Welcome to Part II of my Monday Morning Quarterback Post for Week 14. This post will cover the late slate on Sunday plus the Monday Night matchup. Several good games with major playoff implications left to cover. Of course a few stinkers are left as well. They can't all be winners.
The Colts, Dolphins, Patriots and Eagles all had a bye this week. Just remember I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and I'm extremely biased. Feel free to agree or disagree about anything mentioned here. All comments are welcome.
A Tale Of Two Halves
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Buccaneers 33 Bills 27 OT
This game ended up being fun to watch even though it got off to a not so hot start. That’s on you Buffalo. This was truly a game of two halves as the scoring sheet for each half mirrored the other one. The Buccaneers scored a TD in the 1st quarter and outscored the Bills 17-3 in the 2nd quarter to take a 24-3 lead into halftime. After the break the Bills scored a TD in the 3rd quarter and outscored the Buccaneers 17-3 in the 4th quarter to tie the game at 27-27 and force overtime. That’s just nuts. Of course when the game went to overtime Tom Brady did what Tom Brady always does: beat the Bills.
The Bills offense was just lost in the first half. They had one good drive that died on the Tampa Bay 3-yard line and they kicked a field goal. Their other five possessions in the first half gained a total of 81 yards, ending with four punts and an interception. Woof. The Bucs got a lot of pressure on Josh Allen and he struggled to find his groove.
Even worse for Allen Buffalo didn’t hand off the ball once to a running back the entire half. What the hell! The only time Buffalo ran the ball was when Josh Allen took off himself. The Bills were the first team since 1991 to go an entire half without a single carry by a running back.
Tampa Bay had no such problems. They punted on their first possession, but then scored on their next four to take the 24-3 lead. As much as Bruce Arians loves to have Tom Brady sling the ball all over the field, he did mix in a decent amount of running plays.
Things changed after halftime. The Bills took the opening kickoff and faced a 4th and 2 at their own 45-yad line. Being aggressive in the face of a large deficit, Buffalo went for a fake punt. It failed as the Bucs took possession on the Bills 42-yard line. Tampa had a golden opportunity to go ahead by four scores and probably ice the game. It didn’t happen as they couldn’t even get one first down.
The Bills got a break and they didn’t waste it. Buffalo marched down the field and Josh Allen finished off the drive with an 18 yard TD run. Heading into the 4th quarter Buffalo sliced the Bucs lead to 24-10.
Tampa had the ball first in the 4th quarter and drove all the way down to the Bills 6-yard line, but they couldn’t punch it in the endzone. They kicked a field goal and held what looked to be a comfortable 27-10 lead with eleven and half minutes left in regulation.
Turned out it wasn’t enough. Buffalo scored two fast TDs while the Bucs offense went into hibernation. All of a sudden the Bills only trailed by three points and they had the ball on their own 23-yard line with three minutes left on the clock. Buffalo ate up the clock as they moved deep into Tampa territory. They made it all the way to the Bucs 7-yard line where they faced 4th down. Head coach Sean McDermott decided to kick the field goal and force overtime.
Buffalo kept the momentum up by winning the coin toss and they took the kick to open overtime. Yet their offense ran out of magic and punted after gaining only six yards. Brady had his opening and he didn’t waste it. He found Breshad Perriman for a short pass over the middle and Perriman ran by the Bills defense, 58 yards for a TD. It was Perriman’s only catch of the day, but it was a game winner.
Tampa Bay had a big halftime lead, but they choked in the second half. The offense blew a few shots to put the score out of reach and the defense suddenly had no answers to stopping Josh Allen. Yet in overtime the defense came back and Tom Brady made the necessary play to win the game. Brady (31/46, 363 yards, 2 TDs, 1 rushing TD) had his usual strong showing against Buffalo. Leonard Fournette (19 rushes, 119 yards, 1 TD) provided the ground support.
The Buccaneers improved to 10-3, first place in the NFC South. They are also tied for first place in the NFC with the Packers and Cardinals. Currently the Packers hold the tiebreaker so Tampa is slotted in the 2nd seed, but they have a great shot at moving up and getting the bye. The Bucs final four games are against soft opponents and they should win them all. They host the Saints next week.
