NFL Week 14 winners and losers: Vikings receivers shine, Rams upset Bills in thriller

Several playoff contenders were on bye in Week 14 -- but that didn't make Sunday any less exciting.

Four of the seven games in the early window were decided by six points or less, including one that went to overtime and three others that were a late play away from a different outcome. Division races and potential playoff seeding were then impacted in the three-game late window.

This week could be a precursor to a hectic conclusion to the regular season. Bye weeks are now over, Saturday games will be added soon and there's even a Christmas tripleheader in the near future.

Here are the winners and losers from Week 14:

WINNER: Vikings wide receivers put on a show

Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have made life easy for Sam Darnold.

The Minnesota Vikings' star duo combined for 15 receptions, 265 yards and five touchdowns in Sunday's 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Darnold, to his credit, made a handful of big throws after evading a suddenly frisky Falcons pass rush. The veteran QB was 22 of 28 for 347 yards with all of his scores going to Jefferson (2) and Addison (3).

While the Vikings are now 11-2, the Falcons fell to 6-7 with their fourth straight loss. Minnesota is still in the mix to get the NFC's top seed, while Atlanta is in danger of a complete collapse. Kirk Cousins had two interceptions in his return to Minneapolis, giving him eight picks and no touchdowns during the Falcons' losing streak.

LOSER: Browns drought continues

Another year without a win in Pittsburgh for the Cleveland Browns.

After Sunday's 27-14 Steelers victory, the Browns have now lost 21 straight regular season games at Acrisure Stadium. Cleveland did win a playoff game in Pittsburgh, but their regular season drought now dates back to October 2003. The result also meant that Cleveland still hasn't swept Pittsburgh in a season since 1988.

The Steelers (10-3) got another step closer to returning to the postseason for the second straight year, while the Browns (3-10) continue to position themselves for a top draft pick. Russell Wilson had 158 yards and two touchdowns in another steady performance, while Jameis Winston had two touchdowns and two interceptions.

WINNER: NFC South battle heats up

The aforementioned Falcons loss, combined with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, has shifted the balance of power in the NFC South.

Tampa Bay is now 7-6, one game ahead of Atlanta -- who owns the tiebreaker by virtue of its season sweep over the Bucs. Even so, it's becoming clear that these two teams are trending in opposite directions with the season winding down.

The Bucs' win this week wasn't perfect, but they handled business against a lowly Raiders team. Baker Mayfield had three touchdowns and two interceptions, while the defense forced two turnovers of its own.

LOSER: Another heartbreaker for the Jets

The New York Jets keep finding new ways to lose.

This time it was against the Miami Dolphins in overtime, despite Aaron Rodgers putting together arguably his best effort of the year. The 41-year-old QB had 339 yards and a touchdown -- his first 300-yard game in his last 35 starts. But Miami forced extra time with a last-second field goal and then marched down the field on their next possession to seal the win.

The Dolphins, now 6-7, remain in the hunt to make the postseason. The Jets, meanwhile, are 3-10 in a lost season that can't end soon enough.

WINNER: Saquon Barkley inches closer to history

Saquon Barkley can't be stopped.

The Philadelphia Eagles running back had 124 yards and 20 carries in Sunday's 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers -- another historic performance in multiple ways. He became the Eagles' single-season rushing leader, passing LeSean McCoy in just 13 games. Barkley also stayed on pace to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. The star is at 1,623 yards with four weeks to play, needing 483 yards to surpass Dickerson's mark.

While Barkley was great again and the Eagles won again (their ninth straight), the Panthers put up an unexpectedly tough fight. The 3-10 Panthers lost by just six points and had a near game-winning touchdown in the final moments that was ruled incomplete. Bryce Young's turnaround continued as there's finally some hope in Carolina.

LOSER: Quarterbacks in New Jersey and Nashville

If you were a quarterback at MetLife Stadium or Nissan Stadium on Sunday, you had a rough afternoon.

