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That Aaron Rodgers and Le'Veon Bell top the NFL1000 charts for Week 14 is no surprise. The surprises come later.

But to focus on Rodgers and Bell first: The Green Bay Packers' quarterback turned in a masterful performance against a Seattle Seahawks defense that has played him tough in recent years, and it wasn't because of Earl Thomas' injury-related absence. Thomas is by far the league's best deep coverage defender, but Rodgers didn't test the middle of the field often. According to ESPN Stats & Information, 13 of his 18 completions (in 23 attempts) were outside the numbers.

Instead, Rodgers was satisfied to pick apart Seattle's cornerbacks (especially Jeremy Lane) with deep strikes to the boundary, averaging 10.7 yards per attempt. And he did that with an injured calf that affected his mobility. Given the Seahawks' excellence in sideline pass defense, this may be even more disconcerting for the franchise's near future.

As for Bell, the Pittsburgh Steeler continued to blow up enemy defenses on a no-matter-what basis, generating 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries and adding four receptions for 62 yards against an overmanned Buffalo Bills defense. No back in the league has Bell's combination of patience, explosiveness through the hole, second-level speed to power and versatility throughout the offense.

Bell currently ranks third in the league in yards from scrimmage (1,616) behind Davis Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott, which is pretty incredible when you consider that he missed the first three games of the season after missing a random drug test.

Johnson will most likely become the third back in league history to gain over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a season, but Bell, incredibly enough, has an outside shot—he has 1,053 rushing yards and 563 receiving yards with three games to go. It's time to consider Bell as a serious NFL MVP candidate.

New York Giants cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie have been playing at a high level all season, but what they did against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night put the duo near the top of this week's NFL1000—Jenkins is third and Rodgers-Cromartie is sixth. Dez Bryant didn't help Prescott much, as the rookie quarterback had his first multi-interception game, but Jenkins, Rodgers-Cromartie and the entire Giants secondary presented Prescott with problems he couldn't solve.

According to our scouts' game-charting, Jenkins allowed two completions on nine targets, giving Bryant all he could handle. Actually, more than he could handle—Bryant had one catch on nine total targets. Pro Football Focus has Rodgers-Cromartie allowing four catches on seven targets…for a grand total of 46 yards. Rookie cornerback Eli Apple got in on the act as well, allowing just two catches on five targets for 31 yards. Ian Wharton, our NFC cornerbacks scout, believes Jenkins has played as well as any cornerback in the league this year. He's certainly been a lockdown artist of late.

Part of Bleacher Report's NFL1000 player rating methodology is the ability to look at our grades from week to week (as you, dear reader, can) and suss out which patterns are turning into trends and which are flukes in the relatively small sample size of an NFL season.

There are many ways to dissect and learn from what the NFL presents on the field every week, and the NFL1000 goes as deep as any to tell you just what's going on out there.

With a 17-person crew of experienced evaluators, we'll comb through the game tape each week to bring you concise, clear evaluations of every player in the NFL. We'll tell you which rookies are rising and which undrafted players are coming out of nowhere to make an impact. We'll tell you which players are falling in performance and why.

There is no predetermined narrative with these grades. No mysterious "clutch factor." No tweaked-out quarterback ratings that defy explanation. Our grades are based on pure scouting, and lots of it. We grade the key criteria for each position based on a series of attributes and add in a score for positional importance.

In the case of a tie, our scouts ask, "Which player would I want on my team?" and adjust accordingly.

Is it a subjective process? Of course—that's what scouting is, and as we like to say, ties are no fun.

Each player is evaluated and graded by our crack team of scouts, who possess more than 100 combined years of experience in playing, front-office work, coaching and media. Cian Fahey, John Middlekauff, Alex Kirby, Mark Schofield, Duke Manyweather, Ethan Young, Joe Goodberry, Justis Mosqueda, Charles McDonald, Zach Kruse, Derrik Klassen, Jerod Brown, Ian Wharton, Kyle Posey, Mark Bullock, Chuck Zodda and Doug Farrar have watched tape for months to bring you these grades, and we'll be bringing you player grades based on the game action every week.

Here are the NFL1000 player grades for Week 14 of the 2016 NFL season.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

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The NFL1000 team of scouts was given a series of important attributes to grade for every player in their positional review. Using a grading scale starting at 0 and going up to anywhere from 10 to 50 based on the position and the attribute, our scouts have graded each player based on their own expertise and countless hours of tape review over the years. Our evaluators were given specific positional assignments based on their proven fields of expertise. 