Buffalo looked like they were left for dead at halftime, but a super effort by Josh Allen and the defense let them come back and force overtime. Yet they were spent for the extra period and whimpered off the field with a loss quickly.
Allen (36/54, 308 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) overcame a rough start to have a good game in the air. He did it all on the ground too (12 rushes, 109 yards, 1 TD) as the Bills running backs only got seven carries for the game. Buffalo has leaned heavily on Allen this year and failed to develop other parts of their offense. It is biting them in the ass right now.
The Bills fell to 7-6, second place in the AFC East. They currently hold the seventh and final playoff seed in the AFC, but a number of teams are nipping at their heels. They need to start winning now and will have an excellent chance to do just that next week when they host the Panthers.
Showdown In The Desert
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Rams 30 Cardinals 23
The Arizona Cardinals had an opportunity to place a stranglehold on the NFC West and keep the top seed in the NFC Monday night if they could defeat the Los Angeles Rams. Los Angeles had other ideas and kept their own hopes of winning the division alive by coming out on top in Phoenix.
The Cardinals received the ball first and kicked a field goal on their opening drive. The Rams couldn’t get a first down with their first shot and punted. Arizona had a chance to take an early two score lead and drove deep into L.A. territory. They made it to the 4-yard line, but Kyler Murray got picked off. The Rams cashed the turnover in for a TD to take a 7-3 lead. It was a pivotal turning point in the game.
The two teams traded scores back and forth the rest of the half and the score was tied 13-13 at the break. The Rams took control of the game right out of the gate in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. Los Angeles had the ball first and Matthew Stafford hit Van Jefferson with a 52 yard TD bomb to give the Rams a 20-13 lead. The Cardinals got the ball and Murray threw his second interception of the game. The Rams took possession on Arizona’s 19-yard line and scored another TD to move ahead 27-13. They held that lead into the 4th quarter.
Arizona fought back in the final quarter, but they couldn’t overcome a two TD deficit. The Cardinals opened up the quarter with a TD, but the Rams countered with a field goal. Arizona kicked a field goal of their own to cut the score to 30-23, but less than a minute remained on the clock. Arizona needed an onside kick and they recovered to get one final shot to tie the game and force overtime.
It didn’t go well. The Cards committed a few penalties to lose yards and had the ball on their own 42-yard line with 5 seconds left. Time for a Hail Mary, but their prayer wasn’t answered as Aaron Donald sacked Kyler Murray for the third time to end the game.
Massive win for the Rams that nearly guarantees them at least a Wild Card spot and keeps them in the hunt for the division title. Matthew Stafford (23/30, 287 yards, 3 TDs) was everything the Rams hoped he would be in this game. Stafford hit a number of long passes for big gains. Cooper Kupp (13 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD), Odell Beckham (6 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD) and Van Jefferson (2 receptions, 58 yards, 1 TD) each had a 40+ yard reception.
Sony Michel (20 rushes, 79 yards) provided the ground support. The Rams defense led by Aaron Donald sacked Kyler Murray 4 times and forced two game-changing interceptions. Strong game all around for the Rams. Los Angeles improved to 9-4, second place in the NFC West. They will host the Seahawks next week.
The Cardinals had a chance to take a two game lead in the division with a tiebreaker, but failed. Kyler Murray put up big numbers in the air (32/49, 383 yards, 2 INTs) and on the ground (7 rushes, 61 yards). But he made two very costly mistakes with his interceptions, which led to 14 points for the Rams.
Defensively the Cardinals got blown up by a number of big passing plays. Arizona was coming off of a bye week and they looked a little rusty. The Rams took advantage of all of their mistakes. The Cardinals fell to 10-3, first place in the NFC West. They are also tied with the Packers and Buccaneers for the best record in the NFC. However with tiebreakers they currently sit in the #3 seed. Maybe that is for the best. While Arizona is an impressive 7-0 on the road, they are only 3-3 at home. That road record should get even better next week when the Cardinals travel to Detroit.
Slipped Right Through Their Hands
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49ers 26 Bengals 23 OT
The Bengals had an opportunity to retake the lead in the AFC North. Instead they let the chance slip right through their hands, literally. The 49ers took advantage of the Bengals woes to climb back into the playoff picture.
