It’s do or die for many NFL teams in the last full month of the regular season. After the Dallas Cowboys host the Cincinnati Bengals on “Monday Night Football,” only four weeks of competition remain.
The playoff picture has started to come into focus. The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions have already punched their ticket to the postseason. Meanwhile, four teams (the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots) have already been eliminated.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles and Lions aim to extend their division leads. Meanwhile, the NFC South and NFC West have neck-and-neck battles on their hands. Wild-card races remain crowded, and margins for error are growing thinner and thinner by the week.
Here are five of the most compelling storylines for Week 14 of the NFL season. (Find the full schedule here.)
1. Kirk Cousins’ return to Minnesota
After six seasons as the handsomely paid ($185 million fully guaranteed) starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, Cousins left the North in the offseason to sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. On Sunday, he returns to U.S. Bank Stadium, where he will try to help the Falcons snap a three-game losing streak and remain in the running for the NFC South title.
Cousins, who garnered Pro Bowl honors three times in Minnesota while helping the Vikings to two playoff appearances, ranks sixth in the NFL with 3,052 passing yards this season. He has struggled, however, during this skid, throwing six interceptions and no touchdowns. He told reporters that he and his team aim to “get back up off the mat and get going” this week. The Falcons (6-6) need a victory to fend off the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have won two straight, are also 6-6 and hope to win their fourth straight division title.
Beating the Vikings represents a tall task for Atlanta. Minnesota has won five straight and boasts an aggressive defense that leads the NFL with 18 interceptions. The Vikings also have held foes to just 18.3 points per game (fifth fewest) while racking up 39 sacks (fourth most) and 24 total takeaways (tied for second). Meanwhile, Cousins’ replacement, Sam Darnold, is directing an efficient offensive attack and has thrown six touchdown passes and no interceptions in the last three weeks. Catching Detroit for the NFC North lead will be tough, but the Vikings and Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit of second place in the division. (Falcons at Vikings, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
2. Browns-Steelers rematch
Two weeks ago, the last-place Cleveland Browns stunned the AFC North-leading Steelers 24-19 in a blustery, snow-covered Thursday night showdown. The Browns won despite going 1-for-10 on third down and turning the ball over three times. But Jameis Winston, who had already rushed for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, directed a nine-play, 45-yard scoring drive capped by a Nick Chubb touchdown with 57 seconds left to elevate his team.
Now these two meet again in Pittsburgh, where Mike Tomlin’s team will look to exact revenge while adding to its division lead. Pittsburgh is coming off an authoritative victory at Cincinnati. A win would give the Steelers their seventh victory in the last eight games and provide some cushion between them and Baltimore, which is on a bye this week. Russell Wilson is coming off his best game as a Steeler, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns against the Bengals. It was the second-highest passing total of Wilson’s career and his third 400-yard day.
At this point, reaching the playoffs may be impossible for 3-9 Cleveland. But the Browns would like nothing more than to sweep the rival Steelers. Improved ball security is likely among the keys to victory for Cleveland. The Browns were fortunate that losing the turnover battle didn’t translate to defeat in the first game versus the Steelers. However, three turnovers (including two pick sixes) crippled them last week in a loss to the Denver Broncos. (Browns at Steelers, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
3. Pressure rising in NFC West
Two weeks after the Seattle Seahawks pulled off a hard-fought, 16-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals to pull ahead in the race for the NFC West title, the teams meet again. This time, the Cardinals host the Seahawks with the goal of snapping a two-game losing streak after that Seattle loss and a 23-22 defeat at Minnesota. Seattle has won three straight to improve to 7-5 while perched alone atop the division. A Cardinals victory, however, would give both teams 7-6 records and set up a crucial four-game homestretch of the season.
4. Another crown for the Chiefs?
The Chiefs have dominated the AFC West, winning the division for eight straight seasons. They enter Sunday night’s meeting against the Chargers 11-1 with a playoff berth already in hand and an opportunity to clinch the division once again with a victory.
This is the second meeting of the season between these teams. Kansas City rallied from a 10-point deficit and won 17-10 in Week 4 thanks to a Samaje Perine touchdown run with 6:04 left. Close outcomes and late-game heroics have become a common occurrence for the Chiefs this season. Nine of their 11 victories have been decided by one score. So, another such victory would come as no surprise.
This game represents a great test for the Chargers, who have won five of their last six games — losing only to Baltimore in Week 12 before rebounding against Atlanta last week. The Chargers have lost six straight games versus the Chiefs, and after getting blown out by another projected AFC contender in the Ravens, Los Angeles could gain a large degree of validation if it wins Sunday. The Chargers were missing defensive stars Derwin James Jr. and pass rusher Joey Bosa, as well as offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, in the last game against the Chiefs. LA had a 10-0 first-quarter lead before going cold and getting outscored 17-0 the rest of the way. Can improved health and lessons from the previous meeting help this 8-4 team get over the hump this time around? (Chargers at Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)
5. Bears’ response, 49ers’ fight
Rather than delay the inevitable, the Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus following the last-second meltdown in their Thanksgiving Day loss to the Lions. Horrible clock management and direction by the coach helped extend Chicago’s losing streak to six games, with the last three defeats coming by a combined seven points.
Now the 4-8 Bears turn to interim head coach Thomas Brown, who had taken over as interim offensive coordinator following the firing of Shane Waldron after nine games. Under Brown’s direction, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has displayed improved decision-making and effectiveness. Now Brown, the 38-year-old former running back, will try to prove he can make the Bears more competitive while also further developing Williams into the star general manager Ryan Poles drafted him to be.
Chicago’s opponent this week: the walking-wounded San Francisco 49ers, who have dropped to 5-7 while on a three-game losing streak. The latest defeat proved costly, as the Niners lost running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason to injured reserve. The 35-10 loss to Buffalo also appeared to nudge Kyle Shanahan’s team one massive step further away from its goal of returning to the Super Bowl to resolve unfinished business. Mathematically, the 49ers aren’t eliminated, but they have only a 6 percent chance of making the playoffs and trail the Seahawks by two games in the NFC West. They will likely need an undefeated stretch run to earn a playoff ticket.
Can Shanahan punch all of the right buttons and figure out how to mask all of the deficiencies of this battered squad? Or are things too far gone? Will the Bears receive a spark under new leadership and roll to victory, or will they experience more of the same? (Bears at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)
(Top photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