Starting up in New Jersey, the New Orleans Saints defeated the New York Giants 14-11 on Graham Gano's missed field goal at the end of regulation. Drew Lock was 21 of 49 for 227 with no touchdowns and an interception for the Giants; Derek Carr was 20 of 31 with one touchdown and one interception for the Saints. The former started the game by going 0 for 8, the latter left in the fourth quarter with an injury that NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later reported is feared to be a fracture in his non-throwing hand.

Down in Nashville, Mac Jones and Will Levis went head to head in an AFC South matchup. The Jacksonville Jaguars scored the 10-6 road win over the Tennessee Titans, but it had little to do with their backup QB. Jones was 23 of 31 for 220 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. On the other side, Levis didn't had a turnover or a touchdown while totaling just 168 passing yards.

Winner: The Los Angeles Rams and the NFC West race

The Los Angeles Rams kept pace with the Seattle Seahawks thanks to their thrilling 44-42 upset win over the Buffalo Bills in what was the highest scoring game in the NFL this season. Matthew Stafford and the Rams put up a team-best 44 points, led by Puka Nacua, who had 12 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. Kyren Williams added 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a seven-yard run that gave the Rams a 31-14 lead midway through the third quarter. The Bills cut the Rams’ lead to three before Nacua answered with a 19-yard touchdown with 1:54 remaining.  

The Seahawks maintained their one-game lead over the Rams with their 30-18 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Zach Charbonnet ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns to help the Seahawks defeat their division rival for the seventh straight game. It was the fourth straight win overall for the 8-5 Seahawks, who hold a one-game lead over the 7-6 Rams. The Seahawks and Rams are scheduled to play in Week 18, with the Rams currently holding the tiebreaker after their 26-20 overtime win in Seattle in Week 9.

Loser: Buffalo Bills' top-seed hopes

A potential AFC Championship Game matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs seems likely to be held at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bills entered the weekend trailing the Chiefs by one game for the top seed, but hold the tiebreaker thanks to their 30-17 over Kansas City in Week 11 for the Chiefs' lone loss of the season to this point. The Bills may have surrendered a chance to gain ground on Sunday with a 44-42 loss to the now 7-6 Los Angeles Rams. The Bills, who have already clinched their fifth straight AFC East title, fall to 10-3. The 11-1 Chiefs host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.  

Winner: Josh Allen

Josh Allen made history for the second consecutive week. He became the first player in NFL history with three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in the same game. But even that wasn’t enough as the Bills fell 44-42 to the Los Angeles Rams. Allen completed 22 of 37 passing attempts for 342 yards and had 10 carries for 82 rushing yards. This performance came one week after he became the first quarterback to pass for a touchdown, run for a touchdown and catch a touchdown in the same game.

Winner: San Francisco 49ers

The lopsided losing streak is over. The San Francisco 49ers entered Sunday's game having lost 38-10 to Green Bay and 35-10 to Buffalo in back-to-back weeks -- during which they also lost star running back Christian McCaffrey to a knee injury that will sideline him for at least the rest of the regular season. They were on the right side of a lopsided game this week, jumping out to a 24-0 halftime lead in what became a 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears. Brock Purdy connected with Jauan Jennings for two first-half touchdowns and found George Kittle for 151 receiving yards. McCaffrey's replacement Isaac Guerendo added 78 rushing yards and two touchdowns to help the 49ers keep their playoff hopes alive --  but he exited the game in the fourth quarter with a foot injury.

Loser: Thomas Brown

The new-voice strategy didn't work for the Chicago Bears this week. Coming off their first in-season firing of a head coach in franchise history after parting ways with Matt Eberflus, the Bears were routed 38-13 by the San Francisco 49ers in Thomas Brown's first game as interim head coach. The Bears, who trailed 24-0 at halftime, lost their seventh straight game to fall to 4-9. Over the last 10 seasons, teams with interim coaches are now 13-12 in their first game with the new coach.