Tuesday 12 December 2017 17:50, UK
Top marks are reserved for the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins after Week 14 in the NFL.
The Panthers overcame the Minnesota Vikings in a crucial NFC clash, the Chargers kept in contention for the AFC West title with a big win over the Washington Redskins, while the Dolphins shocked the New England Patriots on Monday night.
Which other teams stood out and which flopped? Here's a look at our weekly team grades...
Miami Dolphins (W 27-20 v New England)
Well who saw that coming? The Dolphins have had a poor season, particularly on offense, but here they were putting up 27 points on the Patriots, with Jay Cutler throwing three TDs no less. The play-offs remain a distant goal. Grade A+
Buffalo Bills (W 13-7 v Indianapolis) (OT)
Played amid a pounding blizzard, the Buffalo snow was so thick that the players would surely have found it easier in skis than boots. With the ball barely visible at times, the Bills ground (or ploughed) out a tough win to stay in the thick of the AFC wild card hunt, with LeSean McCoy's 157 rushing yards and walk-off TD proving the difference. Grade B+
New England Patriots (L 20-27 @ Miami)
An off night as the Patriots' eight-game win streak came to an abrupt halt on Monday. Tom Brady threw only the one TD to two interceptions, following up a scoreless outing in Buffalo. Cause for concern over the play of the 40-year-old QB? No. Not yet at least... Grade D
New York Jets (L 0-23 @ Denver)
The Jets have exceeded all expectations this year but will be disappointed with this performance against the struggling Broncos. With faint play-off dreams still lingering, the Jets simply could not get going, while Josh McCown's hand injury -which rules him out of the rest of the season - didn't help matters. Grade E
Pittsburgh Steelers (W 39-38 v Baltimore)
It seems a lifetime ago that the Steelers were suffering a mini crisis, with Ben Roethlisberger musing after a disastrous game against the Jaguars, saying that maybe he "doesn't have it anymore" after throwing five interceptions. Well, the Steelers have not lost since, and Big Ben showed that he does still have it, scorching one of the top defences in football for over 500 yards and two TDs. With their play-off spot now secure, next week's clash with New England will be vital for the post-season No 1 seeding. Grade A
Baltimore Ravens (L 38-39 @ Pittsburgh)
The Ravens will be furious with themselves after blowing a late lead to fall backwards in the wild card race - and against their divisional rivals to boot. On the bright side, their often sluggish offense put up 38 points, and with a final stretch that sees them play the Browns, Colts and Bengals, this team should still be in the mix come January. Grade B
Cleveland Browns (L 21-27 @ Green Bay) (OT)
In a season full of Cleveland heartbreak, this must be the worst yet. The Browns looked excellent at times and took a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter. Sadly, a series of late mistakes on both sides of the ball let them down, and the search for that elusive first win goes on. Grade C-
Cincinnati Bengals (L 7-33 v Chicago)
The flickering light that was the Bengals' faint play-off hopes was firmly extinguished this week with a dreadful home defeat to the lowly Bears. Defense against the run was a particular problem as they gave up well over 200 yards on the ground, while the offense was once again non-existent. Grade F
Jacksonville Jaguars (W 30-24 v Seattle)
The Jags beat Seattle playing some vintage Seattle football - hard running, big defensive plays and excellent game management. This is a team to be reckoned with, and with three straight forward games to finish the year, the Jags will surely be back in the post-season for the first time since 2007. Grade A
Indianapolis Colts (L 7-13 @ Buffalo) (OT)
The near-impenetrable Buffalo conditions makes this game hard to judge, as conventional strategies were quickly abandoned. As evidence, the Colts amazingly did not even attempt a pass until halfway through the second quarter, while every yard gained seemed like a minor miracle. While they lost, they deserve plenty of credit for sticking in there all the same. Grade C
Houston Texans (L 16-26 v San Francisco)
Houston have long been on auto-pilot this season as a number of high-profile injuries ended their campaign before it could really get going. There were some good things to enjoy despite defeat on Sunday though - DeAndre Hopkins had another monster game (149 yards, two TDs), while TJ Yates played well in a rare appearance at QB. Grade C-
Tennessee Titans (L 7-12 @ Arizona)
It is hard to believe sometimes that Tennessee are an 8-5 team. Even in their victories they have often been unconvincing, and here they struggled badly against injury-ravaged Arizona. To boot, Marcus Mariota had another underwhelming game, mustering just 159 passing yards with two picks. Grade D-
Los Angeles Chargers (W 30-13 v Washington)
After their 0-4 start, the Chargers looked like contenders for the number one draft pick. Since then they have gone 7-2, and this was one of their most impressive wins yet. A superb defensive display halted Washington completely, while Philip Rivers continued his excellent form with 319 yards and two TDs. Grade A+
Denver Broncos (W 23-0 v New York Jets)
Denver snapped an eight-loss streak in convincing fashion, with their victory being so easy that fans will surely wonder why they could not have done it sooner. Their vaunted defensive held New York to just 98 yards, while Trevor Siemian was steady under center with no turnovers. Grade A
Kansas City Chiefs (W 26-15 v Oakland)
