Most of week 14 is in the books and it started back on Thursday with a game between the Packers and Lions. This wasn’t your typical Thursday night game because both teams had a full week of rest as each team played the previous Thursday which of course was Thanksgiving. This was without a doubt one of the best Thursday night games of the year as the Lions would go on to win 34-31. Jared Goff threw for nearly 300 yards and 3 touchdowns and the Lions are 12-1 and clinched a playoff berth. This was their 11th straight win and I don’t think there’s any major takeaway for the Detroit from what we already know. They’re a good team, and this was a huge win because it essentially eliminated Green Bay from the division race and they won with countless defensive players down. Dan Campbell made a ballsy decision late in the 4th quarter and they won as timed expired. And two of the Lions final 4 gams are against the Bills and Vikings, so it’s definitely not time rest on the laurels in the motor city. This was a tough loss for Green Bay and they too will benefit from the extra couple of days off after this game – but I don’t think they should be too discouraged after this loss. I know it was obviously tough, but they are a very good team and I think there’s an outside chance they rest their starters in week 18 to give them a break before the postseason. Both of these teams could easily go to the Super Bowl. And that was my takeaway from this game.
The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans in one of the most thrilling games of the entire season as they won with a score of 10-6. McCorckle Jones led the way with 220 passing yards and 2 interceptions and Brian Thomas Jr had 86 yards and continued on what has been an impressive rookie season. Obviously both of these teams seasons are over – and this could legimately cost the Jags a shot at drafting Travis Hunter – but Jags fans are definitely thrilled with the fact that Calvin Ridley went out of bounds rather than taking a touchdown which kept the Jags alive. That was a very odd play att the end and I think that play in some ways summarizes the Titans season. Tennessee got smoked by Washington last week and put up 6 points against the Jags in week 14 and I think you have to ask if Brian Callahan is one and done. I understand there’s a lot of problems with this team – especially the right side of the offensive line – but how far do you go with this experiment? They may finish 3-14 and I understand not every rebuild is easy – but the lack of progress as a team you see every week from this team is downright frustrating.
The Saints won another thrilling gam that came down to the end as New Orleans went into the big apple and won 14-11. This was a very very ugly football game and Drew Lock started out 0/8 and that kind of summarizes how this game was played. There was also a sign somebody paid to fly around that said “Mr Mara enough – please fix this dumpster fire” and simply put the Giants are a bad football team outside of a few players. Malik Nabers had a good game and so did Tyrone Tracy and with where the league is at the moment – with so many bad football teams – this was the perfect outcome for the Giants. You see your rookies play good, you lose, and you go on to the next game. Technically the Saints are still alive to win the NFC South but their season is done. The best way to summarize this game is they stunk less and Bryan Bresee made a phenomenal play with the game on the line. I don’t have any takeaways for the Saints and I would imagine this is one of the least satisfying wins a franchise can have, probably close to the 3-0 Vikings Raiders win last year, or the 15-10 Patriots win over the Jets early in 2023 which featured Mac Jones against Zach Wilson. This was an ugly football game.
Tampa entered the day with a 6-6 record and knew they had to take care of business against a struggling team and that’s exactly what they did. They also knew in the back of their minds that Atlanta was going to a 10-2 team on the road and there was a chance for them to control their destiny from here on out with a Falcons loss – and that was another big win for the Bucs in week 14. Jalen McMillan had two touchdowns in this game and if Tampa can somehow beat the Chargers next week in LA – then there’s a really good chance they win double digit games and win the NFC South. There is still a chance they get in as a wild card because Atlanta and Washington play later in the year – but at this point – I would be surprised if Tampa doesn’t male the playoffs. The Raiders are a bad team and this is their 4th double digit loss in the last 5 games. They haven’t won a game since all the way back in September and I would be surprised if this team doesn’t end up with the number one overall pick. They play the Jags in week 16 which will definitely be a game to pay attention to for draft purposes – but all around this is a bad team and there’s a reason they will be selecting in the top 5 of the 2025 draft. And I wish Aidan O’Connell, Antoine Winfield Jr, Bucky Irving, and any other player who got hurt in week 14 – nothing but the best moving forward.
