NFL NationDec 8, 2025, 01:00 AM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
play0:22Christian Watson hauls in his second TDJordan Love passes to Christian Watson and he turns on the jets to the end zone to extend the Packers’ lead.
play0:18Puka Nacua makes an unbelievable catch for his 2nd TDMatthew Stafford connects with Puka Nacua again for a 31-yard touchdown.
play0:21Bo Nix runs it in himself for a Broncos TDBo Nix calls his own number as he runs in a Broncos touchdown to open the scoring vs. the Raiders.
play0:19Tony Pollard’s second TD put Titans on topTony Pollard turns on the jets and completes a 32-yard rush to give the Titans the lead.
play0:25Christian Benford’s 63-yard pick-6 gives the Bills a late leadJoe Burrow is picked off by Christian Benford, who takes it to the house for a touchdown.
play0:34Saints capitalize on Mayfield INT with a Shough TDAlontae Taylor picks off Baker Mayfield’s pass, which later leads to Tyler Shough breaking off for a 34-yard Saints rushing touchdown vs. the Buccaneers.
play0:25Trevor Lawrence evades pressure, throws TD pass to Tim PatrickTrevor Lawrence finds Tim Patrick for a touchdown to extend the Jaguars’ lead vs. the Colts.
play0:19Jaylen Wright finds the end zone for the DolphinsJaylen Wright powers up the middle for a touchdown to extend the Dolphins’ lead.
play0:56Rashid Shaheed returns kickoff 100 yards for TDRashid Shaheed avoids several tackles and takes it 100 yards for a Seahawks touchdown.
play0:19J.J. McCarthy hits a wide-open Josh Oliver for 2nd TD connection of gameJ.J. McCarthy scans the field and finds a wide-open Josh Oliver to give the Vikings a 24-0 lead.
Christian Watson hauls in his second TDJordan Love passes to Christian Watson and he turns on the jets to the end zone to extend the Packers’ lead.
Jordan Love passes to Christian Watson and he turns on the jets to the end zone to extend the Packers’ lead.
Puka Nacua makes an unbelievable catch for his 2nd TDMatthew Stafford connects with Puka Nacua again for a 31-yard touchdown.
Bo Nix runs it in himself for a Broncos TDBo Nix calls his own number as he runs in a Broncos touchdown to open the scoring vs. the Raiders.
Tony Pollard’s second TD put Titans on topTony Pollard turns on the jets and completes a 32-yard rush to give the Titans the lead.
Christian Benford’s 63-yard pick-6 gives the Bills a late leadJoe Burrow is picked off by Christian Benford, who takes it to the house for a touchdown.
Saints capitalize on Mayfield INT with a Shough TDAlontae Taylor picks off Baker Mayfield’s pass, which later leads to Tyler Shough breaking off for a 34-yard Saints rushing touchdown vs. the Buccaneers.
Alontae Taylor picks off Baker Mayfield’s pass, which later leads to Tyler Shough breaking off for a 34-yard Saints rushing touchdown vs. the Buccaneers.
Trevor Lawrence evades pressure, throws TD pass to Tim PatrickTrevor Lawrence finds Tim Patrick for a touchdown to extend the Jaguars’ lead vs. the Colts.
Jaylen Wright finds the end zone for the DolphinsJaylen Wright powers up the middle for a touchdown to extend the Dolphins’ lead.
Rashid Shaheed returns kickoff 100 yards for TDRashid Shaheed avoids several tackles and takes it 100 yards for a Seahawks touchdown.
J.J. McCarthy hits a wide-open Josh Oliver for 2nd TD connection of gameJ.J. McCarthy scans the field and finds a wide-open Josh Oliver to give the Vikings a 24-0 lead.
play0:24Steelers sack Lamar on final play to secure AFC North-leading win over RavensSteelers sack Lamar on final play to secure AFC North-leading win over Ravens
Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season began with an offensive shootout between the Cowboys and Lions. Detroit ended Thursday night on top, led by three touchdowns from running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
In the early window Sunday, multiple starting quarterbacks exited early due to injuries. Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones left the team’s loss to the Jaguars in the first quarter with an Achilles injury, while Washington’s Jayden Daniels exited in the third quarter of a shutout loss to the Vikings with an elbow injury.
In Atlanta, the Seahawks kept the Falcons out of the end zone in a dominant win. The Dolphins easily handled the Jets, while the Titans squeaked out a win over the Browns and the Saints stunned the Bucs. In Buffalo, the Bills made big defensive plays in the fourth quarter to come back against the Bengals. And the Steelers took sole possession of the AFC North lead with a close win over the Ravens.
