NFL Week 14 Recap: 86 Points

Holy moley, what a shootout in the OK Corral!

You know, the Los Angeles Rams seem to be magnets for offense-filled shootouts. I still remember that game against the Chiefs from a few years ago that saw over 100 points scored. This one wasn't 100 points, but it had a lot of scoring. It had the Rams leading big, but the Bills managed to scratch and claw their way into a possible comeback, but the Rams managed to score late to make it a nine point game--the lowest possible two-possession lead. The Bills got in, but the onside kick came up short for them. The Rams ran down the clock and got the huge win, the biggest win of the season.

The Rams won, 44-42, over the Bills. 86 total points scored in this game, joining the list of big time offense-filled shootouts this season, and this is a rare one, because it doesn't involve an AFC North team. This game is being used by many as a case to give Josh Allen the MVP this season. He threw for three touchdowns and ran in for three. Six combined touchdowns. Definitely one hell of a performance.

Only one problem: he lost. To the Rams.

The Rams are good, but they are an up and down NFC West team. MVPs don't lose to those teams. In reality, Josh Allen is still behind Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, and yes, Jordan Love in the MVP race. Allen needs to beat more quality teams and have more good performances than that one to have a convincing case for MVP.

The time to bench Kirk Cousins is getting very, very close. The planned revenge game did not go well for Cousins, as the Falcons were trounced by the Minnesota Vikings, 42-21. Sam Darnold threw five touchdown passes, while Cousins added to his already high interception total. He threw two of them, giving him 15 total, which leads the league. It was a sad sight to see. Vikings fans received more and more merit with this win and with Cousins' performance. Even worse for the Falcons, this loss was their fourth straight, and they are now out of first place in the NFC South, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 28-10. Despite this, Falcons' head coach Raheem Morris appears to be sticking with Cousins, and they have defeated Tampa Bay twice, so there's that.

The Detroit Lions have company in the NFC playoff party, as the Philadelphia Eagles became the second team from the conference to get in. Philly won a thriller over the Carolina Panthers, 22-16, and with Thursday's result and the Falcons losing, all they needed was the Arizona Cardinals losing. The late window saw the Cardinals host the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC West battle, and it was not a good showing for the home team. The Seahawks won, 30-18, and that completed a long scenario that placed the Eagles into the playoffs. Philly has won nine straight after a shaky 2-2 start, and Plan B for the team is winning the NFC East, and they are very close to that goal.

Regarding the rest of the early window, a meaningless game between the Jaguars and Titans saw the former win 10-6, resulting in the Titans being eliminated. The New Orleans Saints won 14-11 over the New York Giants after a Giants' attempted game-tying field goal was blocked. Finally, the Pittsburgh Steelers delivered a huge beatdown over the Cleveland Browns, winning 27-14 to reach 10 wins for the second straight season. This is the first time the Steelers have had back-to-back 10 win seasons since picking up four straight from 2014-2017. As for the Browns, they are also eliminated from playoff contention with their defeat.

Four yards. That's how much offense the Chicago Bears mustered in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers. Four yards. A false start penalty is more than that. Mind you, this was the Bears' first game after firing Matt Eberflus as head coach. The 49ers were still beaten, battered, and fried, yet they were still able to make mincemeat out of this pathetic team. Though, let's get something straight: it's only because the NFC West is so tepid that the Niners even have a puncher's chance, and even then it's a bit on the faint side, as the Niners are still in last place.

Stop me if you've heard this before. The Chiefs barely survive another game, and as a result, the Chiefs won the AFC West. I don't know which proverbial horse is more overridden: the Chiefs winning the division (nine years in a row now) or their winning by the skin of their teeth. This game against the Los Angeles Chargers was yet another game that they should have lost, but they won it because of massive fluke bullshit. KC's 12-1 record is so damned fraudulent. Seriously, how are you 12-1 with a point differential of +56, which is only two points higher than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are 7-6?!

Monday Night Football saw the Cincinnati Bengals facing the Dallas Cowboys in a borderline meaningless game. Both teams were pretty much screwed, but it was still a pretty good and close game. Ja'Marr Chase showed out once again, and with the game tied at 20 late, and Cincy set to punt after the two minute warning, I was expecting overtime. Then the punt was blocked. Dallas would have had the ball in good position, but they muffed that as well. Cincy regained the ball barely outside midfield. They could have killed a lot of the clock and settled for three, but Chase decided to go all the way. Cincy still held on, though, 27-20.

Now while those watching ESPN saw Chase go in the end zone, here's what some on ESPN+ and Disney+ watched:

Disney+ gave us a Simpsons-style animated simulcast of the game, which also aired on ESPN+. And while ESPN showed Chase getting in the end zone, Disney+ had Lisa Simpson, the precocious eight-year-old, making that mad dash to the end zone after a pass from Bart Simpson. Absolutely epic!

Week 15 will kick off with the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers facing off in an NFC West battle on Thursday Night Football. On Sunday Night Football, the Seattle Seahawks will host the Green Bay Packers, and it's a double dip on Monday Night Football, with one game featuring the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears, while the other will feature the Atlanta Falcons and the Las Vegas Raiders.

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