Miami narrowly snuck out a win over the Jets as they won in overtime 32-26 and we even had a scorigami with this one. This was Aaron Rodgers first 300 yard game in over 1,000 days and this summarizes the Dolphins. They won the game and their playoff chances are technically alive – but does it matter? Did anybody – even Dolphins fans – come away from this game thinking they are in good shape by any means? I don’t think so and this is a very bleak situation because even though they won – I would argue they are in the worst position in all of sports – and that’s stuck in mediocrity. Their remaining schedule could be a lot worse, and even if they win out – they’re not going to run the table. And to be completely honest – I feel bad for Dolphins fans knowing we can all see the end result from a million miles away. The Jets are now officially eliminated and the way this game ended is a perfect encapsulation of their 2024 season. I think even Jets fans thought when there was time left in the 4th quarter and when Davante Adams went out of bounds – that they would still end up losing – and they did. And here we are entering the second week of December and the Jets have as many wins as the Patriots and Panthers. And every team talks about having an identity – but the Jets identity is clear – and unfortunately – it’s a losing identity.
The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 10-3 with a win over the Cleveland Browns I would argue this was a very hard nosed gritty Pittsburgh Stiller win as they won the turnover battle 3 to 1, they ran for over 100 yards as a team, and they put up 27 points without their best receiver in this game. This was a very AFC north game in every sense and Pittsburgh was actually up by 20 points entering the 4th quarter. They now have a full two game lead over the Ravens in the division which is critical for Pittsburgh because they have about as tough to an end to a season as you can possibly have. Sure this win over the Browns wasn’t the prettiest – but they’ll take it. And it’s a good day any day you beat one of your rivals. But playing Philly, Baltimore, and Kansas City all within a 10 day span is what I have my eyes on for the Steelers. Dustin Hopkins went 0/2 on the day for the Browns and with the last gasp of getting back into the game – Kadarius Toney had one of the most Kadarius Toney plays imaginable. It’s been a very frustrating year for the Browns as they are now 3-10 and there’s not a lot to say about this team. Kicking was frustrating, the Jameis Winston experience was on full display in this game, and I would be surprised if Cleveland wins more than 1 game in their final 4.
The Carolina Panthers nearly beat the Eagles in the Linc as the birds held on to win with a score of 22-16. The Panthers have obviously played a lot better over the past few games and you can’t say they’re a good team when they’re 0-3 over their last 3 games – but I absolutely love the strides they’re making and this game proved they can hang with anybody. Adam Thielen had over 100 yards in his one and Bryce looked good and what’s unfortunate is you may see Bryce only threw for 191 yards and think – ok how good could he possibly have looked – but Xavier Legette dropped the game winner and if there is any bad takeaway for the Panthers – it’s that Legette’s drops are concerning. There’s 4 games left to get it sorted out, but I really like the strides this team is making. I would argue this was the best thing to happen for Philly because this game will act like a loss in the locker room – without actually being a loss. If there was a game to have a close encounter – it was with a 3-9 team rather than getting blown out by another playoff team. Rather than getting blown out by the Steelers in week 15. The Eagles are on a 9 game winning streak and I think this was the worst game Jalen Hurts has played since their week 5 bye – but again – they won and this was the game to have a let down week. And they prevailed. And I can’t wait to see the battle of the keystone in week 15.
