Every contest matters down the stretch, with several enormous outcomes in the fourteenth week that may determine postseason spots come the conclusion of the campaign.
A 42-year Aaron Rodgers landed a big setback to the Baltimore Ravens' play-off aspirations, while Josh Allen virtually terminated Joe Burrow's hopes. At the same time, the Houston defense posed a huge problem and may have concluded the Kansas City Chiefs campaign earlier than ever in the Mahomes tenure.
The Breakdown: Divisional Deciders Live Up To the Hype
Three huge rivalry games delivered.
Veteran signal-caller Aaron Rodgers, playing with a injured wrist, guided his squad to a gritty close win in on the road. He scored his initial rushing score in nearly three seasons, however it was his long passes to his star wideout that proved to be the deciding factor.
Lamar Jackson seemed out of kilter as his team missed key chances—though they were angry by a late score being chalked off. The two franchises are scheduled to face off again on the final day of the regular season.
In another, the oldest rivalry in the NFL saw a thrilling contest. Even with touchdown deep passes, an worn-out defensive unit had to thwart another fourth-quarter comeback from the visiting rookie QB in the frigid conditions.
This outcome gave one team a slender lead in their NFC North, while the defeated team dropped from the conference's top spot down to seventh.
In-Depth Look: What Has Gone Awry for the Kansas City Chiefs?
Projections assign the Kansas City only a 15% chance of making the postseason. In all likelihood, this could be the first missed playoffs for franchise QB Mahomes—and the first such for the organization in a ten years.
During his 7 complete years as a starter, he has advanced to seven conference championship contests and five Super Bowls. This means the team has played nearly every available game throughout his tenure.
Therefore, the reasons for this year's failure are clear and were encapsulated during the recent defeat. Injuries decimated an already struggling O-line, with several starters missing.
Even then, the quarterback provided his squad a fighting chance, but missed field goals and crucial drops—including on a decisive fourth-down attempt—confirmed their downfall.
Spotlight: Could the Lombardi Trophy Be Destined for the Western US?
A pair of top contenders from the western conferences are building strong cases for Super Bowl contention.
One squad, leading their the AFC, won the most recent title held at February's venue. They are constructed on a stifling defence that tops the league in quarterback takedowns and wins through methodical, time-consuming drives.
The other team, atop the NFC, demonstrated an dynamic offense capable of scoring from any situation. They boast a two-headed running attack to pair with an elite passing attack.
The question could be whether the potent offense can solve the smothering pressure of the elite defense—what would be a fascinating potential matchup.
Talking Point: Travis Kelce Considering Retirement?
Amid the fallout from the Chiefs' defeat, comments from Patrick Mahomes about his longtime teammate fueled talk about a potential departure.
Listening to Mahomes say, "each year... I try to appreciate since you never know" definitely sounded like he was bracing for the veteran to call it a day.
"The tight end will have the choice to do what he chooses to do after this season," he continued. Should the season ends prematurely for the Chiefs, the three-time champion winner might decide to walk away.
Looking Ahead: Buffalo vs. Patriots Highlights the Upcoming Slate
Josh Allen put on a show once more for Buffalo in a snowy victory. He threw 3 touchdowns and ran for another, responsible for a remarkable percentage of his team's total touchdowns this season.
Allen is the only player in league history with three thousand passing yards, 20 touchdown passes and ten rushing touchdowns in 3 straight seasons.
Now, he puts the Bills on his shoulders again as they aim to catch their AFC East foes, the Patriots—coincidentally, they are exactly who they face this coming Sunday.
Major Upcoming Week Matchups:
- Bills @ Patriots
- Lions @ Rams
- Packers @ Broncos
- Los Angeles Chargers @ Chiefs
This Week's Stats, Records & Notes
- A kickoff runback for a 100-yard touchdown—the longest scoring play of the year—sparked a scoring blitz for one offense.
- A star receiver scored two scores and is still on course for a historic 2,000-yard season.
- A feared defensive end recorded his twentieth sack of the season, moving within reach of the single-season mark.
- An international kicker helped his squad in a upset victory in soggy weather.
- A offense that was shutout one game responded with a clean sheet of its own the following week.
- A reeling franchise watched its franchise quarterback come back from injury, only to exit the contest again with a related ailment.