• Doug Farrar: Lead scout
• Cian Fahey: Quarterbacks
• John Middlekauff: Running backs/fullbacks
• Marcus Mosher: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Mark Schofield: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Duke Manyweather: Offensive tackles
• Ethan Young: Offensive guards/centers
• Joe Goodberry: AFC defensive ends
• Justis Mosqueda: NFC defensive ends
• Charles McDonald: Defensive tackles
• Zach Kruse: 3-4 outside linebackers
• Derrik Klassen: 4-3 outside linebackers
• Jerod Brown: Inside linebackers
• Kyle Posey: Cornerbacks
• Ian Wharton: Cornerbacks
• Mark Bullock: Safeties
• Chuck Zodda: Special teams

Every NFL player with snaps in offensive and defensive roles is observed and graded based on a multitiered process that marks specific attributes per position. As we're combing through All-22 footage to assess each performance, there are additional factors to consider.

We'll adjust for opponent based on the obvious notion that the cornerback we're grading is doing a better job if he's shutting down Antonio Brown than if he's negating the efforts of a seventh-round rookie receiver.

We'll also adjust for players with multiple responsibilities in the course of a game and over the course of time. Think of guys like Mike Daniels and Michael Bennett on the defensive line—how they seamlessly switch from gap to gap. Or how cornerbacks such as Chris Harris and Tyrann Mathieu dominate outside and in the slot. Or how receivers such as Doug Baldwin and Larry Fitzgerald bedevil cornerbacks from multiple field positions.

That's more important than ever in today's NFL, and we pay attention to it.

We will not adjust for injuries. If a player is underperforming because of an injury, that's part of his performance, fair or unfair, and it needs to be graded accordingly.

Grading any player is a subjective process, but with a series of attributes per position and a specific direction as to what to grade and how, we'll work to make it as definitive as possible.

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Beyond the placement of two Giants cornerbacks in our top six, there were a few more surprise names in this week's NFL1000 rankings.

Cornerback Casey Hayward has been the star of the San Diego Chargers' secondary since Jason Verrett went down with a torn ACL in October, but against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, free safety Dwight Lowery was the man with a plan. Lowery allowed one catch on three targets, saving San Diego's defense from several big plays by sticking to tight end Greg Olsen like glue.

An injury might be good news in a weird way for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a chest injury felled strong safety Chris Conte, who had been a liability in coverage (to be kind) prior to going down, Keith Tandy stepped in over the last two games and has availed himself well. Against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Tandy allowed just one catch for six yards on five targets, adding seven tackles on the day. Tampa's defense will need a shot in the arm down the stretch, and our top-ranked strong safety this week might be just the ticket.

Two defenders stood out in the Chicago Bears' generally unimpressive ranks Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Registering a sack, two quarterback hurries and five stops, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski got a big bump this week in our rankings. The rookie from West Virginia had a relatively quiet start to the season, but he's showing up well lately with a nose for the ball and increasing efficiency when breaking through blockers.

Cornerback Cre'von LeBlanc is likewise becoming a name to know. The undrafted rookie from Florida Atlantic allowed three catches on eight targets for 24 yards, an interception and an opposing quarterback rating of 6.3. He's played 606 snaps this season, acquitting himself well outside and in the slot. Add in the continued excellence of linebacker Leonard Floyd and the Bears might be tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the NFL's best defensive draft in 2016 if Kwiatkoski and LeBlanc hold up.

Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

Familiar names topped the quarterback rankings this week. Aaron Rodgers' receivers stopped dropping his passes, so it's now less controversial to praise him, while Tom Brady's inaccuracies of previous weeks for the New England Patriots disappeared against the Baltimore Ravens. Brady fell behind Rodgers largely because of his interception, but he was spectacular aside from that one play. 

The week's quarterback play was less about who was thriving and more about who was struggling. Twenty-four quarterbacks ranked below a 70 overall this week, as the quality of quarterback play across the league was atrocious. Whether it was accuracy, decision-making, reacting to pressure or arm strength, too many quarterbacks struggled to break down the defenses across from them.

