NFL 2024 (Week 14)

Something that's been very apparent for most of the season, but especially on the last two Thursdays when three of the division's four teams were featured, is that the NFC North is far and away the best division in football.  It's not even close.  The Lions, Vikings and Packers will all make the playoffs and are a combined 31-7 this season, with four of those losses coming against each other (Green Bay's four losses this season are to Detroit twice, Minnesota and Philadelphia).  So, yeah, they're pretty good.  All three of them.

I also think it'll be good for the top teams (Buffalo, Kansas City, Philadelphia, the three in the NFC North) to lose another game before the playoffs.  It sounds crazy to say that since the battle for positioning is so tight, but do you really want the added pressure of going into the playoffs on a massive winning streak with a 16-1 or 15-2 record?  The top teams all seem poised for another loss, too, which, again, I don't think is necessarily a bad thing.  Look at the Chiefs last season.  They lost to the Raiders on Christmas, then didn't lose again until three weeks ago.

Thursday Night: Green Bay (Loss)

Jaguars (2-10) at Titans (3-9): Tennessee-That was 100 percent a dirty play that knocked Trevor Lawrence out last week.  There's really no way to sugar coat it.  And, as a result, Lawrence is done for the season.  With Jacksonville officially eliminated from the playoff race, that was the right decision.  The Jaguars also currently stand to get the No. 1 pick in the draft.  That's a tight race with the Giants and Raiders, though, so they can't afford to screw it up by winning.

Jets (3-9) at Dolphins (5-7): Miami-Aaron Rodgers wants to play next season, and he wants to return to the Jets.  They don't seem to have any interest in a reunion, though.  That's how dysfunctional this relationship has become and how much of a disaster this season has turned into.  The Dolphins haven't exactly impressed this year, either, but they've simply not played up to expectations.  And they're still alive in the playoff race.  Playing the Jets twice in the last five weeks certainly helps that cause.

Falcons (6-6) at Vikings (10-2): Minnesota-Atlanta was sitting pretty at 6-3 with a two-game lead in the NFC South.  That lead has completely evaporated, and they're only holding on to a playoff spot because they hold the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay.  Traveling to Minnesota isn't exactly the recipe for getting them back on track.  Kirk Cousins returns to his old stomping ground needing a win to stop the Falcons' skid, but I'm not sure he gets it.

Saints (4-8) at Giants (2-10): New Orleans-On Thanksgiving, the Giants actually looked like a competent, professional football team.  They still lost, but it was one of their better efforts of the season regardless.  The crazy thing is that both of their wins have come on the road.  At home, they've been utterly pathetic.  Honestly, I don't see that changing here.  The last time they played at MetLife, they got booed off the field at halftime.  Not having that happen again could be considered a minor victory.

Panthers (3-9) at Eagles (10-2): Philadelphia-Give the Panthers credit.  They've become quite the nuisance.  A three-point loss to Kansas City, then an overtime loss to Tampa Bay.  So, the Eagles should anticipate having their hands full.  Philadelphia's on a roll and will clinch a playoff berth win a win and some help (in the form of all the six-loss teams losing).  And the Lions already won this week, so they need a victory to keep pace with Detroit, too, which is just as important at this point.

Browns (3-9) at Steelers (9-3): Pittsburgh-Two weeks ago, these two met on a Thursday night that started out clear and finished as a blizzard.  The Browns pulled off the upset in that one, which really could've damaged Pittsburgh's chances at winning the division, but the Ravens' loss to Philadelphia gave them back that buffer.  Should the Steelers avoid the season sweep, they'll have a one-game lead with four left.  And they'll need it, since they've got a brutal stretch coming up (at Philadelphia, at Baltimore, Kansas City within 10 days).

Raiders (2-10) at Buccaneers (6-6): Tampa Bay-Thanks to Atlanta's losing streak, Tampa Bay is suddenly tied for first in the NFC South.  The Falcons have the tiebreaker, but that won't matter if they lose in Minnesota and the Bucs win at home against the Raiders this week.  There's obviously four games left after this.  Tampa Bay already has wins over Detroit and Philadelphia, though, so you know they can do some damage should they get in as the NFC South champion.

Seahawks (7-5) at Cardinals (6-6): Seattle-While the NFC North is the best division in football, the NFC West is the most competitive.  They're probably only getting the division winner in, and it'll come down to the end.  Seattle currently has a one-game lead and has won three straight since its bye, including a 16-6 victory over the Cardinals two weeks ago.  Playing the same team twice in that close an amount of time can either be really good or really bad.  For the Seahawks, I'm thinking it'll be good.  They go up two games and, more importantly, get the season sweep.

Bills (10-2) at Rams (6-6): Buffalo-The Bills went into SoFi for the season opener after the Rams won the Super Bowl and came away with a victory, setting the tone for their season.  They enter their first game at SoFi since then with the division already locked up.  Buffalo dominated San Francisco in the snow last week and has a huge matchup with Detroit next week, so this could easily be a trap game.  Especially since the Rams are good.  I don't think they'll let themselves get caught in that trap, though.

Bears (4-8) at 49ers (5-7): San Francisco-We've reached the must-win portion of the season for San Francisco.  The 49ers are still alive, but barely.  And they absolutely have to win out.  Playing the Bears is a good start.  Evidently Matt Eberflus was the only one who thought highly of his clock mismanagement on Thanksgiving.  He was fired literally the next day!  This is Chicago's first game since then.  Changing coaches worked for the Saints.  It didn't for the Jets.  Let's see how it goes for the Bears.

Chargers (8-4) at Chiefs (11-1): Kansas City-When I said the good teams might need another loss, Kansas City was right at the top of that list.  Statistically, the Chiefs should not be 11-1.  They know this.  Yet somehow, they're managing to win every week.  So why would I think they won't again this week?  As for the Chargers, they'll almost certainly be a playoff team, but they're still looking for a signature win against a strong opponent.  Winning on a Sunday night in Kansas City would certainly apply.

Bengals (4-8) at Cowboys (5-7): Dallas-They wouldn't have been able to flex this out of Monday night even if they wanted to because of all the animations and voiceovers that went into Simpsons alternate broadcast.  I doubt they would've anyway.  The Cowboys are still a draw, and Joe Buck indicated as much last week.  Dallas finally got a home win on Thanksgiving, but it wasn't exactly pretty.  They still won, though.  Can they make it two in a row?  (Also, why did they put Cincinnati vs. the NFC East in primetime three times?  And how come Bengals-Eagles didn't make the cut?)

This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 15-1
Overall: 124-72