We are in the final stretch of the regular season and plenty of teams are looking to clinch division titles and/or playoff spots this week. There are several games worth tuning into as the road to the postseason becomes more clear.
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Sunday, Week 14 -- Top 5 games to watch
This could be a blockbuster and a Super Bowl LIX preview. Detroit is coming off a win over the Packers that earned it a spot in the postseason and improved the Lions' win streak to 11 games. Tim Patrick turned heads last week as he hauled in two touchdowns, giving another dimension to an already dynamic offense. They can’t afford any more injuries, but they seem to be in a really good place, backed by an impeccable coaching staff.
Josh Allen and the Bills lost to the Rams in what ended up being the highest-scoring game of the season so far. Allen had six total touchdowns and became the first player in NFL history to have three rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns in the same game. On the heels of clinching the division, it was an inspiring performance from Allen despite the loss, and one that surely made his teammates glad he’s on their side.
NFL Pro Insight for Bills-Lions:
Allen has completed 58.7% of his passes against the blitz this season, recording 969 yards and a league-high 14 touchdowns. He has also recorded a 123.8 passer rating against the blitz this season, the fourth-highest mark in the NFL. He’s also been pressured on just 36.7% of dropbacks against the blitz (eighth-lowest in the NFL), including a 4.2% sack rate (seventh lowest).
The Lions have blitzed at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL this season (36.4%). They’ve allowed just four touchdowns and forced seven interceptions while blitzing this season, the second-most interceptions in the NFL.
This is another must-watch in Week 15. The top rushing offense will meet one of the league’s elite defenses and it’s a matchup you won’t want to miss.
Russell Wilson and the Steelers seem to have all the pieces to be a championship-level team -- from special teams to a lights-out defense. Their offense is really the only piece that isn’t always consistently there, but when it is, it’s lethal. At 10-3 they are in a good position for the postseason but have a tough stretch of schedule to close out the year with the Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, and Bengals still in their path.
The Eagles are on a nine-game heater right now and have a chance to win the NFC East with a win and a Washington loss. Philly’s Week 14 performance was somewhat concerning. Despite beating the Panthers, Jalen Hurts was sacked four times, A.J. Brown only got four targets, and had it not been for a dropped pass in the final minutes, the Panthers were in a position to beat them. Those mistakes won’t fly against this Steelers defense .
NFL Pro Insight for Steelers-Eagles:
The Eagles have the No. 1 total defense in the NFL, allowing just 284.2 total yards per game. Wilson has won each of his last 4 matchups against the No. 1 total defense entering the game. He is also 6-0 against the Eagles in his career.
The Bucs are back on track after a midseason dip. They are ranked in the top 10 in passing and rushing efficiency, and their offensive line is ranked second in pressure rate. Combine that with a quarterback who’s having a career year, and you’ve got a playoff-level team. The Bucs defense isn’t as robust, but it’s done enough to win three straight.
The Chargers are one of the most disciplined teams in the league this year. The defense is holding opposing offenses to a league-low 15.9 points per game, Justin Herbert hasn’t thrown an interception over his last 335 pass attempts, and the Chargers have the sixth-fewest penalties on the year (74).
NFL Pro Insight for Buccaneers-Chargers:
The Buccaneers are scoring the fifth-most points per game in the NFL (27.9) and have the NFL’s fourth-best red zone touchdown percentage (68.6%).
The Chargers are allowing just 15.9 points per game and an opponent red zone touchdown percentage of 41.9% (both lead the NFL).
The Texans will clinch the AFC South with a win here and a Colts loss. Both the offense and the defense are among the top in the league, they just need to put the pieces together again.
Miami has won four of its last five games, which seems crazy given where it was at the midway point of the season. Tua Tagovailoa seems to be back to normal, and the emergence of Jonnu Smith has added a whole new dimension to this offense. Over the last four games, the tight end has had 345 receiving yards and four touchdowns. The Dolphins have got their work cut out for them against this Texans defense, but they seem to be trending in the right direction.
NFL Pro Insight for Dolphins-Texans:
Tagovailoa has targeted open receivers (three or more yards of separation) on 56.5% of his passes this season, the highest rate in the NFL. He has completed 87.2% of these passes and has thrown 13 touchdowns (fifth most, despite missing four games) compared to only one interception.
The Texans have allowed open targets on 39.3% of passes this season, the second lowest rate in the NFL. They have allowed a 78.7% completion rate on these passes, the third lowest rate.
Both of these teams have taken care of business when they’ve been expected to, and all of their losses, with the exception of the Colts’ loss to the Jaguars (with Joe Flacco at quarterback), have come against teams that have already clinched a playoff spot or are well on their way to doing so. The Colts currently sit outside the playoff picture and the Broncos would have the No. 7 seed if the season ended today, so there is a lot at stake here.
NFL Pro Insight for Colts-Broncos:
Anthony Richardson has recorded the sixth-highest rate of targeting in-breaking routes with 34.4% of his total targets this season. On such throws, Richardson has pushed the ball vertically with a league-high 13.9 air yards per attempt and has gained 9.6 yards per attempt, the 10th most in the league.
The Broncos defense has forced a tight window throw (less than one yard of separation) on 25.0% of their in-breaking targets faced this season, the second-highest rate in the league. Additionally, they have only allowed 62.9% of such throws to be completed, the 10th-lowest rate this season.