Seattle's Russell Wilson fell further than anyone. Wilson had a couple of interceptions that weren't his fault, one of which came at the end of the second quarter when he was being aggressive in search of a touchdown. Wilson's rating still fell as far as it did because he repeatedly missed throws he should have made and was all over the place in the pocket.

Early in the game, he missed a long touchdown to an open receiver down the left sideline before missing a wide-open Jimmy Graham for another big play soon after. Wilson just edged out the Cleveland Browns' Robert Griffin III, who displayed the rust you'd expect to see from a quarterback who has played so sparingly over recent years.

Griffin's decision-making was a huge problem, but he did offer some rushing value to keep his rating in that category in double digits. The low point of the day came when he forced an interception into triple coverage after a flea-flicker in his own end zone. Griffin had nobody open, but he did have a receiver single-covered on the other side of the field.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger had similar problems with turnovers. Roethlisberger's first interception appeared to be a miscommunication, but he followed that play up with plenty of interceptable passes. On at least three occasions, Roethlisberger threw the ball straight to a defender over the middle of the field. He did it twice on the same drive, with the first being dropped before the second was intercepted in the end zone.

It was a week to forget for pretty much everyone.

Grading Scale

Acc: Accuracy (Graded out of 25)

Arm: Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)

Press: Pressure/Run Threat (Graded out of 20) (Pressure weighted at 15, run threat at 5)

Dec: Decision-Making (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

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Le'Veon Bell was far and away the NFL's best running back in Week 14. He outgained the Bills by himself and has thrown his hat in the MVP conversation with his play over the last month. He is the league's most complete running back, as there isn't anything he cannot do. He dominated in every facet of the game, churning out one of the more highlight-worthy performances of the year. The Steelers are the front-runner in the AFC North, and Bell is the biggest reason why. 

The Cincinnati Bengals' Jeremy Hill and San Francisco 49ers' Carlos Hyde both had big games against bad defenses. Hyde shredded the New York Jets for 193 yards on 17 carries, going untouched on many of his big runs. He continues to run hard even as the 49ers' season heads in the wrong direction. While he might never be a star in the NFL, he clearly has the talent to be a productive player if he can stay healthy.

The Arizona Cardinals' David Johnson had another solid all-around game, racking up 80 yards on 20 carries and chipping in an additional five catches for 41 yards, despite the struggles of quarterback Carson Palmer and the bad weather in Miami. The Houston Texans' Lamar Miller basically put a nail in the Indianapolis Colts' coffin while the Jets' Bilal Powell helped make sure the 49ers will go down as an all-time bad run defense. Powell destroyed San Francisco to the tune of 179 total yards after Matt Forte went out with an injury early in the game, and he even scored a walk-off touchdown in overtime.

The Oakland Raiders' Latavius Murray and New England Patriots' LeGarrette Blount both had strong games between the tackles and ran hard against two tough defenses. Murray might have had his best outing of the year against the Kansas City Chiefs, keeping the Raiders in the game as quarterback Derek Carr struggled. Both Blount and Murray have made themselves a lot of money heading into unrestricted free agency in 2017.

Grading Scale

In: Inside Running (Graded out of 25)

Out: Outside Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Giovani Bernard—injury
• C.J. Anderson—injury
• Ameer Abdullah—injury
• Theo Riddick—injury
• Eddie Lacy—injury
• Chris Ivory—injury
• Jamaal Charles—injury
• Adrian Peterson—injury
• Shane Vereen—insufficient snaps
• DeAngelo Williams—injury
• Melvin Gordon—insufficient snaps
• Matt Forte—insufficient snaps

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Baltimore Ravens' Kyle Juszczyk had one of the best receptions you will see from a fullback on Monday Night Football. He broke multiple tackles and showed his speed in the open field on his 40-yard catch, the longest of his four-year career. He is the Ravens' most consistent weapon and excelled against the Patriots despite his teammates' struggles.

The New Orleans Saints' John Kuhn had an impressive all-around game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, contributing both by carrying the ball and catching it out of the backfield. He has been consistent this season as a lead blocker. 

Aaron Ripkowski helped get the Green Bay Packers' run game get on track against a stout Seattle defense. Ripkowski also continues to get carries and is emerging as a key part of the Packers offense that appears to be peaking at the right time.

