NFL Whip Around: What we're watching in Week 14

SAN DIEGO – There has been no more dangerous job in the NFL this year than playing center for the San Diego Chargers.

Since Nick Hardwick suffered a season-ending neck injury in the season opener through undrafted rookie Trevor Robinson coming into the game last week to replace injured rookie Chris Watt, five different players have snapped the ball to Philip Rivers. Three of them – Hardwick, Doug Legursky and Rich Ohrnberger, have landed on injured reserve.

"I think we're going to change the name to middle guard," Watt told Paste BN Sports. "Just to make it a little safer going out there on Sundays."

Watt returned to practice on Friday with his left calf heavily wrapped, and said he would be "ready to roll" for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.

But getting so many players ready to play center has been one of the biggest challenges of the Chargers' season. The fact the line continues to survive is a credit to players such as Watt, who was a guard at Notre Dame and had never played center before arriving in San Diego. Credit also goes to offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris and quarterback Philip Rivers.

"It's more of learning the terminology and just being comfortable with the quarterback, that's the biggest difference," head coach Mike McCoy said. "We've got plenty of guys that can make the calls and maybe make up for the lack of knowledge inside and out when you have to be thrown into the mix in a hurry. I think everyone has done a good job of adjusting."

Now on to the NFL Whip Around, your game-day guide for the NFL's best storylines.

NFC SEEDS AT STAKE

Need to know: The Seattle Seahawks already own a head-to-head tie-breaker against the Green Bay Packers, thanks to their Week 1 win. Now Seattle has the chance to get the same against another top NFC team when they travel to Philadelphia to play the NFC East-leading Eagles. Seattle trails Philadelphia by a game, so picking up a road win would be a huge boost for its chances not only to win the NFC West, but also move into position for a first-round bye. The Eagles, meanwhile, need to remain ahead of Dallas, who won on Thursday night against the Chicago Bears. Philadelphia and Dallas play next Sunday for the second time in three weeks.

What to expect: Despite lasting affection for his former quarterback at the University of Southern California, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll has to know the recipe for beating the Eagles – especially in Philly – will be to force Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez into turnovers. Sanchez threw an interception and lost a fumble the last time he played against Carroll's Seahawks, in a 28-7 loss when Sanchez was with the New York Jets in 2012. The Eagles are 2-0 in the games in which Sanchez hasn't committed a turnover this season.

MANZIEL ERA ON HOLD

Need to know: Brian Hoyer managed to keep his job in Cleveland, but for how long? The Cleveland Browns decided this week to stick with Hoyer, the quarterback who got them to 7-5, rather than hand over the reins to Manziel, even though Manziel led a touchdown drive last week. Hoyer still has the support of his teammates, but there is no question he'll need to play better – and that starts with leading touchdown drives, and solving his interception problem.

What to expect: This isn't an easy week for Hoyer to regain his confidence, with Andrew Luck and the top-ranked offense of the Indianapolis Colts standing on the other sideline. It is hard to imagine Hoyer and the Browns being able to keep up with Luck – who is leading the Colts to 31 points per game – in a high-scoring game. So if Cleveland players want Hoyer to remain their starter and stay in the AFC North hunt, they will need to provide support. That means defensive turnovers – and Luck has been prone to mistakes – and limiting big plays by Indianapolis' new kick returner, Josh Cribbs, who surely would like to have a big day against his former team.

WHICH SLIDE STOPS?

Need to know: The Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals have each lost two consecutive games and are both on the verge of desperation heading into Sunday's game at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals remain in first place in the NFC West, thanks to the big lead the built over Seattle and San Francisco early in the season, but in losses to Seattle and Atlanta, they have hardly looked like a playoff team. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have fallen to third place in the AFC West after losses to Oakland and Denver, and need a win to remain in the wild card race.

What to expect: So which losing streak ends? The Cardinals have played really well at home this year, but they'll be asked to do so this week without starting running back Andre Ellington, who is out with a hip injury. Ellington has been underwhelming this season, but the Cardinals are desperate to score points, so losing another offensive starter is difficult. The challenge for the Chiefs offense will be to get Jamaal Charles more involved once again. When he's active rushing the ball and catching passes from Alex Smith, it is easy to forget about the Chiefs' dismal receiving corps.

Game time decision: Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett was held out of two practices this week because of a knee injury, and is listed as questionable for Sunday's critical game against Miami. Forsett has been a revelation this season, rushing for more than 1,000 yards in the Ravens' first 12 games, and with Baltimore desperately needing to win to remain in the AFC playoff hunt, the Ravens can hardly stand to play a game without him – especially against a Miami run defense that has been quite vulnerable in recent weeks.

Fantasy play: If your fantasy football playoffs are depending on Trent Richardson – well, I have no idea how you made the playoffs. But the Colts' running backs are an interesting situation this week. Richardson remains Indianapolis' starter, but he's hardly been the team's No. 1 back all season. He was less valuable than Ahmad Bradshaw, and now Daniel Herron is playing well. Could this finally be Richardson's breakthrough week? He certainly hopes so, with his return to Cleveland a year after the Browns traded him to Indianapolis, but he certainly seems like a risky fantasy football move.

For entertainment purposes only: The largest AFC spread of the week has the Broncos a 10-point home favorite against the Buffalo Bills. It seems unlikely that Kyle Orton and the Bills can match score-for-score with Peyton Manning, but such a large spread ignores recent history of Broncos-Bills games in December. Buffalo has won the last two – 2011 in Buffalo, and 2008 in Denver.