NFL Week 14 breakdown: NFC thrown into delightful upheaval
Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season is (almost) in the books, and the Dallas Cowboys' romp of the Philadelphia Eagles shook up the NFC playoff picture.
Here are some of the most important developments from Sunday:
- Consecutive blowout losses to top NFC contenders has dropped the Eagles (10-3) into a wild-card spot (if the season ended today), which currently means that the NFC South-leading Buccaneers (6-7) would host the Eagles on Wild Card Weekend. The Buccaneers, of course, get the first-place nod in the NFC South over the Falcons (6-7) and Saints (6-7) due to the common-games tiebreaker.
- Tylan Wallace's game-winning punt return in overtime in the Ravens' win marked the fourth overtime punt return touchdown in NFL history, joining Xavier Gipson (Sept. 11, 2023), Patrick Peterson (Nov. 6, 2011) and Tamarick Vanover (Oct. 9, 1995).
- For the first time since 1988, there were two scoreless games at halftime on the same day. One of those games very nearly made it through regulation stuck at 0-0.
- The Vikings-Raiders game was the first 3-0 final score since the Steelers and Dolphins played to a 3-0 final during an infamous "Monday Night Football" game in 2007. It's also just the seventh 3-0 final score since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
- Study up on those NFL playoff tiebreaking procedures, because there are six AFC teams that are 7-6.
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NFL Week 14 key storylines
- Winners and losers: While Cowboys-Eagles predictably shook up the playoff picture, the Chiefs' Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes were left complaining about officiating.
- 32 things we learned: The NFC was thrown into delightful upheaval Sunday night, when the Cowboys spanked the reigning conference champion Eagles.
- Has NFL MVP front-runner emerged? If Dak Prescott is going to legitimately propel his case for being considered the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, he needed an outing like Sunday night, Jarrett Bell writes.
- Patrick Mahomes rips NFL officiating: What at first seemed like a highlight-reel, game-winning play was called back for offensive offsides. That call really angered the Chiefs quarterback.
- Playoff picture: The Cowboys might have won on Sunday night, but the Eagles still can win the NFC East.
- 2024 NFL draft first-round order: On the opposite end of the spectrum in the NFC East are the New York Giants and Washington Commanders, contenders for top-five selections in April's annual player selection meeting.
NFL Week 14 results
- Dallas Cowboys 33, Philadelphia Eagles 13: There's a new leader in the NFC East after this "Sunday Night Football" rout.
- Buffalo Bills 20, Kansas City Chiefs 17: Patrick Mahomes was left fuming over the officiating after this tough loss at home.
- Denver Broncos 24, Los Angeles Chargers 7: Justin Herbert's fractured finger shows it goes from bad to worse in this Chargers' broken season.
- Minnesota Vikings 3, Las Vegas Raiders 0: This was ugly, but it did give the Vikings hope of winning the NFC North after the Lions lost to the Bears.
- San Francisco 49ers 28, Seattle Seahawks 16: The 49ers now are in the driver's seat for home-field advantage in the NFC.
- Chicago Bears 28, Detroit Lions 13: This time around, the Lions couldn't muster a big fourth-quarter comeback against the division cellar-dweller Bears.
- Cleveland Browns 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 27: The Browns returned to the win column and helped re-establish their place in the playoff picture, and then wasted no time naming Joe Flacco the team's starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29, Atlanta Falcons 25: Just like last season when an 8-9 Buccaneers team won the NFC South, we're trending for another sub-.500 squad winning that division.
- Cincinnati Bengals 34, Indianapolis Colts 14: Jake Browning continues to impress and keep the Bengals in the AFC playoff chase.
- New Orleans Saints 28, Carolina Panthers 6: As expected, this was an ugly game ... which kept the Saints in the thick of the NFC South title race.
- Baltimore Ravens 37, Los Angeles Rams 31 (OT): The Ravens remained in contention for the AFC's top playoff seed with this thrilling walk-off overtime win.
- New York Jets 30, Houston Texans 6: Zach Wilson returned to help the Jets end a five-game losing streak and deliver a blow to the Texans' playoff hopes.
- New England Patriots 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 18 (Thursday): 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.
Coming this week in the NFL
Monday: Week 14 wraps up with with two "Monday Night Football" games being played simulataneously, as the Miami Dolphins host the Tennessee Titans (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN) and the Green Bay Packers face the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET on ABC).
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 14.
Thursday: Week 15 kicks off with the Las Vegas Raiders hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video). Before the games, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 15 game.
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