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien singled out Jay Prosch after the game as being a player who helped his team beat the Indianapolis Colts. His key blocks helped spring Lamar Miller for a big day against a divisional rival, solidifying his status as one of the league's best blocking fullbacks.

In Marcel Reece's first game of the year for the Seattle Seahwaks, he showed he can still be a playmaker in the passing game, coming up with a big 31-yard catch.

Grading Scale

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 50)

Run: Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Michael Burton—insufficient snaps
• Will Tukuafu—inactive

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Few NFC wide receivers stood out in Week 14, as many of the typical stars were limited to modest games.

Even the New York Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. had a few drops that cost his team—one that would've been a surefire touchdown and another that would have converted a third down. One of the true surprises this week and this season at receiver is Davante Adams of the Packers. Adams caught four passes for 104 yards, with the biggest one being a 66-yarder down the sideline for a score. Adams and Jordy Nelson are starting to come into their own, which is helping the Packers offense click.

Over in the AFC, Jarvis Landry impressed for the Miami Dolphins, catching four passes for 103 yards, including a standout 71-yard catch-and-run on a mesh concept crossing route where he picked up a strong block from teammate Kenny Stills downfield.

Some receivers shined in losing efforts, including Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders for the Denver Broncos and T.Y. Hilton for the Colts.

One of the younger receivers who continues to surprise is the Jets' Robby Anderson. The undrafted wide receiver out of Temple seems to have a great relationship with current starting quarterback Bryce Petty, and the speedster also shows great ability at the catch point on contested throws, as evidenced by his 40-yard reception on 3rd-and-18 in the third quarter and on his 26-yard catch in overtime to help set up the game-winning score.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 25)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Alshon Jeffery—suspension
• John Brown—injury
• Julio Jones—injury
• Mohamed Sanu—injury
• Eddie Royal—injury
• A.J. Green—injury
• Allen Hurns—injury
• Michael Thomas—injury
• Eric Decker—injury
• Jalin Marshall—injury
• Darrius Heyward-Bey—injury
• Keenan Allen—injury
• Kendall Wright—injury
• Danny Amendola—injury
• Markus Wheaton—injury

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Two of the best performances of the week came from the same team in Week 14.

Zach Ertz and Trey Burton of the Philadelphia Eagles both had nice games as they combined for 17 catches for 177 yards. Burton could've had an even bigger game, as Carson Wentz just missed him down the field for what would've been a 50-yard touchdown. Burton and Ertz are average blockers at best, but they are difficult matchups for safeties and linebackers.

Greg Olsen continues to be the most consistent receiving option for the Panthers, as he caught four passes for 87 yards.  

On the AFC side of the ledger, the Chiefs' Travis Kelce continued his impressive run of late, catching five passes for 101 yards, his fourth straight game with over 100 yards receiving. He remains a dangerous threat throughout any given play, from his route running to his ability after the catch.

Two Tennessee Titans tight ends, Delanie Walker and Anthony Fasano, flashed in specific traits this week. Walker was impressive after the catch, including a nifty dip move along the sideline to evade two Broncos defenders. The Titans rode their running game to the win, and with his work as a blocker, Fasano was a big reason why.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 20)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Troy Niklas—injury
• Jacob Tamme—injury
• Zach Miller—injury
• Josh Hill—injury
• Vance McDonald—injury
• Jordan Cameron—injury
• Rob Gronkowski—injury
• Crockett Gillmore—injury
• Maxx Williams—injury
• Marcedes Lewis—injury
• Julius Thomas—injury

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Tyron Smith of the Cowboys was the NFL's top left tackle in Week 14. The All-Pro was once again dominant against a very good Giants defense. It seems like a weekly occurrence to see Smith finish blocks off with violence in pass protection and in the running game.

Giants rookie corner Eli Apple felt the power of Smith firsthand when the rookie had the unfortunate task of being the force defender on a perimeter run.

The Washington Redskins' Trent Williams returned from his four-game suspension and didn't seem to show any sign of rust at all against Philadelphia. His impressive display of elite agility in pass protection and explosive power in the running game landed him as our second-ranked left tackle of the week.

When Week 14 concluded, the Browns found themselves 0-13 after losing to AFC North division foe Cincinnati. There aren't many positives for the Browns, but future Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas continues to be as consistent as they come. Thomas has maintained his status as a premier pass protector, and it seems as if he has gotten better and better in the running game as the seasons continue to pile up. That was the case in Week 14 against the Bengals, which earned Thomas our third slot.

