By Matt Stuart | Published | No Comments
Welcome to week fourteen, or as Jerry Jones calls it, “gettin time”. Yep the Cowboys and Eagles are all set to square off for NFC East supremacy, but they could both be playing for sloppy seconds with the Niners return to the top of the charts. San Francisco is rolling and Brock Purdy has put himself firmly in the MVP conversation.
Meanwhile over in the AFC, the Dolphins, Ravens, Chiefs and Jaguars are looking to show that they are the team to beat come January. Of course fans in Jacksonville are now hoping that the high ankle sprain their starting quarterback suffered does not derail their playoff hopes.
At the bottom of the rankings, we have the usual dog fight for the rights to next April’s top draft pick, and with four teams competing for the ultimate prize of futility, this seasons final quarter will have enough drama for pretty much every type of fan.
So lets see where all 32 of them stack up.
They finally look like what they have always been and that’s the best team in the NFL. All that awaits is the playoffs
They have looked a little more vulnerable in the last couple of weeks and now they face their most hated divisional rivals in Dallas.
It feels like we are still waiting for the Dolphins offense to completely rise back to the level that they were at when they put 70 points on the Broncos.
If the Cowboys beat the Eagles this Sunday, you just know that Jerry Jones is going to completely overreact to that victory and quite honestly he should.
The Ravens are like the Cowboys of the AFC. We know that they are a great regular season team, but like the Cowboys, we will judge them by what they do in January.
The Lions have to love their record after week 13, but they have to figure out how to put weaker teams away – now, before they reach the playoffs, where an off week is the end of your season.
The Chiefs were ripe for the pickings last week against the Packers and a picking the Packers did.
Jacksonville lost more than just their game against the Bengals. They lost their quarterback. How long is yet to be determined. They just have to hope that they didn’t also lose their season.
The only reason to not believe the Texans could win it all, is that you have no faith in rookie quarterbacks going deep into the playoffs. But this rookie quarterback is like few we have ever seen.
The Packers saved their season a few weeks ago against the Chargers. Now that they have a win over the Chiefs, they are all set to stretch their legs.
Their quarterback situation continues to be the most precarious in the NFL amongst contending teams, but that defense is as dangerous as they come.
If the Bills do manage to make the playoffs, it will quite honestly be their most impressive season of any of the last three. Plus this seasons adversity should prepare them well for the playoffs, if of course they can get there.
The Steelers hope that this week they see more of the old Mitch Trubisky than what they saw last week. Then again three or four field goals should be enough to take down the Patriots.
The Colts are one of several teams that could find themselves in the playoffs, after losing their starting quarterback earlier in the season. That is a testament to how great rookie head coach Shane Steichen has been so far this season.
The Rams are quietly on a nice little three game winning streak, and a win over the Ravens this week, would do wonders for their playoff hopes.
Despite a three game losing streak, the Seahawks are still alive in the NFC playoff picture, but their chances of winning the NFC West have now completely vanished.
The Vikings are one of a half dozen teams that are all jumbled together in the wild card playoff picture, and they hope that a now healthy and returning Justin Jefferson will be enough to help quarterback Joshua Dobbs get to the finish line.
The Broncos offense was once again too inconsistent in their loss last week against the Texans. If they are going to make the playoffs, they will simply have to get more from an offense that is struggling to consistently move the football down the field.
The Bengals have to feel a lot better about their playoff chances after a big overtime win on the road against the Jaguars; especially since rookie quarterback Jake Browning has picked up his first win.
The Falcons have found a way to win ugly this season, and that’s certainly better than their formula of losing ugly last season.
The Saints offense seems to have hit a wall over the last couple of weeks and now Saints fans are starting to turn on their head coach and quarterback. One has to wonder, if the Saints miss the playoffs, what else might they be missing when they roll into next season.
The Chargers got one of the ugliest wins you will see all season long last week against the Patriots, but it’s hard to believe this team has enough left to make a playoff run.
The Bucs are still just a game back of Atlanta in the NFC South, but their schedule could be the deciding factor down the stretch, as they face the Falcons, Packers and Jaguars over the next several weeks.
You have to admire the Raiders tenacity and resolve since firing their head coach mid-season, but their record now shows what we have all known to be true, there are just not enough parts to build a true competitive team.
The Titans are now squarely looking ahead to next season and should be looking at ways that they can help what has now become a shaky offensive and defensive line. Also getting quarterback Will Levis some more help next season will be key to his development.
The Bears are keeping a keen eye on the Carolina Panthers future, as well as their own; since the Bears will now benefit from what looks to be the Panthers top pick in next year’s draft.
Not only is there no need for Aaron Rodgers to return this season, there is also little reason to throw the hapless Zach Willson out there either. And, apparently, Wilson agrees.
Tommy DeVito, the third string quarterback, has now become the d’facto starter for the rest of the season. The kid is living the dream, while living at home with his parents. It really is a surreal moment in the NFL.
The Commanders will likely look back on the 2023 season and wonder what might have been, if their defense had not cratered to a league worst, in almost every category.
The Cardinals were once considered to be a lock to draft a quarterback with a top five selection in next year’s draft, but Kyler Murray is trying to persuade them otherwise.
The only mystery left to these Patriots is whether Bill Belichick will get to keep his hoodie collection when the rest of his belongings are tossed to the curb.
The wins will come one day, in the not too distant future. At least the Panthers hope. But right now there is little hope for the current season.
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