Week 14 of the NFL season was loaded with games that had massive playoff implications. We saw the Dallas Cowboys virtually eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday night. We saw two division lead changes with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers stealing victories from their rivals. The Indianapolis Colts, who lost the AFC South lead last week, are now a game behind, and it looks like Daniel Jones is done for the season. And of course, on Sunday Night Football, we saw the Kansas City Chiefs virtually eliminated from the playoffs.

This was an eventful week of football, and it’s one that we’ll look back on come playoff time and realize just how impactful it was. Here were my 10 biggest takeaways from Week 14.

Shedeur Sanders might be Him

I have been very critical of Shedeur Sanders throughout his college and NFL career. I don’t think I was necessarily wrong for that; he still has plenty of things he has to work on if he wants to be a full-time NFL starter, but man, I’ll give him credit. This was an incredibly impressive performance from the rookie.

Sanders threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 29 yards and a score on Sunday. He led the Cleveland Browns, whose offense has been atrocious all season, to 29 points, including 12 in the final five minutes of the game, to nearly erase a 14-point deficit. That touchdown he had to Harold Fannin with just over a minute to play was so well thrown, and he gave the Browns a chance to tie the game at 31, but Kevin Stefanski inexplicably took Sanders off the field for the two-point conversion, and it was a complete disaster.

There are still plenty of things to work on, but this is the kind of performance that’ll make the coaching staff and front office think twice about taking a quarterback in this year’s draft. Hats off to Sanders. He deserves his flowers for this game, even if Cleveland didn’t get the win.

The Chiefs are cooked

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Kansas City Chiefs are going to miss the playoffs. Last year’s Super Bowl runners-ups, who didn’t lose many players this offseason, are 6-7 and two games out of the AFC Wild Card with four games to play. They’re not officially out of it, but they may as well be.

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Props to Houston, man. They have completely turned their season around, and all of a sudden, they’re one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC. That defense is probably one of, if not the best, we’ve seen in the 2020s. They have dominated pretty much everyone, and that includes the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

So how did we get here? Well, it’s pretty simple. They cannot win close games. They entered this game 1-6 in one-score games, and they had a chance to go down and tie this game late. And what did they do? Mahomes threw a pick (it was deflected, but still). They just can’t stop tripping over their own feet this year, and it’s going to cost them a trip to the playoffs.

The Chiefs aren’t losing to other teams. More often than not, they’re beating themselves. And I’ll tell you that hurts a whole lot more than straight-up being the inferior team.

The Steelers control the AFC North, but it’s not over yet…

I did not think the Pittsburgh Steelers had this in them. They’d been playing horrible football in recent weeks, and while the Baltimore Ravens haven’t been great themselves, they’d won five of their last six coming into this game and seemed to have all the momentum.

Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ passing attack were much more efficient this week. In fact, they completed their first pass that traveled 20+ yards in the air in over a month in the first quarter. DK Metcalf, who started the year on fire but has fallen off recently, was the main beneficiary, catching seven passes for 148 yards. The Steelers did struggle to run the football, but they were able to punch in a couple of scores on the ground in the red zone, which is all they needed to do.

I was also pretty impressed with the Steelers’ defense. They held Lamar Jackson to 219 yards and one touchdown while picking him off once, while also limiting Derrick Henry to 3.8 yards per carry. The most impressive part was that after Baltimore got the ball back down five with just minutes left, the Steelers came through with back-to-back stops to seal the victory.

The Steelers now have a one-game lead over the Ravens for the lead in the AFC North, but it’s far from over. These two teams will meet again in Week 18, and as long as Baltimore’s within a game, they’ll have a shot to dethrone the Steelers in the 11th hour.

Yeah, the Rams are just fine

The Los Angeles Rams dropped an unexpected game to the Panthers last week. For the first time in months, Matthew Stafford looked human, throwing two interceptions, and their defense couldn’t get a stop against the Panthers’ offense. This was a big bounce-back spot for them against Arizona, and they absolutely delivered.

The Rams came out and put belt to…you know what. They totaled over 500 yards of offense, scored 45 points, and ran for 249 yards and three touchdowns behind a 6.9 average. Stafford threw for 281 yards and three scores, reminding everyone in the NFC that he’s still the best quarterback in the conference.

