Best (and worst) from NFL Week 14: Rams win shootout, Chiefs 'doink for the division'
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NFL Week 14 is (almost) in the books.
➤ Three and out (your Week 14 must-reads):
- 32 things we learned: Whose playoff hopes are rising?
- Winners and losers: Fringe teams and pretenders in AFC wild-card race
- Your updated playoff picture through Sunday's games
➤ Game of the day: Los Angeles Rams 44, Buffalo Bills 42 — The highest-scoring game of the 2024 season so far was a real, live-action thriller in Tinseltown. Hope you weren't going up against Josh Allen or Puka Nacua in fantasy football this week. Nacua had 12 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for another touchdown, to help fuel the Rams' impressive victory. Valiant in defeat, Allen threw for three touchdowns, rushed for three touchdowns in a first for an NFL quarterback. Want more crazy stats? This game was just the second in NFL history to feature five combined touchdown passes, five combined rushing touchdowns and no turnovers (Chiefs vs. Broncos in 1965 was the other).
➤ Dud of the day: Tennessee Titans 10, Jacksonville Jaguars 6 — If you found yourself wondering, "wow, the Jaguars and Titans played a game of football today?" you probably weren't alone. Scott Hanson and the NFL Red Zone crew rarely visited this game for updates.
➤ How about the ...!
- Los Angeles Rams: After that wild shootout against the Bills, the Rams are just a game behind the division-leading Seahawks, who the Rams have already beaten once and play in regular season's final week.
- Minnesota Vikings: Winners of six straight, the Vikings play each of their division rivals in the season's final four weeks as they chase the Lions.
- Philadelphia Eagles: By winning their ninth straight game, the Eagles kept the pressure atop the NFC standings on the Lions, who have won a franchise-record 11 consecutive games. These two teams' dueling win streaks marks the first time since 2009 (Colts and Chargers in the AFC) in which two teams from a single conference have active win streaks of nine or more games.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers' win over the Browns, coupled with the Bills' loss in L.A., pushed Pittsburgh into a tie with Buffalo for the AFC's No. 2 playoff seed.
➤ What's up with the ...?
- Buffalo Bills: That tiebreaker over the Chiefs doesn't mean a whole heckuva lot if the Bills can't keep pace with the two-time reigning champs.
- Kansas City Chiefs: Yeah, we know that this team is 12-1 and just clinched its ninth consecutive division title. But, how many more creative ways will this team find to win a ballgame? A week after the Chiefs won partly because of a botched snap, they were victorious when a field goal attempt bounced off the upright and through in the final second. Next week, the Chiefs visit Cleveland to take on Jameis Winston and the Browns. Let the imagination go wild!
- New York Jets: Sunday's overtime loss to the Dolphins extended the NFL's longest playoff drought to 14 seasons. On the bright side, Aaron Rodgers finally had his first 300-yard passing game with the Jets.
NFL Week 14 key storylines
➤ 32 things we learned: NFL Week 14 featured several more puzzle pieces falling into place in the playoff picture, but there's still time for teams to make a move.
➤ Winners and losers: We’re entering the final month of the regular season and several key playoff races are heating up. Nothing is more contested than the AFC wild-card race.
➤ Playoff picture: Take a look at how things stand ... if the season ended right now.
📸: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games
NFL Week 14 results
- Kansas City Chiefs 19, Los Angeles Chargers 17: "Doink off upright" is just another crazy way for the Chiefs to win a game this season. This "doink for the division" (h/t NBC's Mike Tirico) delivered the AFC West to Kansas City for the ninth straight season.
- Los Angeles Rams 44, Buffalo Bills 42: It took a massive performance from Matthew Stafford, Puca Nacua, Cooper Kupp and Co. to put an end to the Bills' seven-game winning streak.
- San Francisco 49ers 38, Chicago Bears 13: While the 49ers got a much-needed "W," the Bears' spiral continues with a seventh straight setback.
- Seattle Seahawks 30, Arizona Cardinals 18: As the Cardinals fade from the NFC playoff picture, the Seahawks have won four straight and own a one-game lead in the NFC West. Next week: A big one at home on "Sunday Night Football" against the Packers.
- Miami Dolphins 32, New York Jets 26 (OT): The Dolphins' quest to run the table and have a chance at the playoffs is off to a solid start.
- Minnesota Vikings 42, Atlanta Falcons 21: Vagabond quarterback Sam Darnold had a career day (347 yards, 5 TDs) in expensive veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins' return to the Twin Cities.
- New Orleans Saints 14, New York Giants 11: Bryan Bresee helped keep the Saints' NFC South title hopes alive with a big game that was capped by a block of a potential game-tying field goal attempt. Unfortunately for New Orleans, Derek Carr's injury could make a playoff push even more difficult.
- Philadelphia Eagles 22, Carolina Panthers 16: Should-be MVP favorite (yes, we know it's almost a QB-exclusive award) Saquon Barkley displaced LeSean McCoy and Wilbert Montgomery in the Eagles' record book.
- Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Cleveland Browns 14: The mistake-prone Browns couldn't replicate their "TNF" win in the snow as the Steelers surged to a two-game lead in the AFC North over the idle Baltimore Ravens.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, Las Vegas Raiders 13: The Buccaneers won for the third straight week against a last-place team to keep their hopes for a fourth consecutive NFC South title alive.
- Tennessee Titans 10, Jacksonville Jaguars 6: It took more than 53 minutes for a team to score a touchdown in a matchup of struggling teams in which it seemed no team really wanted to win.
- Detroit Lions 34, Green Bay Packers 31 (Thursday): Dan Campbell gambled late, and it paid off. The Lions clinched a playoff berth with the victory – the first NFC team to secure a postseason spot – and essentially eliminated the division-rival Packers from NFC North title contention.
Coming up this week🏈
Monday: Week 14 concludes with the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN, ESPN2 and Disney+). Yes, this is "The Simpsons" game. This also is the second-to-last "ManningCast" of the 2024 NFL season.
➤ Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 14.
➤ Thursday: Week 15 kicks off with a huge NFC North showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions at Ford Field (8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video). The Lions, off to their best start since 1934, are riding an 11-game winning streak, and have won five of their last six against the Packers. Before the weekend's games, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 15 game.
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