Best:
Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
After what I've seen from him the last couple of weeks, Jimmy Garoppolo could be the very answer that the 49ers could be looking for. Think about this. With Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard at quarterback, the 49ers started the season 1–10. Now with Garoppolo. Both of wins with Garoppolo at quarterback have come on the road, including this weeks 26-16 win over the Houston Texans. San Francisco gained 416 yards in this game, while Garoppolo went 20-of-33 for 334 yards. He also threw an interception but more than made up for it in the third quarter with his first touchdown throw as the team’s starter. It’s clear they have found their answer at quarterback, which makes the rest of the rebuild much easier in the coming seasons. It gives the Niners something they've been needing all year, stability under center. If this keeps up, San Francisco may have found their future and can finally stabalize the position.
Worst:
NFL Concussion Protocal
How this was allowed to even happen on Sunday is just beyond wrong. not only did Houston fall 26-16 but what happened to Tom Savage was beyond description. Savage was hit by a blitzing K'waun Williams and knocked for a loop. Savage was hit so hard that he was seen fencing, which is an involuntary physical response to a concussion. Even if it wasn’t a textbook example of the fencing response, it was a clear sign that something bad had likely happened to Savage’s brain. And yet, some how, for some reason, Savage was allowed to continue playing. He went through the concussion protocol and was cleared by one of the independent neurologists placed on the sidelines as part of the league’s attempt to better protect players who have potentially sustained brain injuries. After playing a single three-and-out series, he was inspected again and taken out of the game. He hadn’t sustained an additional injury. It was pretty clear that he wasn't right mentally and that hit had knocked him for a clear loop. The rest of the league really needs to take a closer look at this so that way somthing like what happened to Savage doesn't happen again.
Best:
Jonathan Stewart, Running Back Carolina Panthers
Big players show up in big games and JOjnathan Stewart did that on Sunday. Carolina was facing off against the top seed in the NFC in the Minnesota Vikings. Carolina walked away with a 31-24 victory and Stewart had a big hand in that. He reached the 100 yard mark for the second time this season, finishing with 103 yards on 16 carries and also had three touchdowns. He got the game started with a tremendous 60-yard dash to pay dirt that put the Panthers up 7-0 in the first quarter. His three touchdowns on Sunday matched his season total to that point and the carries and yards were the most this season for the 30-year old running back. If Stewart can keep this going the final few games of the season and into the post season, then the Panthers could be well on their way to making a lot of noise in the post season
Worst:
New York Jets
After what the Jets managed to pull off against Kansas City last week, fans of the team might want to commit that to memory, because it didn't happen against Denver. The Jets managed 100 yards on the day. Not 100 passing or rushing yards, but 100 yards of TOTAL offense, which was their worst offensive output since 2010. With those numbers, its no surprise that the Jets were shut out 23-0 by the Broncos. They could really do nothing right in this game, on either side of the ball, and it showed in this one. Josh McCown was awful, going 6-for-12 for 46 yards before suffering a broken left hand that will likely end his season. Backup Bryce Petty was worse, going 2-for-9 for just 14 yards, including badly missing Robbie Anderson for what could have been a surefire score. Just hen I thought the Jets might show some life and look like they MIGHT be able to make the push to become a playoff team, they go out and do that. Bad time to decide to lay an egg gang green.
Best:
Kareem Hunt, Running Back Kansas City Chiefs
There was a bit of a spell during the season where Kareem Hunt looked like he may have hit a wall. He hadn't been able to find the holes like he once did. He looked a little unsure of himself. But Sunday, in the Kansas City 26-15 win over the Raiders, Hunt found his game again and it was needed in a big way. Hunt had 25 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown and added 22 more yards on three catches. Hunt hadn’t rushed for over 100 yards since Week 5, and his touchdown was the first rushing score since Week 3. Kansas City needed this win in a bad way, and tSunday night for Bills vs Colts was a winter wonderlan.d hanks to Hunt and the defense, the Chiefs improved to 7-6 to keep pace with the red-hot Los Angeles Chargers atop the AFC West with three weeks left to play.
