Justin Jefferson, wide receiver, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings keep rolling and are still in contention for the top spot in the NFC North and a potential bye week. Their 27-24 win in Seattle on Sunday was highlighted by another great game from Jefferson that saw him catch 10 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Losers
Drew Lock, quarterback, New York Giants
Lock was not the only problem for the Giants on Sunday, nor is the quarterback the only problem on this team, but you can’t have two pick-sixes in the same game. The Giants are positioned for the No. 1 overall pick. A quarterback seems likely.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, quarterback, Cleveland Browns
With Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston benched, this was a good opportunity for Thompson-Robinson to show the Browns coaching staff that he could be an answer. He did not do that. He completed just 20-of-34 passes for only 157 yards and two interceptions, with one of them coming in the end zone.
DeVonta Smith, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
This might be overly harsh when the Eagles defense allowed 36 points and could not get a stop late in the fourth quarter, but Smith had a crucial drop on a wide-open third-down pass that preceded the Commanders’ winning touchdown drive. If he holds on to that ball, the Eagles probably win.
NFC bubble playoff teams
The San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals are all out. The Seahawks are facing a must-win situation next week after losing at home to the Vikings on Sunday.
Doug Pederson, head coach, Jacksonville Jaguars
Pederson may not have necessarily made any game-losing decisions on Sunday, but when you are the coach of a 3-12 team that is only 4-17 in its last 21 games and lost to a team that was on a 10-game losing streak …. well … that gets you in the losers section for the week.
Drake Maye, Quarterback, New England Patriots
Maye has done some good things in a tough spot, but he has to clean up his ball security issues. They were back on Sunday in a 24-21 loss in Buffalo, where he threw an interception in the end zone and fumbled twice, one of which was recovered in the end zone for a Buffalo touchdown. That was a winnable game that slipped away.
