Tuesday Morning Philosophy: The Big Questions Facing Each Team in Week 14

With each new week in the NFL comes a new pressing issue for each team.

Whether it is what a team needs to do to make a playoff run or simply what a team needs to do to win next week, every Tuesday morning I dive into the issues to shed some light on the direction that each team is heading as the season moves forward.

So let's take a look at the issues that affect each NFL team this week.

AFC East

New England Patriots: Can a suddenly short-handed Patriots team generate points against the tough Houston defense?

Miami Dolphins: Can the Dolphins keep their slim playoff hopes alive in a tough matchup in San Francisco?

New York Jets: How little faith does Rex Ryan have in Tebow that Greg McElroy is the clear choice over him?

Buffalo Bills: If Buffalo ran the table and made the playoffs, would anyone in the city of Buffalo notice?

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: Flacco's horrid play on the road is starting to bleed over into home games. Can he right the ship in time for the playoffs?
 
Pittsburgh Steelers: Has Charlie Batch ever had a bigger win in his 73-year career?

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals have now won four games in a row. Can they keep pace with the Steelers until their showdown in Week 16?

Cleveland Browns: At 4-3 in their last seven games, the Browns seem to have something going. Have they turned a corner?

AFC South

Houston Texans: With the division clinched and sitting in first in the AFC, can the Texans keep their edge until the playoffs?
 
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts play the Titans before playing two of their last four games against Houston. Can the Colts avoid overlooking Tennessee at home?

Tennessee Titans: With the playoffs out of reach, can Jake Locker get some rhythm going on offense over the last few games?

Jacksonville Jaguars: With the possibility of Maurice Jones Drew playing this week, can the running game take some of the pressure off of Chad Henne to carry the offense?

AFC West

Denver Broncos: After getting off to a slow start, the Broncos have won seven in a row. Can they make a run at a first round bye?

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers have now lost seven of their last eight games. Will a cross country trip help change up their fortunes?

Kansas City Chiefs: It's impossible to imagine what Romeo Crennel has been through in the last four days. It's easy to see why players love him; is there a better human being in the NFL?

Oakland Raiders: Are there any Al-Davis-era-players safe under the new regime?

NFC East

New York Giants: The game of "which Giants team will show up this week" continues. Can they figure it out before starting their tough final four games?

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have not beaten a team with a winning record since Week 3. Can they end that streak this week?

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are going to see what they have in Nick Foles the last four weeks. Will they see a win?

Washington Redskins: The Redskins have now won three games in a row. Can they clear a big hurdle to the playoffs this week against Baltimore?

NFC North

Chicago Bears: The Bears have lost three of four games. Are they capable of beating playoff-caliber teams?

Green Bay Packers: The Packers have now won six out of their last seven games. With players getting healthy, are the Packers poised for a playoff run?

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings now have their backs against the wall at 6-6. Can they avenge their loss to the Bears from two weeks ago?

Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson is on pace to break Rice's yardage mark. Can he keep it up over the last four games?

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons are the first team in the NFC to clinch a playoff spot. Can they keep the pedal down and continue to win playoff games?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay's defense has not held a team under 24 points in five games. Can they end that streak this week against the Eagles?
 
New Orleans Saints: The Saints play their third division-leading opponent in a row this week. Will Drew Brees be able to clean up his game after a five-interception performance and lead them to victory?

Carolina Panthers: After losing to Kansas City this week, is there anywhere to go but up for the Panthers?

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers: Can Colin Kaepernick recover from his first career loss and hang on to the starting job?

Seattle Seahawks: Seattle finally managed to pick up a road victory last week. Was that win the momentum the Seahawks needed to make a run into the playoffs?

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals have now lost eight in a row. Can Ryan Lindley put some offense together to keep his team in the game?

St. Louis Rams: St. Louis isn't ready to give up on its playoff hopes just yet. Can they run the table and sneak in?