Biggest Winners and Losers in the NFL: Week 14

Winners

Green Bay Packers

Even though the Packers have been consistently dominant all season, they are still one of the biggest winners of the week. With their win combined with Minnesota’s loss, the Packers clinched the NFC North title for the second straight season. QB Aaron Rodgers has a real chance to win MVP, posting a whopping 39 TD’s to just 4 INT in 13 games this season. His favorite target, WR DaVante Adams, is having a special year despite missing some time scoring 14 TD’s in 11 games. Green Bay controls their own destiny to gain the one seed in the NFC and they look poised as ever to do it.

Buffalo Bills

Coming off a dominant performance on Monday Night Football, the Buffalo Bills made a statement against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. After a rocky first half, QB Josh Allen and crew dominated the Steelers in the second half, outscoring them 17-8 on their way to winning 26-15. Buffalo has now won six of seven, with their one loss coming on a Hail Mary, and are now 10-3. If they win next week, they will clinch a playoff spot and look like a team that is peaking at the right time. If I am a team in the AFC, I would not want to play the Bills in the first round.

Baltimore Ravens

After a rough stretch, the Baltimore Ravens are finally back after pulling off a huge victory in what many regarded as the game of the year. On Monday Night Football, the Ravens defeated the Browns 47-42 in a back-and-forth affair. QB Lamar Jackson totaled 287 yards and three touchdowns in the winning effort. Baltimore is now 8-5 and has an extremely favorable schedule on their hands to finish off the season. While they do not control their own destiny, winning their last three games will put them in a really good position to make the playoffs in 2020.

Losers

Pittsburgh Steelers

After losing a tough game to the suddenly dangerous Washington Football Team, the Steelers put up another lackluster performance on Sunday night against the Bills. While Buffalo is good, this was a chance for the Steelers to get back on track. Pittsburgh totals just 224 yards of offense with only 47 coming on the ground. They were also just 1-10 on third down and had two turnovers in the loss. All season long, Pittsburgh has been able to get by with great defense and a methodical offense. As the season has gone by, Pittsburgh has suffered some injuries to their linebacking core, putting more pressure on the offense. Pittsburgh should get a win against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have two wins in 2020, to get back on track. Even with a win, questions will still be raised on how good the Pittsburgh Steelers are.

New Orleans Saints

While still in a good position to win their division, the New Orleans Saints dropped an extremely tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, who were starting a backup quarterback and have been a mess all season. New Orleans did not play bad, but fell behind early and never recovered from the 17-0 hole they put themselves in. Despite this, the Saints are still 10-3 and a win away from clinching the division. The next step is to get QB Drew Brees back healthy and on the field. QB Taysom Hill has done a nice job, but Brees will be needed to make a deep playoff run in 2020. The Saints will face another tall task in Week 15, taking on the 12-1 Kansas City Chiefs, who are also the defending champions.

Las Vegas Raiders

It has been an up and down season for the Las Vegas Raiders, but this may have been the dagger that sealed their hopes of the playoffs. In a huge matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, the Raiders got embarrassed, losing by a score of 44-27. The Raiders got outplayed and outhustled and it cost them the game. They lost the turnover margin 3-0 and rushed for only 79 yards. At 7-6. The Raiders will need to win out and receive a ton of help to sneak into the playoffs, but with the way they are playing right now, it would take a miracle to make the playoffs.

Info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas