This week in the NFL we had our first Division clinching / playoff spot clinching scenarios as the Indianapolis Colts were a victory away from winning the AFC South providing Houston were to lose against the Titans.
Denver also had the chance to clinch a playoff berth with a win over Buffalo and a lot of help from other results. With the regular season so close to finishing a lot of teams around the league know that just one loss means the difference between making the postseason or starting to think ahead for next season. The intensity of games at the moment is at a whole new level and I know it will continue deep into the playoffs.
With this in mind to start with this week I will be looking around the league to advise you where the biggest battles will be fought and from that which games to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.
The first division that I think everyone needs to be paying close attention to is the AFC North because you have all four teams on winning records or with over a .500 percentage. Leading the way going into the week was the Cincinnati Bengals who faced off against division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The game was a close affair up until the fourth quarter when Pittsburgh really turned up the heat on the Bengals and despite the best efforts of A J Green who had 224 receiving yards and a touchdown on the day, it was not enough to take out the Steelers. Le’veon Bell also had another outstanding game for Pittsburgh with 185 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Not only did Bell once again carry his team to victory but he also tied a running back record of Walton Payton’s by becoming only the second running back to have three straight games with over 200 scrimmage yards.
When you think of all the great running backs to have played this great sport like Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, O J Simpson, Earl Campbell, Jim Brown and the list goes on and on, for Bell to become the second player to achieve this milestone shows just how talented this young player is. You can watch all of the game highlights by clicking on the picture below:
The other two teams in contention for the AFC North are the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens and both were in big games this week. The Browns took on the Indianapolis Colts and the Ravens took on the mighty Miami Dolphins. You can see highlights from both games by clicking on the pictures below:
The next division to keep an eye on is the NFC South. The battle for this division title will come right down to the wire and not because all of the teams are playing such great football but because all of the teams in this division do not have a winning record.
I know I have mentioned this before but it seems crazy to think that a team with under a .500 percentage could reach the playoffs this year and what is even crazier is that they would also get to host a playoff game. I don’t know about you out there but I think the fairest way round this is to re-seed the teams at the end of the season so that the teams with the best records host playoff games to stop this happening again. Whilst a team from the NFC South should be in the playoffs, hosting a playoff game they should not.
This week in the NFC South we had the current division leaders, the New Orleans Saints playing host to the Carolina Panthers. Now the Saints had lost three straight home games going into this game and I honestly thought that against a misfiring Panthers team that this would be their week. Unfortunately much like some of my other predictions this year I was well off and it was actually the Panthers who dominated this one from start to finish. You can see the highlights of the game below:
The other two teams within the division are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons. Tampa are propping up the rest of the division whilst Atlanta face the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. If Atlanta can get a sneaky win tonight then they will go back to the top of the pile with a record of 5 - 8.
Finally before we catch up on all of the weeks scores the last division to keep an eye on is the battle for the NFC East. Whilst there are only two teams fighting for supremacy, they still have to face each other on Monday Night Football with the winner probably taking the division. The two teams I am referring to are the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
For me it is the Philadelphia Eagles who have been playing the best football as a team with both their offense and defence being very productive when it comes to scoring, forcing turnovers and even scoring on defence and special teams. The Cowboys on the other hand have been carried by the great form of their offensive line and the running ability of DeMarco Murray. This season Murray already has 1606 rushing yards in just 13 games and is on pace for just under 2000 yards.
The remaining teams in the NFC East are the New York Giants who are worth a watch purely down to the rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr who is making play after play, not to mention the odd unbelievable catch! And the Washington Redskins who are struggling for an identity right now and also look like they will be trading away their prize quarterback Robert Griffin III as he does not fit their current offensive scheme. I did hear Donovan McNabb over the weekend say that he thinks RG3 could end up at the Rams which would be the ultimate of achievements for them after all they received numerous first rounds picks for the draft pick in which Washington drafted RG3, watch this space!
It’s that time again now where you can catch up on all of the week 14 scores from around the league:
New York Jets 24 vs 30 Minnesota
Dallas 41 vs 28 Chicago
Pittsburgh 42 vs 21 Cincinnati
Indianapolis 25 vs 24 Cleveland
Tampa Bay 17 vs 34 Detroit
Houston 27 vs 13 Jacksonville
Baltimore 28 vs 13 Miami
Carolina 41 vs 10 New Orleans
New York Giants 36 vs 7 Tennessee
St Louis 24 vs 0 Washington
Kansas City 14 vs 17 Arizona
Buffalo 17 vs 24 Denver
San Francisco 13 vs 24 Oakland
Seattle 24 vs 14 Philadelphia
New England 23 vs 14 San Diego
To be played Monday 8th December 2014
Atlanta vs Green Bay
New York Jets 24 vs 30 Minnesota
Dallas 41 vs 28 Chicago
Pittsburgh 42 vs 21 Cincinnati
Indianapolis 25 vs 24 Cleveland
Tampa Bay 17 vs 34 Detroit
Houston 27 vs 13 Jacksonville
Baltimore 28 vs 13 Miami
Carolina 41 vs 10 New Orleans
New York Giants 36 vs 7 Tennessee
St Louis 24 vs 0 Washington
Kansas City 14 vs 17 Arizona
Buffalo 17 vs 24 Denver
San Francisco 13 vs 24 Oakland
Seattle 24 vs 14 Philadelphia
New England 23 vs 14 San Diego
To be played Monday 8th December 2014
Atlanta vs Green Bay
To finish off this week I just want to mention something that has just dawned on me and that is the St Louis Rams have just had back to back shutouts against the Raiders and Redskins. I know both of those opponents are not of the best quality but it takes some serious defence to shut out two NFL teams in a season, let alone back to back. I believe the expression is that they are playing lights out football. Keep an eye on the Rams, they may throw up a few more surprises before the season is in the history books!
Until next time football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.