Week 14 in the NFL, and the race for both the playoffs and the number one pick in the draft is in full gear. So, how did teams like the Ravens, Chiefs, Eagles, and Giants get on this week?
Let’s review week 14 in the 2023 NFL season.
A Raven Return
The battle for the top seed in the AFC is heating up. The Baltimore Ravens are one of these teams in this race. This week, they faced the Los Angeles Rams, a team that could be described as unpredictable. Would the Ravens win here and keep their hopes alive?
The Ravens had the opening possession of the game, but they would be unable to advance down the field enough to be able to make an attempt to score in reply to this, the Rams would be able to find something on their opening attempt. Led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ offense would slowly make it down to the Ravens’ 9-yard line.
This advance would be aided by a penalty against the Ravens’ defense. However, the Rams would stall at the 9-yard line. This set up a 27-yard field goal attempt from Rams kicker Lucas Harisik. His attempt would be successful, and the Rams would take the opening lead of the game.
After two drives that would end in punts, the Ravens would be next to score. Led by quarterback Lamarr Jackson, this drive started on the Ravens’ 34-yard line. Jackson would then be able to move his offense not very far to the Baltimore 46-yard line. From here, Jackson would find Isaiah Likely for a 54-yard touchdown pass, giving the lead to the Ravens.
In reply to this, Los Angeles would be able to strike back. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Stafford-led offense would be able to make it into the Ravens red zone and then down to the one-yard line. This was massively aided by a large unnecessary roughness penalty against the Ravens’ defense. However, the Rams would not be able to stay at the one-yard line, as they would be penalized and set back 5 yards to the 6-yard line. This would not stop them, as from the 6-yard line, Stafford would find Cooper Kupp for the 6-yard touchdown pass.
Don’t Miss
The Ravens would be able to immediately strike back. In a drive that started on their 25-yard line, the Jackson-led offense found its way down to the Rams’ 46-yard line. From here, Jackson would find Odell Beckham Jr for a 46-yard touchdown pass.
The scoring would not stop here. Immediately after the previous drive, the Rams would find themselves down at the Ravens’ 7-yard line. From here, Stafford would throw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Davis Allen.
But, the scoring would stop here, with the Ravens making a large mistake. On the Ravens’ 20-yard line, Jackson would throw an interception. This would be somewhat costly. The Rams would not be able to find the endzone from this time, but a 51-yard field goal would be set up for Harisik. He would be successful with this.
In reply to this, the Ravens would kick a field goal of their own. Their drive would stall at the Rams’ 13-yard line. This set up a 31-yard field goal attempt from Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. As expected, Tucker would make this. This would mean that at halftime, the Rams would have a 20-17 lead over the Ravens
The Rams would have the opening possession of the second half, but would be unable to do anything with this and would punt to the Ravens. On the other hand, the Ravens would be able to do something with their opening drive. The offense would reach the Rams’ 28-yard line before the drive would stall. This set up a 47-yard field goal attempt for Tucker, who would make this and the scores would be tied.
But this tie would not last long and would be broken in a strange way. The Ravens would have possession and would start their drive deep in their own territory. But then, the Ravens would fumble the ball, which would fall into the endzone. The ball would then be kicked out behind the endzone, resulting in a safety for the Rams.
However, on their next drive, the Ravens drive would be more successful. Starting from their 20-yard line, Jackson and company would make their way down to the Rams’ 15-yard line before the drive stalled. Tucker would then successfully kick the 33-yard field goal to retake the lead.
The Rams would be able to retake their lead a few drives later. The Stafford-led offense would be able to advance down the field and reach the Ravens red zone and then their 5-yard line. From here, Stafford would find Demarcus Robinson for a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Rams would then decide to attempt a two-point conversion, but this attempt would fail.
In immediate reply to this, Baltimore would be able to drive down the field and find themselves just outside the Redzone at the Rams’ 21-yard line. From here, Jackson would find Zay Flowers for the 21-yard touchdown pass. Like the Rams before them, the Ravens would then attempt a two-point conversion attempt. But, unlike the Rams, this attempt would be successful giving the Ravens a 3-point lead with time running out. Could Los Angeles respond?
On the final drive of the game Stafford and company would advance his Rams offense down to the Ravens’ 18-yard line. Then, as time ran out Harisik would kick the 36-yard field goal to tie the scores. This meant that we were going to overtime in Baltimore.
The Ravens had the opening possession of overtime, but would not do anything with this and would punt to the Rams. In reply to this, the Rams also struggled to do anything and would punt.
But this punt would be costly. The punt would be returned to the end zone by the endzone to give them the win. This means that the Baltimore Ravens had defeated the Los Angeles Rams 37-31.
For the Ravens, this victory would keep them in the race for a high seed in the AFC playoffs, as they improve to 10-3. This defeat means that the Rams’ playoff dreams are in the hands of others, as they fall to 6-7 for the season. Next week, the Ravens face the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Rams face the Washington Commanders.
Controversy in Kansas City
In the last couple of years, the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs have played some memorable games, even one game that caused the NFL to change the rules relating to overtime. But this year, both teams are playing below par from what we are used to. Could this game be any different?
The Chiefs would have the opening possession of the game. On this first drive, a mistake would occur. The Chiefs offense, lead by quarterback Patrick Mahomes would be able to move the offense down from the Chiefs’ 25-yard line to the Bills’ 30-yard line. Here, Mahomes would throw a pass to Clyde Edwards Helaire. But, the ball would never find him. The pass would be intercepted by the Bills defense. Luckily for Kansas City, the Bills could not do anything with this possession.
However, soon after the Bills failed drive, there would be one that ended well for them. Led by quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills offense would start this drive from their 47-yard line. Allen would then lead his offense down to the Chiefs’ 25-yard line. From here, Allen would find James Cook for a 25-yard touchdown pass to take the early lead in the game.
On their next drive, the Bills would be able to extend this lead. Starting from their 27-yard line, Allen and company would be able to advance down the field and cross into the Chiefs red zone and then down to the 6-yard line. From here, Allen would find the endzone by himself. This score doubles the Buffalo lead.
However, the Bills’ luck would run out on their next drive. The offense would be able to reach their 43-yard line. Here, a mistake would occur. Josh Allen would be visited by his friend, the turnover. Allen would attempt to find Trent Sherfield with a short pass. But this pass would be intercepted by the Chiefs’ defense.
This interception would be costly. From their 48-yard line, the Chiefs offense would be able to advance down the field and reach the Bills’ 7-yard line. From here, Jerick McKinnon would find the endzone to score a 7-yard rushing touchdown to put the Chiefs on the board just before halftime.
This meant that as the teams returned to the locker rooms, the Bills would have a 14-7 lead over the Chiefs
The Bills would have the opening possession of the second half and would be able to get some points from this. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Allen lead offense would be able to drive down the field and reach the Chiefs’ 13-yard line. This is where this drive would stall, and set up a 31-yard field goal attempt for Bills kicker Trevor Bass. Bass would be successful in this attempt, and the Bills would be able to extend their lead.
In reply to this score, Kansas City would find the endzone themselves. This drive would start on their 25-yard line, and Mahomes and company would be able to drive down the field, into the Bills’ red zone, and then down to the 4-yard line. From here, Mahomes would find Rashee Rice for a 4-yard touchdown pass to make it a 3-point game early in the season half.
However, the Chiefs’ next drive would not be as successful. Kansas City would be able to reach their 42-yard line. But here, another mistake would occur. Mahomes would again find Rice on a pass. However, Rice would then fumble the ball, which would then be scooped up by the Bills defense. Luckily for the Chiefs, the Bills again would not be able to do anything with this ball.
After the fumble on the previous drive, the Chiefs would want to have a drive that ended in some points. On their next drive, this happened. To open the final quarter of the game, the Mahomes-led offense would be able to advance down to the Bills’ 10-yard line. From here, it looked like Deja Vu. Mahomes would be sacked on a play and would fumble the ball. This ball would be recovered by the Bills’ defense. Or would it? The play was reviewed, and the officials decided that the play would not be a fumble, but a Mahomes incomplete pass. This would be vital for the game, as it set up a 27-yard field goal attempt from Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. Butker would be successful with this and the scores would be tied.
The tie would last until the last few minutes of the game. The Bills would have possession and would be able to reach the edge of the Chiefs’ red zone before stalling. This set up a 39-yard field goal attempt from Bass. He would be successful with this attempt, giving the Bills a 3-point lead as we reached the two-minute warning. Could the Chiefs come back?
This would be the game’s last drive. Patrick Mahomes would have the ball, and the Chiefs would start this drive from their 25-yard line. From here, they would be able to reach the Bills’ 49-yard line. Then, what may become one of the most talked about and important moments of the season would happen.,
Mahomes would throw to Travis Kelce. Then, Kelce would throw a lateral pass (which is legal) to Kadarius Toney. Toney would then find the endzone to score what would be the game’s winning touchdown. Or did he? There would be a penalty on this play against Toney, as he would be ruled offside. This stripped the Chiefs of their touchdown and any momentum they had going.
After this, a 4th down attempt was set up for Kansas City which failed. This meant that the Buffalo Bills had defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 20-17.
This game will be marked by the denied touchdown. However, one could also say that the referees were on the Chiefs’ side for the canceled fumble, so you could say that this evens it out. The victory gives the Bills a 7-6 record for the season and keeps them in the playoff race. The defeat means the Chiefs fall to 8-5 for the season. Next week, the Chiefs face the New England Patriots, while the Bills face the Dallas Cowboys
And, on the subject of the Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys Demolish (again)
Another week, another Philadelphia Eagles game to review. The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles are locked in a tight battle for the NFC East title. This battle has become even closer in the last few weeks, as both teams have been playing strong opposition. Dallas has been dominating, while Philadelphia has struggled, like they did last week against the San Francisco 49ers. So, what would happen next in the battle for the NFC East?
The Cowboys had the opening possession of the game, and would immediately be able to score from this drive. Led by quarterback Dak Prescott, this drive would start from their 25-yard line. They would then be able to advance down the field and find themselves at the Eagles’ 13-yard line. From here, Prescott would find CeeDee Lamb for the 13-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring.
In reply to this, the Eagles would struggle. Led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles offense would be able to make it down to the Cowboys’ 31-yard line. Here, a mistake would occur. The Eagles would fumble the ball on the next play, which would be recovered by the Cowboys’ defense. This mistake would prove costly. The Cowboys would be able to slowly make it down to the Eagles’ 42-yard line, where the drive would stall. This set up a 60-yard field goal attempt from Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey. Aubrey would be successful with this kick, and the Cowboys’ lead would be extended.
Philadelphia would be able to get some points in reply to this. Hurts and company would be able to reach the Cowboys’ 34-yard line, where this drive would stall. This set up a 52-yard field goal attempt from Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. Elliott would make this kick, putting the Eagles onto the board.
But the scoring did not stop here. On the game’s next drive, Prescott and company would be able to slowly reach the Eagles’ one-yard line. From here, Rico Dowdell would find the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown to extend the Cowboys’ lead.
The Eagles would reply to this touchdown with a 44-yard field goal from Elliot. But, on their next drive, the Cowboys would again find the endzone. Like the previous drive, the Cowboys would again be able to reach the Eagles’ one-yard line. On this occasion, Prescott would find Michael Gallup for the one-yard touchdown pass.
This would mean that at halftime, the Cowboys would have a 24-6 lead over the Eagles. Interestingly, this half featured no punts, which means that it is now 3 halves or 6 quarters that the Dallas Cowboys have played without seeing a punt.
The Eagles would have the opening possession of the second half, but they would not be able to hold onto possession for long. Hurts and company would be able to make it to their 49-yard line. Here, the Eagles would again fumble the ball, which would then be scooped up by the Cowboys defense. Luckily for Philadelphia, the Cowboys would be unable to do anything with this possession and would punt. That’s the first punt for Dallas in nearly 2 games.
There would soon be another error in this game, but this time it would come from the Cowboys. The Dallas offense would be at their 45-yard line. Here, Prescott would be sacked on the play, and would then fumble the ball. The ball would then be scooped up by the Eagles defense, who would return the ball into the endzone for a fumble return touchdown.
However, this touchdown only put a small dent into the deficit. The Cowboys would immediately widen their lead on the next drive. Aubrey would successfully make a 59-yard field goal. Then on the Cowboys’ next drive, he would make a 45-yard field goal. Then, he would make a 50-yard field goal. These 3 kicks would seal the game for the Cowboys.
But, what would the Eagles do in their drives? They would turnover the ball on two occasions, which would allow the Cowboys to score their field goals.
In the end, the Dallas Cowboys had defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 33-13
For the second week in a row, the Dallas Cowboys demolished their opponent. Also for the second week in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles were destroyed. This result opens up the NFC East title race, as now both teams have a 10-3 record. The next couple of weeks will decide who gets the automatic playoff spot, and maybe even the number one seed in the NFC. Next week, the Cowboys face the Buffalo Bills, while the Eagles face the Seattle Seahawks before their Christmas Day encounter with rivals the New York Giants.
And, on the subject of my favorite team.
A Primetime Win for DeVito
The New York Giants are a team that this season has been unpredictable. Their form has been inconsistent, and have played 3 starting quarterbacks this season because they have all been getting injured. They seemed to have now gone all in on Tommy DeVito as the QB for the rest of the season. This week, they faced the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. The last time these two teams met, we had a classic in London. Would we see the same here?
The Packers would have the opening possession of the game, but they would be unable to move the ball far enough to warrant a successful drive and would punt to the Giants. In reply to this, the Giants would also be unable to do anything with the ball.
This would occur for a few drives but would be stopped by a future Giants drive. This drive started at the Packers’ 32-yard line. New York would be unable to move the ball far, stalling 6 yards at the 30-yard line. This set up a 48-yard field goal attempt from Giants Kicker Randy Bullock. Bullock would miss this kick, handing possession back to Green Bay.
This missed kick would be costly for the Giants. The Packers would start this drive from their 32-yard line. Their offense, led by quarterback Jordan Love, would be able to advance down the field to the Giants’ 16-yard line. From here, Jayden Reed would find the endzone for a 16-yard rushing touchdown to give the Packers an early lead.
In reply to this, the Giants would immediately find the endzone. Led by quarterback Tommy DeVito, the Giants offense would be able to advance down the field and reach the Packers’ 5-yard line. From here, Saquon Barkley would find the endzone for a 5-yard rushing touchdown to level the scores.
The good luck would continue for the Giants on the next drive from the Packers. Love and company would be able to make it down to the Giants’ 27-yard line without any problems. However here an error would be made. Love would attempt to rush with the ball. Instead, he would be quickly tackled at the line of scrimmage and would subsequently fumble the ball. The ball would then be scooped up by the Giants defense. Luckily for Green Bay, the Giants would be unable to do anything with this possession.
But the errors would keep coming for the Packers. On their next drive, the offense would make it just into Giants territory, before another mistake would happen. This time, Love’s pass would be intercepted by Jason Pinnock. But again, the Giants could not do anything with this turnover.
Green Bay would finally be able to find some luck on the final drive of the half. From their 17-yard line, the Love-led offense would be able to make it down into the Giants’ red zone before stalling at the 18-yard line. This would set up a 36-yard field goal attempt for Packers kicker Anders Carlson. Carlson would be successful with this attempt, meaning that at halftime, the Packers would have a 10-7 lead over the Giants
The Giants would have the opening possession of the second half, which would end in a punt. However, it is the punt that we need to focus on. The Giants punted the ball, and the Packers’ punt returner was ready to catch the ball. Except, he didn’t catch the ball. He fumbled the catch, and the Giants scooped up the ball to hold on to possession.
This mistake would prove costly for the Packers. From the Packers’ 31-yard, DeVito and company would be able to drive down to the Packers’ one-yard line. From here, Barkley would find the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown to give the Giants the lead.
But, it wouldn’t be only the Packers who would struggle to catch punts. After the next Packers drive, the Giants would fumble the ball only for it to be recovered by Green Bay. This mistake would also result in some points. A 32-yard field goal from Carlson would be the reward.
However, the Giants would immediately strike back. Starting from their 25-yard line, the DeVito lead offense would be able to advance down the field and reach the Packers’ 8-yard line. From here, DeVito would find Isaiah Hogkins for the 8-yard touchdown pass to widen New York’s lead.
Green Bay would try to cut this lead on their next drive. Love and the Packers’ offense would reach the Giants’ 27-yard line before this drive would stall. This set up Carlson with a 45-yard field goal attempt. His kick was missed.
Carlson would have some success on the next drive, which also would stall and end in a 48-yard field goal attempt. He would make this, cutting the Giants lead to 5 points.
