NFL Week 14

NFL Week 14: Good, bad and ugly

NFL Week 14: Good, bad and ugly
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Week 14 brought us more exciting action, blown calls, and big performances. Here are my observations:

The Good

-Behind a rookie third string quarterback Devlin "Duck" Hodges, the Pittsburgh Steelers are now 8-5 after their 23-17 win over the Cardinals and are the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture. But most of the credit to how the Steelers have maintained their level of success goes to head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has been the Steelers head coach for 13 years now and has not had a losing record. This season is perhaps his best coaching job and he should be coach of the year.

-Props to Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan for becoming the 10th passer in NFL history and second fastest to amass 50,000 passing yards. At 4-9, the Falcons are in full-blown draft preparation mode with their playoff chances long down the drain. However, when history is made, we should all appreciate it. Ryan has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the league for years now and may have cemented his Hall of Fame bid.

-The Titans have been on a roll lately. They've won four in a row and are on the verge of making the playoffs. While the switch to Ryan Tannehill from Marcus Mariota at quarterback will be credited with the bulk of the success of their turnaround, running back Derrick Henry should get some as well. In that win streak, Henry has 599 yards rushing and seven rushing touchdowns. His 103 yards in their 42-21 win over the Raiders was his lowest output of the streak.

The Bad

-Bucs quarterback Jameis WInston could be the first quarterback in NFL history to lead the league passing yards, touchdowns...and interceptions. He's currently second, tied for second, and first respectively in those three categories. He's having an awesomely terrible season.

-I mentioned earlier how the Steelers beat the Cardinals earlier, I didn't mention a key play that led them to that win. Early in the 4th quarter down by 10, Cardinals' rookie quarter back Kyler Murray had a 4th&2 on the Steelers' six yard line. He more than likely could've run for a 1st down, but instead opted for a pass that was picked off by Steelers' outside linebacker T.J. Watt. here's to hoping Murray will learn from his rookie mistakes.

-The refs have made tons of poor calls this season. Another contender for the most egregious was a personal foul on Ravens' safety Earl Thomas. He was flagged after a teammate pushed him causing him to fall over Bills' quarterback Josh Allen. Sometimes, there's judgement needed when making certain calls. The refs should've known and seen the circumstances here and swallowed the whistle. Good thing it didn't cost the Ravens the game.

The Ugly

-The 49ers beat the Saints in one of the year's best games so far. However, they lost three key starters: center Weston Richburg is done for the year with a torn patellar tendon, while outside linebacker Dee Ford and corner Richard Sherman are out multiple weeks with hamstring injuries. For a team currently in control of the top spot in the NFC, these injuries couldn't have come at a worse time.

-The Patriots have long been seen as cheaters who've mostly skated away from significant punishment. They even had Spygate 2.0 come up this week, but it lasted maybe an hour or so and was simply a mixup. However, they had three calls go against them in their 23-16 loss to the Chiefs: a fumble return for a touchdown that was blown dead, a potential touchdown taken off the board after being wrongly ruled out of bounds, and a blatant pass interference not called. The funniest part: seeing all the Northeastern media cry for them after they routinely tell others to shut up for the same thing.

-In a scene reminiscent of the band being on the field during an early 80s Cal-Stanford game, the Rams' cheerleaders and mascot had to be told to exit the field of play just before halftime of their game versus the Seahawks. Not sure who's at fault here, but this should never happen in an NFL game. There's a guy on the sideline with a spotter and their job is to enter the field of play when there's a commercial timeout and leave when it's over. They have gloves and a vest to signal everyone that needs to know when play should be stopped and started. Perhaps the Rams' cheerleaders should pay better attention.

If we were to judge the Super Bowl contenders like books in a spades game, I'd say the NFC has three (49ers, Saints, Seahawks) and a strong possible (Packers); while the AFC has one (Ravens) and three possibles (Chiefs, Patriots, Bills). While some may laugh at the Bills being a possible, I'd argue to look at their defense. Some may also think the Seahawks and/or Packers aren't true contenders, but they have players at the ultimate position that'll always keep them in the conversation. While the Saints may have lost a shootout at home to the 49ers, that game was so close, it's hard to say one should be considered a strong favorite over the other. The Ravens have arguably the league MVP, a playoff ready run game, and a salty defense that'll keep them as the favorite until proven otherwise. These last three weeks of the regular season will serve as a playoff audition. It may also serve as a peacock ceremony for those that are in but want to flex their muscle and jockey for positioning. Either way, we have meaningful football left in the regular season.

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Are the Chargers or the Steelers a better matchup for Houston? Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

It's Week 18 of the NFL season, which means just one more weekend remains before postseason action begins.

The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes look like a formidable opponent once again and have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC bracket with a 15-1 record.

Over in the NFC, a crucial game awaits when the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) travel to face the Detroit Lions (14-2) on Sunday in a game that will decide the division winner, the No. 1 seed in the conference and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

Here are some more things to watch as the regular season winds down:

NFL playoff picture

AFC

Six of the seven spots in the playoff bracket are secure, though the seeding is still up for grabs in some situations. The Chiefs are the top seed while the Buffalo Bills (13-3) own the No. 2 spot. The Baltimore Ravens (11-5), Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6), Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) and Houston Texans (9-7) also know they have more football to play. The Ravens can clinch the No. 3 spot in the bracket with a win over the Browns. The Texans are locked into the No. 4 spot despite a worse record than some teams because they've clinched their division.

As for the seventh team, the Denver Broncos (9-7) are in good position though the Miami Dolphins (8-8) and Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) still have hope. The problem for the Dolphins and Bengals is the Broncos can earn the final spot with a win against Kansas City this weekend, and there's not much incentive for the Chiefs to play their starters considering they've already got the No. 1 seed wrapped up.

NFC

Much like the AFC, six of the seven spots are taken. The Vikings, Lions, Philadelphia Eagles (13-3), Green Bay Packers (11-5), Los Angeles Rams (10-6) and Washington Commanders (11-5) will be in the bracket. Minnesota and Detroit will duke it out for the No. 1 seed next Sunday while the loser falls all the way to No. 5. The Eagles have secured the No. 2 spot.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) have the inside track for the final spot, needing a win over the New Orleans Saints this weekend to secure their place. If they lose, the Atlanta Falcons (8-8) could still sneak into the bracket if they beat the Carolina Panthers.

NFL playoff format

The 14-team bracket enters its fifth season after debuting during the 2020 season. Seven teams advance to the postseason from both the AFC and the NFC.

The four division winners in each conference earn the top four seeds, ranked by their records. The last three teams are all wild-card selections, also ranked by record.

The format means the No. 1 seed in each conference is very important because it guarantees a wild card round bye and homefield advantage until the Super Bowl. For the other 12 teams in the opening round, the No. 7 seed travels to the No. 2 seed, No. 6 goes to No. 3 and No. 5 travels to No. 4.

NFL playoff schedule

Jan. 11-13: Wild Card Round. Two games on Saturday, three on Sunday, one on Monday.

Jan. 18-19: Divisional Round. Two games on Saturday, two on Sunday.

Jan. 26: AFC and NFC Conference Championships.

Feb. 9: Super Bowl LIX at the Superdome in New Orleans.

NFL playoff betting odds

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Chiefs are the favorites to win the Super Bowl at +375. The Lions are right behind them at +400 while the Bills are third at +550.

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