Who saw Raiders WR Denarius Moore catch a pass, roll over and then proceed to run the wrong way? I saw it and it was a microcosm of what the Raiders have been the past ten years. This was another win in the bag for the Broncos, who continue to take advantage of an easy schedule to try and secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Raiders did compete however, even when they got down early. Raiders head coach Dennis Allen was coaching with a heavy heart as well as his father Grady passed away earlier in the week.
St. Louis Rams 15 Buffalo Bills 12
This was an important win for the Rams, as they pulled their record to 6-6-1. They are still in the Wild Card chase, and they took advantage of a team they were supposed to beat on the road. That has been difficult for the Rams the past several years. Normally, they would lose a game like this. The Bills were sitting at 5-7 so this was an important game for them as well. After suffering their eighth loss, they can kiss all postseason hopes goodbye.
Atlanta Falcons 20 Carolina Panthers 30
I'm not going to put too much stock into this performance from the Falcons because they are 11-2 and in the driver's seat to lock up the top seed in the NFC. However, this is the same Panthers team that almost beat them in the Georgia Dome as well earlier this season. The Falcons will have their first big test of the season next week against a desperate Giants team. We'll see what they're about.
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| Dallas Cowboys pay tribute to fallen teammate Jerry Brown Jr. |
For the second consecutive week, a team was dealing with the death of a current player. This time it happens to be the Cowboys after the death of LB Jerry Brown Jr. They also had DT Josh Brent in their hearts, as he was arrested for Brown's death because he was intoxicated behind the wheel. This is very hard on Brent, as Brown was his best friend from college and was responsible for getting Brown to the Cowboys. The performance on the field showed tough resolve from the Cowboys, as they were down nine in the fourth quarter. They kept their playoff hopes alive with the win.
Kansas City Chiefs 7 Cleveland Browns 30
Browns RB Trent Richardson only had 42 yards rushing, but scored two touchdowns in the win. Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles rushed for 165 yards and scored on a 80-yard touchdown run but they didn't get anything from QB Brady Quinn. This was the first road game for the Chiefs since the tragedy involving LB Javon Belcher. This has been a strange season of failure, criticism and tragedy. They probably want the season to end as quickly as possible. I can't blame them.
Tennessee Titans 23 Indianapolis Colts 27
The Colts were down by 13 in the second half, but rookie QB Andrew Luck completed another fourth quarter comeback for the win. The Colts are now at 9-4, with two games to play against the division-leading Texans. There's still a chance the Colts can win this division, but I don't see it happening. The Titans, on the other hand, have endured a frustrating season. They have looked good at times, and looked bad as well. There has been no consistency from this team. QB Jake Locker will need to improve in order for them to be consistent.
New York Jets 17 Jacksonville Jaguars 10
The Jets are in a stretch of games that are very easy, leaving open the possibility they can still make it to the playoffs. Even though the Jets won this game, they still need to play better. If they want to make it to the playoffs and actually compete in the playoffs, they're going to have to take care of these final few games and take care of them easily. Jets QB Mark Sanchez cannot continue to turn the ball over. The Jets don't have a lot of margin for error and Sanchez isn't good enough to make up for his mistakes.
Chicago Bears 14 Minnesota Vikings 21
A couple of weeks ago, many people were saying the Bears were glad to have QB Jay Cutler back, as QB Jason Campbell performed poorly in the second half of their loss to the Texans, and to the 49ers on Monday Night Football. However, Cutler still lost to the Seahawks at home, and loses to the Vikings at the Metrodome. Cutler was injured in this game too, so his status going forward isn't known yet, even though he insists he will play. Their schedule won't be easy. They have the Packers at home next week, and they end the season at Detroit. If the Bears continue to lose, they will find themselves out of the playoffs.
