With six teams on bye, this week’s column is going to be a bit slimmer than usual. Let’s get to it…
Josh Allen was ridiculous but the “tush push” cost the Bills a decent chance at a comeback win against the Rams — a failed “tush push” in the final minute and change caused them to burn a timeout. They shouldn’t have risked a running clock and, failing, they should have just lined up in seven seconds and tried it again. They had all three timeouts, and they down nine points. But his fantasy managers couldn’t care less. He’s provide ample return on investment the past two weeks.
Amari Cooper showed some life, but if you told me after his trade to Buffalo that Allen would be the heavy MVP favorite, I would have assumed Cooper was about WR10 at worst (with the Bills). His silence has been a mystery.
Puka Nacua is so injury prone and hurt his calf during the game (he stayed in). But, man, what a player. He’s Anquan Boldin 2.0. Such a power WR.
Matthew Stafford and Allen were such a pleasure to watch in one of the best offensive games in recent memory (12 TDs, 86 points and 902 yards). The Rams would be such a fun playoff team. And a dangerous one, too.
I don’t want to pile on. I wouldn’t have drafted Deebo Samuel at ADP, but if you told me Jauan Jennings would be crushing him in fantasy — with Samuel being healthy — I would have said you were nuts. Yet here we are again. It’s every week now.
Caleb Williams was disappointing, but the last thing Bears fans should want is Thomas Brown to return as head coach with the same front office that built this mess. The defense now has fallen back too. The Bears have to fire GM Ryan Poles so they can get a top coach — most wouldn’t want to lead the Bears with a lame-duck GM. When a coach goes, the GM should go, too. You need to allow Ben Johnson to pretty much name his GM.
His passer rating wasn’t quite perfect, but Sam Darnold was — five TD passes, 12.4 yards per attempt. We do this every week, but he’s had a 103+ passer rating now in 11 of 13 games. That’s tied for the second most in NFL history, one behind Aaron Rodgers’ 12 in 2011. Not sure why he’s not, at a minimum, in the MVP conversation. He’s going to get the biggest free agent contract in NFL history, easily.
Darnold, who has 28 TD (on pace for 37), looked like Steve Young on this strike to Justin Jefferson.
Wow. Sam Darnold evades heavy pressure, and Justin Jefferson eventually gets open for a 50+ yard touchdown. pic.twitter.com/8KHs4O2wxG
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 8, 2024
Jordan Addison (three TDs) is definitely playable. In fact, he should be started in all Flex10 PPR formats.
Zach Charbonnet looked great running and receiving, but Kenneth Walker is reportedly likely to return in Week 15. Walker is a boom-or-bust runner (37th in success rate among 46 qualifiers entering Sunday’s action). My guess is both players get destroyed in value via the 50/50 split.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is on pace for 59 catches… in 17 games. And we’re going into the 2025 draft season next summer thinking he’s going to thrive with Kyler Murray? Really?
The Eagles had 83 passing yards. Pathetic. They ran for 200, but that’s a formula for being in a life-and-death game with a dreg like the Panthers at home. Philly fans want to put cyanide in my cheesesteaks after I wrote about this last week. To recap, the 1975 Steelers were the last team to win a Super Bowl with more rushing yards than passing yards in the regular season. There have been 25 playoff teams since then and they are 15-25 in the playoffs. You need to beat the opponent with the passing game and then beat the clock with the run.
Very crisp offensive game between the Jets and Dolphins in Miami. It doesn’t seem like Braelon Allen will be a difference-maker if Breece Hall’s season is done, but he’ll be a contributor. The timeshare with fellow rookie Isaiah Davis was pretty even, surprisingly.
Aaron Rodgers looked good as he tries to convince someone he can play next year. The Jets are a pretty loaded 3-10 team with seven one-score losses, tied for the most in football. LT Olu Fashanu looks like a star (no pressures in Week 13). They have top players all over the roster. But they do things like allowing a 50-yard return with 50 seconds left.
De’Von Achane is averaging under 4.0 per carry now and I was told that was not possible. Yeah, I know he scores TDs regularly, but this was not what his drafters envisioned. It’s been the opposite, actually.
It figures Marquez Valdes-Scantling finally gets targets and doesn’t score.
For a while, it didn’t look like Drew Lock would complete a pass. You can’t blame Malik Nabers for his quiet season but you can blame yourself for not caring who the Giants QB was.
I have nothing positive to say about Jaguars–Titans. Would you accept two negative statements?
Okay, fine. A dozen targets for Brian Thomas Jr. was good.
Browns–Steelers was also so sluggish. There was one gain over 22 yards all game — the Jerry Jeudy TD on a broken play.
I have to think Sincere McCormick is the starting running back for the Raiders for the rest of the season. He’s looked good and there is no real competition. Hope you got him last week on waivers.
Bucky Irving got hurt again early. That’s why he torpedoed your teams.
Justin Herbert missed a wide-open Joshua Palmer for an 82-yard TD in the first half against Kansas City on Sunday night — hopefully you didn’t need that one. The Chargers have no running game without J.K. Dobbins and oddly no receiving threat out of the backfield, either. So they are really hamstrung in their obvious desire to remain a ball-control offense.
(Top photo of Puka Nacua: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
