Week 14 Thoughts

Yesterday was an NFL Sunday without the Minnesota Vikings. That alone was reason to start or finish your holiday preparations.

If you're a fan of the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, or Indianapolis Colts it was definitely a day to do something other than watch football. Those teams didn't have very good days.

The Ravens were thumped by the Seattle Seahawks 35-6. The Ravens have simply lost too many players to injuries to consistently compete. Especially if they have to compete with one of the top teams in the league. The Seahawks are finally rounding into one of those top teams.

It was a costly win for the Seahawks. They lost rookie running back Thomas Rawls on the first drive of the game to a broken ankle. The ankle injury also included torn ligaments. He's out for the season. His production on that single drive was an indication of his importance to the offense. 6 carries for 44 yards. With Marshawn Lynch and now Rawls, until this injury, the running game has been the heart of the Seahawks offense. The run has set up the pass and established the team's physical identity. This is a tough loss. Rawls has been terrific. Lynch is expected to be back for any potential playoff games that the Seahawks might have. So, there's that. Until then, Fred Jackson and DuJuan Harris will run the ball. Harris had 18 carries yesterday so it seems that he might be first in line. Then there's quarterback Russell Wilson. He can run some too. The Seahawks will likely lean on Wilson's passing more than they have in his previous three seasons. Five touchdown tosses yesterday and just under 300 yards.

The Atlanta Falcons were dismantled by the Carolina Panthers. 38-0. Not much to see here. The Panthers are still undefeated. 13-0. The Falcons continue their free fall from a 5-0 start. They are 6-7 now. They host the Panthers in two weeks. Maybe they are saving their points for that game.

Panthers receiver Ted Ginn caught a touchdown. He's usually dropping those. So it was a very good day for Ginn and the Panthers.

The Tennessee Titans struggled against the New York Jets. 30-8. A slow start doomed the Titans but even when they got a little something going it was already 27-0. Their lone score came on a little razzle-dazzle. Running back Antonio Andrews threw to quarterback Marcus Mariota on a 41-yard TD in the third quarter. That and the 2-point conversion that followed were the Titans only scoring on the day.

Mariota has had a terrific rookie season. He's brought excitement and optimism to Tennessee. He's still a rookie and that brings some inconsistency. Yesterday was one of those down days.

The Indianapolis Colts put up little resistance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 51-16. The Colts actually had a 13-9 lead at the half. They should have stopped there.

There were some good games.

The San Diego Chargers could've/should've forced overtime against the surging Kansas City Chiefs. They Chargers had four offensive snaps in the final five seconds. All came from from inside the 10-yard line but only two counted. Penalties wiped out the other two. The game ended when running back Danny Woodhead dropped a Philip Rivers pass in the end zone. It was fitting that Chiefs pass rusher Dee Ford was in coverage on the play as he had a terrific game. His impact came in rushing the passer despite his presence in coverage on that last play. He had three sacks and harassed Rivers throughout the game. The Chiefs held on to win their seventh straight game 10-3.

There was a two-play sequence at the end of this game that was refreshing to see. Penalty flags fly too often in this league. There was contact on the intended receivers on consecutive plays as the Chargers tried to rally. One of the receivers was even knocked to the ground. No flags flew and each was the proper call. It was also refreshing. The contact was incidental. The defenders were defending and not interfering. Sometimes the players should just be allowed to play. Sometimes the players should be allowed to decide the game.

It's so hard to believe that the Chiefs were once 1-5 and had just lost all-everything back Jamaal Charles for the season. Now, they are 8-5 and very much in the mix for a playoff spot. Incredible.

The Washington Redskins won their first road game of the season. A 24-21 win over the Chicago Bears. At 6-7 the Redskins lead the sad NFC East.

As with the Titans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been capably led by a rookie quarterback. Jameis Winston has been mostly great but he's a rookie and there will be some inconsistency. Yesterday was a down day for Winston and the young Buccaneers. They lost to the New Orleans Saints at home 24-17. The Buccaneers had climbed into the playoff chase. They are still in that race but this loss hurt.

Hey, look at that. The St. Louis Rams finally won a game. They held off the Detroit Lions, probably still reeling from that Aaron Rodgers toss, 21-14. That Rams defense and rookie running back Todd Gurley returned from their month-long sabbatical. Gurley was great. 140 yards on 16 carries and 2 touchdowns.

There was a lot of talk last week about the Buffalo Bills-Philadelphia Eagles game. Not a bit of it was about the game. It was all about the Chip Kelly-LeSean McCoy relationship. Or lack of one. Who cares? This game was an interesting game because of the teams that were involved and not the soap opera that the media created around it. It got to the point where I didn't even care about this game by the time that it finally started. Still don't.

The Cleveland Browns won a game. They beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-10.

The Pittsburgh Steelers gained a game on AFC North division leader Cincinnati Bengals in their 33-20 win over the Bengals. The Bengals at 10-3 still have a two-game lead over the Steelers at 8-5 with three games to play. That two-game lead is precarious seeing as the Bengals lost quarterback Andy Dalton and tight end Tyler Eifert to injuries. Dalton might miss a game or two with a thumb injury. Eifert suffered a concussion and enters the protocol of said injury.

A.J. McCarron replaced Dalton and did o.k. He tossed a 66-yard touchdown to A.J. Green not long after entering the game. That had everyone on the Bengals feeling pretty giddy but it didn't last long. With a week of starter reps McCarron should be fine. Having A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Giovani Bernard, Jeremey Hill, and hopefully Tyler Eifert surrounding him helps. The Bengals have road games against the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and finish at home against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Green Bay Packers moved to 9-4 with their 28-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Packers now have a game lead over the Vikings in the NFC North. This was a better game than the score would indicate. It would have been a really good game if the Cowboys were better on offense. The drop in the Cowboys passing game without Tony Romo is ridiculous. 99 yards through the air against the Packers. That passing game would have been helped if Dez Bryant hadn't dropped some of the passes that he dropped. A receiver as great as Bryant shouldn't have those drops. He caught one of the six passes that came his way.

The Oakland Raiders stunned the Denver Broncos 15-12. It looks like a field goal-fest but the Raiders scored scored a couple of touchdowns, a safety, and a single extra point. All of the Broncos scoring came from field goals. All four came after they had moved the ball inside the Raiders 25-yard line. Their inability to score a single touchdown rather than a field goal was the difference in the game. The Raiders generated about half the offensive production of that of the Broncos but it's the numbers on the scoreboard that matter most.

Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack had a beast of a day. Five sacks. One of which forced the fumble that resulted in the safety. Mack is a nightmare of a pass rusher.

The Houston Texans might not feel the same but it was great to see Rob Gronkowski back on the field. Great football players make the NFL great and he's one of the best. The Patriots are certainly a better team when he's on the field. In fact they are still undefeated when he finishes a game. The Patriots took care of the Texans in yesterday's nightcap 27-6.

The New York Giants visit the Miami Dolphins tonight to close Week 14.