WEEK 14 GAME PREVIEWS
Colts (3-9) at Bills (6-6)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Steve Tasker)
The matchup: A head coaching career that began with three consecutive 11-5 seasons and an appearance in the 2014 AFC Championship Game could be winding down as Chuck Pagano’s Colts lost for the ninth time, ensuring him of a losing record for the first time in his six seasons in Indianapolis. The Bills’ playoff hopes were dealt a serious blow last week in a
23-3 loss to AFC East rival New England. Pats QB Tom Brady improved to 27-3 vs. Buffalo. The Bills should be able to get to QB Jacoby Brissett, who has been sacked
12 times the last two weeks.
Cowboys (6-6) at Giants (2-10)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis, Pam Oliver)
The matchup: After struggling badly without suspended defending NFL rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys rediscovered their formula in beating the Redskins to keep alive slim playoff hopes. The Cowboys are built to run the ball, control the clock, keep their defense off the field and hit the occasional big pass. The Giants’ 2-10 season led to a housecleaning as coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese were fired Monday. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will be interim coach. The Giants had earlier ended QB Eli Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive regular-season starts in a loss at Oakland. With Geno Smith under center, the Giants’ offense scored fewer than 24 points for the 18th consecutive game.
Lions (6-6) at Buccaneers (4-8)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber, Kristina Pink)
The matchup: Detroit is technically alive in the playoff chase, but a 44-20 thrashing at Baltimore, where QB Matthew Stafford injured his hand — it was stepped on by Terrell Suggs — and the defense wilted, further diminished the outlook. The Lions lost ground to 6-6 Green Bay and look up at two NFC South teams, Atlanta and Carolina, that hold head-to-head tiebreakers. X-rays on Stafford’s hand were negative, but he said the hand is “sore.” The end of the 2017 season will mark a decade of missing the playoffs for Tampa Bay, which moved closer to that reality after a 26-20 overtime loss to the Packers. The Bucs have the NFL’s worst pass rush, and it’s time for coordinator Mike Smith to loosen the reins.
Raiders (6-6) at Chiefs (6-6)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon)
The matchup: Looking as if the season weren’t going anywhere after a 34-14 loss at Buffalo on Oct. 29 dropped their record to 3-5, the Raiders have won three of their last four. But the wins have been over teams with 10 total wins (Dolphins, Broncos, Giants). They beat the Giants without WRs Michael Crabtree (suspension) and Amari Cooper (concussion). After this game, Oakland’s three remaining games are against teams currently with 22 total wins. For the Chiefs, six plays accounted for 295 of their 474 total yards, including TDs of 36, 40 and 79 yards to go with a 70-yard run by QB Alex Smith. However, they had just 46 plays and 17:11 time of possession and were 0-for-2 in the red zone during a 38-31 loss to the Jets. Kansas City’s three remaining opponents have combined for 14 victories.
49ers (2-10) vs. Texans (4-8)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Dick Stockton, Mark Schereth, Shannon Spake)
The matchup: The 49ers got a promising first start from Jimmy Garoppolo in beating the Bears, but their chances of stealing the 2018 top NFL draft pick from Cleveland tumbled dramatically. Still, the 49ers have this game and two tough AFC South matchups (Titans and Jaguars) on deck before closing out the season at the first-place Rams. After a 24-13 loss at Tennessee, the Texans are inching closer to being officially eliminated from the playoffs. We know there won’t be a fourth consecutive season with a 9-7 record for head coach Bill O’Brien.
Packers (6-6) at Browns (0-12)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman, Jennifer Hale)
The matchup: The Packers have adjusted to being without injured QB Aaron Rodgers, and in recent weeks the defense has come on strong to keep Green Bay in the playoff mix. Rookie RB Jamaal Williams had the best game of his young career last week, and a healthier defense has created turnovers. After three years and 44 games away, Browns WR Josh Gordon returned from multiple suspensions and made an immediate impact for an offense starved for playmakers and consistency. But the league’s youngest team is outmanned every Sunday.
Bears (3-9) at Bengals (5-7)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Sam Rosen, Brady Quinn, Jenny Taft)
The matchup: A loss to the 49ers extended Chicago’s skid to five games, its longest since the one that ended previous coach Marc Trestman’s last season. The defeat made John Fox’s job security as tenuous as ever. The lack of risk-taking and creativity by the Bears offense has contributed to 287 combined yards in the last two weeks. Cincinnati couldn’t hold leads of 17-3 and 20-10 to Pittsburgh, which cost it a chance to get back to .500. The Bengals lost leading rusher Joe Mixon to a concussion and LB Vontaze Burfict to a head injury.
