NFL Week 14 winners and losers: Pittsburgh Steelers are reeling with broken running game

SportsPulse: The Bills are on the cusp of winning their first division title in 25 years and they can do a lot more damage than that. Mackenzie Salmon reacts to the biggest storylines in the AFC from Week 14. USA TODAY

Week 14 in the NFL saw a bit of a shakeup in the NFC playoff picture, where arguably no team suffered more than the New York Giants.

They entered Sunday in first place in the NFC East, and No. 4 in the conference. By the end of the night, they were No. 12. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals, by defeating them and by virtue of a Vikings loss to the Buccaneers, slid into the seventh and final seed, for the time being. And while the Giants fell, it was Washington that climbed into first in the division after it defeated the 49ers.

Finally, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers got a gift when the Saints were upset by the Eagles, giving Green Bay the conference’s top seed, on a tiebreaker.

MORE:32 things we learned from Week 14

NFL PLAYOFF PICTURE:Packers wrap up NFC North, overtake Saints for No. 1 seed in conference

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger fumbles the ball as he is sacked by the Bills’ Ed Oliver.

 (Photo: Jeffrey T. Barnes, AP)

Here are Week 14’s winners and losers.

WINNERS Green Bay Packers

The Packers not only clinched the NFC North championship with their 31-24 victory against the Lions, but also grabbed hold of the NFC’s No. 1 seed – at least for the time being. After the Saints lost to the Eagles, Green Bay is tied with New Orleans at 10-3, but the Packers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

Green Bay’s remaining strength of schedule (.487) is slightly easier than that of the Saints (.564), though both teams have at least one tough opponent left. The Packers will host the Titans (9-4) in Week 16, while New Orleans hosts the Chiefs (12-1) next Sunday. But Green Bay’s offense is rolling and the connection between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Davante Adams is proving to be one of the best in the NFL. The pass rush is improving and has generated 14 sacks over the last three games. With a 5-1 record this season at Lambeau Field, securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs would be a massive boost in helping Rodgers and the Packers get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2010 season.

The argument for Jalen Hurts

It’s probably safe to assume Carson Wentz won’t see the field for the rest of the season, barring injury considerations. Eagles rookie second-round quarterback Jalen Hurts, though far from flawless, is why. In his first career start, Hurts provided the spark coach Doug Pederson was looking for as Philadelphia stunned the previously top-seeded Saints, 24-21.

Hurts processed Philadelphia’s offense more quickly than Wentz had. A perfect example of this is sacks. The Eagles came into this game ranked dead last in the NFL, having allowed 53. Over the last 10 games, Philadelphia had allowed at least three sacks in each. Against the Saints, one of the top defenses in the league, the Eagles didn’t give up a single one. When passes weren’t available, Hurts quickly looked for open spaces and took off, using his speed and athleticism as a weapon. On the drive before the end of the first half, Hurts had scrambles of 24 and 16 yards on consecutive plays and got Philadelphia inside the five. But more than anything, where Wentz looked fidgety and hesitant in the pocket, Hurts looked comfortable and poised. He did have a potentially costly turnover late in the game, but he showed Philadelphia is more dangerous with him under center.

Chase Young and the Washington Football Team

Sure, it came against a 49ers squad that has been hobbled by injuries more than any other team in the league. But in Washington’s 23-15 victory against San Francisco, it grabbed sole possession of first place in the NFC East and its defense continued to be a dominant force, scoring two touchdowns.

Both came from rookies, defensive end Chase Young and safety Kamren Curl. Young is blossoming into a star with each passing week and making a convincing argument for the defensive rookie of the year award. Young finished the game with six tackles, one sack, two QB hits, one tackle for loss, two passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. This was a game in which Washington was outgained 344 to 193. It recorded only 12 first downs, compared with  San Francisco’s 21. It didn’t score any touchdowns in two trips inside the red zone. While that won’t be sustainable to make a run in the playoffs, that defense alone might be good enough to get there.

