Mountaineers among the pros: week 14
Week 14 of the NFL season rolled around this weekend and with it many important matchups featuring former Mountaineers.
Geno Smith
Smith and the Seahawks played in a crucial game when it came to the NFC West division as they headed to the Arizona Cardinals.
Smith and the Seattle offense got off to a strong start, scoring 17 points in the first quarter, eventually defeating the Cardinals 30–18. Smith passed for 233 yards and a touchdown, earning him a 79.2 overall grade from PFF.
Seattle remains atop the NFC West with one game. They face the Packers at home on Sunday night.
Dante Stills and Kyzir White
On the other side of the field were Dante Stills and Kyzir White, as the Cardinals came off their bye week.
White made 13 total tackles, which was the second most on the team. Stills finished the game with three total tackles. White had an 82.5 grade Sunday, the best among all Cardinals defenders.
Arizona entered the week with a 40 percent chance of making the playoffs, but that figure dropped to just 12 percent after the loss. They host the New England Patriots this week.
Rasul Douglas
Douglas and the Bills didn’t have a defensive performance to brag about.
The Bills lost for the first time since early October, falling to the Los Angeles Rams, 44-42 on Sunday. Douglas finished the game with six total tackles, but had an overall rating of 43.6 as his defense gave up 320 yards through the air and another 137 on the ground.
Buffalo had already clinched their division, but they are now two games behind the Chiefs for first place in the AFC overall standings. They will face the NFC leaders Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Bonnet Bishop and Zach Frazier
The Steelers faced another division rival this week, as they took on the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers won the game 44-38, improving to 9-3 on the season.
Frazier continues to impress as a rookie, as he earned PFF’s second-highest pass blocking grade on the Steelers this week. He has an overall grade of 77.7 this season. Among rookie offensive linemen, Frazier has the third-best grade in the NFL and the best run-blocking grade in 2024.
Bishop played just six snaps on defense this week, finishing with two total tackles. The Steelers face the Browns at home this week.
Colton McKivitz
The 49ers got back on track with a comfortable 38-13 win over the Bears on Sunday.
McKivitz earned a 65.1 overall grade and earned his fourth-best pass blocking grade of the season. San Francisco is 6-7 and they currently have an eight percent chance of making the playoffs. They will face the Rams at home on Thursday in a short week.
David Long Jr.
Long Jr. and the Detroit Lions continued their momentum, beating the Packers 34-31 on Thursday.
Long made only one tackle but recovered a fumble in the victory. He totaled 16 snaps, which was the most he had played in his three games with Detroit.
The Lions sit in first place in the NFC, but will have a tough test against the Bills this week.
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