In the late window, the Broncos secured a season sweep over the Raiders. Meanwhile, the Rams blew out the Cardinals in their first matchup of the season as NFC West foes. And in the last of three matchups for first place in their respective divisions, the Packers picked off Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ pass in the end zone to seal the win.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
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Most surprising performance: Safety Jalen Pitre had an outstanding game, playing like an All-Pro. He made his presence known, making an aerobatic interception and laying a huge hit on wideout Rashee Rice to force an incompletion.
Best quote from the locker room: Kamari Lassiter on catching an interception: “Playing with the best secondary in the nation.” — DJ Bien-Aime
Trend to watch: Watson has shown no signs that his torn ACL last year has slowed him down. After catching a 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter, he caught a quick slant and ran 41 yards to the end zone in the third quarter. He reached 21.6 mph on the catch-and-run score, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That was the top speed by a Packers ball carrier since Watson hit 21.7 mph on a rushing touchdown against the Bears in 2022.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Allowing explosive plays. The Bears’ defense didn’t have a great game plan for Love — the most efficient NFL quarterback on third downs — and allowed the Packers to convert 8 of 12 attempts. All three of Love’s touchdowns traveled at least 20 yards. Whether it was miscommunication in the secondary or blown coverages, that area needs to be cleaned up during Chicago’s next four games.
Best quote from the locker room: Ben Johnson on the Bears’ fourth-and-1 play at the end of the game: “We had a lot of options there. Don’t know who’s going to pop necessarily, but between the options that we have and then Caleb using his legs, I was hopeful that we could find a way to get a yard there.” — Courtney Cronin
Stat to know: Wide receiver Puka Nacua had six catches for 136 yards and a touchdown in the first half. His 136 receiving yards are the most in a half of his career and the most in a half by a Rams player since Cooper Kupp had 165 in 2019, according to ESPN Research.
Best quote from the locker room: After the Rams’ lopsided victory, there were MVP chants in the postgame locker room for Stafford, who completed 22 of 31 passes for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns before he was taken out of the game early in the fourth quarter. “It’s fun,” Stafford said of hearing the chants from his teammates. “I don’t play the game for that, play the game for those guys in there and the respect of those guys and the guys that we compete against, but it’s cool.” — Sarah Barshop
Puka Nacua makes an unbelievable catch for his 2nd TD
Matthew Stafford connects with Puka Nacua again for a 31-yard touchdown.
Trend to watch: All Michael Wilson does when he’s WR1 is go for 100 yards. On Sunday, with Marvin Harrison Jr. out because of a heel injury, Wilson finished with 142 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 catches. That’s the third time he has been the WR1 and had 100 yards. — Josh Weinfuss
Best quote from the locker room: Nix commented on the Broncos’ 10th consecutive win and their ninth one-score win of the season: “Winning 10 football games [in a row] is not easy. … It’s not easy doing what we do. It’s not easy going to work each week, it’s not easy pulling out these tough wins, but we’re resilient and we continue to do it. And if that’s what it takes, we’re going to continue to go through it and find ways to stack wins.” — Jeff Legwold
Bo Nix calls his own number as he runs in a Broncos touchdown to open the scoring vs. the Raiders.
How did Caleb Rogers perform at right guard? If there’s a positive from Las Vegas’ seventh straight loss, it should be Rogers’ performance. The rookie third-round pick started for the second straight game but was fairly solid. He gave up just one sack against the league’s best pass rush. The Raiders’ offensive line play hasn’t been great, but Rogers has created a bit of optimism for the future.
Stat to know: Missed tackles have been a major issue for the Raiders throughout the season. The trend continued Sunday. Las Vegas missed 11 tackles, resulting in 50 yards allowed. Against the Chargers last week, they missed 18 tackles. — Ryan McFadden
Did Jeffery Simmons’ two-sack performance make a case for him as the best interior defender in the league? Simmons was basically unstoppable in Tennessee’s second win of the season. In addition to his sacks, he got multiple quarterback pressures and posted a tackle for loss. The 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee also had a pass deflection. He was in the backfield constantly — and he let the Browns’ fans know by doing quarterback Shedeur Sanders signature dance multiple times.
Stat to know: Running back Tony Pollard’s 65-yard and 32-yard rushing touchdowns were his first ones of 30 yards or longer since 2022, when he had five total for the Cowboys. He had 161 rushing yards on the day, becoming the first Titans running back to do so this season. Pollard joined Ravens running back Derrick Henry as the only backs to run for over 100 yards against the Browns this season. — Turron Davenport