With three weeks left in the regular season, games are starting to mean more than ever, and playoff seeding is starting to take shape. Week 14 in the NFL proved to be the craziest week of the season thus far especially for the AFC. This crazy game day included overtime, miracle-plays, close games, and pure upsets. After each game, it became clearer that we’re in for one hell of a conclusion to the regular season. Here, we look to analyze each of the crucial and crazy moments from the AFC, as well as predictions for down the road.
Miami Dolphins 34 – New England Patriots 33
Out of all the games that happened in the AFC, this was probably the craziest. The Patriots came into this game at 9-3 with their sights set on home-field advantage through the playoffs. The Dolphins, on the other hand, came in at 6-6 with their playoff hopes hanging on by a thread. For both teams this game was a must win.
This game had its ups and downs for both teams with a whopping 10 lead changes. It was arguably the best game of the season for some of the players on both teams. Patriots QB Tom Brady threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns, both season-highs. WR Julian Edelman (nine receptions, 86 yards), TE Rob Gronkowski (eight receptions, 107 yards), WR Cordarrelle Patterson (two receptions, 51 yards), and WR Josh Gordon (five receptions, 96 yards) were all key parts in keeping the Patriots in the game. However, the Dolphins had their fair share of great play as well.
QB Ryan Tannehill, despite fighting injury, put up 265 passing yards and three touchdowns. WR Kenny Stills had his best game of the season with his eight receptions for 135 yards. Despite both of them, the win was a team effort. The rushing game proved to be on point with 189 yards on the ground as a team. Despite the lead-changes and big performances, what made this game ridiculous is what came in the final quarter.
It’s worth noting though that Stephen Gostowski missed an extra point in the first quarter and a field goal in the third.
The Patriots would take a 33-28 lead off of two Stephen Gostowski field goals. With 16 seconds left, the Patriots were up 33-28, and that’s when all hell broke loose. Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill would sling a pass up the middle which would lead to two laterals. With RB Kenyan Drake holding the ball, he’d go the full 69-yard trip and score with zero seconds remaining on the clock.
It was the longest game-winning touchdown with no time left in regulation in the Super Bowl era. The Patriots would fall to 9-4, and the Dolphins would keep their playoff hopes alive, improving to 7-6. This was just the beginning of the madness for the AFC.
Indianapolis Colts 24 – Houston Texans 21
The second big game in a crazy week of football had the Indianapolis Colts going up against the Houston Texans. Similar to the last match-up, the Texans came into the game at 9-3 with their sights set on home-field advantage in the AFC. The Colts came in at 7-5 with their playoff lives on the line. Houston came into this game being the first team in NFL history to win nine straight games after starting the season 0-3. The Colts, on the other hand, had Andrew Luck who had put up 245+ passing yards in his last four games. In addition, he also had a passer rating of 105.0+ in five of his last six.
The first half was a rather entertaining one with Deshaun Watson and Andrew Luck going at it. The Colts took a 17-7 lead at halftime off of RB Marlon Mack’s four-yard touchdown. Adding onto the lead, the red hot TE Eric Ebron would score a 14-yard touchdown. Leading by 10 at the half didn’t mean anything to the Colts who knew they were facing a team with no quit and a lot of grit. Texans RB Lamar Miller cut the Colts’ lead to only three with a rushing touchdown. However, it’d be answered back by an Andrew Luck- Zach Pascal touchdown. This would give the Colts a 24-14 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Texans would pull within three with a DeAndre Hopkins touchdown, but that would be it. A strong defensive performance by the Colts allowed them to hang on for a 24-21 win. Andrew Luck had 399 yards and two touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton had himself a day with nine receptions and 199 yards. Most of all, the Colts kept their playoff hopes alive. On the flip side, the Texans’ eight-game win streak had come to an end. The impact of this game will be discussed later on.
Kansas City Chiefs 27 – Baltimore Ravens 24
This game was easily the game of the week in all facets. The Chiefs came into this game at 10-2 and the first seed in the AFC. The Baltimore Ravens came in at 7-5 as yet another team fighting for a playoff spot. The plays made in this game were absolutely absurd. Rookie QB Lamar Jackson filled the starting role for injured QB Joe Flacco, and it made a difference. Jackson used both his arms and legs which kept the Ravens in this close game.
He’d finish the game with 147 passing yards, 71 rushing yards, and two touchdowns. For every Kansas City score, the Ravens had an answer. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, however, was just that much better. We can start in the second quarter of this game where Mahomes threw an absolutely absurd no look pass to WR Demarcus Robinson. As great as this throw was, it was just one of the non-human like plays from this game.
