Tom Henigan
Week 14 in the NFL provided us with two of the best games this season. As we get to the business end of the season, each game means more and more. We are starting to see which teams are up to the task when their playoff lives are on the line. The race for the number one seed took a big turn in the AFC, while three teams are still in real contention for the first-round bye in the NFC.
The week started off with a huge game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. The Packers entered the game at 9-3, visiting the Lions who went in at 11-1. A win for Green Bay would have kept them in the hunt for the NFC North and possibly the number one seed. It was a great first half for Detroit, going into the break 17-7 up but a Tucker Kraft touchdown, a Keisean Nixon interception, and then a Josh Jacobs rushing touchdown meant that in under four minutes since the start of the 3rd quarter, the Packers lead 21-17. In one of the craziest second halves this season, the Lions bounced back to end up with a chance to go up three points through a 38-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining. Instead, Dan Campbell attempted a 4th and 1 where David Montgomery ran for seven yards, which meant the Lions won the game there and then with a 35-yard field goal as the clock hit zero. The win for Detroit clinched a playoff spot officially and also keeps them as the NFC number one seed at 12-1. It also means the Packers will most likely be a wildcard team in the playoffs despite their strong 9-4 record.
The Eagles clinched a playoff spot with their win and have now won nine games in a row
After Detroit’s win, the Philadelphia Eagles needed to keep pace with a victory of their own and as they hosted the 3-9 Carolina Panthers, many expected them to do so comfortably. But it wasn’t easy as the Eagles held on to win 22-16 with Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette dropping a touchdown pass that had been placed perfectly by second-year quarterback Bryce Young with less than a minute remaining. It would have been a 97-yard touchdown drive had Legette pulled in the catch, but it wasn’t to be, and the Panthers failed on 4th down a few plays later to leave them at 3-10 on the season. The Eagles clinched a playoff spot with their win and have now won nine games in a row and sit at 11-2, one game behind the Lions.
The Lions’ 12-1 record has them as the NFC’s number one seed but has not secured them their division yet. The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 to keep pace in the NFC North. Sam Darnold was lighting it up for the Vikings, throwing 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison both having games with 130+ receiving yards and multiple touchdowns as Addison hauled in three scores, with Jefferson entering the endzone twice. That means the Vikings are 11-2, still just one game behind the Lions in the division. Those two face off against each other in week 18 and, from a neutral perspective, let’s hope there is still at least one game in it when that game finally comes around.
Tampa Bay is a team that could cause problems if they make the playoffs
The result in Minnesota’s game was disastrous for the Falcons. Kirk Cousins was returning to his former home, and it couldn’t have gone much worse. He threw 2 interceptions in a game where he carried on his bad form of late. There will be fans in Atlanta calling for Michael Penix Jr. to start as Cousins has thrown 0 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in his last four games, with the Falcons losing all four of those matchups. Atlanta’s defeat means they are now 6-7 and no longer atop the NFC South as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Las Vegas Raiders 28-13 to move to 7-6, now leading the division. Tampa Bay is a team that could cause problems if they make the playoffs as they have beaten the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions this season, the top two seeds in the NFC. Baker Mayfield’s team also took the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime earlier this season. Looking at the Raiders quickly, that loss dropped them to 2-11, leaving them with the joint-worst record in the NFL.
The other team with a 2-11 record is the New York Giants as they had a potential game-tying field goal blocked with 11 seconds left to lose 14-11 to the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are now 5-8, with a 3-1 record under interim head coach Darren Rizzi.
The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 10-6, meaning both teams are now 3-10 but the Titans currently rank below the Jaguars, giving Tennessee a higher 2025 draft pick as it stands. The Miami Dolphins still have a slim chance of making the postseason as they beat the New York Jets 32-26 in overtime. Miami is now 6-7 while the Jets are 3-10 and officially eliminated from playoff contention. The last time the Jets were in the postseason was in the 2010 season, making their playoff drought the longest in the big four North American leagues (the Buffalo Sabres also last appeared in 2010-11 season, but the NHL season is currently ongoing).
The Cleveland Browns were also eliminated from playoff contention as the Pittsburgh Steelers got their revenge after the Browns won the matchup between these two in week 12. The 27-14 loss means Cleveland is now 3-10 and officially eliminated from postseason contention. The Steelers, meanwhile, are 10-3 and two games clear of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. The Ravens had a bye in week 14 but the two face off for the second time this season in week 16. The Steelers are two games ahead of the Ravens right now but travel to the 11-2 Eagles next week while Baltimore takes a trip to face the 2-11 Giants.
Elsewhere, the San Francisco 49ers made sure they won’t go down without a fight, beating the Chicago Bears 38-13 to move to 6-7. Brock Purdy threw for 325 yards and 2 touchdowns with tight end George Kittle also having a big day, accumulating 151 yards from 6 catches. The Bears are now 4-9 after losing a game which had interim head coach Thomas Brown in charge for the first time.
