NFL Week 14 Takeaways: Chiefs on the brink of disaster after loss to Texans

The three-time defending AFC champions are on the ropes.

After a 20-10 loss to the red-hot Houston Texans on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs have just a 16 per cent chance to make the post-season, per The Athletic’s playoff simulator.

Which essentially means they have to win their last four games and get a lot of other results to break their way.

But after how Kansas City looked on Sunday with its season essentially on the line, why would anyone have any confidence that this team can actually win four consecutive games?

They took bad penalties, had too many miscues in important moments and suffered more injuries to an already banged-up offensive line.

Sunday’s loss was a microcosm of what’s plagued the Chiefs all season, and it’s been a shocking collapse to watch from a team that’s won nine consecutive AFC West titles under Andy Reid — a streak that was officially broken with the loss.

Now, credit where credit is due, the Texans look like a legit contender in the AFC. On the backs of its top-ranked defence, Houston has now won five straight and is just a game back of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South.

The Texans held two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes to both the worst completion percentage (42.4 per cent) and the worst passer rating (19.8) of his entire career.

However, it was once again the Chiefs’ failure to make big plays in the clutch that really doomed them on Sunday.

It used to be a foregone conclusion that these Chiefs and Mahomes would come through when it mattered most, but not this year.

And it’s the main reason their streak of 10 straight playoff appearances is in serious jeopardy.

Allen, Bills D come up clutch in thrilling win over Bengals

Up 28-18 in the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals looked well on their way to a statement road win over the Bills on a snowy day in Buffalo.

But Josh Allen and the Bills’ defence had other ideas.

Allen started the comeback with a 40-yard scamper that broke his own Bills record for longest touchdown run by a quarterback.

On the ensuing Bengals possession, Christian Benford made an incredible interception of a Joe Burrow swing pass and returned it for a score.

“It’s fun to see your brother who does his job… and can make plays for your team in big moments of the game,” Allen said of Benford’s big play after the game. “It’s so awesome. He deserves every bit of it.”

The Bengals’ collapse continued on their very next play from scrimmage, as A.J. Epenesa picked off a tipped Burrow pass for a second interception in as many plays.

That led to Allen’s third TD pass of the game, which capped a stretch that saw Buffalo score three touchdowns in the span of 4:20 en route to a 39-34 victory.

It was a massive comeback win for the Bills. Not only did they keep pace in a crowded AFC playoff race, but they also remain just two games back of the New England Patriots in the division, with the two rivals set to meet next Sunday.

For the Bengals, it was a huge missed opportunity.

While they are still mathematically alive in the race for the AFC North, at 4-9, the Bengals need to win out and get a lot of help.

If Burrow could’ve played the whole season, maybe things would’ve been different. But realistically, it’s looking like another year of missing the playoffs for a team that started with much higher aspirations.

Packers take control of NFC North, but Bears look legit

The Green Bay Packers won a huge divisional game over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Lambeau Field to take over first place in the NFC North.

But despite Green Bay’s 28-21 win, the takeaway from this game should be that both teams have a real chance to make some noise come playoff time.

With all his top receivers back on the field for the first time this season, Packers QB Jordan Love followed up last week’s four TD performance with another three on Sunday.

Green Bay’s defence also completely stymied the Bears in the first half, and showed why the Packers are dangerous on both sides of the ball.

But instead of folding, the Bears made it quite a game in the second half. Second-year pivot Caleb Williams threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the final two quarters and gave the Bears a chance to tie the game on their final possession.

It wasn’t the result the Bears were hoping for, but Sunday was further proof of how the entire culture has changed under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.

Thankfully for us football fans, these two teams will meet again in two weeks. And this time, it will be the Bears who will get home-field advantage.

Steelers hold off Ravens for noise-quieting win

It seems fitting that on a week when all the talk was about the status of his job, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin led his team to a massive 27-22 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The victory puts the Steelers back in first place in the AFC North, and at 7-6, they are once again on track for a 19th straight non-losing season under Tomlin.

It wasn’t a perfect game, as the Steelers got a questionable call to go their way on a potential fourth-quarter TD from Ravens TE Isaiah Likely that helped seal the win.

But there were also a lot of positives for the Steelers to build on, most notably on offence.

Aaron Rodgers played his best game as a member of the Steelers, completing 23-of-34 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown. He also turned back the clock and ran a score in himself for his first rushing touchdown since 2022.

“At least maybe you guys will shut the hell up for a week,” Rodgers told reporters after the game.

There’s still a long way to go, but Tomlin and Rodgers certainly earned a week off from the negativity that was surrounding their team.

Meanwhile, it was another disappointing result for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Sunday was probably Jackson’s best performance since his return from a hamstring injury, but that makes it all the more troublesome that it still ended in a loss.

At 6-7, they are still just one game behind the Steelers in the division with a Week 18 rematch still on tap. But right now, the Ravens don’t look anything like the Super Bowl contender many predicted them to be at the start of the season.

Jags surging, Colts spiralling

What a difference four weeks can make.

Rewind to the end of Week 10, and the Indianapolis Colts were 8-2 and in complete control of the AFC South, while the Jaguars were at a middling 5-4.

But after Jacksonville’s convincing 36-19 win over the Colts on Sunday, it’s the Jaguars who are now in the AFC South driver’s seat at 9-4.

The Jags have won four in a row and have finally seemed to find some consistency from quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Under first-year head coach Liam Coen, Lawrence is playing the best football of his career, which included throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the rain on Sunday.

On the other hand, it was hard to imagine a worse Sunday for the Colts. Not only did they lose a battle for first place in their division, but they also reportedly lost quarterback Daniel Jones for the season due to a torn Achilles.

It’s a devastating blow for the Colts’ playoff hopes, but also for Jones himself. After leading Indy to an 8-2 start, Jones looked prime for a big payday after signing just a one-year deal this off-season.

But with his status for the beginning of next season now in question, that next contract may look a little different.

At 8-5, the Colts are far from down and out. But with their starting QB out and a brutal remaining schedule that sees them take on Seattle, San Fransicso, Jacksonville again and Houston, there’s a very real possibility they finish the season 0-4 and miss the playoffs after an 8-2 start.

Rams, Seahawks on heavyweight collision course

Week 14 was another great reminder of why many believe the two favourites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl both reside in the same division.

The Los Angeles Rams bounced back from their shocking loss to the Carolina Panthers with a 45-17 beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals, while the Seattle Seahawks made easy work of the Atlanta Falcons in a 37-9 win.

Thanks to the Bears’ loss, the two NFC West squads now sit alone at the top of the conference with identical 10-3 records.

The Rams currently own the tiebreaker thanks to a win over the Seahawks in Week 11, but the rematch is looming.

When L.A. heads to Seattle in Week 16, it very well could be the game that decides which team ends up with the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the coveted first-round bye in the post-season.

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