NFL Week 14: Everything You Need to Know for Sunday's Games
We're entering the final month of the 2015 NFL season, and the playoff race is beginning to really intensify. There are currently 17 teams sitting at .500 or better with four weeks to go, though only two teams have managed to secure a playoff berth.
The undefeated Carolina Panthers locked up the NFC South a week ago. The Arizona Cardinals punched their playoff ticket with a 23-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.
On Sunday, 28 other teams will try to join the Cardinals as Week 14 winners. The NFL is giving us 14 games in total—including a couple of potential playoff previews in the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots vs. the Houston Texans.
Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's games.
Biggest Questions
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Will the Patriots Continue to Crumble?
Over the past two weeks, the New England Patriots have gone from being undefeated and in control of the entire AFC, to being a two-loss team and the AFC's No. 3 seed. With the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos both playing extremely well, a loss on Sunday could potentially end New England's hopes for a first-round playoff bye.
Though the Houston Texans are only a 6-6 team, they pose a real threat to the Patriots for two reasons. For starters, that Houston defense has been playing extremely well against the pass. Houston is allowing just 218.2 yards passing per game. Overall, the team is rated sixth in the league in defense by Pro Football Focus.
That defense, of course, is led by sack master J.J. Watt, who recently earned praise from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
"He's pretty special," Belichick said, per Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. "He does a lot of things well and everybody game plans for him every game. He gets a lot of double-teams, the line slides to his side, teams try to run away from him; he does a good job with all of it.
The second problem for New England is that the offense is still banged up. Star tight end Rob Gronkowski did return to practice this week, but it's still unclear if he'll play. Pitting an injury-hampered receiving corps against one of the league's top defenses could create a recipe for another stunning Patriots loss.
How Will J.J. Watt's Injury Affect the Houston Defense?
We already mentioned that the Texans defense is very good and is led by an incredible defensive leader in Watt. The problem this week is that Watt isn't coming into the game 100 percent healthy.
In fact, he's coming into this one with a broken hand.
Apparently, Watt broke his hand in practice drills on Wednesday but will play on Sunday.
"I've played with worse than this before," Watt said about the injury, per Conor Orr of NFL.com.
Losing Watt would obviously be a major blow to the Texans' playoff hopes. In addition to being the team's defensive leader, Watt is one of the most dominant defenders in the game today. For the season, he is rated first overall among 3-4 defensive ends by Pro Football Focus, and it isn't close.
We'll have to wait and see exactly how Watt's hand injury affects his ability to do things like shed blockers, snag ball-carriers and bat passes. If Watt can't play at his usually high level, then it's going to be hard for Houston to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, banged up or not.
This is a game the Texans desperately need in order to stay in the playoff hunt. It now appears much of the game is going to come down to Watt's health.
Can the Carolina Panthers Continue Rolling?
The Carolina Panthers have already locked up a playoff spot, and should be able to coast into a first-round bye. The remaining schedule isn't exactly daunting, and even finishing 1-3 would allow the Panthers to finish with a better record than the 8-4 Green Bay Packers, who hold the NFC's No. 3 seed.
The question for Carolina is whether or not the Panthers can finish the 2015 season without a loss.
The defense, which is rated fourth overall by Pro Football Focus, is certainly good enough to pull off the feat. Quarterback Cam Newton is a realistic MVP candidate and has the offense playing well enough to finish as well.
However, the Panthers have had a few close calls this year, and they will face a familiar opponent on Sunday.
Last week, it took a late-game touchdown drive to give Carolina a 41-38 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Newton's final touchdown pass came with just over a minute to play in the game.
Facing a potent Saints offense and a familiar NFC South opponent caused some problems for the Panthers last week, and a similar matchup awaits. The Atlanta Falcons are still in the playoff hunt at 6-6 and will bring all of their offensive firepower to bear against the Panthers in hopes of strengthening their position.
With Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman, the Falcons can match the offensive intensity the Saints brought a week ago. With the playoffs still a real possibility, the team will be fighting like cornered wildebeests as well.
