Week 14 NFL players to watch: Two QBs make MVP cases

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott

From quarterbacks chasing the Most Valuable Player Award to the return of a star wide receiver, here are players to watch in Week 14.

SUNDAY’S POSTGAME HEADLINE TODAY | Dak Prescott soars against Eagles  The Dallas Cowboys QB — and MVP candidate, per oddschecker — is on a tear. Through 12 games, he leads the league in passing TDs (26) and ranks third in completion percentage (70.1) and fifth in passing yards (3,234).

On Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told KRLD-FM in Dallas he believes the team can beat the NFC’s best teams “with the way Dak is playing.”

Don’t be surprised if Prescott leads the Cowboys (9-3) to a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles (10-2), helping them take over first in the NFC East. Philadelphia ranks 29th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (260.3), and Dallas hasn’t lost a home game this season. As of Friday, oddschecker lists the Cowboys as a 3.5-point favorite.

SUNDAY’S POSTGAME HEADLINE TODAY | Brock Purdy strengthens MVP case  San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel believes the second-year QB — who leads the league in passer rating (116.1) — should be the front-runner for MVP.

“Man, my boy No. 1 right now,” he said Tuesday on FanDuel’s “Up & Adams.” “It ain’t even up for debate. He’s just got to keep stacking up games, stacking days, stacking weeks. We got to go out here and continue making plays for him, and I think he’ll get the job done as far as the MVP conversation.”

Expect Purdy to have another fantastic performance against the Seattle Seahawks (6-6). Over its past three games, Seattle has allowed 89 points, third most in the league in that span. ESPN Analytics gives San Francisco (9-3) a 78 percent chance to win its home game.

SUNDAY’S POSTGAME HEADLINE TODAY | Justin Jefferson trounces Raiders   On Thursday, Jefferson — who missed seven games with a hamstring injury— said he has regained his “explosiveness” and is ready to help the Minnesota Vikings (6-6) secure a playoff spot.

Jefferson should help Minnesota QB Joshua Dobbs get back on track after he threw four picks in a Week 12 loss to the Bears.

Before he suffered his injury in Week 5, Jefferson led the league in receiving yards per game (135.8), per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders (5-7) have allowed 886 passing yards over their past three games, the most in the league.

SUNDAY’S POSTGAME HEADLINE TODAY | Puka Nacua’s meteoric rise continues Ahead of their home game with the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh insisted he knew Nacua — a fifth-round pick out of BYU — would become a star.

“I liked him. He was one of my highest-rated guys. You can ask anybody here. He was way up on my board,” the HC said sarcastically during a Wednesday news conference. “He’s playing exactly how I thought he would, for the record.”

Jokes aside, the rookie wideout is a reason the Rams (6-6) have won three straight and could give the Ravens (9-3) trouble. Through 12 games, Nacua is seventh in the league in receiving yards (1,029) and 11th in receptions (77).

SUNDAY’S POSTGAME HEADLINE TODAY | Patrick Surtain II shuts down Keenan Allen The Denver Broncos cornerback regularly lines up against No. 1 WRs, but Allen presents one of his biggest challenges. Through 12 games, the Chargers star leads the league in receptions (102) and ranks third in receiving yards (1,175).

Surtain II, however, can handle the difficult matchup. Per Pro Football Reference, he has only allowed two passing TDs in 12 games. If the 23-year-old grounds Allen, it will help the Broncos (6-6) — three-point underdogs as of Friday, per oddschecker — pull off an upset against L.A. (5-7).

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