Week 14 Takeaways: Chiefs outlast, out-luck Chargers with doink FG

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. 

Down two points, with less than two minutes to go, and with a first down needed to control the clock, Patrick Mahomes dips right, dodges pressure, and throws a short-yardage dime into the open arms of Travis Kelce to move the chains and put the Chiefs in position to win. 

The clock rolls down to the final tick. The Chiefs set up for the game-winning kick. 

And here’s where things take a turn for the weird. With one second remaining, the snap is up and…

Doink!

It was the doink heard ‘round the football world; the doink that served as the final act of an exciting slate of Sunday matchups. 

And it could’ve been the doink that finally slowed Kansas City’s wild streak of late-game luck — that same streak that’s seen the Chiefs find all kinds of ways to come out on top of single-score wins, pushing their luck and pulling us all in week after week. 

But not even the upright could stop the Chiefs from winning. Because this doink sided with the home team, assisting Kansas City in its 19-17 win over the Chargers to claim the AFC West title for the ninth straight time. 

It’s about time this team caught a break, right?

After making history with Eagles, how far can Barkley go?

Saquon Barkley’s career resurgence with the Eagles has been nothing short of spectacular, and amid a season of highlights (including high-flying hurdles) for the star running back, he’s also making history. 

Midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday’s eventual 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers, Barkley had a nine-yard run that wrote his name into the Eagles’ record books as the franchise’s new single-season rushing leader, eclipsing LeSean McCoy’s 1,607-yard campaign in 2013. (Barkley moved into second place earlier in the game when he passed Wilbert Montgomery’s 1,512, set in 1979.)

Barkley finished the contest — Philly’s ninth straight victory — with 124 yards, bringing his league-leading tally to 1,623 yards through 13 games this season. He’s now finished nine games with 100-plus yards — another organizational record.  

He’s well beyond his previous personal best of 1,312 yards, posted with the Giants in 2022, and now finds himself in position to make more history. With four games to go in the 2024 campaign, Barkley is 482 yards away from Eric Dickerson’s all-time single-season record of 2,105 yards set with the 1984 Rams. (Yes, it should be noted that Dickerson achieved his record in 16 games. Barkley will have a 17th.) 

So, can Barkley catch him? Simple math says yes: Barkley’s averaging 124 rushing yards per game this season. Keep that pace up, and we’ve got a new single-season king. And with three out of their final four opponents ranking in the bottom sixth of the NFL in run defence, he could be flying. However, with the Eagles sitting pretty in playoff position after officially clinching with Sunday’s win, they could find themselves with a self-imposed bye in Week 17 should they opt for rest. Barkley would likely be a leading candidate to sit and stay healthy with bigger victories in mind. 

Panthers can’t pull off the upset, but Young’s play still feels like a win

December brings meaningful football for clubs battling in the playoff picture, but for teams toiling at the bottom of the standings… well, ‘tis the season for moral victories. 

After a nightmare of a rookie campaign, Bryce Young’s second act started out even worse — blowout losses, a stint on the bench, and rumours of his Carolina career being over already. But November brought about a change for the sophomore QB, and while you won’t see the results in the win column, there’s hope in Carolina. 

The starter we’ve seen since the midway point of the season has looked like, well, a starter. He’s been strong against pressure, accurate with his throws, and quick on his feet. And while he hasn’t been perfect, his play has been the best thing about the Panthers. He has a six-game touchdown streak, two wins to his name, and Carolina’s last three losses have been decided by a single score and have gone right down to the wire. He took the Chiefs down to the buzzer in Week 12. He pushed the Buccaneers to overtime in Week 13. And had rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette caught a perfectly-placed long ball in the dying minutes against the Eagles on Sunday, we’d likely be talking about how Young marched his club down the field and took down the hottest team in the NFC. Soon, these moral victories could turn into real ones. 

While AFC playoff picture gets clearer, NFC brings the drama

And then there were three — teams in the hunt for an AFC playoff berth, that is. Entering Week 14, just three teams had already been eliminated from contention in the AFC playoff race (Patriots, Jaguars, Raiders). That number doubled by the time Sunday’s action wrapped up, with the Browns, Titans, and Jets all losing their matchups — and with it, any hopes of contending. That leaves just the Colts (6-7; bye week), Dolphins (6-7) and Bengals (Monday Night Football vs. Dallas) still mathematically eligible to challenge for a spot, if barely. 

Look at the NFC picture, meanwhile, and there’s still plenty to be settled. Only the Giants are ruled out, with no one joining them on Sunday — though, it’s only a matter of time, considering all the single-digit playoff odds lingering near the bottom of the conference. 

The most intriguing divisions continue to be the NFC West and NFC South. Let’s dig into those….  

Allen’s got it all, but Rams’ all-in effort has league taking notice

With a combined 86 points scored between them, Sunday’s late-window matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams was the highest-scoring game of the 2024 season so far — and boy, was it fun. 

Josh Allen took his MVP case to new heights by becoming the first player in NFL history to register three passing touchdowns and three rushing scores in a single game, once again reminding us all (like we needed to be reminded) that he can, in fact, do it all. 

While Allen can do everything, the Rams offence has everything — a stellar one-two punch of elite wide receivers, a powerful run game, and a masterful passer in Matthew Stafford feeding them all. And their 44-42 win over the formidable Bills has them once again knocking on the door. 

What have we learned about the Rams this year? Never count them out. We learned it right out of the gates when despite injury after injury in their season-opener against the Lions they pushed Detroit to overtime. We learned it again just ahead of the trade deadline, when they clawed their way out of the trade market and back into contention. And we learned it one more time on Sunday as they outscored the Bills to keep pace with the surging Seahawks in the NFC West divisional race.

Star wide receiver Puka Nacua was the driving force in this one thanks to his 12-catch, 162-yard effort with two touchdowns. 

So, what does it all mean? L.A. remains just one win behind the Seahawks, who defeated the Cardinals on Sunday to maintain their division lead, in the NFC West race. They’re also eying a wild card spot, with Washington (bye) just one win ahead. And with the 49ers awaiting them for a Thursday night date between two offences that showed us their best on Sunday — San Francisco looked alive and well as they trounced the Bears — the Rams have a chance to double down on Sunday’s statement win by ousting their NFC foes.

Something’s gotta give in Atlanta. Is Michael Penix Jr. the answer?

One month ago, the Atlanta Falcons were looking like a playoff team, sitting first in the NFC South with every opportunity to keep setting the pace in the divisional race. 

Then things got messy for Kirk Cousins & Co. 

In his last four games, including Sunday’s dismal outing against his former squad in Minnesota, Cousins hasn’t thrown a single touchdown. He’s piled up eight interceptions, hasn’t surpassed a 66 per cent completion rate, and while the yardage is there — 1,068 over four games, including 344 against the Vikings — the wins are not. Atlanta’s 42-21 loss to the Vikings marked its fourth straight defeat, opening the door for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to jump into the division’s top spot with their win over the Raiders. 

The alarm bells have hit a fever pitch. And so have the calls for change. With Cousins unable to get out of his own way, and with rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings… well, the answer feels obvious, doesn’t it? 

While turning to a rookie doesn’t always end well — and, in Atlanta’s case, the issues run deeper than who’s under centre — a QB change forces all the moving parts to adjust and simplify and could bring a jolt to a team that needs a shakeup. 

Atlanta has the easiest strength of schedule remaining, with Washington the lone opponent above .500. And they have the tie-breaker over Tampa Bay, having twice beaten the Buccaneers. Can they get back into football’s good graces?