A week ago, the two teams that squared off in Super Bowl LVII owned the top two spots in the NFL Power Rankings. The resourceful Philadelphia Eagles and reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs were first and second, respectively. It’s safe to say that’s changed in a big way for both clubs.
There was some ugly football in Foxborough, Pittsburgh and East Rutherford, New Jersey. A few teams can clinch playoff berths in Week 14. All told, there’s a new team at No. 1, as well as a different club at No. 32.
The misery continues as Bill Belichick’s club dropped to 2-10, the first time since his debut season with the club in 2000 that the team had lost at least 10 games. The Patriots were blanked for the second time this season, both losses at home. That’s quite damning, considering there have only been four shutouts in the league in 2023.
Bailey Zappe got the start and it didn’t make much difference. He threw for 141 yards and was sacked five times. New England has held its last three opponents to 10 or fewer points and managed to lose each of those games.
The Panthers, under the guidance of interim head coach Chris Tabor, were in Tampa for the first of their two meetings this season with the Buccaneers. The Carolina defense didn’t have many answers for Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans, as well as a Tampa Bay ground attack that totaled finished the afternoon with 128 yards.
Tabor’s club got a big performance from Chuba Hubbard, who ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns. It went for naught. With five weeks to go in 2023, the Panthers are the first team to be officially eliminated from the playoffs.
It’s the kind of consistency that any team isn’t looking for. The plummeting Commanders had a few extra days to prepare for their home game with the Dolphins. For the second consecutive week, Ron Rivera’s team gave up 45 points. That would be five offensive touchdowns, as well as a pick-six served up by quarterback Sam Howell.
Howell did run for two touchdowns and also threw a pass for a two-point conversion. It was an uphill climb from the start after falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter. The Commanders have allowed an astonishing 395 points.
Make it 10 offensive touchdowns in 12 games for Robert Saleh’s club, which lost its fifth game in a row and third straight at home. The Jets have totaled 13 or fewer points in six consecutive outings. New York gained 259 yards on Sunday vs. the visiting Falcons, but settled for two field goals while the defense managed a first-quarter safety.
Tim Boyle got the start but eventually gave way to Trevor Siemian. The duo combined for a pair of turnovers and were sacked four times. Siemian fumbled three times and lost one. The Jets were 2-of-15 on third-down attempts.
The last-place team in the NFC North went into the off-week with a Monday night upset of the Vikings at Minnesota. That means the Bears have already improved on its three-win total of a year ago. Quarterback Justin Fields remains a work in progress. Will the franchise be patient if he continues to have his ups and downs?
The Bears have a lot riding on the 2024 NFL Draft. However, the deal that sent the first overall pick to Carolina netted Chicago wideout D.J. Moore. He’s been quite spectacular, totaling 70 catches for 1,003 yards and six TDs.
The Cardinals were in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2015 looking for only their third victory of the season. Last week, the team released veteran tight end Zach Ertz and couldn’t be happier with rookie Trey McBride. He totaled six catches for 67 yards and a score in the first half as Arizona owned a surprising 10-3 lead at intermission.
His touchdown grab capped off a 99-yard TD drive. In a contest twice delayed by weather, the Cards dealt the Steelers a huge loss. James Connor returned to the Steel City and ran 25 times for 105 yards and a pair of scores.
At 4-7 and with four games remaining vs. their divisional rivals, could the disappointing Titans do what the Jaguars did a season ago and overcome a miserable start to win the AFC South? Any real hopes of that disappeared at home on Sunday as any number of issues dropped Mike Vrabel’s team to 4-8, including an 0-3 divisional record.
Derrick Henry totaled 17 carries for 89 yards and two scores in the first half as Vrabel’s club took a 17-7 second-quarter lead. Special teams’ issues were a big factor in the second half and the defense collapsed in overtime.
It’s been a very down year for the Giants, who have already lost more games than they did a year ago. Give credit where it’s due as the team continues to play hard and has prevailed in its last two outings. The remaining schedule (3 home games) has five teams that are all still in the playoff hunt, including a pair with the division-rival Eagles.
