NFL Week 14 winners, losers: Falcons in free fall after latest loss

NFL fans, rejoice.

We’re entering the final month of the regular season, and several key playoff races are heating up.

Nothing is more contested than the AFC wild-card chase, where all three teams currently in position to claim those berths – the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos – are sitting at 8-5.

In the NFC, it’s the 8-5 Washington Commanders, who were on their bye in Week 14, who should be most concerned; the Los Angeles Rams (7-6) trail them by one game and just picked up a massive victory against the two-seed in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills.

It all points to what should be a wild, thrilling end of the 2024 season.

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

WINNERS

The Rams are inconsistent. But when they play well …

They can compete with anyone. Los Angeles earned a massive 44-42 win against the AFC’s No. 2 seed to climb into the No. 8 seed, just one game back of the Commanders (8-5), who are in the final wild-card slot.

Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua had a massive day, with Nacua hauling in 12 of 14 targets for 162 yards and a score. Cooper Kupp was also essential, with 92 yards and another touchdown. Both players helped the Rams convert nearly three-quarters (11-of-15; 73%) of their third downs. L.A.’s defense opted not to spy Josh Allen, allowing him to run free for 82 yards. Allen also threw for 342 and three scores. The difference is that the Rams offer more balance, whereas the Bills often need Allen to take on an unsustainable amount of responsibility. In any case, the Rams' season may just come down to their finale against the current NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks.

Niners dominate in much-needed win, but it comes at a cost, again

It feels like the 49ers cannot catch a break with their injuries. San Francisco snapped a three-game losing streak and throttled the Chicago Bears, racing out to a 24-point lead in a 38-13 win. This was a game without running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason, though Isaac Guerendo flashed serious potential.

Guerendo had 17 touches for 128 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against Chicago before he was forced to exit. Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game the belief was that it was a foot sprain. San Francisco (6-7) is in the 11^th seed in the NFC and needs a ton of help to get into the playoffs. Edge rusher Nick Bosa and left tackle Trent Williams remained out. The Niners, frankly, will need some good luck down the stretch – and they must win the rest of the way.

The Dolphins save their season, but serious flaws need fixing

Miami, with its season on the brink, battled back late to force the New York Jets into overtime, where it dominated, scoring a first-drive touchdown to prevail 32-26. The Dolphins, however, have serious flaws that jeopardize their push down the stretch.

The rushing game has been anemic; over the last three games, it has gained just 49.3 yards per contest. Against the Jets, De’Von Achane ran 14 times for only 24 yards. The next closest rusher was rookie Jaylen Wright (two carries, 7 yards). The short-yardage offense, overall, has been wholly ineffective. And the defense has been gashed over the last month. The Dolphins (6-7) remain the No. 9 seed in the AFC, two games back of the seventh-seeded Broncos. But complicating matters for Miami is its Week 7 loss against the Colts (6-7), who would hold the tiebreaker. There is simply no margin for error.

The Bucs are riding their new identity to top of NFC South

Tampa Bay (7-6) has taken over first place in the NFC South on its three-game winning streak, and it’s the rushing offense that’s controlling games. Granted, the teams the Bucs have beaten during this stretch – the Raiders, Panthers and Giants – are three of the worst teams in the NFL at a combined 7-32 (.179). But Tampa Bay has outrushed each of those teams by an average of 100 yards per game.

That has allowed the Bucs to control the clock, set up favorable distances on third downs and extend drives; Tampa Bay entered the day ranked second in third-down efficiency. The Bucs have signature wins this year against the Lions – being the lone team to beat Detroit this season – and Eagles, but another test looms next week against the Chargers.

LOSERS

Fringe teams and pretenders in the AFC wild-card race

With the Chargers' loss against the Chiefs on Sunday night, it’s very crowded at the bottom of the playoff picture in the AFC. Four teams — including the AFC South-leading Texans — are tied at 8-5. That puts the three teams outside of the field but currently alive for playoff contention, the Colts (6-7), Dolphins (6-7) and Bengals (4-8), in extremely tough spots.

It also means teams like the Ravens (8-5), who have an abundance of talent but massive holes, and the Broncos (8-5), who still have the Chiefs (12-1) and Chargers (8-5) on their remaining schedule, cannot afford to stumble in the final month of the season. Even the Steelers (10-3), who are in a tough division but have the Chiefs, Eagles (11-2) and Ravens left on their schedule, should be cautious.

The real winners here are fans, who will certainly enjoy what should be a wild ride to decide the wild card.

Falcons’ November nightmare continues into December

It’s time to sound the alarms in Atlanta: the Falcons (6-7), losers of four consecutive, are imploding. A month ago, after their Week 9 victory over the Cowboys, the Falcons were 6-3 and sitting in the third seed in the NFC, with a two-game lead in the NFC South.

Now, Atlanta has fallen out of the playoff picture altogether (as the current No. 9 seed), has given up the lead in the division and quarterback Kirk Cousins is spiraling. During Atlanta’s four-game losing skid, Cousins has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 0:8. Atlanta is also 4-of-13 (30.8%) in red zone conversions over the last four games. The defense, despite generating nine sacks over the last two weeks, continues to blow coverages in the secondary, yielding huge plays. This is not winning football.

Cardinals lose season series against Seahawks, now in significant hole

In the span of three weeks, the Cardinals (6-7) lost twice to the Seahawks, putting their path to the playoffs in precarious position. Arizona had been in first place ahead of its Week 12 showdown against Seattle. Now, the Cardinals — with the Rams’ victory over the Bills — find themselves in third place in the NFC West, two games back of the division-leading Seahawks.

Quarterback Kyler Murray combined to rush for just 25 yards across both meetings against Seattle. In both matchups against the Seahawks, Arizona combined to go 7-of-24 (29.2%) on third downs and one-of-five (20%) in the red zone. The next two games of the schedule are favorable, but the Cardinals close with the Rams (7-6) and 49ers (6-7).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Week 14 winners, losers: Falcons in free fall after loss to Vikes