NFL Week 14 Overreactions
Sports Seriously's Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the NFL Week 14 games.
Each week during the 2023 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide real-time updates on the league's ever-evolving playoff picture – starting after late games on Sunday afternoon and continuing through the remainder of the week (leading up to Thursday's game). or Saturday if applicable).
What just happened? What does that mean? What relevant factors (and perhaps the deciding factors) will play a prominent role as each conference's seven-team bracket begins to emerge? Everything will be explained and analyzed until the postseason field is finalized on Sunday evening, January 7th.
Here's where things stand as Week 14 of the 2023 season begins with Monday night games:
NFC playoff picture
1. San Francisco 49ers (10-3), NFC West leaders: With wins against the Eagles and Cowboys, the Niners move into the lead following Dallas' win over Philadelphia on Sunday night. After a season-long win over Seattle, San Francisco only needs a loss from Green Bay on Monday night to officially secure a spot in the playoffs. Remaining schedule: at Cardinals vs. Ravens, at Commanders vs. Rams
2. Dallas Cowboys (10-3), NFC East Leaders: They took first place away from Philadelphia with a 15th straight home win on Sunday night. However, “America's Team” will give it back if the Eagles win, as the tiebreakers will be back in their favor given how the schedule is shaping up – and Dallas' remaining games are no walk in the park. Remaining schedulee: at Bills, at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Commanders
3. Detroit Lions (9-4), NFC North leaders: Sunday's loss in Chicago probably won't weigh on them in terms of winning the division, but any hopes of quietly securing the conference's No. 1 seed are quickly fading after their second loss in their last three games. Remaining schedule: against Broncos, at Vikings, at Cowboys, against Vikings
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7), NFC South Guide: Sunday's win in Atlanta puts the Bucs at the top of the division thanks to a very narrow lead over the Falcons in the combined games tiebreaker given their season split and identical 3-1 record in NFC South games. Still hardly any time to relax since both Atlanta and New Orleans are also 6-7. Remaining schedule: at Packers, vs. Jaguars, vs. Saints, at Panthers
5. Philadelphia Eagles (10-3), Wildcard #1: Sunday night's loss in Dallas dropped them from first place in the conference to fifth place. However, wins against a very manageable schedule and the reigning NFC champs will once again be kings of the NFC East. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. Giants, vs. Cardinals, at Giants
6. Minnesota Vikings (7-6), Wild Card No. 2: A 3-0 win is still a win and bolsters the Vikes' prospects on a day when the Rams and Seahawks lost. Minnesota could also compete in the NFC North, as both dates with Detroit are just around the corner. Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Lions, vs. Packers, at Lions
7. Green Bay Packers (6-6), Wild Card No. 3: They play Monday night and could also get some breathing room as they navigate the league's easiest remaining schedule heading into Week 14. Remaining schedule: at Giants, vs. Buccaneers, at Panthers, at Vikings, vs. Bears
8. Los Angeles Rams (6-7), outside playoff field: Heartbreaking loss in Baltimore on Sunday, but they're still knocking on the door…although the Week 9 loss in Green Bay without QB Matthew Stafford could end up hurting quite a bit. Remaining schedule: against Commanders, against Saints, at Giants, at 49ers
9. Seattle Seahawks (6-7), outside the playoff field: That's five losses in the last six games, with Sunday's loss in San Francisco due to QB1 Geno Smith not being able to play. Losing both games to the Rams could be a lasting problem. And they're only ahead of Atlanta by a very narrow margin in NFC games, with Seattle a half game better at 5-5. Remaining schedule: against Eagles, at Titans, against Steelers, at Cardinals
10. Atlanta Falcons (6-7), outside the playoff field: They fell from fourth place in the conference on Sunday after a home loss to the Bucs. But the NFC South remains winnable. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, vs. Colts, at Bears, at Saints
11. New Orleans Saints (6-7), outside playoff field: On Sunday they didn't make up any ground despite the loss to the Panthers. But the NFC South remains winnable. Remaining schedule: against Giants, against Rams, against Buccaneers, against Falcons
AFC playoff image