San Diego Chargers 34 Pittsburgh Steelers 24
There were a lot of disappointments in Week 14, but there wasn't any disappointment bigger than the Steelers. The Steelers get QB Ben Roethlisberger back, so they're ready to roll. However, the Chargers were able to control the game from start to finish, and they came away with an impressive victory. This is a Chargers team that will clean house at the end of the season, so this loss should be embarrassing. The Steelers are fortunate the Bengals lost to the Cowboys as well. The Steelers can't afford another slip up.
Philadelphia Eagles 23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21
This is another disappointment in Week 14. The Buccaneers had the opportunity to keep pace in the Wild Card race after losing two straight to two very good teams. They blew a chance to keep pace, and now they fall all the way back behind the Redskins, Cowboys, Vikings and Rams. It's not looking good for the Buccaneers but the Eagles have some nice to look forward to. Eagles QB Nick Foles completed a touchdown pass to WR Jeremy Maclin as time expired for the win. Foles has been solid since taking over for embattled QB Michael Vick. Is Foles the future?
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| Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III hurts his knee. |
The Ravens offense looked good in the first half, but couldn't do much in the second half. That's how it went for the Giants last week against the Redskins as well. Still, the Ravens had their opportunities to win this game. They contained Redskins QB Robert Griffin III pretty well. Actually, from the naked eye, I think they did the best job on him defensively out of any team all season. When Griffin III came out with an injury, all the Ravens had to do was stop QB Kirk Cousins. They couldn't do that. They're firing their offensive coordinator for it as well. It's getting ugly for the Ravens. They have to play the Broncos and Giants in the next two games. Good luck.
Miami Dolphins 13 San Francisco 49ers 27
This game was looking like a struggle for the 49ers, but an easy touchdown run for 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick sealed the deal. LB Aldon Smith had two sacks in the game, putting him at 19.5 for the season with three games remaining. I think he'll definitely get the record held by Michael Strahan. RB Frank Gore also went over 1,000 yards for the sixth time in his career, and WR Michael Crabtree had a solid outing with nine catches for 93 yards.
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| The look on the faces of the Arizona Cardinals says it all. |
I'm not sure if this should be more embarrassing than the Steelers' performance against the Chargers. Actually, the score alone says it's more embarrassing. The Cardinals problems with the quarterback position continue to show each and every game. It has to be the worst quarterbacking situation in recent memory, as they don't have a quarterback on the roster who isn't bad. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald's father said the team quit. That's safe to say. It doesn't even appear as if anyone is playing for their jobs. They seem to believe they'll be in the NFL a long time.
New Orleans Saints 27 New York Giants 52
The Giants were probably doing a little scoreboard watching. They saw the Cowboys squeak one out against the Bengals. Then they saw the Redskins squeak one out against the Ravens. The Giants knew they had to win. They responded accordingly. After the Saints scored first on an interception return for a touchdown, the Giants took over and never looked back. There were a couple instances where it appeared the Saints could make something happen, but the Giants thwarted that every time. Giants QB Eli Manning threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers. Impressive.
Detroit Lions 20 Green Bay Packers 27
The Lions are playing hard. They are simply coming up short every game. It's a little funny because these were the same games they were winning last year. A lot of comebacks and late game heroics defined their season last year, which happened to be their first playoff appearance since 1999. Now, they grab a lead and haven't figured out a way to hold onto it. Lions QB Matthew Stafford could've started by holding onto the ball. The Lions are 4-9, but they aren't as bad as their record indicates. That still doesn't get you into the playoffs.
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| New England Patriots WR Aaron Hernandez celebrates a touchdown. |
I remember two seasons ago when the Patriots played the Jets on Monday Night Football in what was going to be a statement game for both teams. Instead, the Patriots trashed the Jets 45-3, and when the two teams met again in the playoffs a month later in the same stadium, many people wrote the Jets off. The Jets came with a gameplan Bill Belichick wasn't ready for, and he was thoroughly outcoached by Rex Ryan. Could this game be deja vu? Only time will tell.
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