Arizona Cardinals’ playoff hopes

They came into Week 14 having lost their last three and four of their last five. But the Cardinals offense woke up in a 26-7 victory against the Giants. One big reason why was quarterback Kyler Murray’s mobility. After gaining just 61 rushing yards in his previous three games, Murray earned 47 on the ground in an efficient showing that also saw him add 244 passing yards and a passing touchdown.

Perhaps the most positive for Arizona, though, was a defense that absolutely smothered Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and the rest of the New York offense. Cardinals linebacker Haason Reddick posted a franchise record five sacks and forced three fumbles. Arizona forced three turnovers, limited New York to three of 12 conversions on third down and didn’t let the Giants cross midfield until there was 7:10 left to play … in the third quarter. With the Eagles, 49ers and Rams left on their schedule, Arizona will need more of that to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2015.

LOSERS Pittsburgh Steelers

With their 26-15 loss against the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers fell out of the AFC’s top seed. And since the red-hot Chiefs are now in that spot, Pittsburgh likely won’t reclaim it. Pittsburgh’s rushing offense is officially broken. Against the Bills, the Steelers gained just 47 yards on 17 carries. They’ve averaged just 54.3 yards a game over their last seven.

The Steelers have substituted the running game with short passes, but drops, inaccurate throws and having to constantly face third-and-long situations have totally stalled this offense. The Steelers converted just one of 10 third down tries and simply could not sustain drives. They punted eight times. The last two games, both losses, showed that this team cannot rely on its defense to save them. At some point, the offense needs carry its share of the weight, or an early exit in the playoffs could be coming.

Dan Bailey (and the Vikings)

Minnesota place kicker Dan Bailey missed four kicks, three field goals and an extra point. They would’ve resulted in 10 points, had he converted them all. Before he missed his final attempt, the Vikings had been trailing by nine points. They lost, 26-14, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And now the Vikings, who entered Sunday holding onto the seventh seed and final playoff spot in the NFC, dropped out of the field with only three games left to play.

Bailey’s first miss was an extra point try in the second quarter. His field goal failures came from 36, 54 and 46 yards. He entered Sunday ranked sixth all time with an 86.9% field goal rate. But this may very well be the end of Bailey’s run in Minnesota. Coach Mike Zimmer said, “We’ll have to decide that as we move forward,” when asked if Bailey would remain the team’s kicker. More importantly, the Vikings now need help in the form of Cardinals losses to secure a spot in the postseason.

Place kickers

Let’s look at field goals, in general. In Week 10, we listed kickers as winners, for good reason. This week, not so much. Bailey wasn’t the only one to struggle mightily. Against the Seahawks, New York Jets kicker Sergio Castillo missed three field goals in the first half, alone. The normally reliable Wil Lutz of the Saints missed a pair. In that same game, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott doinked a 22-yard chip shot right off the left upright.

Overall, kickers converted 39 of their 50 field goal tries (78%) and also missed six extra points. Often overlooked, poor kicking is exactly the type of thing that can sink the playoff chances of a team on the bubble. Seriously, just ask the Vikings.

All other AFC teams not named the Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs not only have the best record in the conference but also look to be playing on another level. Consider this was a game in which quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two first-half interceptions (after he had thrown two all season long before that) and took a 30-yard sack. The Dolphins raced out to a 10-point lead. By halftime, Kansas City had taken a four-point lead. 

In fact, the Chiefs scored 30 unanswered points, though Miami did claw back into it, before the Chiefs won, 33-27. Including the postseason, Kansas City is now 8-1 over the last two seasons in games in which it faced a double-digit deficit at some point in the first half. And that’s precisely why it’s hard to see any other team coming out of the AFC, and possibly even winning the Super Bowl. This came against a solid-but-flawed Miami squad that has eight wins. The Chiefs lost the turnover battle 4:1. It didn’t matter. Kansas City just has so much offensive firepower that no lead ever seems insurmountable, and the Chiefs can literally score from any position on the field. They just need to keep their discipline.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Last SlideNext Slide

If you enjoy talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Do the right thing, sign up now!