Talk about taking a beating? In 12 games, Brian Daboll’s club has given up a stunning 69 sacks. The offense has generated only a dozen touchdowns. Kayvon Thibodeaux has 11 of the Giants’ disappointing 21 sacks this year.
Interim head coach Antonio Pierce has split his first four games. The Raiders do look like a rejuvenated club, but the team’s offense remains a problem. Las Vegas has been limited to fewer than 20 points in 10 of their 12 games. The team’s three quarterbacks have combined for 11 touchdown passes and 19 of the team’s 21 turnovers.
Pierce’s club still has games remaining with each of their three divisional rivals and are certainly capable of playing spoiler. The Raiders’ defense, save for end Maxx Crosby and linebacker Robert Spillane, has disappointed again.
It was a rough watch, but the Chargers came up with a much-needed victory and did it without the benefit of a touchdown. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak but the Bolts still have an uphill climb to get back in the crowded AFC playoff picture. Justin Herbert threw for 212 yards and the team did not commit a turnover.
Los Angeles’ defense gave up 148 yards on the ground but was all over Patriots’ quarterback Bailey Zappe. Khalil Mack had two of the team’s five sacks. Brandon Staley’s ran for 329 yards on 24 carries and still got the win.
Losers of six of their previous seven games, Todd Bowles’ team was looking to make a late-season run at the NFC South title. The Buccaneers play four of their final six games within the division. It started on Sunday when they hosted the Panthers. The three-point win didn’t come easy, but the team got contributions from all sides of the ball.
Wideout Mike Evans, who caught seven passes for 162 yards and a score, reached the 1,000-yard mark for the 10th time in as many seasons. The defense totaled four sacks and an interception of Carolina’s Bryce Young.
Make it three consecutive losses for Dennis Allen’s team, which doesn’t mean elimination in the NFC South just yet. However, if the Saints have any playoff aspirations this season, they need to find some answers to their run defense, which entered Sunday ranked 23rd in the NFL and allowed the Lions to run for 142 yards on 30 attempts.
Saints’ quarterback Derek Carr was battered again and was replaced by Jameis Winston. The former threw for 226 yards and a TD but also committed both of the team’s turnovers. Will he be back for next week’s clash at Carolina?
The Falcons were at MetLife Stadium on Sunday to battle the offensively challenged Jets. The weather outside was somewhat frightful and the play by both teams was far from delightful. Arthur Smith’s club managed only 194 total yards and one touchdown. More significantly, Desmond Ridder and company played turnover-free football.
Atlanta’s defense limited the Jets to 62 yards rushing and picked off Tim Boyle once. They had their way with veteran Trevor Siemian when he entered the game, sacking him three times. Atlanta is alone atop the NFC South.
Zac Taylor’s disappointing team heads into Jacksonville on Monday night in dire straits. The Bengals are the lone team in the AFC North below .500. Cincinnati is riding a three-game losing streak and owns a dreadful 1-6 record within the conference. That includes an 0-4 mark vs. a division they have captured the previous two seasons.
The Bengals got off to an 0-2 start, as was the case in 2021 and 2022. However, this club is headed in the opposite direction. That wasn’t the case the previous two years, and it’s more than just not having quarterback Joe Burrow.
The Seahawks' fall from grace continued on Thursday night at Dallas. Despite a game effort from Pete Carroll’s club, a slumping defense couldn’t protect a pair of eight-point leads in both the third and fourth quarters. The teams came up with four sacks of Dak Prescott, but they also allowed him to throw for 299 yards and three touchdowns.
Geno Smith connected on 23-of-41 passes for 334 yards and three scores, all of those touchdown strikes to D.K. Metcalf. He also threw another pick late in the third quarter. Seattle slipped to third place in the NFC West.
Don’t look now, but Sean McVay’s team has very quietly slipped back into the playoff picture. The Rams hosted the Browns on Sunday looking for a third straight win that would even their record at 6-6 with five games to play. Los Angeles spotted Cleveland a 7-0 lead on the first possession of the game. In the end, the Rams’ balance prevailed.