That's more like it! With over 400 yards of offense and a resurgent performance from rookie runner Kareem Hunt, this looked like the Kansas City of September rather than the struggling group of late. The defense was particularly imposing, shutting Derek Carr and co out for almost the entire game. Next week sees their most important match to date - a potential division decider against the LA Chargers. Grade A-
Oakland Raiders (L 15-26 @ Kansas City)
This was a pivotal test for Oakland's play-off chances, and they failed badly. The Raiders were hopeless on offense for most of the game, with two late touchdowns putting a flattering shine on a poor performance. This was a big blow in a tight division, and with some tough games down the stretch, the post-season suddenly looks very distant. Grade E
Philadelphia Eagles (W 43-35 @ Los Angeles Rams)
Sealing the NFC East title following a tight win came at a huge cost for the Eagles as QB Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending knee injury, forcing Nick Foles to take over. Though he looked far from the polished article, Foles did enough to get the W. The bigger question remains if the back-up QB can lead the side to Super Bowl victory, which seems unlikely. Grade A
Dallas Cowboys (W 30-10 @ New York Giants)
It took until the third quarter for the Cowboys to really get going and keep alive their play-off chances. QB Dak Prescott's 54-yarder to receiver Cole Beasley, which led to a two-yard touchdown catch for Jason Witten was the highlight as they scored 27 unanswered points to seal victory. With Ezekiel Elliott's return just one game away now, the Cowboys must beat the Raiders to keep pace with the rest of the wild card chasing pack. Grade B+
New York Giants (L 10-30 v Dallas)
After head coach Ben McAdoo was fired at the beginning of the week, Eli Manning returned to the team but the QB was guilty of throwing two poor interceptions. But it was the Giants' offensive line that cost them dearly again in the second half as the home side were forced into seven consecutive punts. Grade D
Washington Redskins (L 13-30 @ Los Angeles Chargers)
For all the good work the Redskins have done this season there remains plenty to improve on as Kirk Cousins showed in a third quarter when he threw for just seven yards. Grade D
Chicago Bears (W 33-7 @ Cincinnati)
Rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky impressed as he took advantage of the Bengals side that was left dwindling due to numerous injuries. The Bears managed a total of 482 yards as their 27 unanswered points gave them a simple victory. Grade A
Detroit Lions (W 24-21 @ Tampa Bay)
Concerns over Matthew Stafford's injured hand looked overhyped as he drove the team down the field for the late game-winning field goal that kept the Lions alive in the play-off race. Grade B-
Green Bay Packers (W 27-21 @ Cleveland) (OT)
Another week, another overtime win that Brett Hundley should be applauded for. However, despite keeping the Packers' wild card hopes alive, there's still plenty of concerns after playing behind for long periods against a still-winless Cleveland team. Even if Aaron Rodgers does return next week to attempt to take his side into the post-season, he is facing an uphill battle. Grade C+
Minnesota Vikings (L 24-31 @ Carolina)
With the injuries beginning to rack up for the Vikings, QB Case Keenum was sacked six times during Sunday's clash with the Panthers. Head coach Mike Zimmer will be hoping this was just a blip on an otherwise brilliant season. Grade C
Carolina Panthers (W 31-24 v Minnesota)
Jonathan Stewart's opening 60-yard dash in the opening sequence of the match started the scoring for his side and set the tone for the match. The running back became the first player to pass the 100-yard mark against the Vikings this season, helping his team move alongside the Saints at the top of the South table. Grade A+
Atlanta Falcons (W 20-17 v New Orleans)
Without Deion Jones the Falcons' post-season hopes would be hanging by a thread but the linebacker's crucial interception in the endzone maintained his side's slender lead and put last year's Super Bowl runners-up in a wild card place spot following the Seahawks' loss. Grade B+
New Orleans Saints (L 17-20 @ Atlanta)
The Saints suffered hugely from losing Alvin Kamara at the end of the opening drive to concussion. With plenty of players suffering with injury at this stage of the season, QB Drew Brees never looked at ease with his makeshift offense. Grade B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (L 21-24 v Detroit)
Jameis Winston's three interceptions showed why but the Bucs so often come up short. Their offense continues to show potential and there must be hope that sooner or later all their cogs will come together in one season to put in a post-season worthy showing, but the worry right now is will that happen with Winston at the helm? Grade D
Arizona Cardinals (W 12-7 v Tennessee)
The Cardinals dealt a blow to their opponents' play-off hopes as Larry Fitzgerald moved into third on the all-time receiving yardage list while linebacker Chandler Jones also continue to impressed, taking his sack total to 14. Grade A
San Francisco 49ers (W 26-16 @ Houston)
Back-to-back wins on the road have not been something 49ers fans have witnessed since 2014, but new QB Jimmy Garoppolo has given his side much to cheerful for this festive season. Grade A
Los Angeles Rams (L 35-43 v Philadelphia)
Jared Goff fell just short of helping the Rams pull off an extraordinary victory, bringing his team back from 21-7 down to give them a 35-31 lead late in the game before they fell at the final hurdle. Grade C+
Seattle Seahawks (L 24-30 @ Jacksonville)
The Seahawks came up short against in Jacksonville as Russell Wilson threw three interceptions. The QB's mistakes proved too costly for him to claw back against the league's best defense. Grade C-