Both offenses started off sluggish as each team lost yardage on their first possessions. The 49ers opened the scoring after Bengals kick returner Darius Phillips muffed a punt and San Francisco recovered the ball on Cincinnati’s 23-yard line. The Niners couldn’t cross the goal line, so they settled for a field goal and an early 3-0 lead. The Bengals answered back with a field goal of their own and the 1st quarter ended tied up at 3-3.
The Niners had the ball first in the 2nd quarter and hit pay dirt when Deebo Samuel broke free for a 27 yard TD run. After a few punts the Bengals managed to kick another field goal to cut the 49ers lead to 10-6. After the Cincy defense forced a three and out, it looked like the Bengals would have a shot to take the lead before the half ended.
That hope was crushed when Darius Phillips muffed another punt. This time the Niners recovered on the Bengals 31-yard line and Jimmy Garoppolo made them pay with a TD pass to George Kittle. San Francisco was up 17-6 at the break.
The 3rd quarter was relatively quiet. The 49ers made a field goal while the Bengals missed one. San Fran left the quarter with a two TD lead, but it wasn’t enough. Joe Burrow came alive in the 4th quarter, leading Cincinnati on two long TD drives that tied the game at 20-20. The 49ers had one last chance to win in regulation, but kicker Robbie Gould’s 47 field goal attempt went wide right as time expired.
The Bengals on the toss and took the first possession in overtime. They drove into Niners territory, but a big 3rd down sack by Nick Bosa stopped their drive at the 23-yard line. Cincy kicked a field goal to go ahead 23-20, but the 49ers still had a chance to tie or win the game.
San Francisco wasted little time, moving the ball down the field 80 yards in seven plays. The drive was capped off with a Garoppolo TD pass to Brandon Aiyuk that won the game for the Niners 26-23.
The Niners needed help from the Bengals in regulation to score points, but when the game was on the line in overtime the offense responded with a long TD drive. San Francisco got away from their usual winning formula on offense by having Jimmy Garoppolo (27/41, 296 yards, 2 TDs) throw a lot of passes. Probably because the Bengals could never figure out how to cover George Kittle (13 receptions, 151 yards, 1 TD).
Jeffrey Wilson (13 rushes, 56 yards) and Deebo Samuel (8 rushes, 37 yards, 1 TD) were solid on the ground, I’m surprised they didn’t get more touches. The Niners special teams made the game turning plays by recovering both muffed punts, which the offense converted into 10 points. San Francisco improved to 7-6, third place in the NFC West. The win also pushed the 49ers into 7th and last playoff spot in the NFC. They will host the Falcons next week.
A slow start on offense and, more importantly, losing the turnover battle 2-0 cost the Bengals this game. Joe Burrow (25/34, 348 yards, 2 TDs) had a great game and tossed two 4th quarter TD passes to Ja’Marr Chase (5 receptions, 77 yards, 2 TDs) to force overtime. Burrow needed to be great because Cincy struggled to run the ball effectively. The ground attack only gained 86 yards on 28 carries.
The Bengals defense sacked Garoppolo five times, but didn’t force any turnovers. A big play on defense was needed after the special teams errors, but it never came. The Bengals fell to 7-6, tied for second place in the AFC North with the Browns. Cincy will head to Denver next week.
The Oldest Rivalry
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Packers 45 Bears 30
No two teams in the NFL have faced each other as often as the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. It is considered the oldest rivalry in the NFL and on Sunday night they met for the 204th time. Of course we are using the term “rivalry” pretty loosely here since after the Packers win they have now won 17 of their last 20 games against the Bears. Yet both teams tend to play at their best in these games and it was no different in Week 14.
Not much occurred in the 1st quarter, the Bears did kick a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The 2nd quarter was a completely different story as the scoring came fast and furious. The Bears had the ball first and Justin Fields threw a short pass to Jakeem Grant, who broke free for a 46 yard TD.
Down 10-0, Aaron Rodgers had seen enough and he engineered the Packers first TD drive of the night. The Bears tried to respond but Fields was intercepted by Rasul Douglas. Douglas turned the turnover into a pick-six as he returned the ball 55 yards for a TD. The Packers quickly took the lead 14-10.
