Every game counts from here on in, with some massive conclusions in week 14 that may settle play-off berths by the end of the season.
A 42-year-old veteran quarterback struck a major blow to the Baltimore Ravens' play-off hopes, while Josh Allen virtually terminated Joe Burrow's hopes. At the same time, the Houston defence posed a huge problem and could have concluded the Kansas City Chiefs campaign sooner than ever in the Patrick Mahomes tenure.
Divisional Analysis: Division Showdowns Live Up To the Hype
A trio of huge rivalry games lived up to the hype.
Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, playing with a fractured wrist, steered his squad to a gritty 27-22 win in on the road. The future Hall of Famer recorded his first rushing touchdown in nearly three seasons, but it was his long passes to his top wideout that proved to be the deciding factor.
Lamar Jackson was out of sync as his team missed crucial chances—although they were angry by a late touchdown being nullified. These franchises are scheduled to face off again on the last weekend of the season.
Elsewhere, the oldest feud in the NFL witnessed a classic contest. Despite scoring deep passes, an exhausted defense had to thwart another fourth-quarter rally from the visiting rookie QB in the freezing conditions.
The outcome gave one side a slender advantage in their division, whereas the defeated team plummeted from the conference's number one seed down to seventh.
In-Depth Look: What Has Gone Wrong for the Kansas City Chiefs?
Projections give the Chiefs only a fifteen percent probability of making the play-offs. Realistically, this will be the initial missed post-season for franchise QB Patrick Mahomes—and the first for the franchise in a ten years.
During his seven full seasons as a starting quarterback, he has advanced to seven AFC Championship contests and 5 championship games. That means the club has played nearly every possible contest during his time.
Therefore, the reasons for the current failure are evident and were highlighted during the recent defeat. Absences ravaged an already questionable offensive line, with multiple starters missing.
Even then, Mahomes gave his team a fighting chance, however missed kicks and costly drops—such as on a decisive fourth-down attempt—confirmed their fate.
Spotlight: Could the Super Bowl Be Heading for the Western US?
A pair of top contenders from the West Coast conferences are making strong arguments for Super Bowl favorites.
One squad, atop their conference, claimed the most recent Super Bowl held at February's stadium. They are constructed on a dominant defence that tops the NFL in sacks and wins through grinding, long drives.
The second contender, atop the NFC, demonstrated an dynamic offence capable of scoring from any situation. They feature a formidable running game to complement an elite aerial game.
The question could be whether the high-flying offence could handle the smothering pass rush of the top defensive unit—what would be a fascinating potential showdown.
Discussion: Travis Kelce Pondering Calling It Quits?
Amid the aftermath from the Kansas City's loss, comments from Patrick Mahomes about his longtime teammate fueled rumors about a possible departure.
Hearing Mahomes state, "each year... I try to cherish because you never know" certainly seemed like he was bracing for the 36-year-old to call it a day.
"The tight end will have the option to do what he wants to do following this season," he added. Should the season ends prematurely for the Chiefs, the 3x champion winner might decide to retire.
Looking Ahead: Bills vs. New England Headlines the Upcoming Slate
Josh Allen put on a show again for his team in a wintry win. He passed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for another, accounting for a staggering percentage of his team's total touchdowns this season.
Allen is the first quarterback in NFL annals with three thousand passing yards, twenty TD passes and ten rushing touchdowns in three straight seasons.
Next, he tries to carry the Bills on his back once more as they aim to catch their AFC East foes, the New England Patriots—coincidentally, that's exactly who they face next.
Key Upcoming Week Games:
- Bills @ Patriots
- Lions @ Rams
- Green Bay Packers @ Denver Broncos
- Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
This Week's Stats, Records & Notes
- A kickoff runback for a 100-yard touchdown—the biggest scoring play of the year—kick-started a scoring blitz for one offense.
- A star wide receiver scored 2 scores and is still tracking for a record-breaking 2,000-yard receiving.
- A dominant pass rusher recorded his twentieth QB sack of the campaign, moving within reach of the single-season mark.
- An international placekicker helped his squad in a surprise win in soggy conditions.
- A team that was shutout one week responded with a clean sheet of its own the next.
- A struggling team saw its star quarterback come back from injury, only to leave the contest again with a similar injury.
