 98-yard TD drive in the final minutes. The Cowboys got off to a hot start with a TD on their opening drive and they ended strong, but everything else in-between was pretty ugly, including their three turnovers. The defense didn't play its best game, but it did come up with a goal line stand with just under four minutes left to play that made the comeback possible. In the NFL, it doesn't matter how you win, it just matters that you won and the Cowboys stayed alive in the NFC East race with this win. | |
Texans-Cowboys grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Cincinnati 23-10 over Cleveland
| D | |
| The Browns (5-8) finally got their first offensive touchdown with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, which ended up being about the only good thing that happened to them in this game. For the second straight week, the offense sputtered with Watson, besides the aforementioned TD. Defensively, the Browns did have some success early -- the Bengals had to punt on each of their first three possessions -- but they also played some extremely sloppy football. The first Bengals TD only happened because Cleveland kept the drive alive with two bad penalties (roughing the kicker on fourth-and-15 and a 33-yard pass interference penalty). The secondary also got burnt on a flea-flicker that went for 45-yard TD in the third quarter. The Browns (5-8) have arguably looked worse since Watson returned and that's not what you want to see when you're paying a QB $230 million in guaranteed money. | |
| B+ | |
| The curse is finally over: Joe Burrow has beaten the Browns. Burrow didn't put up eye-popping numbers (239 yards, two touchdowns). but he was still impressive considering he lost both Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins to injury within the first two snaps of the game. Although the Burrow was good, the Bengals (9-4) won this game because of a defense that came up with two sacks, three fourth down stops and an interception, while holding Nick Chubb to just 34 yards. The Bengals, who haven't lost since October, are arguably the hottest team in the NFL and they continue to look better every week. As for Burrow, he's now 1-4 against the Browns after losing his first four starts against them. | |
Browns-Bengals grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
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Detroit 34-23 over Minnesota
| D | |
| The Vikings defense has been having some serious issues over the past few weeks and those issues continued in Detroit. For one, the defense surrendered more than 400 yards for the fifth straight game and the unit got crushed by big plays, including two TD passes of more than 40 yards. Justin Jefferson, who finished with 11 catches for a franchise-record 223 yards, tried to carry the Vikings offense, but he got zero help from anyone else. The Vikings (10-3) have now lost three games this season and all three of those have been by double-digits, which doesn't exactly give you much confidence about this team's chance of winning games come playoff time. | |
| A | |
| Lions coach Dan Cambell decided to throw the kitchen sink at Minnesota this week and it worked. Not only did he call for a successful fake punt on fourth-and-8 from his OWN 26-yard line, but the Lions also iced the game with a third-and-7 pass to offensive tackle PENEI Sewell. Jared Goff continues to lead one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL. Goff threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns for a Lions offense that has now scored 31 points or more in four of its past five games. Although the Lions (6-7) didn't bother trying to stop Justin Jefferson, they did shut down everyone else, and that strategy somehow worked. If the Lions can sneak into the playoffs, they could be a dangerous team. | |
Vikings-Lions grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Jacksonville 36-22 over Tennessee
| A+ | |
| The Jaguars finally ended their five-game losing streak to the Titans and they did it in resounding fashion. The defense forced FOUR turnovers, which led to 20 points for Jacksonville. The only thing the Jags defense struggled with was stopping Derrick Henry, but they fixed that problem during a second half where they only surrendered two yards to the Titans running back. This was the Jaguars best all-around performance of the season and a lot of that had to do with the play of Trevor Lawrence (368 yards, four total touchdowns), who is inching closer to living up to the hype that comes with being a No. 1 overall pick. The Jags (5-8) also got a surprise performance from Evan Engram, who caught 11 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. This was a huge win for a franchise that hasn't hit the five-win mark since 2019. | |