Kirk Cousins had his return to Minnesota in week 14 and the Falcons lost by 21 points as Kirk Cousins threw 2 interceptions while Sam Darnold threw 5 passing touchdowns. Kirk has now thrown 0 passing touchdowns to 8 interceptions over the last 4 games and we actually made a video on the Falcons released yesterday just discussing how bad this situation is and why their future genuinely concerns me. The Falcons were 6-3 at a point and are now 6-7 with 4 straight losses and this is a horrendous situation. I would argue the best thing this franchise can do is move on from Raheem Morris at the end of the year and give Michael Penix an offensive minded coach for the next few years. This is a truly uninspiring football team. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison had an all time duo day as they combined for 265 yards and 5 touchdowns and Minnesota has now won 6 in a row. Assuming Minnesota doesn’t win the division because of the Lions – I think they can win a playoff game and remember – they’re 11-2 in a rebuilding year. They are playing with house money. This is a very fun team to watch and Sam Darnold now has 28 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He won’t win it unless he has an insane final stretch, but he is definitely in the MVP conversation.
The Seahawks beat the Cardinals 30-18 and Zach Charbonnet ran for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns, and had an additional 59 yards receiving. Seattle improved to 8-5 and won their 4th game in a row and their 3rd division game out of 4. Seattle is by every definition clicking at the right time and their game next week against Green Bay on Sunday night is going to be must see tv. I also thought Seattle’s defense played really well in this game and they’re going to need to continue to play well with their final 4 games. I like Mike Macdonald a lot as a head coach and there’s a very real chance this team wins the division in year 1 under Macdonald. They’ve allowed 20 points just once since coming off the bye which was against the Jets and 7 came on a kickoff return for a touchdown. This is a very good football team. I think Arizona is done and I know this loss especially hurts because it more or less knocked the Cardinals out of the playoffs – but I still think this team has a solid foundation and I like their future. I know Kyler could have played better, but the defense could have too. And this was always a long term rebuild and there is still an outside chance the Cardinals finish with a winning record which would be great for the future of this franchise. I still like where they are, but this was obviously a tough pill to swallow.
The 49ers absolutely demolished the Bears as they won 38-13 and if you were not watching this game – the first half may have been the most dominant half of football by any team in the Super Bowl era. The 49ers had 319 yards to the Bears 4. Not 40 – which would still be bad – but 4. George Kittle had 151 yards, Jauan Jennings had 90 yards and 2 touchdowns and rookie Isaac Guerendo had two touchdowns on the ground too. This was easily the most complete game San Francisco has played all year and we made a video discussing their future last week as well – and games like this – and dominant performances like this – even without CMC, Aiyuk, Trent Williams, and Deebo – are why I believe they will run it back in 2025. It may be too little too late for the 49ers – but this was a great game to watch for 49ers fans. Enjoy the win. Matt Eberflus was obviously a problem – a very large problem – but he was a good defensive coach. And the defense was awful in this game and Caleb Williams was also sacked 7 times. The one thing I will be interested to watch with the Bears in the final few games is how the defense plays without Eberflus. Now I do want to clarify – I agree with the decision of him being fired, but this was a nightmare from start to finish. The lone good thing you can add is that Rome Odunze had two touchdowns. 319 yards to 4 in the first half while being down 24 points summarizes this game.
The Rams defeated the Bills 44-42 in one of the best games of 2024 and in a game where Josh Allen had 6 total touchdowns. You would think that would be enough to win most games, but unfortunately it wasn’t and the Bills lost a tough one. What makes matters worse for Buffalo is they play at Detroit in week 15 and that’s going to be another incredibly difficult game. I don’t think Bills fans should panic by any means and I still think they are a very good team and I think they can easily get to the Super Bowl. Also as cliche as this is – I know Bills fans are sick of losing the regular season game of the year. Now Matt Stafford threw for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. Puka Nacua is one of the most fun players to watch and had over 160 yards. This game is why I can’t quit the Rams and why I think they can legitimately go to the Super Bowl. Will they of course is another question and if I have a hot take from week 14 – it’s that the Rams can beat anybody on any given Sunday. When everything is clicking – they are an absolute unit to deal with. Now just being honest – I don’t think they will go to the big game, but they’re back and the week 18 game against Seattle could very well be for the NFC west and it’s a game I’m already looking forward to. This is a good football team.
I hope you enjoyed this article! Thank you for reading and have a great day!