Ranking at No. 4, Green Bay's David Bakhtiari was outstanding against Seattle as the Packers cruised to a 38-10 victory over the Seahawks. 2016 has seen Bakhtiari establish himself as an elite-level pass protector, and in Week 14, he gave up two pressures in 59 snaps and was solid as a run-blocker. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jared Veldheer—injury
• Michael Oher—injury
• Luke Joeckel—injury
• Matt Kalil—injury
• Ryan Clady—injury
• Joe Staley—injury
• Ty Nsekhe—insufficient snaps

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Green Bay's Bryan Bulaga claimed our top ranking among right tackles in Week 14.

This may sound like a broken record, as we stress this weekly, but Bulaga has been outstanding all season, and his performance this year ranks among the best offensive tackles in the NFL regardless of left or right designation. Against Seattle, Bulaga was strong as a run-blocker, turning defenders out of the holes and consistently moving the point of attack. In pass protection, the 27-year-old tackle surrendered two pressures in 59 snaps.

Pittsburgh's Marcus Gilbert was our No. 2-ranked right tackle in Week 14. He showed tremendous strength, power and explosion at the point of attack against Buffalo and demonstrated great agility and patience in pass protection too, which has seemed to be the norm week in and week out.

Kansas City's Mitchell Schwartz checks in as our third-ranked right tackle in Week 14. He had the difficult task of going head-to-head with Oakland's Khalil Mack, who has been a terror for offensive tackles and quarterbacks, but Schwartz held his own, surrendering two pressures on 55 plays.

What was impressive about Schwartz's performance: Despite battling a nagging ankle injury, he still looked smooth in pass protection and was able to effectively transition from his kick-slide into anchoring against Mack's "speed-to-power" and "long-arm" pass-rushing moves. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Daryl Williams—injury
• Cedric Ogbuehi—insufficient snaps
• Derek Newton—injury
• Andre Smith—injury
• Breno Giacomini—injury
• Garry Gilliam—injury
• Demar Dotson—injury
• Halapoulivaati Vaitai—injury
• Lane Johnson—suspension

Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

It was nice to hear from an old friend at the guard position, so to speak, in Jonathan Cooper.

It seems like it has been a while since we have seen Cooper on the field. In case you haven't kept up with the waiver wire, Cooper is with his third team: the Browns. Cleveland really needed some good news up front after stabilizing interior force John Greco suffered an injury—and Cooper delivered this week.

The most impressive thing about Cooper was his quickness and aggressiveness in his jump sets. He also showed off great punch and power at the point of attack. He looks as healthy as he has been in his NFL career. If he keeps it up, the Browns could have a dynamic running game the rest of the way. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ramon Foster—injury
• John Greco—injury
• Kelechi Osemele—injury
• Kyle Long—injury
• Shawn Lauvao—injury
• Zane Beadles—insufficient snaps
• Denver Kirkland—insufficient snaps
• Brandon Brooks—insufficient snaps
• Justin Pugh—insufficient snaps
• Alvin Bailey—insufficient snaps
• Oday Aboushi—insufficient snaps
• Joel Bitonio—insufficient snaps
• Evan Mathis—insufficient snaps
• La'el Collins—insufficient snaps
• J'Marcus Webb—insufficient snaps

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Le'Veon Bell will get most of the credit for his explosive stat line against the Bills.

While there is no questioning his dynamic play, a great performance up front, led by Maurkice Pouncey, made it possible. Both guards (backup B.J. Finney and David DeCastro) also did a nice job.

Pouncey had no problem getting to the second level and finding his assignment against the Bills front. His impressive blend of power and athleticism in space makes him an ideal candidate for second-level work. The Steelers did a great job of putting him in position schematically to find and redirect the Bills' interior linebackers. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• John Greco—injury
• Max Unger—injury
• Brandon Linder—injury
• Nick Mangold—insufficient snaps
• Travis Swanson—insufficient snaps
• Mike Pouncey—insufficient snaps
• Ryan Kalil—insufficient snaps
• Eric Wood—insufficient snaps

Al Bello/Getty Images

As we get deeper into the winter, running games matter more, for both those on the fringe of playoff hopes and those who want to go on title runs. Interior defensive linemen, 3-4 defensive ends, are some of the premier run-stoppers in the sport, and there's no doubt some of these talented linemen swung games in their teams' favor this week.