| F | |
| If the Titans fired their GM after losing last week, they're going to have to fire everyone in the building after this loss. The Titans had an offensive meltdown with three turnovers on their first six possessions and the ugly part is that the Jaguars were able to convert those turnovers into 17 points. Also, someone apparently forgot to tell the Titans that Evan Engram plays for the Jaguars. The Titans (7-6) have now lost three games in a row and if they were in any other division, that likely would've almost killed their playoff chances, but they play in the AFC South, where they're still in total control despite the losing streak. | |
Jaguars-Titans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Baltimore 16-14 over Pittsburgh
| A | |
| Credit the Ravens (9-4) for coming into Pittsburgh and defeating a team that had won three of its last four games. Making the Ravens' win even more impressive was the fact that they played the entire game without Lamar Jackson and most of the second half without backup Tyler Huntley, who sustained a concussion. The Ravens welcomed back J.K. Dobbins, who ran for 120 yards and a touchdown. Baltimore's defense came up big with three interceptions off Mitch Trubisky. | |
| F | |
| The Steelers' loss was similar to their early season home losses to the Patriots and Jets. In all three defeats, the Steelers (5-8) lost low scoring games after committing costly penalties. On Sunday, they committed three turnovers after not turning the ball over in their previous four games. Pittsburgh's defense largely played well, but its inability to stop the run was ultimately the final nail in the coffin. | |
Ravens-Steelers grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
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Buffalo 20-12 over N.Y. Jets
| C+ | |
| Bam Knight went for 71 yards and a touchdown and Garrett Wilson caught six passes for 78 yards, but the Jets (7-6) simply struggled to move the ball. Mike White led a 10-play, 72-yard drive that was capped by the Jets' first touchdown of the game on the opening drive of the third quarter, but that momentum was quickly erased after White took a shot to the ribs on the Jets' next possession. He exited and later returned to the game, but didn't look the same. Injuries hurt in this one, as New York lost Quinnen Williams, Corey Davis and George Fant. Still, they had a chance to put together a game-winning drive at the end. Gutsy effort. I mean, White was literally taken away from the stadium in an ambulance afterwards. | |
| B | |
| The Bills (10-3) took care of business on Sunday, and that's what matters. Josh Allen threw for just 147 yards and a touchdown, and led Buffalo with 47 yards rushing and a score. It's pretty gross that Buffalo went 2 of 13 on third downs, but a win is a win. They were the more consistent team on Sunday and with the win, they're still in the driver's seat to win the AFC East. | |
Jets-Bills grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 48-22 over N.Y Giants
| A+ | |
| Same old story for the Eagles. Jalen Hurts turned in another MVP-type performance by throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for one in a thrashing of the Giants at MetLife Stadium. The Eagles rushed for 253 yards and sacked the Giants seven times to improve to 12-1 on the year. A dominant performance started on the first drive as Philadelphia scored on seven of its first eight possessions (excluding the end of the half) and literally ran away with the win. Philadelphia scored 48 points in the victory, the most ever against New York on the road and the Eagles (12-1) are just the fifth team since the merger to beat consecutive teams with winning records by 25+ points. This team is very, very good. | |
| C- | |
| New York (7-5-1) was just no match for Philadelphia in this one. A banged-up Saquon Barkley wasn't a factor in the game and the Giants defense couldn't even help the offense stay in this one. The Giants have allowed 28.3 points per game over their last six games and allowed the Eagles to score a season-high 48 points. The run defense allowed 8.2 yards per carry as the Eagles had their way throughout the afternoon on the ground. The offensive line wasn't much better, giving up seven sacks. This team is struggling to hang on, but is still in the playoff hunt -- for now. | |
Eagles-Giants grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let her know on Twitter.)
