DeShone Kizer, QB, Browns
Kizer has a lot to play for down the stretch. New GM John Dorsey will be carefully evaluating the rookie, as the Browns are on their way to a No. 1 pick in a quarterback-rich draft. If Kizer is going to convince Dorsey and the Browns that he can be the future of the franchise, he’s going to have to play significantly better than this. Yes, the Ravens have a quality defense, but Kizer’s 146 yards, two interceptions, and fumble lost simply aren’t good enough and represent one of his worst efforts of the entire season.
It’s sometimes hard to figure out exactly how the Titans are a playoff contender. Marcus Mariota’s play wasn’t as bad as it has been in recent weeks, but against the lowly 49ers, they were comprehensively outgained and outplayed by Jimmy Garoppolo and San Francisco. The Titans had 328 yards overall, with 90 of them coming on the ground in a very deliberate gameplan. This should have been a win. It’s hard to see what they’re trying to accomplish.
The Packers — or perhaps the NFL scheduler — did Rodgers few favors here. The quarterback’s return came against a Carolina defense that boasts one of the best fronts in the game. He was pressured frequently, but in his first game back after breaking his collarbone, it was his timing that was most alarmingly off. He threw three interceptions, including a couple of badly underthrown balls, and looked extremely rusty. You have to wonder if we’ll see him again this season given that the defeat to the Panthers all but eliminates Green Bay from playoff contention.
The New Orleans Saints probably should have beaten the New York Jets by a much wider margin than 31-19 on Sunday, but Brandon Coleman’s mistakes made things a lot closer than they should have been. Coleman lost two fumbles in the red zone, costing the Saints potentially as much as 14 points. Those were his first two career fumbles.
“That’s not in my DNA to fumble the ball,” Coleman said after the game, via Nola.com. “I’m not going to hold my head down. I know it’s not a part of my game, so just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Coleman was credited with three catches for 20 yards and two lost fumbles.
Jordy Nelson, WR, Packers
You’d have been forgiven for thinking Nelson would be the major beneficiary of Aaron Rodgers’ return. The biggest problem for Nelson was that Rodgers wasn’t sharp. The receiver was targeted six times but came away with only three of them for a modest 28 yards. Everything seemed to align for Nelson to have a big day — Davante Adams’s injury should have led to more looks, but it didn’t. Perhaps things will get better for him next week.
What was Derek Carr thinking? The Raiders quarterback made a terrible decision to try and dive for the end zone on a 3rd-and-3 play from the Dallas 8 with under 40 seconds remaining in Oakland’s Sunday night game. Not only was he well short when he tried to dive, but he lost control of the football, which was knocked out of bounds, giving possession and hence the game to Dallas. Earlier in the drive he missed a wide open throw and nearly was intercepted twice. In what has been a continued trend throughout the season, Carr was just not very sharp — or smart — in the game.
A.J. Green, WR, Bengals
The Bengals were overwhelmed by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and Green in particular was wiped out by the team’s elite pass defense. He had Xavier Rhodes and/or a double team on him all day, and it showed in the results — just two catches for 30 yards, his worst tally in both categories in about a month and a half. Green has an excuse, and his team was never really in this game in the first place, but that won’t make Green any less disappointed.
With a chance to firmly establish their AFC playoff credentials, the Chargers laid an egg in Kansas City on Saturday night, with Rivers prominent in the failure. He threw his first interception since Nov. 12 — and then threw two more for a total of three, forcing a whole lot of bad throws. If the Chargers do miss out on the playoffs, they’ll look back on this game as a missed opportunity, especially with Rivers’ underwhelming performance.
