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Early on in the season, it appeared as if the 49ers were going to once again run away with the division. But in recent weeks, the Seattle Seahawks have been putting the pressure on San Francisco by winning four of their last five games.

In fairness, the 49ers are winners in their last three out of four. But their biggest test comes this weekend against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Brady's Patriots are coming off their biggest win of the year against the 11-win Texans, even though it didn't seem like much of a contest by game's end.

The Pats jumped out to a 21-0 nothing lead at the end of the first half. However, I can guarantee things won't be the same in Week 15. For as good as New England is on offense, San Francisco is equally as good on defense. The No. 1 offense in the NFL against the No. 2 defense should not disappoint Sunday night.

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After being tagged as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, cornerback Walter Thurmond sat out of Thursday's practice with a hamstring injury like fellow cornerback Marcus Trufant. The injury would prove to be a big blow to an already banged up secondary that missed two of its three starting corners in Week 14.

In a 58-0 blowout win over the Cardinals last week, Thurmond stepped up and played the most snaps out of any Seahawks defender with 61. Yet it is unlikely that another blowout will ensue on the road at a neutral site, so a little more help will be needed from Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell. 

Based on snaps taken at right cornerback, it appears as if Maxwell will be the first man in line to start. Lane would then naturally man the slot. According to the analysts at Pro Football Focus, both Maxwell and Lane received positive grades in coverage.

A position that was once stacked early on in the season has now taken a hit due to suspension and injury. If Seattle wants to win the NFC West they need to take care of business regardless of the circumstances surrounding the team. As the seventh-youngest team in the league, the Seahawks are no strangers to young players stepping up and contributing immediately.

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Without a doubt, Americans love oddball phenomenons that are catchy and somewhat clever, especially when they come from professional athletes. Throughout the history of sports, individual star athletes have had certain poses or actions that have trademarked themselves.

Wide receiver Terrell Owens coined the phrase, “I Love Me Some Me." The term "Revis Island" is solely related to cornerback Darrelle Revis because of his lockdown coverage on defense, and of course the finger wave of Dikembe Mutombo was a gesture he made after blocking an opponent's shot in the NBA.

The list could go on and on, but let's face it, people's actions define themselves. And Colin Kaepernick's recent kissing of his tattoos has started a whole new craze called #Kaepernicking. The trend started on Twitter, just like so many others do, after Kaepernick scored on a 50-yard touchdown run against the Dolphins.

Whether Kaepernick comes out and says it or not, we all can figure out #Kaepernicking is a nice little jab in the direction of AOL FanHouse Columnist David Whitley.

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After only playing five snaps against the Arizona Cardinals Week 12 and missing Week's 13 and 14 with a foot injury, it appears as if Rams top wideout, Danny Amendola, will finally see the field this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

He was listed as doubtful against the 49ers and he was listed as questionable against the Bills, so if his foot is progressing on the correct timetable, Rams fans and officials alike would welcome him back on the field amidst a three-game winning streak in Week 15.

Moreover, the Rams finish the season with back-to-back road games against Tampa Bay and Seattle—so, there's no question Sam Bradford's favorite target will need to be in the lineup if they plan on making it six wins in a row to close out the season.

Currently, St. Louis holds the No. 10 seed in the NFC playoff picture, but things could change mightily if the Rams take down Minnesota and Seattle. Right now both teams are ahead of them in the playoff push, yet the Rams can make things a lot easier on themselves by winning out because of the fact they are only two games back from the sixth and final seed.

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Nine straight losses in a row after four convincing wins in a row to start the season. I never thought this Arizona Cardinals team would face such a deficit, mainly because of defensive coordinator Ray Horton and his strong defensive attack. Yet, that just goes to show what happens when your most reliable quarterback gets injured for three-fourths of the season.

Despite losing 58-0 to the Seattle Seahawks, Ken Whisenhunt's club is not 58-0 bad. Sure, they have only managed to average 14.3 points per game, the league's lowest mark, and they have the least amount of yards in the NFL, but they have a top-10 defense.

However, that 14.3 points per game from the offense has actually been 10.8 points per game since Kevin Kolb exited the lineup due to injury. It's hard to expect to win many games when you average just over a touchdown and a field goal a game. No defense that is on the field for long periods of time could hold the opposition to under that number.

Regardless, before we look ahead to Week 15, let's take a look at the good, the bad and everything in between from Week 14.