Kansas City 34-28 over Denver
| C | |
| The Chiefs definitely weren't at their best on Sunday, but they get some big plays on both sides of the ball. Although the defense struggled at times to stop Russell Wilson, the Chiefs did sack him six times in a game where Willie Gay also had a pick-six. As for the offense, Patrick Mahomes played one-and-a-half good quarters before completely falling apart with three interceptions over the final 34 minutes. With Mahomes struggling, Isiah Pacheco (16 touches, 93 yards) and Jerick McKinnon (seven catches, 112 yards, two touchdowns) ended up carrying a lot of the offensive load for Kansas City. The bottom line here is that the Chiefs found out on Sunday that even when they play average football, it's still good enough to beat a team like the Broncos. | |
| C | |
| After struggling for most of the season, the Broncos offense finally looked somewhat functional and Denver might have actually been able to win this game if Russell Wilson didn't get knocked out of it after suffering a concussion with 12 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter. Before leaving the game, Wilson threw three TD passes while also leading the Broncos in rushing, but he also threw an ugly pick-six during on an up-and-down day. The Broncos defense came up big on multiple occasions, including three interceptions of Patrick Mahomes, but the unit also gave up 431 total yards and 28 points, so it's hard to call the defense's day a success. With the loss, the Broncos are now eliminated from the playoff race, which is news that likely will not surprise anyone. | |
Chiefs-Broncos grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
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Carolina 30-24 over Seattle
| A- | |
| When the Panthers can run the ball, they're at their best and they were at their best on Sunday. D'Onta Foreman and Chubba Hubbard both totaled 74 yards on the ground on a day where Carolina rushed 223 yards. The Panthers simply wore down an overmatched Seahawks defense with 46 rushing attempts and they're now 3-0 on the year when they run the ball at least 45 times. Carolina's defense didn't totally shut down the Seahawks, but it did force two turnovers, which the Panthers would convert into 10 points. At 5-8, it might feel like the Panthers don't have much to play for, but the fact of the matter is that they do. This team is only one game out of first place in a suddenly winnable NFC South. | |
| C- | |
| If you're looking for Seattle's biggest problem from Sunday, it was the run game. The Seahawks (7-6) couldn't run the ball and they couldn't stop the run and when those two things happen at the same time in the NFL, you usually lose. The Seahawks got steamrolled for 223 rushing yards and are now 0-5 on the season when surrendering 175 yards or more on the ground in a game. When your defense is struggling like that, you can't really afford to make any offensive mistakes, but the Seahawks had those too, with Geno Smith throwing two first-half interceptions. The Seahawks have overachieved this season, but with three losses in their past four games, it feels like the magic to their 2022 season is starting to fade. | |
Panthers-Seahawks grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 35-7 over Tampa Bay
| F | |
| No, it's not entirely the fault of the coaches and players that their line was already so banged up; most teams struggle against the 49ers' front, let alone ones with battered trenches. This, frankly, was always going to be a tough draw for such an offense. But man, you'd hope a Tom Brady-led squad could at least be competitive, and that was never the case in this game. Affected by steady pressure and a steadier lack of separation from his top wideouts, Brady joined the slog by misfiring on several would-be touchdowns and lofting two ugly picks. Todd Bowles' defense, meanwhile, lacked discipline in some key spots and got torched out of the gate, making Brock Purdy -- a rookie making his first career start -- look like the Brady of old. Congrats on the NFC South, though! | |
| A+ | |
| Does it matter who's under center for Kyle Shanahan? Maybe, maybe not. Brock Purdy sure looked the part again, this time to an even greater degree thanks to his willingness and ability to sling it downfield. Christian McCaffrey was aces in space. Ditto for Brandon Aiyuk. And that DeMeco Ryans defense? Ferocious, as usual, offsetting a quiet day in the sack column with production in basically every other category. The only reason they don't transcend the "A+" rating here is because they didn't totally shut out the Bucs, which was actually quite doable. This team wins in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and that's exactly why they should remain an NFC favorite next to the Eagles. | |
Buccaneers-49ers grades by Cody Benjamin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
L.A. Chargers 23-17 over Miami
| D | |
| The Dolphins offense might officially be broken. For the second straight week, the Dolphins couldn't move the ball on offense and for the second straight week, they got beaten soundly. There was no showdown between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert and that's mostly because Tua didn't show up. Tua completed just 35.7% of his passes on a night where he struggled. Both of Miami's touchdowns came from Tyreek Hill, but one of them was all luck, with Hill recovering a fumble and returning it 57 yards for a score. The Dolphins defense kept things close by holding the Chargers out of the end zone in the second half, but the offense just wasn't able to capitalize. If the Dolphins (8-5) don't figure out their offensive issues soon, they could be staring at a collapse that might end up leaving them out of the playoffs. | |
| B+ | |
| Justin Herbert finally had his two best receiving weapons (Keenan Allen and Mike Williams) on the field at the same time and he definitely took advantage of that. With the Chargers (7-6) in dire need of a win, Herbert took over, completing 39 of 50 passes for 367 yards and a touchdown. Allen and Williams combined to catch 18 of those passes for 208 yards. The Chargers offense didn't light up the scoreboard, but it didn't have to thanks to a defense that held Miami to just 219 yards. A loss here would have been devastating for the Chargers' playoff chances, but Herbert was able to save their season with a wildly impressive performance. | |
Dolphins-Chargers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
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