This is a dangerous game for the Panthers, even if it seems like it should be a relatively easy win.
Game of the Day
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What: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: CBS
Even if the game didn't have serious playoff implications, Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals would pretty much be must-watch television.
The Bengals might just be the most balanced and talented overall team in the entire league. The team is currently ranked fourth in scoring offense (27.8 points per game) and first in scoring defense (15.3 points per game allowed),.
The Steelers aren't anywhere near as balanced, but they might own the most explosive offense the NFL has seen in some time. Pittsburgh is ranked second in total offense (409.1 yards per game). It is also rated third overall in offense by Pro Football Focus for the season.
Keep in mind that the Steelers were functioning without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for four games this year because of injury.
Add in the fact that these two AFC North foes genuinely hate each other, and you get a recipe for fireworks.
The fact is, though, that there is an awful lot at stake in the game. Cincinnati can clinch the division with a win. Pittsburgh desperately needs a win to stay in the thick of the wild-card race.
How can we not watch?
Honorable Mention: New England Patriots at Houston Texans
Sunday night's contest between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans is also chock full of playoff implications.
The Patriots fell from being the AFC's No. 1 seed with last week's loss, and the team now sits behind the Bengals and the Denver Broncos in the current standings. A win against the resurgent Texans is needed here.
The 6-6 Texans are nipping at the heels of the 6-6 Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South race. A win coupled with a Colts loss would put Houston in control of the division. The Texans and their third-ranked passing defense (218.2 yards per game allowed) have the goods to pull off the home upset.
This one will kick off at 8:30 p.m. ET over on NBC.
Stats of the Week
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Yards per passing attempt by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady this season when Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski are both off the field. According to ESPN Stats & Information, that average is down from 6.9 yards per attempt when one of the two is on the field and 8.5 yards per attempt when both are on the field.
Points surrendered by the Panthers defense last week against the New Orleans Saints. This is also the season high for points allowed by Carolina. For the year, the team is allowing an average of just 20.2 points per contest.
Consecutive games this season in which Ravens quarterback Matt Schaub has thrown an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Dating back to last year with the Raiders, Schaub has thrown a pick-six in three consecutive games. He holds the all-time record for throwing a pick-six in four consecutive games, a feat he accomplished back in 2013.
Yards per carry averaged by Eagles running back DeMarco Murray. Murray has seen his role diminish with Philadelphia after being a workhorse back last season with the Cowboys. In 2014, he averaged 4.7 yards per carry and led the NFL with 1,845 rushing yards. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk,com, Murray would very much like to return to Dallas.
Yards receiving by Falcons receiver Julio Jones so far this season, the leading total in the NFL. This week, Jones will match up with Panthers corner Josh Norman, who has been shutting down opposing receivers and playing like a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Tackles so far this season by 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who missed the entire 2014 season with an ACL tear. Bowman also has 2.0 sacks and two passes defended, and he should be a serious Comeback Player of the Year candidate.
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Who's Favored?
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Here are the odds for Sunday's games, via Odds Shark:
| Game Time (ET) | Away Team | Home Team | Favorite |
| 1 p.m. | Atlanta | Carolina | Carolina -9.5 |
| 1 p.m. | San Francisco | Cleveland | Cleveland -1 |
| 1 p.m. | Washington | Chicago | Chicago -3 |
| 1 p.m. | Pittsburgh | Cincinnati | Cincinnati -2.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Indianapolis | Jacksonville | No line |
| 1 p.m. | San Diego | Kansas City | Kansas City -11.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Tennessee | NY Jets | NY Jets -7.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Buffalo | Philadelphia | Even |
| 1 p.m. | Detroit | St. Louis | Detroit -1 |
| 1 p.m. | New Orleans | Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay -3.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Seattle | Baltimore | Seattle -10.5 |
| 4:05 p.m. | Oakland | Denver | Denver -8.5 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Dallas | Green Bay | Green Bay -7.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. | New England | Houston | New England -3.5 |
Matchups to Watch
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Doug Martin vs. Saints Run Defense
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has been on an absolute tear this season. He's currently second in the NFL with 1,135 yards rushing, and he has added 194 receiving yards and four total touchdowns.
