Teams hold on to quarterbacks too long, even if they probably know it’s a bad idea. Fear of the unknown at quarterback leads to bad decisions. Too often franchises believe it’s better to have a proven mediocre QB than gamble on a new one and end up with complete ineptitude. Bottoming out at QB led to the firing of head coaches and general managers.
So the Minnesota Vikings had an unusual offseason. It was a reason everyone gave up on them. The Vikings have moved on from Kirk Cousins, who reportedly declined to extend their offer to their QB in six seasons. The Atlanta Falcons came in with a better offer, leaving the Vikings without a quarterback at all.
The 2024 Vikings story can’t change how teams approach aging quickly or average quarterbacks. But their path shows that a team doesn’t have to settle for a less-than-ideal alternative because they worry about what might happen next. The Vikings saw firsthand that they made the right decision in Sunday’s 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Cousins’ slump continued Sunday. He has thrown two interceptions, giving him no touchdowns and eight interceptions in his past four games as the Falcons’ hold on first place in the NFC South continues to slip. Cousins looks like what he was, coming off an Achilles injury at age 36. That’s not to say the Vikings are geniuses — they tried to bring Cousins back — but their refusal to overpay Cousins when they knew it would be a mistake should be applauded. Many parties will not make the same decision. Most teams will give blank checks and pray for better results.
Meanwhile, Sam Darnold was signed to a one-year deal by the Vikings and has been a revelation. Darnold became the season-long starter when first-round draft pick JJ McCarthy went down with a knee injury in the preseason, and he’s been much better than Cousins this season. Darnold was superb on Sunday, throwing for 347 yards and a career-best five touchdowns. He completed 16 of 18 passes for 250 yards in the second half alone. Other than a brief midfield struggle with turnovers, Darnold had a tremendous year and was a big reason the Vikings went 11-2.
The Vikings believed their coaching staff would get more out of their next quarterback than overpaying Cousins, and they were right. Now the Falcons are stuck with Cousin Bill, and it’s not cheap.
The Vikings have another decision to make next offseason. Darnold was only on a one-year contract. McCarthy should be healthy enough to step in as a starter. Whatever happens next offseason, the Vikings will do it on their terms. That worked out for this season.
Here are the winners and losers for the rest of Week 14 of the NFL season:
the winners
Puka Nakuya: Nacua has had some injury problems this season, but he’s proving his rookie season was no fluke.
The Rams relied heavily on Nacua and he led the way to a 44-42 upset win over the Buffalo Bills. Nacua had 12 catches for 162 yards and made a play every time the Rams needed one. The biggest play came on third-and-5 with the Bills trailing 38-35 at the two-minute warning. The Rams dialed a receiver screen for Nacua and he took it in for a 19-yard score. The Rams played well enough to beat Josh Allen, who became the first player in NFL history to have three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a game.
The Rams improved to 7-6 and are still alive in the NFC West race. As long as Nacua stays healthy, he will be a big part of the Rams’ playoff push.
Seattle Seahawks: If the Los Angeles Rams lose on Sunday, the Seahawks could be a close lock for the NFC West title.
They didn’t have as bad a day as before. The Seahawks got off to a hot start and completed a season sweep over the Arizona Cardinals with a 30-18 win. That gives the Cardinals and 8-5 Seahawks a two-game lead in the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Seahawks still have to contend with the 7-6 Rams, who got a big win on Sunday, and the 6-7 49ers aren’t completely dead after beating the Bears. But a 4-0 record since the bye week gives Seattle a great shot to take the division.
Dave Canales: Through Canales’ first eight games as an NFL head coach, his Carolina Panthers looked historically awful. Given the impatience of Panthers owner David Tepper, the team’s 1-7 start was not good news for the embattled head coach.
Give Canales credit, because he and the Panthers look like a new team.
The Panthers didn’t win Sunday, but their competitive 22-16 loss to a Philadelphia Eagles team that looked like a viable Super Bowl contender showed just how far they’ve come. The Panthers fought hard, taking the lead in the fourth quarter before the Eagles pulled away for the win. Carolina had a shot to take the lead late in the game, but rookie receiver Xavier Leggett missed a touchdown on a deep pass in the final minute. The Panthers came close to getting a road win over one of the best teams in the NFL.
Bryce Young’s improvement after his benching also bodes well for Canales. Young didn’t have a great game Sunday against a good Eagles defense, but he looked much better than he did earlier in the season. The Panthers are 2-3 in their last five games but have lost to the Chiefs, Buccaneers and Eagles. Assuming the Panthers stay competitive the rest of the season, this is a nice way for the Canales to enter the offseason.
