NFL Reactions: Week 14

-Although he could have been better as a passer, Jalen Hurts was a clear upgrade over Carson Wentz in Sunday's win over New Orleans, who likely have one of the best defenses in the league. Strong defense or not, 17-of-30 for 167 yards and one touchdown is somewhat concerning as a passer. The 106 yards on 18 carries does a lot to ease that concern, especially for fantasy purposes. Hurts' presence may or may not have helped Miles Sanders, who probably deserves the game ball after generating 115 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries.
 

-Deebo Samuel suffered a hamstring injury on the first play from scrimmage for the 49ers, setting a disastrous trajectory they couldn't recover from against Washington. Brandon Aiyuk took up enormous volume in Samuel's absence, drawing 16 targets and catching 10 for 119 yards. At least it was an impressive showing for Aiyuk, who 62.5 percent catch rate and 7.4 yards per target both outpaced the passing production of regrettable quarterback Nick Mullens, whose 25-of-45 effort for 260 yards completed only 55.6 percent at 5.8 yards per attempt.

-Alex Smith (8-of-19 for 57 yards and one interception) left Washington's win over San Francisco with what the team called a minor calf injury. Dwayne Haskins (7-of-12 for 51 yards) replaced him on a day where the Washington defense did most of the work. Terry McLaurin depressingly had two catches for 24 yards on six targets.

-DeVante Parker (hamstring) left in the second quarter and Mike Gesicki (shoulder) left in the fourth, with the latter's injury looking somewhat concerning. Parker caught neither of his two targets before leaving, but Gesicki had a strong game prior to the injury, catching five receptions for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Even Jakeem Grant (leg) left with injury. Perhaps the Dolphins had no choice but get the ball to Lynn Bowden, but seven receptions for 82 yards on nine targets is promising. Bowden was an extremely effective yards-after-catch possession receiver at Kentucky and remains a good prospect despite his bizarre early career trajectory.

-The Chiefs offense was mostly unstoppable despite a few uncharacteristic struggles against Miami. Patrick Mahomes threw three interceptions but completed 24-of-34 attempts for 393 yards and two touchdowns, and he received a lot of help from his supporting cast otherwise. Travis Kelce remained exceptional (eight catches for 136 yards and one touchdown on 10 targets) while Tyreek Hill ran a 32-yard touchdown to shore up a slightly inefficient day receiving (three catches for 79 yards and one touchdown on seven targets). Some might see concern in the fact that Clyde Edwards-Helaire produced only 32 yards on 16 carries, but he was strong as a pass catcher (five catches for 59 yards on six targets) and pertinently drew 21 touches compared to Le'Veon Bell's four (two carries for 21 yards, two catches for 14 yards on three targets).

-It was a classic Derrick Henry Game for the Titans, who let the workhorse take 26 carries for 215 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville. It was also an A.J. Brown Game to a lesser extent, his seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown on nine targets somewhat overshadowed by Henry's yardage volume. Geoff Swaim (three catches for 34 yards and one touchdown on three targets) might be equal to or ahead of Anthony Firkser on the depth chart.

-Gardner Minshew was bad off the bench (18-of-31 for 178 yards and one touchdown) yet still clearly better than Mike Glennon (13-of-23 for 85 yards and one interception), who's truly offensively awful. James Robinson is nearly dud-proof -- he was looking at one but pulled off a 47-yard carry late to finish with 67 yards on 12 carries and four catches for 16 yards on four targets.

-In a game where not much else was working for the Arizona offense, DeAndre Hopkins went berserk against the notoriously tough coverage of Giants corner James Bradberry, as if the wideout saved the occasion for one of his best games of the year. Kyler Murray threw for just 244 yards yet Hopkins torched the Giants for nine receptions for 136 yards on 11 targets.

-Deshaun Watson didn't have much of a shot against the Bears without his top three receivers, but the Texans might have a useful player in Chad Hansen (seven catches for 56 yards on seven targets).

-Drew Lock overcame early struggles to torch the Panthers in the second half, somehow finishing 21-of-27 for 280 yards and four touchdowns. Lock hit KJ Hamler for two long strikes on three targets, generating 86 yards and two touchdowns.

-Teddy Bridgewater moved the ball somewhat (30-of-40 for 283 yards, 31 yards and one touchdown on three carries) but Mike Davis did a lot of the work for the Panthers, taking 11 carries for 51 yards and two touchdowns in addition to five receptions for 42 yards on six targets.

-Dalvin Cook ran strong against the Buccaneers (22 carries for 102 yards and one touchdown) but Kirk Cousins (24-of-37 for 225 yards and one touchdown) was a total dud, taking six sacks and weighing down Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson to a combined seven receptions for 78 yards on 12 targets. At least Irv Smith (four catches for 63 yards and one touchdown on four targets) did well.

-Perhaps Tom Brady could have done more than throw for 196 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings if necessary, but Ronald Jones (18 carries for 80 yards and one touchdown) and the Tampa defense did a lot of the work for him. Leonard Fournette was a healthy scratch, and LeSean McCoy took four carries for 32 yards.

-The Colts offense really might stay hot if it can preserve the recent momentum of T.Y. Hilton and Jonathan Taylor, both of whom enjoyed big games against the Raiders on Sunday. Taylor took 20 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns, while Hilton's seven targets resulted in five catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, the Raiders defense is quite poor.

-Russell Gage was good at receiver (five catches for 82 yards on seven targets) and quarterback (1-of-1 for 39 yards and one touchdown) against the Chargers, while Calvin Ridley was only good at the former (eight catches for 124 yards and one touchdown on 12 targets) and Matt Ryan was good at neither (21-of-32 for 224 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

-Justin Herbert didn't exactly get back on track (36-of-44 for 243 yards, two touchdowns and one interception) against the Falcons, but he at least got back on his feet somewhat in the 20-17 victory. Austin Ekeler did most of the work, but Keenan Allen (nine catches for 52 yards and one touchdown on 11 targets) drew a lot of attention at least. Mike Williams left the game with a back injury, which cleared the way for Tyron Johnson to catch six of seven targets for 55 yards and a touchdown. Johnson had previously only functioned as a speed decoy receiver.