Here are the Week 14 grades for each team
15 min read
When a team scores 48 points in a win, you usually end up talking about their offense after the game, but in the Chiefs‘ 48-9 victory over the Raiders on Sunday, it was their defense that stood out the most.
The Chiefs’ defense came up with big play after big play in the win and it all started on the first play from scrimmage when Mike Hughes picked up a Josh Jacobs fumble and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown and after that, the rout was on.
It’s fitting that Kansas City got its first touchdown off a turnover, because that ended up being the story of the game. Overall, the Chiefs forced a total of five turnovers against the Raiders and those turnovers would end up leading to a total of 28 points. It was the most turnovers the Chiefs’ defense has forced in a game since 2018.
The Chiefs forced three of those five turnovers in the first half, which was a big reason why Kansas City was able to take a 35-3 lead into intermission.
The Chiefs’ defense has been the story of their six-game winning streak. What Kansas City’s defense has accomplished during the streak is nothing short of impressive and that’s because during the first seven weeks of the season, the Chiefs appeared to have one of the worst defenses in football.
During the Chiefs’ 3-4 start, the defense surrendered more than 400 yards per game and only tallied seven turnovers. However, during their six-game winning streak, the defense has turned up the heat, surrendering just 311.7 yards per game while racking up 16 turnovers. The most impressive statistic, though, is the fact that no one has been able to score on the Chiefs. In their first seven games, the defense gave up 29 points per game, but during their six-game winning streak, that number is down to 10.9 points per game.
The revival of the Chiefs’ season has coincided with the revival of their defense. Every week, the unit comes through with big plays and this week was no different. Besides Hughes’ touchdown, we also saw Tyrann Matheiu pick off a pass AND recover a fumble. The Chiefs have also gotten much better at getting pressure on the quarterback. Against the Raiders alone, Kansas City racked up four sacks with Alex Okafor providing 1.5 of those.
The scariest part about the 2021 Chiefs is that their offense hasn’t even played its best football yet. If the offense starts firing on all cylinders, this is a team that’s going to be nearly impossible to beat.
Alright, let’s get to the grades for every game from Week 14. If you’re looking for a deeper dive on Minnesota’s wild win over the Steelers that was played on Thursday, be sure to click here.
Kansas City 48-9 over Las Vegas
Raiders-Chiefs grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 20-0 over Jacksonville
Jaguars-Titans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
New Orleans 30-9 over New York Jets
Saints-Jets grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Atlanta 29-21 over Carolina
Falcons-Panthers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 33-13 over Houston
Seahawks-Texans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 27-20 over Washington
Cowboys-Washington grades by Patrik Walker (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Cleveland 24-22 over Baltimore
Ravens-Browns grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
L.A. Chargers 37-21 over N.Y. Giants
Giants-Chargers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Denver 38-10 over Detroit
Lions-Broncos grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 26-23 over Cincinnati (OT)
49ers-Bengals grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tampa Bay 33-27 over Buffalo (OT)
Bills-Buccaneers grades by Tyler Sullivan (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
