Week 14 of the NFL season came and went this weekend and with that came many important matchups featuring former Mountaineers.
Geno Smith
Smith and the Seahawks played in a pivotal game as far as the NFC West division goes as they went on the road to face the Arizona Cardinals.
Smith and the Seattle offense got off to a hot start, scoring 17 points in the first quarter, ultimately beating the Cardinals 30-18. Smith passed for 233 yards and a touchdown, grading out to a 79.2 overall grade by PFF.
Seattle remains atop the NFC West by one game. They face the Packers at home on Sunday night football.
Dante Stills and Kyzir White
On the opposite side of the field from Smith were Dante Stills and Kyzir White, as the Cardinals were coming off their bye week.
White had 13 total tackles, which was second-most on the team. Stills finished the game with three total tackles. White had an 82.5 tackling grade on Sunday, the best among all Cardinals defenders.
Arizona entered the week with a 40 percent chance to make the playoffs, but that number dipped to just 12 percent after the loss. They host the New England Patriots this week.
Rasul Douglas
Douglas and the Bills did not have a defensive showing to write home 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 graded out to a 43.6 overall as their 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 the top overall seed in the AFC. They face the NFC-leading Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Beanie Bishop and Zach Frazier
The Steelers played another divisional rival this week, as they faced off against 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 had the second-highest pass blocking grade per PFF 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 has the best run blocking grade in 2024.
Bishop played only 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 graded out to a 65.1 overall grade and had his fourth-best pass blocking grade of the season. San Francisco sits at 6-7 and they currently have an eight percent chance to make the playoffs. They face the Rams at home on Thursday on a short week.
David Long Jr.
Long Jr. and the Detroit Lions continued to roll, beating the Packers 34-31 on Thursday.
Long had only one tackle but recovered a fumble in the win. He totaled 16 snaps which is the most he had played in his three games with Detroit.
The Lions are in the top spot in the NFC, but have a tough test against the Bills this week.
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