However the Bears were up to the challenge in the first half. Fields threw his second TD pass of the night to put the Bears back in front 17-14. The Packers couldn’t score on their next possession and had to punt. Jakeem Grant made his second huge play of the night by returning the punt 97 yards for a TD, increasing the Bears lead to 24-14.
The points kept coming as Rodgers quickly hit a few long passes, including a 38 yard pass to Davante Adams for a TD. With little time left on the clock Justin Fields was able to pass the Bears into field goal range and they made the kick as time expired in the first half. Surprisingly Chicago held the lead 27-21.
It could have been a great night for Chicago if the game ended there, but the NFL insisted the second half had to be played. The Packers stayed hot and kept scoring, but the Bears offense ran out of firepower. Green Bay blew past the Bears in the 3rd quarter with 17 unanswered points to take a 38-27 lead into the final period.
The Packers tacked on another TD in the 4th quarter while the Bears could only muster a field goal. After putting up 27 points in the first half, the Bears could only score 3 in the second as the Packers pulled away for the win.
Green Bay’s offense has gotten off to a lot of slow starts lately and Week 14 was no different as the Packers were shutout in the 1st quarter. However when they got rolling the Bears couldn’t stop them. Aaron Rodgers (29/37, 341 yards, 4 TDs) has routinely destroyed the Bears since he came into the league. This was the seventh time Rodgers had a game of over 300 passing yards and at least four TD passes with no interceptions against Chicago. No quarterback in NFL history has that many huge performances against one team.
Davante Adams (10 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TDs) was Rodgers top target. The ground attack contributed 119 yards with A.J. Dillon (15 rushes, 71 yards) leading the pack. Green Bay’s defense was roughed up some early, but regrouped after halftime to shut the Bears down. The Packers improved to 10-3, first place in the NFC North. They are tied with the Cardinals and Buccaneers for the best record in the NFC. Green Bay currently holds the #1 seed by tiebreaker. If they win out the road to the Super Bowl will run through Lambeau Field. The Packers travel to Baltimore next week.
The Bears put up a helluva effort, but in the end they just didn’t have the talent to keep up with the Packers. Justin Fields (18/33, 224 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) had an up and down game befitting of a rookie quarterback. He made some good plays, but his turnovers were costly. Fields (9 rushes, 74 yards) was strong on the ground. Jakeem Grant’s two TDs (one reception, one punt return) kept the Bears competitive in the first half.
After forcing a couple of punts in the 1st quarter, Chicago’s defense was torched by Aaron Rodgers. Same old, same old. The Bears fell to 4-9, third place in the NFC North. They will host the Vikings next Monday night.
Around The League
Seahawks 33 Texans 13
The Texans showed some spirit and actually kept up with the Seahawks in the first half, only trailing 16-13 at halftime. But they shot their wad there. Seattle proceeded to keep on scoring in the second half as the Texans offense disappeared.
The Texans started rookie quarterback Davis Mills and the decision paid off early. Mills completed his first 14 pass attempts for 150 yards as the Texans were able to go score for score with Seattle before the break. But the Seahawks defense caught on to Mills and slowed him down considerably after his hot start. The Texans were unable to score in the second half.
The Seahawks offense was rarely stopped, they put up points in every quarter. Russell Wilson (17/28, 260 yards, 2 TDs) looks like he is finally getting over his injured thumb. He found a mismatch in coverage with Tyler Lockett (5 receptions, 142 yards, 1 TD) and the duo exploited it for big chunks of yardage.
Rashaad Penny (16 rushes, 137 yards, 2 TDs) had an explosive game on the ground, leading a Seattle running committee that piled up 193 yards on the ground. Overall good game against a bad team, the way it was supposed to be. The Seahawks improved to 5-8, third place in the NFC West. The playoffs are still possible, but it is a steep hill to climb. The Seahawks will have to in out and catch some breaks. They play the Rams in L.A. next week.
David Mills (33/49, 331 yards, 1 TD) had a nice game for a rookie quarterback. However the Texans lack talent all over the field and Mills couldn’t beat the Seahawks by himself. He gave a good try in the first half. The Texans fell to 2-11, tied with Jacksonville for last place in the AFC South. The Texans will play the Jaguars in Jacksonville next week and if the league has any pride they will blackout that disgrace everywhere.