McVay’s club scored 36-plus points for the second time this year and gained 399 total yards. Matthew Stafford threw for 279 yards and scores to three different players, and he wasn’t sacked for the second straight game.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say it was one of the worst losses of the Mike Tomlin Era. The 2-10 Cardinals came to Pittsburgh riding a nine-game road losing streak and put it on the Steelers in a game suspended twice by weather.
Mike Tomlin’s team will be without Kenny Pickett for approximately two to four weeks. He suffered an ankle injury on a quarterback sneak in the second quarter that wound up requiring surgery. It’s a short week for the Steelers, who host the Patriots on Thursday night. Pittsburgh’s vaunted defense allowed a 15-play, 99-yard touchdown drive.
Sean Payton’s team brought a five-game winning streak into Sunday’s clash with the Texans at Houston. The Broncos had their issues early on and wound up looking at a 22-10 deficit with 14:16 to play in the game. Veteran Russell Wilson has had a knack for pulling out fourth-quarter victories and those skills would be called on again.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t up to the task. He threw for 186 yards and a score and also ran for a touchdown. He finished with three interceptions, two in the fourth quarter, the second in the end zone in the waning seconds.
The Packers hosted the defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday night and Matt LaFleur’s team was impressive in the early stages. They put together a pair of 75-yard touchdown drives on their first two possessions and owned a 14-6 lead at halftime. Jordan Love’s third TD pass of the game gave Green Bay a 21-12 third-quarter lead.
The Chiefs came roaring back but the Packers’ defense picked off Patrick Mahomes late in the fourth quarter. Up 27-19, LaFleur’s team held on for dear life amidst some controversial non-calls. Is the Pack a playoff team?
This game had just about everything, including a blocked punt for a touchdown, a dropped snap by the punter that led to a field goal and a failed two-point conversion returned for a score. There were a pair of turnovers by both teams. The bottom line is that the Shane Steichen’s Colts completed their first sweep of the Titans since 2018.
Indianapolis remains in the playoff hunt, as well as the chase for the AFC South title. The defense gave up 381 total yards but sacked Will Levis six times. The Colts own a 3-2 divisional mark, a far cry from a season ago (1-4-1).
The Browns were at SoFi Stadium to take on the Rams. They would do it with their fourth different starting quarterback of 2023. Joe Flacco saw his first action with an NFL team on Sunday. He got off to a good start and finished the day with 254 yards through the air and two scores, but it all came apart in the fourth quarter.
Flacco’s second TD pass narrowed the gap to 20-19, but Dustin Hopkins missed the PAT. On Cleveland’s next possession, Flacco was picked off and the floodgates opened. The veteran signal-caller was also sacked for a safety.
In the wild NFC, where there are more teams with 6-6 records (5) than clubs with winning records (4), Kevin O’Connell’s club is very much in the postseason mix. The Vikings have managed to drop consecutive games to the Broncos and Bears by a combined three points, this despite allowing just one total touchdown in those contests.
Coordinator Brian Flores has done a solid job on defense and Danielle Hunter (13.5) has nearly half of the club’s 32 sacks. Josh Dobbs has been quite a story, but he’s turned over the ball eight times in four games with the team.
Sean McDermott’s club has won the last three AFC East titles. With five weeks to go, the Buffalo Bills are three games out of the top spot in the division and the Miami Dolphins, winners of three straight games, appear to have gotten their second win. Meanwhile, the Bills may be in for quite a fight to even reach the postseason.
Buffalo’s run defense has had its issues once again. It has come back to bite them late in the season and this year it has been unreliable. There are plenty of sacks (41). As usual, Josh Allen’s turnover total (16) is once again alarming.
The Texans could take a big step forward if they could cool off the resurgent Broncos. Quarterback C.J. Stroud continued his standout rookie season, overcoming five sacks by throwing for 274 yards and a score. That TD went to Nick Collins, who hauled in nine passes for 191 yards. Houston’s defense picked off Russell Wilson three times.
