This article is part of our NFL Reactions series.
-Jared Goff injured his thumb in Sunday's loss to Seattle, leaving him in some doubt for Week 17. The Rams will turn to former Wake Forest non-prospect John Wolford if Goff can't play. Darrell Henderson (12 carries for 62 yards) did reasonably well against Seattle, but it's still not clear that Sean McVay especially values Henderson in the long run.
AJ Dillon's big game against the Packers was a convincing demonstration of how his talent is safely superior to that of Jamaal Williams. No matter how much the Packers love Aaron Jones, Dillon's talent at such a discounted contract figure will be a compelling factor as the Packers watch Jones and Williams head to free agency. Dillon could very quickly go from a 2020 afterthought to a hyped early-round 2021 selection depending on how the offseason unfolds.
-Sunday was an embarrassing day for Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski, even with all of Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge unavailable for COVID protocol reasons. The Jets' cornerback situation wasn't much better, after all – they were without two of their best corners in Brian Poole and Javelin Guidry – so it's not enough to blame Marvin Hall and JaMarcus Bradley for Mayfield going 28-of-53 for 285 yards. Maybe Mayfield will be a good NFL quarterback in the long run, but he doesn't seem like the type to carry an NFL offense.
-Ben Roethlisberger played what was arguably his best half of
-Jared Goff injured his thumb in Sunday's loss to Seattle, leaving him in some doubt for Week 17. The Rams will turn to former Wake Forest non-prospect John Wolford if Goff can't play. Darrell Henderson (12 carries for 62 yards) did reasonably well against Seattle, but it's still not clear that Sean McVay especially values Henderson in the long run.
AJ Dillon's big game against the Packers was a convincing demonstration of how his talent is safely superior to that of Jamaal Williams. No matter how much the Packers love Aaron Jones, Dillon's talent at such a discounted contract figure will be a compelling factor as the Packers watch Jones and Williams head to free agency. Dillon could very quickly go from a 2020 afterthought to a hyped early-round 2021 selection depending on how the offseason unfolds.
-Sunday was an embarrassing day for Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski, even with all of Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge unavailable for COVID protocol reasons. The Jets' cornerback situation wasn't much better, after all – they were without two of their best corners in Brian Poole and Javelin Guidry – so it's not enough to blame Marvin Hall and JaMarcus Bradley for Mayfield going 28-of-53 for 285 yards. Maybe Mayfield will be a good NFL quarterback in the long run, but he doesn't seem like the type to carry an NFL offense.
-Ben Roethlisberger played what was arguably his best half of 2020 football in the second half of Sunday's 28-24 win over the Colts, overcoming a brutal start to the game to finish 34-of-49 for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Although Diontae Johnson continued to prove inefficient with his target volume (eight catches for 75 yards and one touchdown on 14 targets), he might prove a better fit in the slot if JuJu Smith-Schuster (nine catches for 96 yards and one touchdown on 13 targets) walks in free agency.
-Jonathan Taylor continued to look great, taking 18 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh. For some reason, the people who compared him to Trent Richardson don't seem as eager to offer the suggestion at this point. Taylor is potentially racing his way toward the top five of 2021 draft boards. Frank Reich has generally preferred to utilize two obviously inferior tight ends in Trey Burton and Jack Doyle, but Burton is on a one-year deal and the Colts can save $9.8 million over the next two years if they cut Doyle, who turns 31 in May. Mo Alie-Cox is the best tight end on the Colts by magnitudes and Reich might be financially compelled to understand that by the time the 2021 season starts.
-Everyone knows by now that Tee Higgins is good, but there still isn't an appropriate appreciation of his star-level talent. After catching six receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown on nine targets, Higgins is up to 67 receptions for 898 yards and six touchdowns on 107 targets (62.6 percent catch rate, 8.4 YPT). It was probably mostly due to the brutally bad Houston defense, but Samaje Perine deserves some credit for running all over the Texans on Sunday, taking 13 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns while adding four receptions for 41 yards on four targets. Still just 25, Perine might yet be able to stick around the NFL for longer.
-It will be interesting to see how 2021 fantasy drafts receive David Montgomery, who went over 1,000 rushing yards Sunday by running for 95 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against Jacksonville. It seemed that many of Montgomery's 2020 investors lamented their Montgomery shares prior to Week 12, from which point the second-year back when on a rampage. He was a strong fantasy RB1 in the season's final six weeks.
-DJ Chark (four catches for 62 yards and one touchdown on seven targets) and Laviska Shenault (five catches for 48 yards and one touchdown on seven targets) both produced against Chicago despite the Mike Glennon anchor tied around the Jaguars offense -- it will be a compelling 2021 breakout scenario for one or both wideouts if the Jaguars land Trevor Lawrence in the draft.
-Dwayne Haskins was brutal against Carolina, completing only 14-of-28 attempts for 154 yards and two interceptions before Taylor Heinicke replaced him. Heinicke did well, completing 12-of-19 attempts for 137 yards and a touchdown even without Terry McLaurin. It would not be surprising if Haskins is released soon. Steven Sims (four catches for 52 yards on six targets) should have been Washington's WR2 all year, but it's not clear whether Ron Rivera realizes it yet.
-Curtis Samuel was Carolina's most impressive player against Washington, leading the team with 52 yards on seven carries and catching five of five targets for a team-leading 106 yards. He's an unrestricted free agent after this breakout season, and Carolina might have spotlighted him to the point that they can't afford to keep him around.