Chargers 37 Giants 21
If you only saw the final score you might think to yourself “Gee, maybe the Giants gave L.A. a game there for a while.” You’d be wrong. The Chargers kicked the Giants asses hard. L.A. went up 37-7 early in the 4th quarter and left the building. The Giants put up two garbage time TDs before the clock ran out to make the final score look less embarrassing. You’re not fooling me New York!
Justin Herbert came out firing and the Chargers put 24 points on the scoreboard in the first half. Somehow the Giants did score one TD in the 1st quarter. I don’t know, maybe the Chargers owed them a favor for voting for their relocation. Anyway the Chargers turned more to the run in the second half to chew up the clock. The Giants couldn’t stop the run either and Los Angeles continued adding onto the scoreboard.
After going ahead 37-7, the Chargers just stood around the field trying to avoid injuries. The Giants took advantage by scoring two absolutely meaningless TDs to make themselves feel better. If they have any pride at all it shouldn’t have worked.
Justin Herbert (23/31, 275 yards, 3 TDs) had a great game despite the Chargers taking their foot off the gas in the second half. If Herbert had to keep throwing he would have put up monster numbers because the Giants couldn’t stop him. The running back committee (37 rushes, 152 yards, 1 TD) took care of the second half.
The Chargers improved to 8-5, second place in the AFC West as they sit one game behind Kansas City. The Chargers host the Chiefs on Thursday night in a huge matchup. If Los Angeles wins they will sweep the Chiefs and take over first place. If they lose, they’ll have to battle on for a Wild Card spot.
The Giants offense has been bad all season, but with Mike Glennon (17/36, 191 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) under center they have sunk even lower. Glennon’s numbers were awful even though he padded them in garbage time. The Giants defense has shown some spirit lately, but they were overmatched by the Chargers.
Head coach Joe Judge said after the game he could still see the fight in his players’ eyes at halftime. What a joke. If he believes that he is delusional since the Giants never showed on ounce of fight in this game. The Giants fell to 4-9, last place in the NFC East. They host the Cowboys next week. I can’t wait!
Broncos 38 Lions 10
Last week we witnessed one of the feel good moments of the 2021 season as the Detroit Lions broke through for their first win of the season. In Week 14 reality came back at the Lions. Hard. The Broncos kicked their ass 38-10.
Denver came out of the gate hot and scored two TDs in the 1st quarter. The rout was on. Oh wait I got ahead of myself. Detroit fought back some in the 2nd quarter. The Lions put together their only decent offensive drives of the day to score 10 points. The Broncos tacked on another field goal to lead 17-10 at halftime.
In the 3rd quarter the Broncos took advantage of a couple of turnovers to put up two quick TDs. The rout was back on. I mean it this time. The Lions offense was completely stymied in the second half and they never came close to scoring. The Broncos scored one more TD in the 4th quarter to win 38-10.
The Lions are so bad every team should look good against them and the Broncos sure did. Teddy Bridgewater (18/25, 179 yards, 2 TDs) didn’t have to throw a lot and he picked his spots well. Bridgewater was afforded that luxury as the Broncos running game was strong. Melvin Gordon (24 rushes, 111 yards, 2 TDs) and Javonte Williams (15 rushes, 73 yards, 1 TD) pounded the Detroit defense.
Denver’s defense forced two turnovers and shutout the Lions in the second half. Quality showing for the Broncos, dominating a bad team. The Broncos improved to 7-6, third place in the AFC West. Still alive in the playoff race, Denver will host the Bengals next week in a game with big playoff implications.
Well Detroit you got your one win, most people (including myself) didn’t even think you’d manage that. Jared Goff (24/39, 215 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) didn’t get much going. The defense got beat up. When you stink, you stink and these games happen.
The Lions fell to 1-11-1, last place in the NFC North and the NFL. They will host an angry Cardinals team coming off of a loss next week. I already smell blood.
We've reached the end of Part II for Week 14. Now that the college football regular season is over we'll get some Saturday games starting next week in addition to the regular games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. Some would say the NFL is simply giving the fans more of what they want. Others would counter that it is another step in the NFL's plan to capture all the money in the world.
Thanks for reading and feel free to make a comment below.