The Texans did lose impressive rookie wide receiver Tank Dell to a broken leg, It is a very big blow for an offense that has benefited from its rookie class. The team remains within shouting distance of the first-place Jaguars.
At times they look like they are playing schoolyard ball. The bottom line is that Doug Pederson’s club has managed to fend off both the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts to date. The Jaguars are also very much in the running for a second straight AFC South title. A Monday night win over the Bengals would raise their record to 9-3.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn’t always been perfect. He’s thrown for a dozen scores and run for three TDs, but he also has 11 of the team’s 18 turnovers. The Jaguars are very much in play for the AFC’s top playoff seed.
With 8:15 remaining in the first quarter, Dan Campbell’s team already owned a 21-0 lead and had outgained the Saints, 141-minus one. Of course, the way the Lions’ defense has played as of late, even that kind of lead didn’t figure to be safe and that’s exactly what happened at New Orleans. Still, Detroit would hold on for its ninth win.
Quarterback Jared Goff avoided the turnover issues that plagued him the previous two games. He threw for 213 yards and two scores. The Lions own a three-game lead in the NFC North with just five weeks remaining this year.
The Ravens enter Week 14 with a two-game lead over both the Steelers and Browns, both who lost on Sunday. John Harbaugh’s club continues to take care of business, even when the offense stalls a bit. The loss of start tight end Mark Andrews is a big blow, but Baltimore has more offensive weapons in 2023 than in previous years.
The league’s top ground game is complimented by an improving Lamar Jackson, although he must cut down on the miscues. He actually has more lost fumbles (6) than interceptions (5), but a total of 11 turnovers is concerning.
It was a game in which the Kansas City defense gave up a long touchdown drive on the game’s first possession and Andy Reid’s club never led. Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive unit had no answers for a very balanced Packers team that scored 27 points and totaled 382 yards. Both figures are the most allowed by the Chiefs this season.
There were a few opportunities for Patrick Mahomes and company to pull out a win, but he did throw a fourth-quarter interception. Surprisingly, the reigning Super Bowl champions have dropped three of their last five games.
The high wire act known as the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles had been playing with fire as of late. Comeback wins were becoming a habit. Of course, the team owned the NFL’s best record (10-1) entering Sunday’s showdown with the visiting 49ers. Nick Sirianni’s club owned the first quarter, but the Birds wound up settling for two field goals.
It was all downhill after that. San Francisco scored a pair of TDs in the second, third and fourth quarters. The defense gave up 456 yards. The Eagles dropped from the top spot in the NFL Power Rankings.
The Cowboys hosted the reeling Seahawks on Thursday night and wound up in quite a battle. Entering the contest, Mike McCarthy's team owned a 5-0 home record and had allowed a combined 60 points in those victories. Dallas’ defense was not up to snuff, but quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas’ offense proved to be the difference.
The Cowboys’ signal-caller spearheaded an attack that gained 411 total yards and did not commit a turnover. He threw for 299 yards and three scores, and led the team to the final 14 points of the game to erase a 35-27 deficit.
The Dolphins used all three phases of their game to jump out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead over the Commanders. Mercurial Tyreek Hill scored on a 78-yard touchdown pass, Jason Sanders added a 49-yard field goal and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel picked off a Sam Howell pass and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. The rout was on.
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 280 yards and two scores, both to Hill. De’Von Achane added 103 yards from scrimmage and two scores. Mike McDaniel’s club did not allow a sack, and the AFC East leaders did not commit a turnover.
In their first five games this season, Kyle Shanahan’s club dominated its opponents, scoring 30-plus points during its 5-0 start. The 49ers took an impressive three-game winning streak into Philadelphia on Sunday looking to avenge a lopsided loss in the 2022 NFC Championship Game. Once again, this proved to be a very one-sided affair.
This time, it was San Francisco sending a message. They rolled up 456 yards, with Deebo Samuel totaling 138 yards from scrimmage and three TDs. The statement win means the Niners own the top spot in the NFL Power Rankings.