Martin will have a chance this week to catch Adrian Peterson (1,251 rushing yards) in the race for the league rushing title since Peterson played on Thursday night. On Sunday, Martin will draw a favorable matchup at home against the New Orleans Saints
Though the Saints are rated a respectable 15th overall in run defense by Pro Football Focus, the defense has given up yardage at an alarming rate. In fact, no team is giving up more than the 137.8 yards rushing per game the Saints are.
This is going to be a fun matchup to watch for NFC South fans, fantasy football enthusiasts and for fans interesting in watching the race for the rushing title unfold.
Ben Roethlisberger vs. the Bengals Pass Defense
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has also been racking up the yardage this season, despite missing four games due to injury. He is currently averaging just over 338 yards passing per game and just under two passing touchdowns per contest.
Thanks to an impressive cadre of pass-catchers in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger has the ability to sling the football around the field almost at will.
The problems for Cincinnati are twofold. Roethlisberger is difficult to contain on his own, and the Bengals have a rash of key injuries in the defensive backfield.
Cornerback Adam Jones is listed as doubtful with a foot injury, while cornerback Leon Hall and safety George Iloka are both questionable with injuries of their own. If Cincinnati cannot adjust, Roethlisberger will have an excellent chance of shredding the secondary and pulling off the road upset.
Julio Jones vs. Josh Norman
We mentioned earlier that the Atlanta Falcons will have a chance to upset the Carolina Panthers if the offense can move the football the way the Saints did a week ago. For that to happen, the Falcons are going to need wide receiver Julio Jones to win the individual matchup with cornerback Josh Norman.
Both of these guys are playing at an elite level, making this one of the most intriguing matchups to watch this week.
Jones currently leads all receivers with 1,338 reception yards. He has six touchdowns on the season and is averaging 13.1 yards per reception. His defensive counterpart in Carolina is rated second overall among cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus and has four interceptions to go with 15 passes defended.
Opposing quarterbacks have a cumulative passer rating of just 39.9 when targeting Norman.
This one is going to be a battle.
Injury Report
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Each week, we'll take a look at the most significant injuries from around the league.
Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots (out)
Edelman (foot) did return to practice this week but has already been ruled out by the Patriots. Tight end Rob Gronkowski (knee) also returned to practice and is listed as questionable.
J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans (probable)
As mentioned previously, Watt is dealing with a broken hand. However, he is listed as probable on the injury report with a groin injury.
Stephon Gilmore, CB, Buffalo Bills (out)
Gilmore has been ruled out with a shoulder injury.
Kendall Wright, WR, Tennessee Titans (out)
Wright has been ruled out with a rib injury. Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan (shoulder) has also been ruled out for Sunday.
Adam Jones, CB, Cincinnati Bengals (doubtful)
Jones is officially listed as doubtful with a foot injury. According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, Jones is still in a walking boot. Fellow corner Leon Hall (back) and safety George Iloka (groin) are both listed as questionable.
Brandon Flowers, CB, San Diego Chargers (out)
Flowers has been ruled out with a knee injury. Wide receiver Steve Johnson (groin) and defensive tackle Corey Liuget (foot) have also been ruled out.
Justin Houston, LB, Kansas City Chiefs (out)
Houston has been ruled out with a knee injury. Safety Husain Abdullah (concussion) is also out.
Vance McDonald, TE, San Francisco 49ers (out)
McDonald has been ruled out with a concussion. Running back Carlos Hyde is still out with a foot injury.
T.J. Ward, S, Denver Broncos (out)
Ward has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Linebacker Danny Trevathan (concussion) has also been ruled out. Quarterback Peyton Manning (foot) is still out.
Expert Picks and Predictions
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Each week, we take a look at picks and predictions from Bleacher Report's top NFL writers. We also spotlight the experts' results on a week-to-week basis.
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