But, this lead for the Giants would not last long. On their next drive, the Giants would make it to their 48-yard line. Then, Barkley would rush down to the Packers’ 15-yard line. But, here he would fumble the ball, and it would be recovered by the Packers defense, who would return the ball to the Giants’ 36-yard line. What could the Packers do from here?
From the 36-yard line, Love and company would be able to slowly make it down to the Giants’ 6-yard line. From here, Love would find Malik Heath for the 6-yard touchdown pass to give them the lead. They would then attempt a two-point conversion, but this failed. This meant that they would only have a one-point lead, and had given the Giants the ball with enough time to score a field goal. Could they?
On the last drive of the game, DeVito would be able to quickly move his offense down into field goal territory. Then with time running out and from the Packers’ 18-yard line, Randy Bullock would successfully kick a 37-yard field goal.
This meant that the New York Giants had defeated the Green Bay Packers 24-22
Thus victory keeps up the strong form that we have seen from the Giants in the last few weeks. They improved to 5-8 for the season and are now only one game back from the final wildcard spot. The loss ends the Packers 3 game winning streak, and they fall to 6-7 for the season. Next week, the Giants face the New Orleans Saints, while the Packers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
What Happened in the Other Games
The New England Patriots have been struggling to score this season. But during last week’s Thursday Night Football game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, you wouldn’t know that. Patriots quarterback for this week Bailey Zappe scored 3 touchdowns, as the Patriots defeated the Steelers 21-18
In the battle for first place in the NFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Atlanta Falcons. It was looking like the Falcons would win this game, but a late touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Cade Otton gave the Buccaneers a 29-25 victory
The NFC North-leading Detroit Lions faced the Chicago Bears in a game that they should win. But, this would not be the case. Justin Fields would take advantage of another poor performance from Jared Goff, and the Bears would record an important 28-13 victory over the Lions
I thought that without Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals would struggle. But this week, backup quarterback Jake Browning faced the Indianapolis Colts. Struggle was something they did not do. The Bengals would outperform the Colts to record a 34-14 victory to keep them in the race for the playoffs
In a high-scoring thriller, the Jacksonville Jaguars faced the Cleveland Browns. Browns quarterback Joe Flacco would look like his previous self, throwing for 3 touchdowns. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence also scored 3 touchdowns but would turn the ball over a few times, allowing the Browns to win 31-27
The poor season for the Carolina Panthers continued this week against the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr would fight off the injuries that have plagued him this season to lead his team to a convincing 28-6 victory over the Panthers
In the second upset of the week in East Rutherford New Jersey, the New York Jets would defeat the Houston Texans. C.J. Stroud would have an extremely poor performance in this game, while the normally poor Zach Wilson, who returned as the Jets quarterback, would lead his team to a 30-6 victory over a poor Texans side.
More NFL?
Last week, we had a game that ended 6-0. This week looked at that and said “I can do worse than that”. The Minnesota Vikings and the Las Vegas Raiders would combine for 3 points, and they would be lucky to get this. A late field goal from Greg Joseph gave the Vikings this victory everyone will want to forget
The Seattle Seahawks faced the San Francisco 49ers. This divisional battle would be won by the 49ers. Deebo Samuel would find the endzone twice as the 49ers would record a 28-16 victory over the Seahawks. This victory, alongside other results, gave the 49ers a playoff spot
After last week’s poor victory over the Patriots, the Los Angeles Chargers faced the Denver Broncos. All season long, the Chargers have always lost by three points or fewer. This wouldn’t be the case. They would lose 24-7. But, the game wouldn’t be the only thing that they would lose. Quarterback Justin Herbert would be injured and then ruled out for the rest of the season, adding another name to the long list of quarterbacks injured this season.
This week, there would be two Monday night games. The Packers-Giants game, and this one. The Tennessee Titans faced the high-scoring Miami Dolphins. For the majority of the game, it looked like the Dolphins would easily win this game. But two late touchdowns from the Titans gave them an upset 28-27 victory over the Dolphins.
So, that was week 14 in the NFL. Next week, we have 3 games on Saturday, the Cowboys facing the Bills and the Chiefs playing the poor-performing Patriots, as the race for the playoffs heats up.
Not been here for a while, same top level content.
Keep up the good work, always checking in, silently.