Defensively, the Rams held the Cardinals to 17 points (seven of which came in garbage time, down 45-10). Outside of Michael Wilson, who had another massive game with 11 receptions, 142 yards, and two touchdowns, the Cardinals couldn’t get anything going offensively.

It was complete domination by the Rams, who retook control of the NFC with the win.

Green Bay made a statement

The Green Bay Packers made a statement on Sunday afternoon, taking down the Chicago Bears, 28-21, in Lambeau Field. Everyone was riding high on the Bears, but the Packers retook the lead of the NFC North with a 9-3-1 record to the Bears’ 9-4, but this thing is far from over.

For starters, these two teams will match up again in just two weeks, and there’s a very real chance Green Bay will be 9-4-1 and the Bears will be 10-4. If we head into Week 16 like this, the Packers will need to once again beat their NFC North rivals to take the lead in the division. If Green Bay does manage to beat Denver next week, they’ll still need a win against the Bears to defend their lead.

That Week 16 matchup might not even be the determining factor in this. The Bears will still have to play the 49ers and Lions, while the Packers will still have to play the Ravens and Vikings. The Packers definitely have the easier schedule of the two, but we’ve seen them slip up a few times this year against lesser opponents.

This battle will be fought until Week 18, but their Week 16 matchup should give us a good idea of who will take home the NFC North crown in 2025.

I really hope Detroit can sneak into the playoffs

The Detroit Lions have had their ups and downs this season, but I don’t think anyone can deny that their getting into the playoffs would make the postseason even more entertaining than it’s already shaping up to be. Are the Lions the best team in the NFC? No, they’re far from it. However, if they get hot at the right time, they could very easily win the NFC.

Their offense is so explosive. Jared Goff leads the NFL in touchdowns since 2023, and he’s quietly third in yards (3,334) and second in touchdowns (26) with just five interceptions this season as well. Jahmyr Gibbs is probably the most explosive running back in the NFL. He’s an elite runner, but what he can do out of the backfield as a receiver is something only Christian McCaffrey can match. They also have Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is a top-five receiver in the league.

The Lions also have a defense that’s built for the postseason. They allow just 3.9 yards per carry and 2.8 sacks per game, both of which rank in the top six. When the weather gets cold, and they have to travel to Seattle, Chicago, Green Bay, or Philadelphia, they’re going to be able to stuff the run and get after the quarterback.

I don’t think they’re real Super Bowl contenders – they haven’t been able to string together multiple good games – but man, if I were the 2-seed and I had to host Detroit in round one, I’d be very upset.

Joe Burrow needs to get out of Cincinnati

Joe Burrow really needs to get the hell out of Cincinnati. They have to be one of the worst-run NFL teams, and the only reason they’ve had success recently is because of Burrow.

As a quarterback, you love having great weapons, and there are very few teams in the league that have a better trio than Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown. But you know what quarterbacks love even more? An offensive line and a defense that can bail you out when you’re not playing well.

The offensive line has been a problem ever since Burrow arrived in 2020. How have the Bengals tried to solve it? They’ve drafted an offensive lineman in the first two rounds of the NFL draft in the last five years, Amarius Mims, and while he’s been solid, he’s nothing special, and there are still holes all over the line.

So if they’re not drafting offensive linemen, surely they’re shoring up their defense? Well, technically yes, but they have missed out on far too many players and have failed to supplement through free agency. They have the worst defense in the league. They’re allowing over 32 points per game this season, so while their offense has been really good, they just can’t win games.

This isn’t something the Bengals can fix in one offseason, either. They have far too many holes on their defense and offensive line for them to be successful, and Cincinnati isn’t exactly a hot spot for free agents. Burrow is turning 29 in three days. If he wants a chance to win a Super Bowl, he needs to get out of Cincinnati, because it’s crazy he can throw for 284 yards and four scores and still lose.

The Colts are done

I’m sorry, Indianapolis Colts fans. It was fun while it lasted, but the season is over. They were already trending down, but with Daniel Jones’ injury and the trade deadline already in the past, I just don’t see how they can compete with the other teams competing for a Wild Card spot.

