Best And Worst Of NFL Week Fourteen

A lot has changed around the National Football League in a few short months. It seems like not that long ago we were ready to crown Philip Rivers or DeMarco Murray as the League MVP. Now, with just about a month left to go in the season, it looks like Aaron Rogers has taken that top spot honor, leading the red hot Green Bay Packers towards the top spot in the NFC. While the Packers are heating up, the San Francisco 49ers are starting to head in the opposite direction, this from a team who has gone to three straight NFC Championship games. With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, which means that the playoff push has definitely begun. The Lions, Steelers and Seahawks all made solid statements on Sunday, while the Chiefs, Chargers and 49ers suffered serious setbacks. Throw that in with the Jets still sucking and the Giants taking a huge weight taken off their shoulders, it's a lot to take in.

That's where we come in. Here's some of the best and worst of week fourteen in the NFL.

Best:
St. Louis Rams Defense
Now if only the offense could really come close to matching this defense, St. Louis would be a huge force in that NFC West. The Rams defense posted consecutive shutouts for the first time in 69 years after blanking the Redskins 24-0. Three of St. Louis' defenders, CB Janoris Jenkins, DT Michael Brockers and LB Alec Ogletree, were among the six Rams acquired as a result of the deal that ultimately sent now benched QB Robert Griffin III to Washington during the 2012 draft. St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher dispatched all six of those players for the pregame coin toss. Not only was that a statement to the Skins that this is what they gave up for Griffin, but it was also a statement to the rest of the league that this defense is for real and will be a force for a while.

Worst:
Philadelphia Eagles Offense
They are still in great shape to make the playoffs, but things haven't looked too good in the City Of Brotherly Love as of late. After running into the now high-revving buzzsaw that is Seattle's defense, Philly managed just 139 yards, the first time the Eagles had failed to break at least 200 in coach Chip Kelly's two seasons. Philly's nine first downs were also a low point under Kelly. Unless the offense can wake up over the final three weeks of the season, this year could all be for nothing.

Best:
Matthew Stafford, Quarterback Detroit Lions
The Lions quarterback turned in his first three-TD passing day of the year with a season-best 133.3 passer rating as Detroit kept pace in the NFC wild-card chase with the Seahawks and Cowboys. Despite the fact that he was sacked four times by the Tampa Bay Defense, Stafford still managed to finish the day 26 of 34 for 311 yards and those three touchdowns. It went a long way in helping keep the Lions alive and well in the playoff race.

Worst:
Geno Smith, Quarterback New York Jets
How the hell is this guy still a starting Quarterback in this freaking league? It took Geno just six seconds to throw a pick-six on Sunday against the Vikings, and of course the Jets lost again, falling to 2-11 on the season. Yes the Jets offense did put up 410 yards of total offense (their second highest total of the season) and kept the game tight, losing 30-24 on a busted screen pass in overtime. But when your quarterback puts you in a hole on the first offensive play of the game, there's only so much you can do. Hats off the Jets for still finding ways to make a lost season entertaining as hell, but Geno really needs to stop throwing a ball this year.

Best:
Tom Coughlin, Head Coach New York Giants
Rumors have been running around like crazy that the curtain is about to fall on his 11-year run on Broadway. Sunday, the Giants coach enjoyed his first win since Oct. 5 as the team decisively snapped its seven-game skid after thrashing the Titans 36-7.

Worst:
Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach San Francisco 49ers
San 49ers went across the Bay and suffered a potentially mortal blow by becoming only the second team to lose to the Raiders in 2014. With speculation swirling regarding Harbaugh's future, his team is crumbling after a second straight setback and potentially expediting his departure. Things don't look good for Jim as far as still running this team by next season.

Best:
Le'Veon Bell, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
He's been feeling it the last few weeks in the Pittsburgh backfield. The AFC's best back in 2014 posted 235 yards from scrimmage, which was 43% of the Steelers' total of 543, and scored three TDs in Pittsburgh's 42-21 win over Cincinnati. He had 28 carries for 185 yards on the ground, which was the best performance by a back this past week around the league. He helped power the offense in their spanking of the division rivals in the Bengals. He making a clam for the top back in the league this year, along with Murray of Dallas and McCoy of Philly.

Worst:
Miami Dolphins Offensive Line
Here's a team that hasn't made the playoffs in five season, and might miss out on the playoffs again this year as well. Miami's offensive line looked really bad on Sunday against the Ravens, who are another team in their own right fighting it out for the wild card in the AFC. The Dolphins offensive line allowed six sacks and nine hits of QB Ryan Tannehill. Plus the Miami run game produced all of 63 yards in a loss to Baltimore that may ultimately scuttle the Dolphins' season.

Best:
Cam Newton, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
Some had been questioning the play of Cam Newton this season. Well, Sunday at least, Newton may have shut some of those critics up, as he seemed to back to his old self on Sunday, while the Panthers sent the Saints to the crossroads beating with a 41-10 drubbing. Newton threw for 226 yards and three TDs, ran for 83 yards and a score and started an enormous end zone-brawl with his words. He also threw zero interceptions and wasn't sacked once. This is Cam at his best, versatile, overly cocky and capable of causing massive chaos.

Worst:
Brian Hoyer, Quarterback Cleveland Browns
Cleveland is still alive in the playoff chase in the AFC, but people have been calling for Hoyer to be taken out as starter and replaced by Johnny Manzel. For those keeping track, and I'm sure the fine folks of Cleveland surely are, that would be eight INTs and one TD for the quarterback who may not be starting much longer after his latest poor outing helped drop the Browns into the AFC North basement.

So there you have it, some of the best and worst of week fourteen in the NFL!