NFL Week 14: 5 Most Disgraceful Performances

For some, Week 14 could not have been better, such as Denver's comeback win over the Bears or the Lions getting back on track in a win over Minnesota.

However, there were also some really bad and poor performances from players needing to step up or, at the very least, finish 2011 strong to have some momentum for the offseason. That said, here are five of the worst performances from Week 14 in pro football.

Carson Palmer: QB, Raiders (at Packers)

Unfortunately for the Oakland Raiders, their season may have just ended after Week 14. After an obliteration put on by the Green Bay Packers, QB Carson Palmer had one abysmal performance against one of the NFL's worst pass defenses.

The Packers' No. 31-ranked pass defense was Oakland's best chance to keep pace with Aaron Rodgers and co. However, it just didn't happen. It was arguably the best complete performance by the Green Bay defense all season long.

Now, Raiders RB Michael Bush did work on the ground in gaining 78 yards on 23 carries and scoring one TD, but Palmer was the reason why Oakland lost this game. Going 24-of-42 for 245 yards and one TD isn't a bad thing.

But, throwing four INTs against anyone, let alone the Packers, is unacceptable. For starters, you know the Raiders' defense wasn't going to slow down Green Bay's offense, so Palmer had to step up.

Except he didn't, and the Packers gained four additional possessions to burn up the scoreboard. And as we learned from the New York Giants, QB Eli Manning threw just one INT and it basically was the difference in the game.

You throw four to the defending Super Bowl champions, and there's zero chance of winning.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: QB, Bills (at Chargers)

After starting 5-2, the Buffalo Bills have been on a downward spiral that has been just tough to watch, even for non-Bills fans.

A big part of their current slump, unfortunately, is the play of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, which continued in southern California on Sunday. There, Fitzpatrick went just 13-of-34 for 176 yards and threw two INTs against San Diego.

It was Buffalo's sixth consecutive loss, and although Fitz played rather well in the past two games, ghosts from midseason's bad play came back to haunt him. During this losing streak, Fitzpatrick has thrown just six TDs (three in one game) to nine INTs.

In the previous two games, he had four TDs to no picks, but everything came crashing down once again in easily Fitzpatrick's worst performance of the season. He finished with a 31.8 rating and a 38.2 completion percentage, and Buffalo lost 37-10.

Not saying that the Bills need to make a QB change for the future, but Fitzpatrick should be on thin ice after playing so poorly from an all-encompassed perspective for the past six games (with Week 14 being the worst of it).

Chris Johnson: RB, Titans (vs Saints)

It was basically a playoff game for the Tennessee Titans as they were fighting against the Jets, Bengals and Raiders for that final AFC Wild Card spot.

Needless to say, RB Chris Johnson failed to perform, and the Titans suffered a heart-breaking loss to New Orleans 22-17. On that day, Johnson combined for just 66 total yards (23 rushing, 43 receiving) on 16 touches.

Tennessee was then forced to revert to the passing game. However, being one-dimensional still kept them in the game. Had Johnson been able to play well, the Titans would have had a multi-dimensional attack to keep the Saints' explosive offense off the field.

New Orleans won the time-of-possession battle 37:33 to 22:27, and much of that is because Johnson failed to control some of the clock on the ground. And yet, although Tennessee's defense was not on the field that long, holding New Orleans to just 22 points is damn impressive.

Can you imagine if CJ had continued his rhythm on the ground like the past few games? The Titans would definitely have won this game and be better positioned for a shot at the postseason. 

Alex Smith: QB, 49ers (at Cardinals)

It was a game the 49ers were suppose to win, and being that they were 10-2 coming in, the Cardinals should have been a piece of cake, just as they were to San Francisco a few weeks ago.

However, 'twas not the case and Arizona came to play.

Their game plan was perfect: limit 49ers running back Frank Gore as much as possible and force quarterback Alex Smith to beat you. And it worked.

Now, Gore did still roll on the ground well, as he accounted for 72 yards on just 10 carries and scored a TD. That being said, though, the Cardinals stayed in the game and forced the game into the hands of Alex Smith.

Unfortunately, Smith came up short. For the game, Smith was just 18-of-37 for 175 yards, was sacked five times and finished with a 62.3 passer rating.

Arizona exploited the 49ers' offense despite Gore running well, and you can bet a game plan similar to the Cardinals will happen against San Francisco in the postseason. Their absence of an explosive offense hurts them, because Smith isn't a dangerous QB who can split a defense.

He's better than just a game-managing QB, but lacks the threat of being a gun-slinger. Going up against any explosive offense in the NFL's second season will be what ultimately costs the Bay Area a shot at the NFC title.

Josh Freeman: QB, Buccaneers (at Jaguars)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been in a deep slump since their tough 4-2 start. Not all of the seven-game losing streak has been QB Josh Freeman's fault, however, as the defense has vehemently under-performed.

Nevertheless, with that said, Freeman had one of the worst performances of his career against Jacksonville on Sunday as he went just 16-of-30 for 181 yards and threw two INTs.

And it's not like the Jaguars have a menacing defense. Respectable, yes, but not so great that a player like Freeman should get shut down as he did. He was sacked three times and had a 43.8 passer rating, and no Tampa receiver got more than 38 yards.

Thing is, RB LeGarrette Blount had a solid day in rushing for 74 yards on 18 carries and in scoring a TD. That also happened early on, so you would think that the passing game was nicely set up.

However, it was all downhill thereafter, and although Freeman ran for a TD, fumbling twice and losing one of them in addition to two INTs easily negated the TD. Much like the Bucs' have all season, Freeman has underachieved as well.

Definitely going to be interesting to see how he develops through the offseason and how 2012 starts out after performances like this.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27