Just three weeks ago, the Colts were 8-2 and one of the top teams in the AFC. People were talking about them as Super Bowl contenders. Jonathan Taylor was running like an MVP, and Daniel Jones was far exceeding everyone’s expectations. Shane Steichen had this team, specifically the offense, rolling, but then they ran into a massive speed bump.

The Chiefs and Texans handed the Colts back-to-back losses. They both completely shut Taylor down, giving the rest of the NFL the game plan to beat Indianapolis. After dropping two straight and falling to 8-4, the Colts had to travel to Jacksonville to battle for the AFC South lead, and the Jaguars held Taylor to 3.5 yards per carry as they routed the Colts, 36-19.

With Jacksonville firmly in control of the AFC South, it appears the only chance for Indianapolis to make the playoffs is as a Wild Card. And with how competitive the AFC is right now and the fact that all four of their remaining games come against teams over .500, it’s easy to see a world where Indianapolis misses the playoffs.

To make matters worse, the Colts don’t have their first-rounder this year or next year. Just a horrible situation for Indy.

Jacksonville’s the real deal

I’ve had my reservations about the Jaguars this season. They were a bit shaky to start the year, despite starting hot, and then they fell into a slump. I reasonably thought they wouldn’t come out of it, but credit where credit is due, they have, and they’re thriving right now.

It feels like Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen are really starting to understand each other. Coen’s always had a great scheme, and early in the year, we saw flashes of what Lawrence and Travis Etienne could do in it, but now we’re seeing them fully comfortable, and they’ve become one of the best offenses in the league over the past month. They’re averaging 30.8 points per game during that span, but their defense is what’s really impressed me.

The Jags’ defense has become rock solid. They’ve been excellent against the run, giving up just over 80 rushing yards per game and under four yards per carry, but their secondary has helped shut down the likes of Justin Herbert, Jacoby Brissett, and Daniel Jones (before he got hurt) in recent weeks.

During their four-game win streak, the Jags are beating their opponents by an average of 17.8 points per game. They are a legit threat in the AFC, but we’ll really see if they can compete in the playoffs when they face Denver in a couple of weeks.

The Buccaneers are going to choke away the NFC South, aren’t they?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed a win this week. They were 7-5, and the Carolina Panthers were 7-6. If they could just beat the 2-10 New Orleans Saints, they would’ve taken a one-game lead in the NFC South and probably gone on to win the division. They still very well could win the South, but things just got a whole lot more interesting.

The weather was ugly in Tampa, and the Saints just took it to the Buccaneers. Tyler Shough played very well, throwing for 144 yards and rushing for 55 and two touchdowns. He was decisive and made some big throws on third downs to get crucial conversions. The Saints were also able to run all over Tampa. They averaged 4.3 yards per carry and ran for three scores.

On the other side, Tampa’s offense really couldn’t do much. They averaged 4.6 yards per carry, but every time the Saints needed a stop, they got it. They also held Baker Mayfield to 113 passing yards while picking him off once early in the second half, which led to a Saints touchdown.

Right now, Tampa is not playing like a playoff team. They’re getting Mike Evans back soon, which will help, but they need to be better overall. They have four games left, two of which are against Carolina. This battle is far from over, but right now, I don’t know if Tampa has it in them to win the South. I think they will, because I don’t think Carolina does either, but if they blow this, it will be one of the worst meltdowns of the season.

The Broncos just keep on winning

Say what you want about Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos’ offense, but this team just keeps on winning. I know a win over Las Vegas isn’t very impressive. I mean, pretty much anybody could do that. This is just more so acknowledging their work as a whole. I mean, you don’t stumble into a 10-game win streak.

Would I love to see Nix develop a bit more, and this offense become more consistent? Definitely! There is a lot of growth to be made, but that’s what makes this team so scary. Their defense is so good that they can keep them in every single game, and Nix has proven he has the “it” factor. If this offense ever reaches its potential – whether that be this year, next year, or the year after that – this team could win multiple Super Bowls if it can keep its defense in place.

The Broncos keep on winning, and people want to diminish that. I’m not 100 percent sold on them, but I definitely wouldn’t want to play that defense in the postseason.