NFL Week 14 Disappointments

Fans didn’t have to look far to find performances that came up short across the NFL in Week 14. Certain teams seemed to have a golden chance to continue to their march the postseason, but ended up laying an egg. We’ll look at the events that left NFL enthusiasts scratching their heads after the weekend.

Pittsburgh has found a way to hang in games and pull them out at the end during Mike Tomlin’s great coaching run. However, that hasn’t been the case in recent weeks, and their defeat to the New England Patriots last Thursday is a painful pill to swallow. The Steelers couldn’t have imagined that Bailey Zappe would carve up their defense the way that he did.

Detroit assuaged fears of a late season swoon with a win against the New Orleans Saints in Week 13, but didn’t put another strong performance on tape against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Realistically, the Lions should have lost both of their games to Chicago this season, and have looked off for the last few contests.

To many fans’ surprise, the Jaguars announced that Trevor Lawrence would start in Week 14 on a short week, after injuring his ankle on Monday Night Football. Lawrence played decently considering expectations, but also tossed three interceptions against the Cleveland Browns. Hindsight is 20/20, but Jacksonville may have been better off giving Lawrence some time off to recover.

What was once a promising campaign for the Texans has taken a nosedive due to a plethora on injuries to key wide receivers. Tank Dell was lost for year in Week 13, and Nico Collins was hurt in Week 14. Houston’s offense couldn’t get anything going against the New York Jets in Week 14, and it’ll be interesting to see how they adjust if Collins has to miss extended time.

It was one of the more embarrassing efforts in recent NFL history. The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders didn’t put points on the board until the very end of the game, with the Vikings ultimately winning 3-0. It’s hard to explain the level of struggle both teams had, considering the matchup was played indoors, and featured defenses that aren’t at the top of the league.

Seattle has an uphill battle to make the postseason, but they might be worried about how Metcalf will comport himself even if they do qualify. The wide receiver angrily grabbed the facemask of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner after an interception, and was ejected from the tilt.

It’s been a pattern for a few weeks now, but Kansas City’s inability to strike early and often might officially be a major storyline down the stretch. The Chiefs were missing starting running back Isiah Pacheco, but couldn’t light up the scoreboard against a beaten up Buffalo Bills defense. It’s possible that the generic cast of characters at wideout and the loss of Eric Bieniemy has taken its toll.

It was a struggle for the Dolphins, who looked mortal without the services of Tyreek Hill for most of Monday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. They had a two touchdown lead with three minutes left, but could not slow down Will Levis and DeAndre Hopkins when it mattered most. This defeat could cost the Dolphins a chance at the one seed in the AFC.