The Ravens trailed at halftime but would take the lead for some of the second half. That was until Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes went to work. First, with 1:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were down by seven on 4th-and-9. Mahomes, running out of the pocket and nearly out of bounds, slings it to the opposite side of the field to WR Tyreek Hill. Hill is basically in between four defenders. Somehow, he impressively snags the ball from an equally impressive throw from Mahomes.
That set the Chiefs up for yet another clutch play. With :57 seconds remaining on another fourth-down, Patrick Mahomes hit a shovel pass to RB Damien Williams for the game-tying touchdown. LB Justin Houston forced a strip-sack of Lamar Jackson, setting up a potential game-winning field goal. K Harrison Butker missed this field goal attempt but would redeem himself with the game-winning field goal in overtime. The Ravens put up a tough fight, but the Chiefs managed to tough out the win and gain some breathing room for the top seed in the AFC.
Oakland Raiders 24 – Pittsburgh Steelers 21
From the Steelers standpoint, this game was probably the worst performance of the day. For the Raiders, this was the best win of the season. The Steelers came into this game knowing that their playoff spot is not guaranteed, while the Raiders were thinking they were getting a top-five pick in the upcoming draft. The first half saw both teams score a rushing touchdown, and the Raiders scoring a field goal for a 10-7 lead. To end the half, Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster scored a beautiful toe-tap touchdown to put the Steelers up 14-10. Following this, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger left the game with a rib injury.
With Big Ben out of some of the second half, QB Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders took advantage. With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Carr tossed a pass to TE Lee Smith for the late touchdown and for the 17-14 lead.
At this point, Big Ben returned and immediately connected with Smith-Schuster again for a clutch touchdown. With 2:55 left in the fourth quarter, Derek Carr led the Raiders on a game-winning 75-yard drive. This drive included a 39-yard connection to WR Seth Roberts. Following this play, the Steelers would miss a game-tying field goal attempt, giving the Raiders a win.
Derek Carr tallied 322 yards and two touchdowns. TE Jared Cook put up seven receptions and 116 yards. JuJu Smith-Schuster recorded eight receptions, 130 yards, and two touchdowns which weren’t enough. This win took the Raiders one step back from the number one pick. For the Steelers, it took them one step back in the playoff race.
Other Crucial Games
Los Angeles Chargers 26 – Cincinnati Bengals 21: The Chargers continued their quest to overtake the Chiefs as division leaders. This sets up a BIG game Week 15 on Thursday Night Football.
San Francisco 49ers 20 – Los Angeles Chargers 14: I preached about the Broncos being a sleeper team in the AFC. They lost today against one of the worst teams in the NFL. Injuries ended up taking a toll on them and may very well have killed their playoff hopes as well.
Tennessee Titans 30 – Jacksonville Jaguars 9: The Titans can beat any powerhouse the AFC has to offer. This team’s talent and abilities go far beyond RB Derrick Henry’s big night. Be on the look out for this team.
How These Games Shape The Playoff Race
With the Chiefs winning and the Patriots losing, it’s more than likely that Kansas City will lock up the top seed and the Patriots will lock up the second seed.
However, the Chargers have a big match-up against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. If the Chargers win, they’ll take control of both the AFC West and AFC for the time being. If both teams were to win out after, the Chargers would be the top seed in the AFC.
With the Patriots and Texans sitting at the same record, if both win out, the Patriots will gain the upper-hand because of the head to head tiebreaker.
The Steelers have both the Saints and Patriots on their schedule. Considering their Week 14 loss, and assuming they lose both of those games, Pittsburgh can see themselves quickly out of the playoff picture.
On that note, the Ravens are only one game behind the Steelers. If that previously mentioned scenario were to happen, the Ravens can take control of the division.
Indianapolis, Miami, and Tennessee all have the same record and are realistically fighting for one playoff spot. The Titans and Colts play each other in Week 17 which could possibly be for a playoff spot.
The Dolphins play the Vikings in Week 15, which should be a tough, must-win game. This game, with a loss, can possibly eliminate the Dolphins from playoff contention.
Conclusion
Week 14 was the craziest week in terms of playoff implications for the AFC. Many crazy moments contributed to mind-boggling scenarios and a race to the finish. No team seems to have their spot safe and secure. As the next three weeks in the NFL roll on, these games mean more than ever.
How will it play out?