The NFC East showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys headlines NFL Week 14, but there are other storylines to follow.
Five weeks remain in the regular season as NFL Week 14 kicks off on Thursday night. The potential exists for a 2-0 shootout between the offensively challenged New England Patriots and the slightly less offensively challenged Pittsburgh Steelers, so we don’t want to miss that.
The NFC East showdown in Dallas on Sunday night dominates the NFL Week 14 schedule. The Philadelphia Eagles, at 10-2, come off an undressing at home at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys, 9-3, have run off four straight victories since their 28-23 loss at the Linc on Nov. 5.
Speaking of the 49ers, they can put the NFC West in a stranglehold with a victory over the listing-to-port Seattle Seahawks. Seattle has lost three straight and four of five since briefly taking the division lead a little more than a month ago.
With that as a preamble, these are the top five storylines for NFL Week 14.
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5. The New York Jets’ ongoing game of quarterback roulette once again lands on Zach Wilson
The New York Jets, who entered the season with Super Bowl dreams led by new franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers, host the Houston Texans on Sunday. Rodgers is practicing after tearing his right Achilles’ tendon in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Jets are 4-8 with Zach Wilson set to start at quarterback … again.
Wilson, demoted from the QB1 role two weeks ago in favor of Tim Boyle, was named the starter by coach Robert Saleh on Wednesday. But his demotion, much like a season ago, was accompanied by character assassination attempts from within the team facility.
Rodgers made a salient point in his weekly bromance with Pat McAfee when he said the Jets have an organizational problem with leaks. Wilson rarely, if ever, has looked like a No. 2 overall pick. But the “he quit on us” narrative springing from unnamed sources within the organization helps no one.
Maybe, just maybe, Gang Green could take a page from successful organizations in the NFL and stop shooting themselves in the foot in the media. They have to be nearly out of toes at this point.
4. Another shot for Mitch Trubisky
Speaking of quarterbacks drafted high and failing to meet expectations, Mitch Trubisky gets the ball Thursday night when the Steelers host the Patriots. Starter Kenny Pickett is out three to four weeks after surgery on his sprained ankle.
Despite a struggling offense and an interim coordinator, Pittsburgh finds itself in the thick of the AFC mosh pit known as the playoff race. At 7-5, the Steelers own the top wild-card position and Trubisky, for all his warts, got the Chicago Bears to the playoffs twice in his four seasons there.
His tenure in Chicago included a pair of 3,000-yard passing seasons, which are like 5,000-yard seasons for any other franchise.
Coming off an embarrassing loss at home to the Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh needs a win. The woeful Patriots provide a prime opportunity for that, even off a short week. But after losing to the 2-10 Cardinals, no one in black and gold should take the 2-10 Pats for granted.
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3. The Buffalo Bills return to Kansas City in a must-win scenario
The last time the Buffalo Bills visited Arrowhead Stadium, they beat the Kansas City Chiefs to improve to 5-1. That was in Week 6 last season. Fast forward about 14 months and the situation looks vastly different.
Buffalo (6-6) is just a game out of the final wild-card spot in the AFC. But it’s also 11th in the conference pecking order, traling four 7-5 squads and both of the other 6-6 teams based on tiebreakers.
The Chiefs come off a controversial loss on Sunday night to the Green Bay Packers but still lead the AFC West by two games. Neither team has the look of a juggernaut; inconsistency plagues the Kansas City offense while the Bills lost three of four before their bye last week.
With 24 passing touchdowns and nine more on the ground, Josh Allen passes the superstar test … at first glance. However, 16 turnovers in 12 games have hamstrung Buffalo’s offense and put the defense in those dreaded short-field situations.
The bye week should have afforded the Bills a chance for rest, recovery and reset. We’ll see the results of that effort on Sunday.
2. The Trevor Lawrence watch
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence sprained his right ankle late in Monday night’s loss at home to the Cincinnati Bengals. But the prognosis turned out to be better than expected; no structural damage. The third-year pro did not practice Wednesday but hopes to start Sunday’s road game against the Cleveland Browns.
Jacksonville leads the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans by a game in the AFC South. Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard last started a game in 2020, leaving him well-rested. Seriously, though, Beathard has thrown 27 passes since coming to the Jags in 2021.
Coach Doug Pederson is saying the right things about confidence in Beathard. But the simple truth for Jacksonville is that Lawrence gives them the best chance to win. And in a tight race, wins are everything right now.
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1. The showdown at JerryWorld
The Dallas Cowboys, at 9-3, can leapfrog the Philadelphia Eagles into the NFC East lead on Sunday night when they host the Birds at JerryWorld in Arlington. Dallas’ lone divisional loss came at Philadelphia in Week 9 and with a victory, it would own the tiebreaker with a 4-1 divisional mark.
The Eagles, left we forget, had their five-game winning streak come to a crashing halt with a 42-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Philadelphia’s defense ranks just 24th in the NFL and has surrendered 76 points in its last two games. The Eagles did add free-agent linebacker Shaquille Leonard on Monday, waiving Christian Elliss to free up a roster spot.
Leonard started nine games for the Indianapolis Colts before they waived him on Nov. 21. After missing most of last season with back injuries, he wasn’t the same player that made back-to-back All-Pro teams in 2020 and 2021.
The winner of Sunday night’s showdown can clinch a playoff berth, as well. Philadelphia has 10 different scenarios that include losses and/or ties by members of the NFC’s .500 club.
The outlook for Dallas is more complicated, with many dominoes needing to fall involving the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions (there is, however, no truth to the talk that the 1921 Akron Pros are involved in any of the tiebreakers).
The Cowboys ostensibly hold an edge, having last played on Nov. 30, but still haven’t beaten a team that is currently better than .500. Their best victories are over the 6-6 Los Angeles Rams and the similarly 6-6 Seahawks in their last game.
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