1. Baltimore Ravens (10-3), AFC North leaders: They take over the top spot in the conference as the first AFC club with 10 wins – for now – but will hand it back to Miami if the Dolphins win on Monday night due to the Fins' superior record in AFC games. Baltimore's next three contests will be against division leaders. Remaining schedule: at Jaguars, at 49ers, vs. Dolphins, vs. Steelers
2. Miami Dolphins (9-3), AFC East leaders: Miami's record in AFC play (6-2) currently gives them an advantage over idle Baltimore (6-3). And the Dolphins' penchant for outscoring opponents under .500 doesn't bode well for Tennessee on Monday night. Remaining schedule: against Titans, against Jets, against Cowboys, at Ravens, against Bills
3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5), AFC West leaders: A 6-2 record in AFC games and wins over Miami and Jacksonville ensure KC is in position to play in its sixth straight AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium. Sunday's loss to Buffalo hurt that goal, but the last four games shouldn't have. Remaining schedule: at Patriots, vs. Raiders, vs. Bengals, at Chargers
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5), AFC South leaders: On the bright side, QB Trevor Lawrence was able to play through his ankle injury on Sunday and survive the game. Even better: On a day when the Jags lost, their closest division rivals Houston and Indianapolis also lost. But two setbacks in six days have dashed any hope of home advantage. Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens, at Buccaneers, vs. Panthers, at Titans
5. Cleveland Browns (8-5), Wild Card No. 1: Things are looking up on Lake Erie. Not only did the Browns beat the Jaguars, they also happily chose their new QB1, Joe Flacco, for the rest of the season. Add to that the fact that Cleveland won a game against Houston, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in the wild card race, and the Factory of Sadness could come to a grinding halt. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, at Texans, vs. Jets, at Bengals
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), Wildcard #2: Despite back-to-back losses to two previously winning teams and being eliminated from the field after Thursday night's loss to New England, they're back in the game after watching so much of their competitive journey on Sunday… although it won't be easy given Pittsburgh's , remaining opponents to stay there. A win over Cincinnati, a tiebreaker in regulation games against Indianapolis – their Week 15 opponent – and a 5-4 record in AFC games give the Steelers the tiebreaker combination they want… for now. Remaining schedulee: at Colts, vs. Bengals, at Seahawks, at Ravens
7. Indianapolis Colts (7-6), Wild Card No. 3: Beat Pittsburgh on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Colts will clinch a crucial tiebreaker here … or suffer a potentially crippling setback in this disorganized field after Indianapolis ends its four-game winning streak in Cincinnati on Sunday. Remaining schedule: against Steelers, at Falcons, against Raiders, against Texans
8. Houston Texans (7-6), outside the playoff field: Devastating loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, perhaps largely due to rookie QB CJ Stroud landing in the concussion protocol. A 4-4 record in AFC competition keeps them at this elite level… whatever it may be worth at this point when the broader tiebreaker takes precedence with so many condensed teams. Remaining schedule: at Titans, vs. Browns, vs. Titans, at Colts
9. Denver Broncos (7-6), outside playoff field: The win over the Chargers on Sunday helps. Last week's loss in Houston and a 4-5 finish in the AFC don't do that. Remaining schedule: at Lions, vs. Patriots, vs. Chargers, at Raiders
10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6), outside playoff field: QB Jake Browning's impressive performances over the last two weeks have brought them back to the brink of relevance… although a 3-6 record in conference play will likely be difficult to overcome, even after Sunday's win against Indianapolis . Remaining schedule: against Vikings, at Steelers, at Chiefs, against Browns
11. Buffalo Bills (7-6), outside playoff field: Despite all the adversity this season, on and off the field, there is a strong heartbeat there – especially after beating the Chiefs again at Arrowhead Stadium. But Buffalo isn't converting recent wins into playoff progress just yet, as losses to Cincinnati and Denver have them here to stay for now. Big game in Week 15, Dallas comes to Orchard Park. Remaining schedule: vs. Cowboys, at the Chargers, vs. Patriots, at the Dolphins
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