NFL Week 14 reaction: Notes and observations
The NFL Week 14 reaction largely centers around the crazy wild card races in both conferences, along with a few blowouts.
– The Dallas Cowboys might have won their division on Sunday afternoon with a 27-20 victory over the Washington Football Team. At 9-4, the Cowboys are three games clear of both Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles, who were idle this weekend. Dallas still needs another win or two to officially clinch, but the season now becomes about seeding and whether the Cowboys can get a top-three seed in the NFC playoff picture.
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– On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders were trying to avenge a 41-14 loss from a month ago to the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead, they somehow got beat even worse, losing 48-9 to all but finish off any hopes of making it into the postseason. Patrick Mahomes threw for two touchdowns, Kansas City forced five turnovers, and the Chiefs improved to 9-4 on a six-game winning streak. Now, the Chiefs head to Los Angeles for what looks like an AFC West championship game with the Chargers.
– The Arizona Cardinals play on Monday night, and they need to beat the Los Angeles Rams. With victories by both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers, Arizona is only a half-game ahead of each in the NFC playoff picture for the top seed and home-field advantage. If the Cardinals lose to Los Angeles, they’re suddenly in the No. 3 position due to the tiebreaker. For Kyler Murray and Co., there’s no time to rest.
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– The Detroit Lions might be the worst team in football at 1-11-1, but nobody is sadder than the Jacksonville Jaguars or Houston Texans. Both AFC South teams are 2-11 after losing badly on Sunday in their respective games, and this weekend, the two teams play each other in a rematch of Houston’s Week 1 win at NRG Stadium. It stands to reason that should Jacksonville lose at home to the Texans, head coach Urban Meyer might get fired, per Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network.
– Who gets the wild card spots in the AFC and NFC? The former has a massive logjam at the bottom of the playoff picture, with the Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills all at 7-6. In the NFC, it’s the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Eagles and Football Team all at 6-7. The madness will only increase over the final month of the regular season.
