NFL Week 14 winners, losers: Chiefs embarrass themselves with meltdown

The NFC East saw a massive shakeup, with Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys easily controlling the Philadelphia Eagles to split their season series. The Eagles had looked like one of the best teams in the NFL in the first half of the season, but Dallas’ defense prevented them from scoring an offensive touchdown, and the offense torched Philly on third downs (nine-of-16).

In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs dropped their second game in a row, and Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid complained about officiating rather than faulting their own obvious execution and detail errors. Now, Kansas City’s lead in the AFC West is a tenuous one-game edge.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday in Week 14.

WINNERS

There’s a new balance of power in the NFC East

And it’s the Cowboys (10-3) who are in control. While the Eagles (10-3) still control their fate in the division and will win the NFC East if both teams win out, Dallas’ 33-13 rout of Philadelphia was so dominant that the Cowboys continued to expose flaws in Philly’s game that had become apparent in previous weeks.

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The Eagles have now allowed an average of 36.3 points per game over their last three contests. Granted, they have come against the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and Cowboys, all of whom have potent offenses. But the Cowboys defense stonewalled the Eagles offense and limited Philadelphia to just 52 offensive plays (compared to Dallas’ 74). Prescott is outplaying Jalen Hurts of the Eagles, and it’s not particularly close.

Juggernaut Niners keep rolling along

It was close early, but the 49ers eventually defeated the Seattle Seahawks in yet another dominant performance, and San Francisco (10-3) looks like the most complete, balanced and explosive team in the entire NFL. The Niners, frankly, look like the only juggernaut in the league after they healed up following their midseason slump.

The Niners rolled up 527 yards on Seattle. While quarterback Brock Purdy draws criticism for playing with elite athletes in a prolific system, what’s undeniable is that he’s producing. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 368 yards with two scores against one interception. Three of his targets surpassed 75 yards, with receivers Deebo Samuel (149 yards and one touchdown) and Brandon Aiyuk (126 yards) starring against the Seahawks.

Everyone in the AFC North … except the Steelers

The Cincinnati Bengals took a huge step to the playoffs as quarterback Jake Browning (18-of-24 for 275 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) continued his prolific pace in a 34-14 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis had entered the week in the final wild-card spot in the AFC, but Cincinnati’s complete performance moved them into a six-team logjam for the last two slots.

In fact, if the season ended today, two of the three wild card spots would go to AFC North teams: the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. With their overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams, the Baltimore Ravens (10-3) are now two games up on Cleveland (8-5), which took down the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-27 in the early slate. It’s an impressive feat for the most competitive division in football, the only one in the NFL to have every team above .500. Pittsburgh, however, is trending in a precarious situation after its Thursday night loss against the New England Patriots. That marks two defeats in a row to teams that came into their respective contests eight games below .500.

Sean Payton

We need to give Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton his flowers after a 24-7 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Yes, his detailing in a training camp interview with USA TODAY Sports of the previous coaching regime’s failings was in poor taste, but Payton has turned Denver (7-6) into a team that’s becoming a problem down the stretch.

Behind defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s direction, the Broncos have allowed just 16 points per game over their last eight, including two games against the Chiefs, one against the Bills and one against the resurgent Green Bay Packers. They have forced 21 turnovers over their last nine games. The offense is a little more precarious; Russell Wilson and the Broncos still haven’t posted a single game of 300 or more passing yards this season are averaging just 162.7 yards per game over their last nine. With a favorable schedule up ahead — aside from Detroit’s 9-3 mark, the remaining three opponents have a combined 13-26 record — Payton has the team in position to potentially snap a seven-year postseason drought.

LOSERS

Kadarius Toney and the Chiefs embarrass themselves in meltdown

Kadarius Toney simply cannot get out of his own way. If it’s not drops or lapses of concentration, Toney is lined up offsides, thus nullifying one of the greatest improvised touchdowns − one he actually scored − in the final minutes of the Chiefs’ eventual 20-17 loss to the Bills.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes complained about officiating after the game, saying the infraction shouldn’t have been called, even though it was clear and obvious. Mahomes and Reid said the burden should have fallen on the official to communicate that Toney was offsides before the ball was snapped. Both tried to absolve themselves – and Toney – of any blame. That’s entitlement and reductive. Frankly, it’s adopting a loser mentality. The “greatness” of the play is irrelevant. Mahomes and the Chiefs have a huge platform, and what they say carries sway in NFL circles. The “let us play” argument is far too convenient and devalues the importance of precision in well-executed football, which is exactly how the Chiefs won their Super Bowls. They should know better.

Consistency in the NFC South

It’s looking like a team with a losing record may host a playoff game – thanks, NFC South. None of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons or New Orleans Saints has shown the ability to retain first place in the division for a prolonged stretch.

Tampa Bay was first for the first six weeks of the season. Atlanta then took command the next two. After Week 9, New Orleans grabbed the lead … until Week 12, when it lost to Atlanta, which then took control. That would, of course, be short-lived, as the Falcons fell to the Bucs 29-25 on Sunday. Tampa Bay is now in first, but the Bucs, Falcons and Saints are all 6-7. Most concerning is how these teams are squandering their chances. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder threw a costly first-quarter interception that gift-wrapped a touchdown to Tampa Bay. Atlanta took a 9-point deficit into the fourth but scored two touchdowns to seize the lead with 3:23 remaining. Needing a defensive stop to seal the win, Atlanta’s defense instead yielded a 12-play, 75-yard, game-winning touchdown drive. These are far from winning behaviors.

Lions backsliding toward pretender status

Coming out of Week 11, the Detroit Lions were 8-2. They had to muster a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Chicago Bears, but they held a 2.5-game lead on the Minnesota Vikings in first place and a four-game edge over the then-third-place Packers. Fast forward to Sunday, when Detroit (9-4) lost its second of its last three games – both defeats coming against division opponents – and has shown signs of regression.

Over their last four contests, the Lions have committed 10 turnovers; they had 10 in the first nine games of the season. In that same stretch, they have thrown for an average of 219.8 passing yards; in their first nine games, that figure was 267.4. They’ve given up 10 sacks during this slump compared to 16 in their first nine games. The Packers have a chance Monday night to win five of their last six to move two games back of Detroit. The Vikings (7-6) already did that in their 3-0 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Texans might be tumbling backward, too

Yes, they were without star rookie receiver Tank Dell, who broke his leg last week, and leading receiver Nico Collins exited the game with a calf injury sustained on the first offensive drive of the game, but the Houston Texans have now lost two of their last three after a 30-6 setback against the New York Jets.

Star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud’s previous career low in passing yards came in a Week 8 loss against the Carolina Panthers; against the Jets, he threw for 91 yards before he left the game late with a concussion. Houston (7-6) went one-of-12 on third downs and Stroud was pressured on 44% of dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. The Texans have allowed 18 sacks in the last four games. Defense was just as big an issue; Houston allowed a Jets team that had scored just three offensive touchdowns since Week 8 to drop 30 points on them. Zach Wilson (27-of-36 for 301 yards and two touchdowns) easily had his best game of the season.