It will be a tall task for the 49ers to make the playoffs from here as other results did not go their way. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 30-18 to extend their lead at the top of the NFC West with an 8-5 record, as the Cardinals fell to 6-7.
This was the highest scoring game of the NFL season
Speaking of the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams kept up with Seattle’s pace, winning arguably the best game this season, though some might argue that title goes to Packers-Lions. The Rams beat the Buffalo Bills 44-42 in a game where neither defense had a sack or a turnover, and the two offenses accounted for 902 total yards. It must be mentioned, though, that the Rams did block a punt and return it for a touchdown on one of the biggest plays of the day.
This was the highest scoring game of the NFL season and both quarterbacks were sensational. Matthew Stafford was at his best, throwing for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns with the help of wide receiver Puka Nacua who had 12 catches for 162 yards and a receiving touchdown. Nacua also had a rushing touchdown to add to his incredible day. That win keeps the Rams well within the hunt for the playoffs and if they make it in, there won’t be many teams that will want to face them with the way Stafford is currently playing.
Josh Allen has made himself the considerable favourite for the MVP award
Looking at Buffalo’s side of things, Josh Allen had 6 total touchdowns, 3 passing, 3 rushing, and threw for 342 yards. Questionable clock management at the end of the game meant the Bills did not give themselves the best chance to win. With all three timeouts left, Sean McDermott called a quarterback sneak on the one-yard line which failed, meaning the Bills had to use a timeout down 9 points with one minute remaining. That meant that after Allen scored again, an onside kick recovery was needed, which did not happen, and the Rams ran out the clock. The bad news for the Bills is the AFC number one seed looks unlikely now. The good news is that Josh Allen has made himself the considerable favourite for the MVP award with his six-touchdown performance, despite the loss.
Bills fans would have been tuning into Sunday Night Football hoping for a Los Angeles Chargers win against the Chiefs. Their wish was almost granted as a Cameron Dicker 37-yard field goal put the visitors up 17-16 with 4 minutes and 35 seconds remaining. But almost inevitably, Patrick Mahomes led his team down the field, helped by a penalty given to Dicker on the kickoff which gave the Chiefs the ball on their own 40-yard line to start the drive. Mahomes converted a 3rd and 10 to put the Chiefs in opposition territory and then a 3rd and 7 at the Chargers’ 20-yard line, which allowed the Chiefs to attempt a game-winning field goal with no time left. The Chiefs ran the clock down to one second before backup kicker Matthew Wright attempted a 31-yard kick. At first it seemed as if he had missed as he shanked it left onto the upright, but it seems everything this season is just falling for the Chiefs as the ball bounced through the posts rather than out of them. That bounce moved the Chiefs to 12-1 with a 19-17 win and also secured them the AFC West title for the ninth year in a row.
To finish off the week, the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in a game between two teams who will likely miss the playoffs but hold slim hopes. The game was closely contested with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase both continuing their sensational individual seasons. The game-changing play, though, came on a Bengals punt with two minutes left and the game tied at 20-20. On 4th and 27, Nick Vigil of the Cowboys blocked Ryan Rehkow’s punt, making a play that almost always results in the receiving team getting the ball back with great field position. But Amani Oruwariye of the Cowboys fumbled a recovery attempt beyond the line of scrimmage, meaning when the Bengals eventually recovered the ball, they regained possession. Three plays later, Burrow found Chase, who took the ball to the endzone for a 40-yard touchdown. Cooper Rush was unable to lead a game-tying touchdown drive with just over a minute left and the Bengals won to keep themselves in the race for a postseason spot, however unlikely it may be with their 5-8 record. For the Cowboys, this heartbreaking loss has all but ended their season as Dallas sits in 13th in the NFC with their 5-8 record.
There are four weeks left of the NFL season and there are no more bye weeks for any team, meaning every team has four games to decide their fate for the 2024 regular season. In the NFC, the Lions still hold the top seed but have the Vikings and the Eagles right behind them. Although this was a big week for the Chiefs in their quest for the AFC number one seed, they still have three games against playoff teams on their schedule, including against the Steelers who may have an outside shot at the one seed, though they need to lock up their division first. Despite the playoff teams they still have to play, week 15 looks good for the Chiefs on paper as they face the 3-10 Browns while the Bills travel to the 12-1 Lions and the Steelers visit the 11-2 Eagles.
Tom Henigan
Featured image courtesy of John Torcasio via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @nfloncbs via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @nfl via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 3 courtesy of @chiefs via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
For more content including uni news, reviews, entertainment, lifestyle, features and so much more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved.
For further sports content and ways to get involved, follow @ImpactSport on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Impact Sport Facebook page!