New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders: No one is watching the scoreboard for early December draft picks, but a Jacksonville Jaguars win on Sunday could be good news for the Giants and Raiders.
Three 2-10 teams came into Week 14 and one of them won. The Jaguars won an ugly game against the Tennessee Titans, beating them 10-6 on a fourth quarter touchdown. They got a big stop late in the game after the Titans drove to the Jaguars’ 9-yard line. Will Lewis misses Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the end zone on fourth down.
Players and coaches don’t push for draft pick positions, and the Jaguars will be happy to win. But it’s the type of win that could mean something when the draft order is set.
Aaron Rodgers, even in the loss: Rodgers arguably had his best days with the New York Jets. And it has yet to yield a win.
Rodgers threw for a season-best 339 yards and a field goal to give his team the lead with less than a minute left, but the Jets allowed the Dolphins to go down and tie the game in the final seconds on a Jason Sanders field goal. The Dolphins got the ball first in overtime and Johnnu Smith, who had not had a catch in the first four quarters, had three receptions on Miami’s first drive in overtime, including one for the game-winning touchdown in a 32-26 victory. The loss eliminated the Jets from the playoffs, extending their streak to 14 seasons without a playoff berth. It’s the longest drought in the NFL.
It’s hard to blame Rodgers for Sunday’s loss. He looked good in all seasons. Rodgers reportedly wants to continue playing through 2025, and seems unlikely to stay with the Jets. He may audition for a new team next season. He looked pretty good on Sunday, and a few more performances like this could give him some renewed hope for better overall results next season.
to lose
Chicago Bears in the first half: Last week against the Detroit Lions, the Bears didn’t get a first down until 51 seconds into the half. The Lions were outscored 279-53 in the first half.
And somehow, their first half against the San Francisco 49ers was even worse.
The Bears played one of the worst halves of football a team could play in their 38-13 loss to the 49ers. They were outshot 319-4 by the Bears and had a first down at halftime. 49 players had 14. Brock Purdy went 16 of 18 for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
The Bears have played better in the second half each of the last two weeks, but their curious struggles in the first half have given them impossible holes to work with.
Brian Double: The New York Giants couldn’t catch a break.
Ultimately, a 14-11 loss to the New Orleans Saints would help the Giants in the 2025 NFL Draft. But Sunday hurts. The Giants were awful on offense behind quarterback Drew Lock through three quarters, but had a shot to send it to overtime on a 35-yard field goal in the final seconds. But Saints lineman Brian Bracey jumped over the line to block the kick, giving the Saints the win.
The 2-11 Giants won’t have much of a chance to win this season. And a 2-15 finish could test the patience of their third-year head coaching ownership.
Another injured Las Vegas Raiders QB: Antonio Pierce’s first full season as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders has been a nightmare, and it’s unlikely to get any better.
The Raiders already lost Gardner Minshew II to a season-ending injury, and they lost their second quarterback to what looked like a serious injury on Sunday. Aidan O’Connell took a cheap shot from Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Kalijah Cancy, who pushed O’Connell back after the pass. An unsuspecting O’Connell stepped awkwardly as he was going down and hurt his leg. He was released on an air cast. It’s a rough way for O’Connell’s season to end, if the injury is as bad as it looks and lands him on injured reserve.
Gene Steratore said Calijah Canci should have clearly been flagged for a passer penalty. Tough look for the Bucs.
Aiden O’Connell was ruled out after this injury. Desmond Ryder is at QB. pic.twitter.com/NUtndxHFrS
— The Pewter Plank (@ThePewterPlank) December 8, 2024
The Raiders lost 28-13, falling to 2-11 this season. Pierce needs to make an impression with third-string quarterback Desmond Ryder. It won’t be easy.
Jameis Winston: There have been moments where it looked like Winston might be the Cleveland Browns’ answer at quarterback in 2025. Then he has moments when it seems like a terrible plan.
Winston with the Browns, which has been his entire NFL career, looked great for stretches and then made key mistakes. He didn’t even have that promising stretch on Sunday, as he and the Browns were shut out by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who avenged a loss in Cleveland two weeks ago. The Browns’ offense did little in the 27-14 loss, with Winston throwing two interceptions. Winston will likely continue to play, unless the Browns want to look at Dorian Thompson-Robinson. At this point, they and everyone else should know what Winston is as a quarterback.