Vikings (10-2) at Panthers (8-4)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
The matchup: Tied with New England for the league’s longest current winning streak (eight games), the Vikings go for a sweep of the NFC South. The streak has been punctuated by a stifling defense and an opportunistic offense led by QB Case Keenum, who has played brilliantly since replacing injured Sam Bradford in Week 2. After losing at New Orleans and getting swept by the Saints in their season series for the first time since 2011, it appears Carolina is playing for an NFC wild-card berth.
Redskins (5-7) at Chargers (6-6)
TV: Sunday, 4:05, CBS (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn)
The matchup: Washington had a chance to keep its season alive but fell flat in an ugly loss at Dallas that all but eliminated the Redskins from playoff contention. Last week’s less-than-beautiful victory against the winless Browns pulled the Chargers from a 0-4 start back to .500 and, improbably, a tie with the staggering Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders for the AFC West lead. They’ve won three in a row and six of their last eight by riding a defense that makes tons of big plays, a red-hot WR Keenan Allen and the arm of unflappable veteran QB Philip Rivers.
Jets (5-7) at Broncos (3-9)
TV: Sunday, 4:05, CBS (Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl)
The matchup: The Jets had lost five of six before last week’s 38-31 win over the Chiefs, and their propensity to allow big plays kept Kansas City in the game. The Broncos’ 35-9 loss to Miami was their eighth in a row and clinched a losing record for the first time since 2010. Titans (8-4) at Cardinals (5-7) TV: Sunday, 4:05, CBS (Andrew Catalon, James Lofton, Jay Feely)
The matchup: Tennessee is starting to play like the playoff contender many expected them to be. Injuries to some key AFC South players and a relatively soft recent schedule have been factors. The Titans are winning close games with a solid run game and some timely defensive stops and have two winnable road games before finishing off the regular season with back-to-back home games against the Rams and Jaguars. Since officially closing the door on QB Carson Palmer and RB David Johnson returning in 2017, the Cardinals have been surprisingly competitive. But, predictably, it hasn’t resulted in a lot of wins.
Eagles (10-2) at Rams (9-3)
TV: Sunday, 4:25, Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews)
The matchup: Philadelphia’s first shot at wrapping up the NFC East fell short in Seattle last week, and now the Eagles play another West Coast game with a bigger goal on the line. Having spent most of the first 12 weeks of the season as the NFC favorite, Philadelphia is a loss away from losing its grip on the conference’s top seed. The possibility of being without TE Zach Ertz while playing against an offensive juggernaut could make things even more difficult. The Rams have secured their first winning record in 14 seasons and big wins over Jacksonville and New Orleans helped solidify Los Angeles as a legitimate contender. However, the Rams have only a one-game lead over Seattle in the NFC West.
Seahawks (8-4) at Jaguars (8-4)
TV: Sunday, 4:25, Fox (Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin)
The matchup: After consecutive losses at home, people wondered if Seattle’s 12th Man home-field edge was no more. But a resounding 24-10 win over the Eagles put the Seahawks back in the NFC playoff conversation. QB Russell Wilson dazzled in the win, the defense forced key turnovers and the running game finally showed signs of life. A thumping of Indianapolis revived the Jaguars’ playoff push. Winner of five of its last six, Jacksonville is in a two-team race with Tennessee for the AFC South title, and the teams meet in Nashville in the season finale.
Ravens (7-5) at Steelers (10-2)
TV: Sunday, 8:30, NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya)
The matchup: The Ravens have rediscovered the running game and are back in playoff contention. The defense has been dominant in stretches and proved it’s tougher on opposing quarterbacks when playing with the lead. The Ravens suffered a big loss when veteran CB Jimmy Smith tore an Achilles tendon last week. RB Alex Collins has emerged as the lead back, and his ability to chew up tough yards has opened things up for QB Joe Flacco in the passing game. The Steelers have continued to pull away from everyone besides the Patriots. They host New England next week, but the one opponent that could keep them from looking ahead is the Ravens.
Patriots (10-2) at Dolphins (5-7)
TV: Monday, 8:30, ESPN (Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters)
The matchup: The Patriots rolled to their eighth consecutive win, beating Buffalo for the 27th time in QB Tom Brady’s 30 starts against them. New England has won 14 consecutive road games, including six this season. But the Patriots will be without TE Rob Gronkowski, who was suspended for one game for a late hit. The win vs. Denver ended the Dolphins’ five-game losing streak and kept alive their faint playoff hopes. Third-year RB Kenyan Drake had career highs for rushing yards (120) and carries (23). Times p.m. Eastern. Compiled by Brian Allee-Walsh, Zac Jackson, Jordan Godwin, Scott Pitoniak, Arthur Arkush, Andy Friedlander, Scott Johnson, Howard Balzer.