Every game matters from here on in, with several enormous results in the fourteenth week that could settle postseason spots come the end of the season.
A 42-year veteran quarterback struck a big setback to the Baltimore Ravens' play-off aspirations, whereas the Buffalo Bills quarterback all-but ended Joe Burrow's chances. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans defense presented a huge problem and may have concluded the Kansas City Chiefs campaign sooner than ever in the Mahomes era.
Divisional Analysis: Division Deciders Exceed the Anticipation
Three huge division clashes lived up to the hype.
Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, playing with a fractured wrist, steered his team to a tough 27-22 win in Baltimore. The future Hall of Famer recorded his initial running touchdown in nearly three seasons, but it was his long throws to his top wideout that made the deciding factor.
The Ravens' quarterback was out of kilter as Baltimore missed crucial opportunities—though they were left fuming by a late score being overturned. These franchises will meet once more on the last weekend of the season.
Elsewhere, the oldest rivalry in the league witnessed a epic encounter. Even with scoring deep passes, an exhausted defense had to halt another late-game rally from the opposing young QB in the freezing weather.
The result handed one team a narrow lead in their division, while the losers fell from the NFC's number one seed all the way to seventh.
In-Depth Look: What Has Gone Wrong for the Chiefs?
Statistical models assign the Kansas City only a 15% probability of making the postseason. Realistically, this could be the initial missed playoffs for star quarterback Mahomes—and the first such for the franchise in a ten years.
In Mahomes' 7 complete seasons as a starter, he has reached 7 conference championship contests and 5 Super Bowls. This means the club has competed in nearly each available game throughout his time.
So, the reasons for this year's failure are apparent and were encapsulated during the recent loss. Injuries ravaged an already struggling O-line, with multiple starters out.
Even then, the quarterback provided his squad a fighting chance, however failed kicks and costly drops—such as on a decisive fourth-down play—sealed their fate.
In Focus: Is the Super Bowl Be Heading for the Western US?
A pair of top contenders from the western conferences are building strong cases for Super Bowl contention.
One team, atop their the AFC, won the last Super Bowl played at February's stadium. They are built on a dominant defence that leads the NFL in quarterback takedowns and victories through methodical, time-consuming drives.
The second team, leading the other conference, demonstrated an high-powered offense capable of putting points on the board from any situation. They feature a formidable ground game to complement an elite aerial game.
The question could be if the high-flying offense can handle the smothering pass rush of the elite defense—a a must-watch playoff showdown.
Talking Point: Travis Kelce Considering Retirement?
Among the aftermath from the Kansas City's defeat, comments from the quarterback about his longtime teammate fueled talk about a possible retirement.
Hearing Mahomes state, "every season... I try to cherish since you never know" definitely sounded like the QB was bracing for the veteran to call it a day.
"He will have the choice to do what he chooses to do following this campaign," he added. Should the year ends prematurely for the team, the three-time champion winner could choose to retire.
Looking Ahead: Bills vs. New England Highlights the Upcoming Slate
The Bills' quarterback put on a show again for Buffalo in a wintry win. He threw 3 touchdowns and rushed for one more, accounting for a staggering percentage of his team's total scores this year.
He is the first player in league history with 3,000 passing yards, twenty touchdown throws and ten running touchdowns in 3 straight campaigns.
Now, he puts the team on his back again as they try to chase down their AFC East foes, the New England Patriots—and, that's exactly who they face this coming Sunday.
Major Upcoming Week Matchups:
- Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
- Lions @ Los Angeles Rams
- Green Bay Packers @ Broncos
- Chargers @ Chiefs
This Week's Stats, Records & Notes
- A kickoff return for a 100-yard touchdown—the biggest play of the year—sparked a scoring blitz for one team.
- A star receiver caught 2 scores and is still tracking for a record-breaking 2,000-yard receiving.
- A feared pass rusher recorded his 20th QB sack of the season, closing in of the all-time mark.
- An international kicker played a key role for his team in a upset victory in rainy weather.
- A team that was held scoreless one week responded with a shutout of its own the next.
- A struggling franchise saw its star QB come back from injury, only to leave the game again with a related injury.
