The NFL Roundup 2021: Week 14 Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Hello again, football fans and welcome to another edition of the NFL Roundup, one that is going to be filled to the brim with feels today. Because this was an emotional week in the NFL, courtesy of some big games and the loss of a class act and of course, this week’s game also taught us some sour realities about some of our favorite teams. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in and break down all the stories that Week 14 sent our way.
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The league needs to figure out a flex option for Thursday Night Football.
While it is incredibly wonderful to enjoy NFL football three times a week, courtesy of the Thursday Night game… there are still some big issues hanging over TNF. Specifically, the quality of the games tends to leave something to be desired. Since Thursday’s matchups are often host to a pair of awful teams or it features some sloppy play, as was the case this past week, and that uh, that needs to change. Because we expect better from prime-time football, and the best way to improve this game is to figure out a flex option so better matchups can slide into the Thursday slot and hopefully the league takes a good long look at that before the games switch to streaming. Because if that same slop hits the web, fans won’t tune in and that will put a potentially epic prime-time game in peril.
 
The Buffalo Bills are not as good as advertised.
It took fourteen weeks of football, but we finally know what the Buffalo Bills are all about and uh, it’s not good news. Because this team is not as good as advertised. Their defense is far softer than they were in 2020 and they really are struggling to close out games and drives right now and the offense has taken a step back as well. Since they cannot put up points or finish games like they used to. Which means it is time to temper expectations for this team and prepare for the possibility that they will not win it all. Because the Bills just aren’t ready to play in a Super Bowl and hopefully this season’s follies will push them to play better and to stack the roster with upgraded talent in 2022.
 
The Rams finally put it all together at the right time.
It is definitely safe to say that football fans have been worried about the Rams for a hot minute and rightfully so. They’ve been struggling mightily the past few weeks and have yet to jell as a squad with their new additions, leaving lots of us to wonder if that chemistry would ever take hold and wouldn’t you know it? It finally did on Monday Night Football. For the Rams put together a decisive win over their chief NFC West opponent in the Cardinals and that kind of a big win can go a long way down the stretch and it will be quite interesting to see what the Rams do with this momentum and how much better they will become as a unified team in the weeks to come.
 
The playoff picture in the AFC is finally coming together.
A few weeks ago, it was pure bedlam in the AFC when it comes to the playoffs. For multiple teams were vying for a playoff spot and division titles, making it seem as though the final few weeks would be bedlam through and through. But thanks to the fact that the NFL is finally seeing some semblance of normalcy, the playoff picture in the AFC is becoming clearer. For now, the division leaders are pulling away and cementing their playoff seeding and there are only a handful of squads fighting for the final Wild Card spots. Which means the next few weeks should solidify who is going to the postseason in this wild and wacky conference and it will be quite interesting to see who sneaks into the Wild Card slots when the dust in the wild, wild, AFC… settles.
 
Demaryius Thomas was taken from this world too soon.
You know, we don’t talk about players that have passed away in this article all that often and maybe we should. I suppose that’s something to ponder upon for the future. But today, we definitely need to take a moment and reflect upon the life of Wide Receiver Demaryius Thomas who left this earth last Thursday at the ridiculously young age of 33 and his life needs to be spoken to for several reasons. In part because he was a prolific player that cemented his legacy in the game with some epic plays in some epic games. But more so, because he was a fine human being that was kind and generous and impacted the lives of so many in a positive manner, and that’s just something we don’t celebrate enough these days and it was wonderful to see fans and the league come together and do just that on Sunday and it is wonderful to know that he touched so many lives, and hopefully his legacy will inspire others to make kindness a priority in life, since the world could definitely use more of the goodwill DT sent our way.  

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