Worst:
Ending Of Seahawks-Jaguars
Jacksonville won the game 30-24, but that was just the start of it. Fans started throwing things at the field, which was just plain stupid. Then it went to another level. As Seattle defensive end Quinton Jefferson. Jefferson decided to take note of it, walked over towards the stands and start having a shouting match with the fans. Then, to make things worse, he started to try and climb into the crowd going after the fans. That can't happen. Fans are out there and I would have loved to see video of that fans reaction when Jefferson started to climb up to go after the guy. It had been a choppy football game and the Seahawks had a rough night. Jacksonville is sitting at 9-4 and was poised to make the playoffs. The way this football game ended Sunday night is I think one both organizations want to try and forget.
Best:
Pittsburgh Steelers Killer B's
Going into this Sunday's game, the Ravens looked like they had a solid defense, one that was ranked 7th overall in the league. If you hadn't watched a game all year until Sunday, you would have thought this Ravens team was a joke. Pittsburgh beat the Ravens 39-38 in dramatic fashion and the Killer B's of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown were all feeling it on Sunday Night. Rothlisberger threw for an eye popping 506 yards passing, to go along with two touchdown tosses. Bell totaled 125 yards and three touchdowns, and Brown caught 11 passes for 213 yards. All told, Pittsburgh racked up 545 yards, 31 first downs, and 39 points. Somehow, it was barely good enough to edge the Ravens by a point. Baltimore played out of their minds but the Killer B's were just that much better in helping the Steelers win the division.
Worst:
Marvin Lewis, Head Coach Cincinnati Bengals
There are some who might come to wonder if Marvin Lewis day's as head coach of the Bengals might be numbered. First, there was blowing the lead against the Steelers on Monday night the week before. Now, the Bengals get rolled over, 33-7, by the Bears. Embarrassing only begins to describe it. At home, the Bengals lost by 26 points to a Bears team that came in with a 3-9 record and hadn’t won since October 22nd. Look I'll give credit where its due, Cincinnati didn't look very good before Lewis came aboard to run this team. He's done a fantastic job bringing this team back to respectability. But with the way things have gone this year, Marvin Lewis days have been numbered. He might not get fired but his contract is up at the end of the year, so that will probably be the end of the line. I almost feel bad for him with the way things have gone this year.
Best:
LeSean McCoy, Running Back Buffalo Bills
Sundays game between the Bills and Colts was played in a winter wonderland. Snow was falling all over the place, it really was a pretty sight to see. Buffalo walked away with a 13-7 overtime victory and Shady McCoy was a HUGE reason Buffalo was able to come away with the win. Buffalo’s passing game was pretty much inert. The Bills managed just 92 total yards through the air. So for most of the game, the offense ran through McCoy. He finished with 156 yards on 32 carries and won the game for Buffalo in overtime on a 21-yard dash for glory. it might also be worth noting that Frank Gore had 130 yards on the ground for the Colts as well, which was a big reason why the Colts ALMOST came away with the win, but McCoy's scamper near the end of the game helped Buffalo come away with the victory.
Worst:
Oakland Raiders Offense
To say that the Raiders offense has been a mess this year would be an understatement. Oakland went into the game at 6-6 and had a chance to take a lead in the AFC West with a win, but that didn't happen as the Chiefs walked away with the win. Kansas City got torched by the Jets last weekend, but they showed up against the Raiders, shutting down the Raiders run game and making Derek Carr look uncomfortable. Carr completed just 24-of-41 passes and was generally out of sorts. It’s just a continuation of what we’ve seen all year long. Whether it’s due to Oakland firing offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave after last year, or a case of Carr simply regressing, he’s taken a step back. As such, so have the Raiders, who had no answers Sunday.
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