Flea-flickers, Niners notions and torn ligaments – our review of NFL Week 14

If you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan, you may want to stop reading now...

By / NFL / 6 years ago

Week fourteen of the National Football League may have been the most competitive yet. Naturally, there’s a lot to talk about. However, if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan, you may want to stop reading now.

Fall, Eagles, Fall

You’ve read this script before. It happened last year. The Raiders looked the best team in football – all set for a mammoth showdown against the Patriots in the AFC Championship. Then, Derek Carr got seriously injured.

While it’s still early days according to the most important men in the media, the signs are not good and the probable verdict is in: Wentz likely has a torn ACL that will, of course, end his season. It will effectively end the Eagles’ season too.

While the defensive front that consists of Brandon Graham and Co. are one of the NFC’s elite run-stuffing units, Wentz’s play has been nothing short of spectacular and has notched up the fourth-highest QB rating of any sophomore quarterback in the history of the statistic.

Niner Notions

The San Francisco 49ers were the worst-built team in the NFL three years ago. Now, due to some crafty moves from General Manager John Lynch, a clever head coaching appointment and a rake of early draft picks, they’re ready for a fast track to the top.

It might seem premature, but their defensive front consists of Solomon Thomas, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead. They’re all top-seventeen picks, and the eldest of them (Armstead) is 24. They’re backed up the best linebacker under the age of 25 in football – Reuben Foster. The biggest piece of the puzzle was a quarterback – and they nabbed the Patriots’ heir apparent to Tom Brady. They still possess All-Pro left tackle Joe Staley.

And the most important piece of the puzzle is that they’ll likely not win enough games to have a worse draft pick than fifth overall. When you consider it’s a quarterback-heavy class, they’re going to benefit even more from wheeling and dealing – while likely nabbing the best non-QB available. Watch out.

Bolt Bruisers

The Chargers might be the best put-together team in football. Phillip Rivers, once again, dissected a hapless Washington team – tearing Josh Norman apart with a combination of first-play bombs and a flea-flicker to Keenan Allen.

When you add in the speed of Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams; factor in the best young Tight End in football (Henry), as well as his elder statesman (Gates); as well as an elite running back in Melvin Gordon – nobody should want to face these Bolts in the playoffs.

That’s frightening enough, but that’d only one side of all the ball. They’ve two Pro Bowl defensive ends in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram; two potentially Pro Bowl corners in Trevor Williams and Casey Hayward, as well as a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender in Desmond King. Add in the key factor – health. They’re the healthiest team in the NFL – and availability is the number one trait of any football player.

Rivers might yet grab his moment in the sun.

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