Steelers see playoff hopes slipping away. Plus, Week 14 game picks and fantasy advice
Welcome to Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season.
About last night: New England Patriots 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 18 — The Patriots were struggle-busing their way through the season ... until they ran into a Steelers team that seems to be face-planting in its attempt to keep pace in the AFC playoff race. This is now two two-win teams that have defeated the Steelers in a matter of five days.
Game of the week: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys — The Eagles really have bunkered into the "Game of the week" space recently thanks to their crazy-tough run of games (Cowboys, Bills, Chiefs, 49ers, Cowboys again over a six-week span). This week's "Sunday Night Football" showdown could alter both the NFC East and home-field advantage races.
Sneaky-good game of the week: Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals — The Team of 4th & Monday™ — the Houston Texans — are playing the hapless New York Jets this week, so they cede their customary spot in this space. But, we stay in the surprising AFC South, where the Gardner Minshew-led Colts are astonishingly in the thick of the playoff chase. The Bengals are coming off a thrilling win on "Monday Night Football" after an AFC Offensive Player of the Week performance from Jake Browning.
Dud of the week: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints — The Panthers are a mess and can't even tank right, apparently eager to hand the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to the only slightly less horrendous Chicago Bears. The Saints, despite being just 5-7, are in contention for the division title in the mediocre NFC South.
➤ PHOTOS: Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games
NFL Week 14: Pigskin prognostications
- Week 14 picks: Paste BN Sports' panel of football experts make prognostications for every game this weekend. Which teams are locks? Are any upsets awaiting? 🤔
- Lorenzo's Locks: Find out why Paste BN Sports' Lorenzo Reyes likes the Texans in their matchup against the beleaguered Jets. You should know that Lorenzo is on a real heater 🔥 ... he's 13-2 in his picks against the spread since Week 9 🎉.
- NFL Week 14 betting odds: Which teams are favored this week? If you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. We have tips for beginners on how to place bets online.
- Power rankings: See how all 32 teams stack up, according to Paste BN Sports' Nate Davis, heading into Week 14. Several contenders are clawing for the No. 2 spot 📈.
NFL news, notes and analysis
- Teams in jeopardy of falling out of playoff picture: It might not be long before a few teams currently in the postseason field tumble out.
- Taylor Swift opens up on Travis Kelce relationship: In her TIME Person of the Year cover story published Wednesday, Swift also shared some thoughts on embracing the sport of football.
- Tight end opens up about 'scary' post-traumatic amnesia diagnosis: Hayden Hurst, 30, sustained a hit during a Week 10 game against the Bears in which his head slammed into the turf. He has missed three games.
- Dre Greenlaw, Big Dom make up: Cooler heads have prevailed between the 49ers linebacker and the Eagles' head of security after Sunday's sideline kerfuffle.
- Don't be like Jamal Adams: Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said the team doesn't "want to be a part of" Adams mocking the wife of a reporter who was critical of the safety's play.
- Playoff picture: The Steelers dropped out of a playoff spot (if the season ended today) after Thursday night's loss to the Patriots.
Fantasy football: It's playoffs or bust
Are you facing a win-and-in scenario this week to qualify for your fantasy football league's playoffs? Yup, samsies.
- Fantasy rankings for Week 14: For your convenience, these position-by-position rankings were updated for this week's games and are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
- Start 'em and sit 'em players for Week 14: Let’s take a look at some players at each position fantasy managers might be on the fence about having active this week.
- Winners and losers from Week 13: While Chuba Hubbard is getting the bulk of the carries out of the Panthers' backfield, Jets WR Allen Lazard has been blanked in consecutive weeks.
NFL Week 14 schedule 📅
Bye week: Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders
Thursday
Sunday
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Houston Texans at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Minnesota Vikings at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
Monday
- Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Green Bay Packers at New York Giants, 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC)
Talkin' football 🗣
- It's a Football Podcast: Paste BN Sports NFL insiders Safid Deen and Tyler Dragon dish on the latest hot topics surrounding the league. This week's podcast discusses the wide-open AFC, the impressive 49ers and — reluctantly — the Jets.
- NFL Facebook group: Run a post route to The Ruling Off the Field 🏈 to engage in friendly debate and conversation with football fans 🏟.
If you enjoy reading 4th & Monday 📰, encourage your football fan friends to subscribe 📱. Follow the hilariously homey writer of this newsletter on Threads @jimreineking.