Week 14 saw officiating once again come under fire, as Patrick Mahomes uncharacteristically lost it on the sideline over a call that nullified what would have been the potential game-winning touchdown against Buffalo Sunday afternoon.
Wide receiver Kadarius Toney clearly lined up offside, so there really wasn’t much to dispute, but the timing of it struck a nerve with Mahomes, especially after a missed call late in the game the week before.
It was the Chiefs second-straight loss, and coupled with the Denver Broncos win, narrowed KC’s lead in the AFC West. Not what Mahomes was looking for.
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Meanwhile, San Francisco and Dallas have both won five straight, while the NFC South has three teams (Tampa Bay, Atlanta, New Orleans) sitting at the top with 6-7 records.
In other games of note, the Miami Dolphins, up 14 with three minutes to go in the game, were upset by the Tennessee Titans Monday night to lose ground in the AFC race for the top seed. Just a stunning turn of events for the Fins.
As for the Patriots, they snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh behind Bailey Zappe’s three touchdown passes.
Here’s the Power Rankings heading into Week 15:
1. San Francisco 49ers (10-3): Five straight wins, and looking more unbeatable by the minute. Their three-game skid seems like forever ago.
2. Dallas Cowboys (10-3): They have the look of a legitimate contender. They dominated the Eagles Sunday night. The trouble is, we’ve said that before, and they’ve crashed and burned in the postseason.
3. Baltimore Ravens (10-3): Nothing like a 76-yard walk off punt return in overtime by backup returner Tyler Wallace to keep the juices flowing.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (10-3): The Eagles didn’t score an offensive touchdown for the first time in forever. They’ve clearly fallen into a rut, losing two straight, after a great start.
5. Miami Dolphins (9-4): They’ve feasted on inferior opponents all season, and have been dominant at home. Until now. The Titans kept the Fins in the game Monday night, gifting them with two late touchdowns only to see Mike Vrabel’s team fight back and take them down.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5): They’ve lost two straight, have bitched and moaned two straight games about officiating, and are staring at a playoff seed they’re not too fond of.
7. Detroit Lions (9-4): Their slow starts to games remain a mystery. Couple that with a defense that has sprung leaks all over the place, and it gives pause for their chances going forward.
8. Cleveland Browns (8-5): As it turns out, 38-year-old Joe Flacco, the quarterback they hired in desperation off the street, is just what the doctor ordered. He’s provided the missing spark for the offense.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5): Trevor Lawrence somehow managed to play despite the high ankle sprain he suffered in the previous game. He probably wishes he didn’t push it, after throwing three picks in a loss.
10. Buffalo Bills (7-6): His passer rating wasn’t very good, but Josh Allen still managed to out-Mahomes Patrick Mahomes with the number of crazy, mind-blowing type of plays to beat the Chiefs and keep the Bills alive for the postseason.
11. Denver Broncos (7-6): They had six sacks from six different players as the Broncos continue to ride their once-maligned defense toward a possible playoff berth.
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6): Many left the Bengals for dead after Joe Burrow’s season ending injury. And yet, for the second straight game, they scored more than 30 points with Jake Browning manning the controls.
13. Houston Texans (7-6): Injuries are no excuse. But it’s tough to overcome injuries to the starting quarterback, three of the top pass catchers, and a top offensive lineman.
14. LA Rams (6-7): The bad news is they didn’t help their playoff chances with a loss to the Ravens. The good news? They only have one remaining game against a team with a winning record.
15. Green Bay Packers (6-7): They kept hold of the seventh seed in the NFC despite a mistake-filled loss to the Giants on Monday night.
16. Indianapolis Colts (7-6): It’s hard to win when you spend most of the time beating yourself (nine penalties, two turnovers).
17. Minnesota Vikings (7-6): They’re not going to complain about winning an ugly 3-0 game, but with Joshua Dobbs turning into a pumpkin, questions remain about the quarterback position.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6):Losing back-to-back games to 2-10 teams with the playoffs in sight can’t bode well for Mike Tomlin.
19. Seattle Seahawks (6-7): The last time the Seahawks dropped four straight was 14 years ago. That’s when Jim Mora was fired and replaced by Pete Carroll.
20. Tampa Bay Bucs (6-7): They picked a good time to notch their first win of the season when allowing 20 or more points.
21. New Orleans Saints (6-7):They won, but all still doesn’t seem right with Derek Carr and the offense.
22. Atlanta Falcons (6-7): Youngho Koo’s two missed field goals were the difference between having the division lead in the NFC South, and the three-way tie the Falcons now find themselves in after a loss to the Bucs.
23. New York Giants (5-8): Three straight wins. Tommy DeVito’s legend grows with a game-winning drive in the closing minutes Monday night against the Packers.
24. Chicago Bears (5-8): If Justin Fields played as well as he does against Detroit, against every team, they might not consider drafting a quarterback if they wind up with the No. 1 overall pick via Arizona.
25. New York Jets (5-8): Hard not to wonder where this Zach Wilson has been all year. Did he really not want to start against the Texans, as reports suggested? It’s too little too late, but easily his best game all year.
26. Tennessee Titans (5-8): They tried really hard to give the game to Miami with a number of gaffes in the fourth quarter. But Mike Vrabel’s team was determined to not to leave Hard Rock Stadium without a win. And win they did.
27. LA Chargers (5-8): Justin Herbert has a broken finger on his throwing hand. Stick a fork in them, and Brandon Staley.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (5-8): Three straight losses and it’s looking as bad, if not worse, than it was before Josh McDaniels was fired.
29. New England Patriots (3-10): It’s gotten to the point that if they beat teams now, the opposing coach is on the firing line. Case in point, Mike Tomlin is feeling the heat in Pittsburgh.
30. Arizona Cardinals (3-10): The Cardinals have gone 2-2 since Kyler Murray returned. There’s still plenty of time to prove he should be their starter going forward.
31. Washington Commanders (4-9): Coming off four straight losses, there’s four weeks left for Ron Rivera, his coaches and the players to prove themselves before new owner Josh Harris starts to blow it up. Unless he’s already decided.
32. Carolina Panthers (1-12): Interim coach. Shaky offensive line. Should it come as a surprise that Bryce Young continues to regress?
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