Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson continues to surge. After burning the Detroit Lions for a 51-yard score the previous week, he delivered another explosive play in a pivotal NFC North showdown against the Chicago Bears. Midway through the third quarter, Watson snagged a slant on third-and-3 from the Chicago 41 and sprinted untouched to the end zone, hitting 21.6 mph, the fastest speed recorded in Week 14. His performance helped Green Bay secure a 28–21 win and reclaim first place in the division.

Watson, who missed the opening seven weeks while rehabbing a 2024 ACL tear, has been a major contributor since returning. From Week 8 on, he has amassed 452 receiving yards (17th in the league) and five touchdowns (tied for sixth).

The week’s second-fastest play came from Blake Corum of the Los Angeles Rams, who ripped off a 48-yard touchdown run in a rout of the Arizona Cardinals. Corum clocked 21.29 mph, his quickest speed of the season.

Each week, NFL Next Gen Stats highlights standout performances tracked through player-worn sensors. Below is a breakdown of several Week 14 matchups and updated award-race data.

Detroit Lions 44, Dallas Cowboys 30

Lions corner D.J. Reed struggled for most of the day guarding CeeDee Lamb, despite ending the contest with a game-clinching interception. Reed matched up with Lamb on 13 snaps and surrendered five catches for 105 yards — the most he has ever allowed to a single receiver, and the most Lamb has ever produced in a direct coverage matchup.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff finished 24-for-33 for 272 yards and a touchdown, doing most of his damage on quick throws. He attempted a quick pass on 61.8% of his dropbacks — his highest rate since joining Detroit — and went 17-of-21 on those plays for 167 yards and a score.

Green Bay Packers 28, Chicago Bears 21

Packers QB Jordan Love threw for 234 yards, three touchdowns, and a pick. He now leads all NFL quarterbacks in EPA per dropback (+0.22). Against the blitz, Love was exceptional, completing 8-of-11 for 126 yards and two TDs, posting his best blitz-success rate of the season (63.6%).

Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Houston relied heavily on C.J. Stroud’s ability to improvise under duress. Three of the Texans’ four scoring series featured key plays where Stroud escaped pressure before delivering completions. He was pressured on 54.3% of his dropbacks but still produced 114 yards and a touchdown.

His most critical moment came on a late third-and-3: with Chris Jones collapsing the pocket within two seconds and George Karlaftis closing in, Stroud escaped both and completed a contested pass to Jayden Higgins for a first down.

Jones logged a season-high seven pressures on 28 rushes, including six quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds). He tied his fastest pressure rate since 2019, averaging 2.2 seconds to disruption.

Chiefs rookie tackle Esa Pole, playing his first NFL snaps, faced Danielle Hunter 21 times and allowed only one pressure — and that came after 4.2 seconds. No player had previously handled 20+ Hunter matchups over the past two seasons while giving up one or fewer pressures.

Award Race Updates

MVP Race

Matthew Stafford (-180) remains the favorite. His dominance against blitzes is unmatched: 25 touchdowns and zero turnovers vs. the blitz — no one else has more than 13.

Stafford also tossed two deep-ball touchdowns in the Rams’ 45–17 win over Arizona. His +1.09 EPA per deep attempt ranks third in the NFL.

Offensive Player of the Year

Drake Maye (+200) leads the NFL in downfield passing yards (1,865) and EPA per deep dropback (0.73).

Maye also leads the league in production under pressure: 1,085 yards, nine TDs, 104.4 rating.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (-320) scored twice in Seattle’s 37–9 win over Atlanta, including his seventh deep-target touchdown — the most in the league. He is the only player with more than 700 deep receiving yards (he has 1,019).

Running Back Awards

Jahmyr Gibbs (+500) rushed 12 times for 43 yards and three touchdowns, all from jumbo sets (six-plus linemen). His 5.7 yards per carry ranks second among qualifiers.

Christian McCaffrey (-145) was on a bye, but since Week 8, his missed-tackle rate (38.1%) and total missed tackles forced (40) lead the NFL.

Defensive Player of the Year

Myles Garrett (-2000) logged another sack despite just a 4.2% pressure rate, his lowest of the season. He now has 20 sacks, staying ahead of the pace to break the single-season record (22.5).

Garrett also sits second in the league in chip-block rate (25.9%) and leads all defenders in pressure-to-sack conversion (34.5%).

Micah Parsons (+1000) added eight pressures on 30 rushes, marking his seventh game with a 20%-plus pressure rate.

Quarterback Updates

Against Detroit, Dak Prescott (+125) excelled under pressure, going 9-for-13 for 166 yards and a TD (137.5 rating, fifth-best in any game this season).

Prescott completed 20 of 24 throws targeting the seams and ranks second in downfield passing yards (1,857). Since Week 11, his 670 downfield yards lead the league by more than 150.Other Rookie Notes

Tayvion McMillan (-160) was on a bye but still leads the NFL with three deep receiving TDs since Week 11.

Emeka Egbuka (+650) has cooled but still stands top-10 in deep receiving yards (605, tied for seventh) and ranks tied for third in deep TDs (five).

Schwesinger (-550) led his team with 10 run tackles, added a run stuff, and produced four pressures on seven rushes. He leads all rookies in run stops, run stuffs, and run tackles.

Emmanwori (+500) recorded a sack, two pressures, six tackles, and a run stuff. His 26% pressure rate when blitzing remains elite.