NFL Week 14 – With 5 weeks to go, all 14 playoff spots are nonetheless up for grabs. Whereas the form of the playoff race has been clear for a while, we nonetheless do not really know any single crew will really be enjoying soccer in late January; historic collapses are nonetheless potential, if not precisely possible. However, for the tippy-top of the league — and particularly, the highest of the league who play in considerably sub-par divisions — that uncertainty might finish at present. Postseason berths are on the road as we enter Week 14 of the NFL season!
However there’s extra than simply some official ticket-punching occurring this week. There are some really titanic video games for wildcard positioning on the slate, in addition to some divisional battles which can inform us which races are going to be price watching over the past 4 weeks of the season. It is the final week of byes, and the final week of jockeying for place — after at present, we’ll be in a four-week dash for the playoffs. Gents, begin your engines.
It is additionally the final week of the common season for many fantasy leagues on the market, which is thrilling and and of itself. Hopefully, you were not counting on a quarterback within the NFC, contemplating the large quantity of accidents we have seen over there.
And, as a result of we’re stay, you possibly can take part within the dialogue as properly! Take part on the dialog — both within the remark part on this article, on Twitter by tagging @FBOutsiders or @BryKno, or on our model new Discord server, the place a few of your favourite writers shall be hanging out and reacting stay. Questions, feedback, and significantly intelligent quips will discover their means into the liveblog correct as we have now a operating dialog all through gameday.
It nonetheless feels bizarre for his or her to be byes this week into December, however we have now six groups resting at present, tied for essentially the most in anyone week this season. Meaning we solely have 10 video games throughout at present’s liveblog window:
Early Window
- Houston Texans (+17) @ Dallas Cowboys
- Jacksonville Jaguars (+3.5) @ Tennessee Titans
- New York Jets (+10) @ Buffalo Payments
- Cleveland Browns (+5.5) @ Cincinnati Bengals
- Minnesota Vikings (+2) @ Detroit Lions
- Philadelphia Eagles (-7) @ New York Giants
- Baltimore Ravens (+2) @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Late Window
- Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (-9) @ Denver Broncos
- Carolina Panthers (+4) @ Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3.5) @ San Francisco 49ers
The Sunday Night time sport is an efficient one — the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers obtained flexed there, so we are able to see Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert go face to face in arguably the only most vital sport of the week for playoff odds — two AFC wild card contenders going face to face. We’ll be shifting to the FO Discord Server to cowl that one, however till then, let’s get this began!
Saturday Night: Early Window Storylines
In regular circumstances, a Ravens-Steelers sport can be the undisputed sport of the week. That is not true this yr, however this week’s sport obtained much more fascinating when Lamar Jackson was knocked out of it with a sprained PCL. Whereas Jackson needs to be tremendous, that is a blow for the Ravens, who haven’t but locked up the division or perhaps a playoff spot simply but. We nonetheless give Baltimore, the fourth-best crew in DVOA, a 91% likelihood of constructing the playoffs, in order that they’ll in all probability be tremendous regardless of how lengthy Tyler Huntley is beginning for them. However their divisional odds are hovering at simply 53.3%, with Cincinnati tied with them at 8-4. So whereas the Steelers cannot realistically win the division any extra, they can throw a wrench into Baltimore’s plans, and that is fairly good in and of itself. Huntley had a passing DVOA of -16.7% in motion final season, however he was simpler in restricted motion towards the Broncos final week. We’ll see how Huntley can preserve the Ravens’ hopes afloat.
The New York Jets look to finish a season sweep towards the Buffalo Payments…isn’t a sentence I used to be anticipating to kind earlier than the season started. However, properly, right here we’re! And, talking of backup quarterbacks, the Jets proceed to roll with Mike White, although that has extra to do with Zach Wilson’s incapability to finish brief passes than it does with White himself. That being mentioned, the Jets have a passing DVOA of 28.3% over the past two weeks, which might rank thirteenth within the league. With Wilson beneath middle, they had been at 5.0%, twentieth within the league. As for his or her opponents, the Payments look to have principally shaken off the sluggish type they’d once they went 1-2 towards the Packers, Jets and Vikings, however do need to watch out to keep away from a slipup right here — whereas they enter the week atop the AFC standings, the division is not salted away by any means. If the Jets full their first sweep of Buffalo since 2016, look out.