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After a 3-6-1 start to the season, head coach Jeff Fisher and the St. Louis Rams find themselves at 6-6-1 with a strong grip on the No. 10 seed in the NFC playoff picture. I know what you're thinking—the No. 10 seed, who cares? Well, the No. 10 seed is only two games separated from the No. 6 seed.

So, if the Rams decide to finish the season with a six-game winning streak, things could get particularly interesting by season's end. However, the odds of a six-game winning streak to close out the season seem pretty far-fetched for such a young team.

Two of St. Louis' final three games are on the road. In Week 15 they host Minnesota at the Edwards Jones Dome, and in Weeks 16 and 17 they travel to Tampa Bay and Seattle. The Rams often play well at home, so Week 15 will be their best shot at garnering a victory. Coach Fisher's club has only managed to win two games on the road this season, which will make the final two games much more difficult.

Still, let's not get too far ahead ourselves. Before we look forward to Week 15, let's take a look at the good, the bad and everything in between from Week 14.

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Yesterday, I tweeted out Mike Silver's feature on Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. If you haven't seen it yet, it is a very interesting read with a good back story on why Sherman plays the way he does.

We have all heard Sherman say it before: He plays with a monumental chip on his shoulder and will use any type of motivation possible to keep that chip as big as possible. It all stems back to April of 2011, when player after player was drafted in front of him. Here is what he told Silver:

Destroying the league is exactly what he has done. In 29 games, Sherman has managed to intercept 10 passes, force four fumbles and score one defensive touchdown. Not to mention, opposing quarterbacks have a quarterback rating of 48.7 against him.

He is becoming a great player at a very fast pace, but does he have what it takes to become that greatest of all time?

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We all know that Jim Harbaugh has been extremely happy with second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick up to this point. He has publicly defended him after his one loss against the Rams, and he has been his biggest supporter when he has exceeded everyone's expectations.

Through four games as starter, Kaepernick's numbers resemble those of former starter Alex Smith. His completion percentage in four starts is 69.3, he's averaging 216 yards through the air and his touchdown to interception ratio is 3:1. Two total turnovers (one interception, one fumble) in 253 snaps is an impressive number for a first-year starter.

Turning the ball over is the one thing that drives Harbaugh nuts, so it's no surprise that Kaepernick has only attempted more than 25 passes once this season. Limiting mistakes from the quarterback position by leaning on the run game is exactly the same thing he did with Smith. Can you blame him?

San Francisco has the best run-blocking offensive line in the league with arguably the best backfield in the league. Frank Gore just eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth time in his career and tied a franchise record with 50 rushing touchdowns. Not to mention LaMichael James has every fan and media member alike clamoring for more after a productive 15-snap debut in Week 14.

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Heading into Week 15, Pete Carroll's Seattle Seahawks are winners of two in a row and sport an 8-5 record. One more win will mark the first time in his tenure where Carroll has finished above .500 as head coach of the Seahawks.

With three weeks remaining in the season, Seattle's just now starting to hit its stride by getting hot at the right time. Everyone saw what that did for the New York Giants last year, so it's safe to assume the 'Hawks are hitting their stride at the right time.

Right now, the Seahawks are the No. 5 seed in the NFC, but with a little bit of luck, they still have the opportunity to finish as high as No. 1. Just another reason to love the NFL—the season isn't over until the final whistle.

Let's take a look at the good, the bad and everything in between from Week 14.

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After nine straight losses and a 58-0 blowout, there's no question fans and media members alike are seeking answers from the Cardinals top brass on the current state of the team. Well, ask and you shall receive—Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill spoke out yesterday on both the team and head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

As you can see, Whisenhunt will obviously finish the season as head coach, but it appears to be nothing more than a formality at this point. Bidwill has been evaluating this team on a week-to-week basis during the Cardinals' nine-game losing streak. He added, "there is plenty of responsibility to spread around" in the losing streak.

That statement makes you wonder whether or not there will be some changes at the general manager position as well. It's no secret that Rod Graves deserves to shoulder just as much of the blame as Whisenhunt should. His draft selections in years past have been a bit underwhelming, to say the least.

No actual mention to Graves' job was made in the interview with Mr. Bidwill; it just seemed worthy to mention, considering Graves and Whisenhunt have been in this thing together since 2007. As the season presses on over the final three weeks, Arizona's only real opportunity at garnering another win will be this week at home against the Detroit Lions.