NFL Week 14 Recap: Nuclear Winter

In the immortal words of Michael Cole, "The streak is over." Though, unlike Cole, I'm using those words regarding a streak that should end.

Sunday Night Football featured the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans in a pivotal game for both teams. Houston needed this because they actually had a chance to move up the ladder, but the team in true dire straits was the Chiefs. They were 6-6 entering this game, and they were hanging by a thread. They were behind 10-0 in this one, but they bounced back and tied it. It looked like KC's knack for finagling their way out of jams would finally return, but a very odd fourth down attempt failed and gave Houston a very short field. Texans scored right after, and they never trailed again.

The Houston Texans won, 20-10, and as a result of that win coupled with the Jags beating Indy earlier, Houston has moved above the playoff line and moved into 2nd place in the AFC South via tiebreaker. As for the Chiefs, as I said before, the streak is over. With the Denver Broncos' victory over the lowly Las Vegas Raiders earlier in the day, KC's loss means that their stranglehold over the AFC West is finally gone. For the first time in a decade, someone else will win the AFC West: either the Broncos (who last won in 2015--the season before KC's streak began) or the Chargers (who last won the division in 2009). Now, the Chiefs aren't completely eliminated... yet. Next week, they can be. If KC loses and Houston wins next week, then it's all over for the Chiefs in 2025.

As for the winning half of Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles, at least, have a playoff pulse--though it may be by default. Monday Night Football between the Eagles and the Los Angeles Chargers was a very twisted affair that saw so many turnovers from both sides. Four of them were committed by Jalen Hurts--four interceptions, with none of them being his fault. The fourth and last one came in OT when the Eagles were down by three; an interception that sealed it. The Chargers won, 22-19, handing the Eagles their third straight loss during a month-long stretch where their play has been very, very suspect.

It's the month of December, and the Carolina Panthers--two years after a 2-15 season--have a shot at winning the NFC South this year. They were on their bye. Unfortunately for the Panthers, so were the Bucs. The Bucs were at home against the New Orleans Saints, who have been dead for months. Yet a funny thing happened: the Saints won. The New Orleans Saints went down to Florida and actually defeated the Bucs, 24-20. It's only their third win of the season, but they are 2-2 in division play, and both division wins were on the road. As a result, the Bucs and Panthers are tied for the NFC South lead, with the Bucs holding the tiebreaker (common opponents). Week 16 will see the Bucs and Panthers finally face each other for the first time this year, doing so in Charlotte, with the rematch taking place in the final week in Tampa.

Week 14 began with the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys in a pivotal game that both teams needed. The second straight Thursday game for both teams, the Lions (with Amon-Ra St. Brown back in action) pummeled the Cowboys to the tune of a 44-30 victory to keep their hopes alive. The rest of the action saw four more teams eliminated. The New York Jets (lost to Miami), the Cleveland Browns (lost to Tennessee, of all teams), the Atlanta Falcons (routed by Seattle), and the Washington Commanders (blanked by Minnesota) all saw their seasons end. For the first three, it was business as usual, with the Jets missing the playoffs for the fifteenth straight year. Regarding the Commanders, injuries prematurely ended their season following their surprise appearance in last year's NFC Championship. Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills pulled off a massive comeback win over the Bengals, 39-34 thanks to the Bills defense picking off Joe Burrow late, and the Rams blasted the Cardinals to regain the #1 spot in the NFC.

Week 14 saw a lot of moving and shaking in the playoff picture, but there is still a lot to decide. The elimination pool is halfway full--18 teams get ousted, but nine are already gone, while no spots are clinched yet. Four weeks remain, and four games remain, because there are no more byes this season. The final four weeks will see everyone play--four weeks, 16 games each.

Week 15 begins with an NFC South battle between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football. On Sunday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys will host the Minnesota Vikings, and on Monday Night Football, the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Miami Dolphins.

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Check out my recap on Week 14's three big division games!