Against possibly the worst offensive line in the NFL, Mike Daniels of the Green Bay Packers had one of the best games in his career Sunday, giving the Russell Wilson-led Seahawks just their second loss of 10 points or more in the quarterback's five-year career.

Arizona's Calais Campbell was part of a force that held Miami running back Jay Ajayi to just 2.4 yards per carry, while his young clone, San Francisco's DeForest Buckner, held the New York Jets to just three points in the first half.

Quietly, Akiem Hicks of Chicago is having an amazing season. He came from a Canadian college football team and is on his third team in two seasons, but the 27-year-old is on a two-year contract, meaning that he could be in for a huge payday if the Bears don't hop on an early restructure soon. 

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 30)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jurrell Casey—inactive
• Billy Winn—insufficient snaps
• Arik Armstead—injury

Eric Espada/Getty Images

Cameron Wake continues to be amazing and is our highest-graded 4-3 defensive end. His first step, his hands, his leverage and his agility make him one of the premier speed-rushers in the NFL, and he made life miserable for quarterback Carson Palmer and the Cardinals offense.

Coming in second this week, Vic Beasley continues his meteoric second NFL season. He continues to show why writing off speed-rushers after Year 1 is silly. These types require good hand usage to keep themselves free and keep their speed/agility around the arc. Beasley looks like he's going to be a terrorizing threat to all offenses for a long time. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Margus Hunt—insufficient snaps
• Jared Odrick—inactive
• Mario Williams—inactive
• Lorenzo Mauldin—inactive
• Charles Johnson—injury
• Adrian Clayborn—injury
• Robert Quinn—injury
• Jason Pierre-Paul—injury

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Cincinnati's Geno Atkins and Miami's Ndamukong Suh led the Week 14 NFL1000 defensive tackle rankings with dominant games against the Browns and Cardinals, respectively. Atkins had his way with Cleveland's offensive line, finishing with two sacks, one quarterback hit and four hurries to go along with a bevy of run stops. Suh led the way for the Dolphins defensive line as it battered a weak Cardinals front. Suh had one of his best performances of the season as he controlled his gap rushing the passer and versus the run. 

The Panthers' Kawann Short and Vernon Butler beat up the Chargers' interior offensive line this week. Orlando Franklin and D.J. Fluker were constantly caught out of position against the pair of defensive tackles. Short started off the game with two sacks in the first quarter, including a strip-sack that led to a drive where Carolina scored.

Jacksonville's Sen'Derrick Marks had his best game of the season against the Vikings. Marks has always been quick off the snap this season but often failed to convert on his penetration. This week was different, as he finally finished the plays he disrupted. This was a vintage Marks performance we haven't seen since his knee injury in 2014.

The Falcons duo of Grady Jarrett and Ra'Shede Hageman put forth a great effort against the Los Angeles Rams. Hageman had his best pass-rushing performance since last season's upset of the Panthers in Week 16. Jarrett had another fine game defending the run and an impressive tackle down the field where he caught up to Tavon Austin on a screen pass.

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Darius Latham—injury
• Stacy McGee—injury
• John Jenkins—inactive
• Kyle Love—inactive
• Sharrif Floyd—injury
• Zach Kerr—inactive
• Steve McLendon—injury
• Javon Hargrave—injury
• Kyle Williams—injury
• Khyri Thornton—injury

Ralph Freso/Getty Images

Week 14 was a showcase in how the 3-4 outside linebacker position can be a defining factor in big games. Just look at Ryan Kerrigan of the Redskins. Close to a number of sacks all afternoon, Kerrigan finally got home on Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz—delivering a strip-sack late in the fourth quarter to preserve Washington's win in Philadelphia. He finished with the week's top pass-rushing and overall grades. 

Kerrigan wasn't alone.

Jadeveon Clowney's strip-sack of Andrew Luck in the red zone was a defining moment in the Texans' win over the Colts. With the Packers hurting at outside linebacker, Datone Jones and Jayrone Elliott both delivered sacks during Green Bay's blowout win over the Seahawks. Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan piled on the pressure to help the Titans beat the Broncos in a big game.

Winning big games often requires disrupting the opponent's passing game. Teams that did it best in Week 14 were able to score huge victories.

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100