The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants get the headline and canopy photograph for this week as a result of it is essentially the most impactful sport of the week, even when we anticipate a number of of the opposite video games to be nearer. With large implications for each the bye week within the NFC and a wildcard spot, this could be the sport that may have most impartial eyeballs watching alongside. The Vikings stay only one sport behind the Eagles for the bye week, and whereas we all know that Philadelphia is the higher crew, Minnesota retains cruising alongside on hopes and desires, and will draw right into a useless warmth if the Eagles slip up at present. Plus, the Cowboys are hanging out only a couple video games behind Philadelphia as properly; they have not given up their desires of an NFC East title simply but, and so have to seek out it of their hearts to root for the Giants. Someway. With each Minnesota’s division title and Dallas’ wildcard berth mainly on lock already, this sport is arguably extra vital to them than their personal video games. In the meantime, the Commanders, Seahawks, and anybody else who nonetheless has a toe dipped into the wildcard race would love the Giants to fold now, please, and so shall be pulling for the Eagles. A Giants win would supply simply the correct amount of chaos to finish the season, would not you say?
The Cincinnati Bengals have been on hearth not too long ago — their playoff hopes appeared to be in bother when confronted with what was on the time the toughest remaining schedule within the league, however they have not misplaced since October. And after a giant win towards the Chiefs, who appears to be unable to knock Cincinnati off their perch, they’re sitting on prime of the world — or, at the very least, the highest of the division, with Baltimore all of the sudden wanting very susceptible. However simply as they appear to have Kansas Metropolis’s quantity, they’ve been repeatedly victimized by the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland has received the final 5 matchups between the 2 groups, and eight of the previous 9. Cincinnati is simply 1-3 within the division; in the event that they wish to win a tiebreaker towards Baltimore, they should begin profitable some divisional video games!
Elsewhere, the Vikings can clinch the NFC North in the event that they handle to upset the favored Lions; the Cowboys look to win the battle of Texas towards the Texans in what’s arguably the only most lopsided sport of the yr on paper; and the Titans look to shut out to odds of a shock Jaguars divisional title.
Saturday Night: Playoffs?!
Three groups can clinch the playoffs this week — the Eagles, Vikings and Chiefs. Three extra might be eradicated solely — the Broncos, Rams and Cardinals. However let’s speak AFC South for a second, we could?
In the mean time, we give the Tennessee Titans a 97.4% likelihood of profitable the division, which appears pretty properly locked up. However the majority of that remaining 2.6% comes if the Jacksonville Jaguars can beat the Titans this week. The Jags nonetheless need to play each video games towards Tennessee, and had been they to win each of them, they’d be only one sport behind the Titans with the tiebreaker in hand. And whereas each the Jags and Titans nonetheless need to play the 2 Texans groups, it is not that arduous to think about Jacksonville upsetting Mike White and the Jets whereas the Titans wrestle towards Justin Herbert and the Chargers, Mike Tanier’s opinion however. There’s nonetheless rather a lot that should occur for Jacksonville to tug this off, however I do not assume it is solely loopy — and a win this week would up their divisional odds in someplace within the neighborhood of 5%. A loss, alternatively, would imply that the Jags couldn’t catch Tennessee anymore, placing this state of affairs to mattress. That makes it a giant sport in my e-book! And as simply 3.5-point underdogs, crazier issues have occurred.
Listed below are all of the playoff clinching/elimination situations for this week, in addition to a number of different seed elimination situations that are not fairly forgone conclusions simply but.
Clinching Eventualities
- Philadelphia can clinch a playoff berth with a win or losses by each San Francisco or Seattle
- Philadelphia can clinch at the very least the fifth seed with a win and a loss by both San Francisco or Seattle
- Minnesota can clinch the NFC North with a win
- Minnesota can clinch at the very least the third seed with a win and a Buccaneers loss
- Kansas Metropolis can clinch the AFC West with a win and a Chargers loss
Elimination Eventualities
- Detroit might be eradicated from the NFC North with a loss
- Arizona might be eradicated from the playoffs with a loss and wins by each Seattle and N.Y. Giants
- L.A. Rams might be eradicated from the playoffs with wins by each Seattle and N.Y. Giants
- Tampa Bay (and, by extension, the NFC South) might be eradicated from a top-two seed with a loss and a Minnesota win
- Las Vegas might be eradicated from the AFC West with a Kansas Metropolis win
- Denver might be eradicated from the playoffs with a loss, or wins by the N.Y. Jets, Baltimore and both New England or Cincinnati
- Cleveland might be eradicated from the AFC North with a loss and a Baltimore win
- Cleveland might be eradicated from a top-five seed with a loss and wins by each Baltimore and Miami
- Pittsburgh might be eradicated from the AFC North with a loss
- Pittsburgh might be eradicated from a top-five seed with a loss and both a Miami win or wins by all of New England, Cincinnati and N.Y. Jets
- Jacksonville might be eradicated from the AFC South with a loss
