The NFL Roundup - Week 14

Written by John Edward Betancourt

This is it, the home stretch of the 2015 NFL Season is upon us as we head into the final four weeks of the year. The playoffs are looming large and more teams than expected have a shot to make it into the tournament which means the games are only going to get tougher and more exciting as everyone does their best to win and win big. It also means the stories from the field are going to get that much more fascinating and here are the ones we are keeping an eye on for Week 14. 

Which team in the NFC East will stand up and become the team to beat?
Heading into tonight, it's a three way tie for first place in the NFC East since everyone but Dallas is 5-7 and this has been one incredible quagmire to watch as the season continues along. One minute, Washington looks like the team to beat, then they hand the game away. Or the Giants look like they have it all figured out and blow a fourth quarter lead. Or the Eagles look like the NFL's worst team and then go out and beat the Patriots. The list of ups and downs go on and on and the fact of the matter is, each one of these squads control their own destiny...so the one to finally take the reigns and play some damn good football owns the East. But as to who it will be, I honestly haven't a clue, that's how confusing these teams are.  

Will Atlanta finally turn their season around against the Panthers?
Dropping six of the last seven after starting off your season 5-0 is a tough place to be as a team and despite the players only meeting that happened last week, they still lost another game. This is a team completely in disarray, desperately searching for some kind of spark or inspiration and what better way to do it than against the undefeated Panthers? A win against a perfect team can completely change everything for a squad, just ask the Texans who were left for dead before they beat the Bengals and well...even if the Panthers walk away with another victory, at least giving them a fight on the field can help remind the players they're better than they think. I don't know if they get the win come Sunday, but this is no doubt their last chance to show what they have in the tank.

In the end, does it even matter that Johnny Manziel is starting again?
Let's have a cold and frank discussion about the Cleveland Browns. They're 2-10, the worst record in football right now. They're no doubt going to fire Head Coach Mike Pettine and his staff and possibly GM Ray Farmer as well. They've made some poor choices again this year in Free Agency and to top it all off, they keep going back and forth on former first round pick Johnny Manziel. One minute he's the starter, then he's not. Then he is and screws up and is benched again and now for the last four weeks of the season...he's the starter again. But does it matter? The season is lost, Johnny has already damaged his brand as a player and I'm wondering if the Browns keep him on the bench and healthy in order to trade him in the offseason because let's be honest, there's a good chance Dallas is putting in a offer. Either way, there's no good answer here because the Browns are so damn dysfunctional, but to me, no, it doesn't matter whether he starts or not, Cleveland will continue to lose regardless who is under center because this is an awful football team, run by incompetent management and until they get good football minds in the front office and good coaching on the field, it will be the same result come this time next year. 

Will the Colts or the Texans take control of the AFC South this weekend?
It's not just the NFC East suffering from a lack of identity or a clear division leader, the AFC South has its issues as well. All season long it's been a back and forth battle royale between the Colts and the Texans for supremacy and after last week, we are no closer to seeing who deserves a shot at the playoffs and quite frankly, I'm not sure we will see a clear leader after this week either. After all, the Steelers showed the league how to beat Matt Hasselbeck and you know the Jaguars were watching and the Texans are taking on a Patriots squad that is angry after dropping two. But, these teams are the ones in charge of their destiny and one of them needs to take control of this division and quick or spend January watching the playoffs from their couches rather than playing for a shot at the Lombardi. That extra motivation might be enough to spark one of these teams to take charge and speaking of the Texans...

Will the Patriots right the ship this week or lose three straight?
Last week against the Eagles, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots looked pretty pedestrian. There were turnovers, dumb plays and stuff you're not really accustomed to seeing from a Pats squad that normally imposes their will upon their opponent and it begs the question as to whether or not they can get their season back on track or if we are seeing the beginning of a hell of a losing streak. To make things worse, the Pats are facing a resurgent and powerhouse Houston defense that is licking its chops at a chance to beat down the World Champions, giving New England a greater challenge than they expected. Normally you'd think the Pats would unleash their fury and turn this matchup into a tune up game, but considering how many injured players are out of the lineup and how hungry the Texans are right now...there's a good chance Brady is in for a long day.

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OUR PICKS OF THE WEEK

Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals
John and Scotty - Arizona
Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles 
John and Scotty - Buffalo
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns
John - San Francisco / Scotty - Cleveland
Detroit Lions at St. Louis Rams 
John - St. Louis / Scotty - Detroit
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
John - New Orleans / Scotty - Tampa Bay
Tennessee Titans at New York Jets 
John and Scotty - New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals 
John - Pittsburgh / Scotty - Cincinnati
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
John and Scotty - Indianapolis
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
John and Scotty - Kansas City
Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears 
John and Scotty - Washington
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers 
John - Atlanta / Scotty - Carolina
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens 
John and Scotty - Seattle
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
John and Scotty - Denver
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers 
John and Scotty - Green Bay
New England Patriots at Houston Texans
John - Houston / Scotty - New England
New York Giants at Miami Dolphins
John - New York Giants / Scotty - Miami

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