Monday 10 December 2018 18:17, UK
Neil Reynolds picks six storylines from Week 14, including the stellar play of Patrick Mahomes, the Miami Miracle, and the slipping Steelers...
That was one of the wildest Sundays in living NFL memory and I don't think that would be an exaggeration to make such a bold statement.
We had the Miracle in Miami as the Dolphins saw off the New England Patriots, there were overtime thrillers in Kansas City and Dallas, and a game between Oakland and Pittsburgh that was decided when the Steelers' kicker slipped and fell on his backside while attempting the tying field goal.
It was that kind of 'you couldn't make it up' day in the NFL. Here are six of my big takeaways.
The great Peter King took time out of writing his always-awesome Football Morning in America column on Sunday night to reflect on the big talking points around the league. And one of his big takeaways was that Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes had played the game of his young NFL career in leading the Chiefs to a 27-24 overtime win over Baltimore.
I would have to agree.
Mahomes took literally everything that Baltimore's aggressive and cunning defense could throw at him. His final numbers were very good as he went 35 of 53 for 377 yards and two touchdowns, but some of his individual plays with the game on the line proved how truly special this young man is and will be.
Down by seven and facing a fourth-and-nine with 1:29 remaining, Mahomes didn't even blink. Rolling right and away from a fierce pass rush, he delivered a 48-yard pass to a banged-up Tyreek Hill. It broke all the rules of quarterback play because you're never supposed to throw back across your body. And it was sensational.
He delivered the game-tying touchdown - also on fourth down - and then put the Chiefs in position to kick the winning field goal in overtime. That was one of Mahomes' sternest tests so far… and he passed with flying colours.
The Dolphins had played the Patriots tough for 59 minutes and 53 seconds but looked set to come up just short as they trailed 33-28 with the ball at their own 31-yard line with seven ticks left on the clock.
All that could deliver a Miami win would be an unlikely miracle.
But that's just what the Dolphins received as Ryan Tannehill passed over the middle to Kenny Stills. He lateraled to DeVante Parker who did the same to running back Kenyan Drake. And then things got truly sensational as Drake weaved through Patriots, raced past a flailing Rob Gronkowski and into the end zone for the walk-off 69-yard score.
It was breath-taking stuff from a Miami point of view, but why was Gronk even playing the safety position for New England? I understand that he normally takes up that position on Hail Mary plays, but were Miami really going to heave up a 70-yard Hail Mary? I don't think there was any way, especially considering Tannehill had left the game earlier with a shoulder injury.
As spectacular as Miami's finish was, questions have to be asked of Bill Belichick and the Patriots. I have to wonder if Devin McCourty takes the same bad angle and makes the same lumbering attempt at a tackle with the game on the line. Probably not.
I'm going to assume the runner-up in the AFC West is nailed down as the fifth seed in the AFC playoff race. But the march to the sixth spot is going to turn into a full-on, furious fight in the coming weeks.
After this weekend's results, Baltimore, Miami, Tennessee and Indianapolis are tied at 7-6 and dreaming of the post-season. That group represents differing playing styles and would present varying challenges to the higher seeds.
Of that quartet, I trust the Dolphins the least but how can we write them off after Sunday's miracle win over New England? They are scrappy, resilient and refuse to be counted out.
Baltimore and Tennessee are built for playoff football but it is the Colts who have the best quarterback in the group in Andrew Luck. And that's why I still fancy them for the final spot, even with considerable holes still littering their roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers did not play well for large parts of their game against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday and you could argue that they deserved to fall to a 24-21 defeat.
But having moved into field goal range with a miracle play of their own - Ben Roethlisberger threw a short pass to James Washington who lateraled to JuJu Smith-Schuster for a big gain down to the Oakland 22-yard line with five seconds remaining - the Steelers blew it in unique fashion.
Chris Boswell, who has been shaky all season long, slipped as he attempted the 40-yard field goal that would tie the game and the ball cannoned into the backside of one of his offensive linemen.
The Butt Field Goal just about summed up the current malaise of a Pittsburgh team that has now lost three in a row. It also put the exclamation point on another poor performance for Boswell, who was a Pro Bowler a year ago and deemed worthy of a $20m contract extension in the offseason. The troubled kicker also missed a 39-yard field goal in the first half.
I watched Amari Cooper in training camp with the Oakland Raiders this summer and he looked a troubled young man who was low on confidence and dealing with the weight of the world being placed on his shoulders. I stood close to the sidelines and watched Cooper lose one on one battles with defensive backs with less talent time and again.
He looked lost, easily-intimidated and nowhere near a first-round talent. With that in mind, quite a few of us in the media - myself included - scoffed when Cooper was acquired by the Dallas Cowboys in Week Eight for a first round draft pick.
But what a difference a change of scenery has made for Cooper and what a difference the addition of one key player has made for a Dallas Cowboys team that won for the fifth game in a row on Sunday, seeing off the Philadelphia Eagles 29-23 in overtime.
Cooper scored the winning touchdown to cap an amazing night in which he caught 10 passes for 217 yards and three scores. I'm not sure Dallas' play calling always puts him in the best position to succeed and my own personal jury is still out on Dak Prescott, but Cooper adds a new dimension to the Cowboys and brings life to an offense that was merely trundling along before his arrival.
There is no doubt in my mind that, like Mahomes, Baker Mayfield is going to be a special talent in the NFL for many years to come. He was instrumental in Cleveland's 26-20 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and is going to be the driving force of this franchise for the next decade and more.
Mayfield went 18 of 22 for 238 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a rating of 126.9 as the Browns picked up their fifth win of the year.
Again, like Mahomes, it was not always the overall numbers that impressed. It was one or two throws that proved just how special Mayfield is and is going to be for years to come. His 51-yard touchdown strike to Jarvis Landry was an absolute thing of beauty as he rolled left to avoid the pass rush before placing the ball into his receiver's hands with such accuracy that you would have thought he had walked the pigskin down the field. It was one of the best passes I have seen in the NFL this season.
The rebuild is gathering pace in Cleveland and, in Mayfield, the Browns certainly have the answer at the game's most important position.
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