Best, worst of NFL Week 14: Jets, Bears and Pats win? Bucs make NFC South move?

Week 14 of the NFL season started on Thursday with the New England Patriots downing the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a head-to-head against the Atlanta Falcons to tie for first place in the NFC South, Zach Wilson led the New York Jets to a dominant performance against the Houston Texans, and the Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions. Quarterbacks Jake Browning (right hand) and C.J. Stroud (head) left their games with injuries.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and picking out who — or what — is rising and falling for every team. Let’s get to it.

Jump to a matchup:
NE-PIT | DET-CHI | TB-ATL | CAR-NO
HOU-NYJ | IND-CIN

Jets

Why couldn’t Zach Wilson play like this earlier in the season? If Wilson was reluctant to re-take the starting reins after a two-game benching, as a published report suggested, he certainly didn’t show it. Wilson played perhaps the best game of his career, throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns as the Jets snapped a five-game losing streak. Wilson’s teammates said they expected him to play angry; he definitely played with more confidence than usual. Maybe that’s what he needed. He perked up in the second half, when the coaches got aggressive on first down and let him throw. Too bad they didn’t figure this out earlier in the season.

Stock up after the win: RB Breece Hall. This was his best game in more than a month — 126 total yards from scrimmage, including eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Stock down after the win: WR Allen Lazard. He was back in a full-time role (48 snaps on offense), but he had no targets and one holding penalty. The receiving corps remains a one-man show — Garrett Wilson (nine catches for 108 yards). — Rich Cimini

Next game: at Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Texans

Can the Texans overcome the rash of injuries to the offense? It’s tough for a team to try to overcome injuries to their starting quarterback, their top three targets and one of their best offensive linemen, but that’s the situation the Texans find themselves in. The worst injury was to quarterback C.J. Stroud, who suffered a head injury during the fourth quarter. The Texans entered the game without standout rookie wide receiver Tank Dell and tight end Dalton Schultz, then lost wide receiver Nico Collins to a calf injury in the first quarter.

Stock up after the loss: DE Jonathan Greenard. He had two sacks on the day and now has 10 on the season.

Stock down after the loss: The pass defense. They allowed Wilson to throw for 300 yards for just the third time in his three-year career. — DJ Bien-Aime

Next game: at Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Saints

Can the team chemistry be fixed at this point? Despite beating the Panthers, the atmosphere around the team feels bleak, with empty seats, booing fans and an offense that hasn’t progressed all season. Saints quarterback Derek Carr and center Erik McCoy, both team captains, were seen yelling at each other as they came off the field following a sack. The Saints have only a month left this season and appear to have several issues that even a win didn’t appear to fix.

Stock up after the win: TE Jimmy Graham. The veteran has been a healthy scratch for most of the season, but when he’s played, he’s made it count, scoring three touchdowns on four catches this season, including a late-game score against the Panthers.

Stock down after the win: QB Derek Carr. The Saints pulled away late after Carr doubled his passing yards with a 43-yard connection to wideout A.T. Perry in the fourth quarter, but his 119 passing yards were one of the lowest totals of his career in a game where he took every snap. — Katherine Terrell

Next game: vs. Giants (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Panthers

Can Bryce Young grow under the interim coaching staff and poor offensive line? Only in how he handles adversity. Otherwise, Young has little chance to grow with a line that can’t protect him (47 sacks, third most by a Carolina QB in a season) and not enough playmakers around him. He took a step backward Sunday, completing 13 of 36 passes (season-low 36.1%) for 137 yards. He missed a couple of deep throws when the receiver was open. He had a fumble. It may get worse from here.

Stock up after the loss: DT Derrick Brown. As OLB Brian Burns said earlier in the week, Brown is impossible to block one-on-one — and he showed it Sunday with a team-high 10 tackles and an interception off of a pass he tipped at the line.

Stock down after the loss: P Johnny Hekker. He had a muffed punt attempt (initially called a blocked punt) that was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter when the Panthers were still a game. — David Newton

Next game: vs. Falcons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Bears

Can the Bears continue to seize momentum? For a second time in three weeks, the Bears built a 12-point fourth quarter lead against the Lions. But this time Chicago, capitalized off the ‘sudden change’ moments coach Matt Eberflus had been preaching about. After falling behind 13-10 in the first half, the Bears turned a fourth-down free play into a touchdown in the third quarter and scored again on its next possession after linebacker T.J. Edwards gifted the offense a possession by recovering a fumble.

Stock up after the win: S Jaquan Brisker. The second-year safety led Chicago with a career-high 17 tackles (13 solo), forced a fumble and broke up two passes, the second of which came on a critical second down with 6:12 to play in the fourth quarter with Detroit driving. Two plays later, the Lions turned the ball over on downs.

Stock down after the win: Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. He redeemed himself, but his playcalling after the Bears’ opening drive (where they scored) dismantled Chicago’s momentum going into halftime. A failed fourth-and-1 at Detroit’s 38-yard line in the second quarter in which Fields pitched the ball to receiver DJ Moore instead of sneaking it was the catalyst for the offense sputtering early on. — Courtney Cronin

Next game: at Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Lions

Can the slow starts haunt the Lions down the stretch? Detroit has trailed at the end of the first quarter in three of their last four games, and this time they couldn’t overcome, even after leading 13-10 at halftime. A victory would have given Detroit its first 10-win season since 2014, but instead the loss served as another reminder that the road to a division title won’t be easy if they don’t come out ready to go from the start.

Stock up after the loss: DE Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions’ defense has struggled to find consistency. And although Hutchinson was flagged for an offsides penalty that eventually resulted in a Bears touchdown in the third quarter, he also ended his two-game sack drought with a second-quarter takedown of Bears quarterback Justin Fields. The sack marked the 16th of his career, which is the most ever by a Lions player after 30 career games.

Stock down after the loss: The defense. Mobile quarterbacks have been a nightmare for the Lions’ defense all this season, and Fields, who has been a main culprit, continued to shine against Detroit. Fields displayed his versatility, recording 58 rushing yards while throwing for another 223 yards, helping Chicago score 18 unanswered points in the second half. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: vs. Broncos (Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

Buccaneers

How does this impact the Bucs’ playoff picture? With 36 seconds to go, quarterback Baker Mayfield fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton to keep the Bucs’ playoff hopes alive. With the win and the Saints beating the Panthers, the Bucs, Falcons and Saints — all 6-7 — move into a three-way tie for first place in the division. The Bucs’ chance to win the division now improves to 35%, according to ESPN Analytics. Had they lost, it would have dropped to 2%. But there’s no margin for error, and they face another top-10 defense on the road next week in the Packers, who are giving up 20.25 points per game.

Stock up after the win: The secondary. Cornerback Carlton Davis III set up the Bucs’ first touchdown by intercepting Desmond Ridder, while Antoine Winfield Jr. contributed a sack/fumble that was recovered by the Falcons in the end zone for a safety. They did, however, surrender a 33-yard leaping catch to Drake London and had a busted coverage on his two-point conversion.

Stock down after the win: WR Mike Evans. He had 150-plus receiving yards last week but had just one catch for eight yards after a near-touchdown was ruled incomplete in the fourth quarter. — Jenna Laine

Next game: at Packers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Falcons

Where do Atlanta’s playoff chances now sit? Atlanta might rue a first half safety and two missed field goals from Younghoe Koo in its loss to Tampa Bay for many reasons — but no more so than what it did to the team’s chances to win the NFC South and make the playoffs. With the loss, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the Falcons’ chances of winning the NFC South dropped to 34% (it would have been 76% with a win) and now puts Atlanta in a three-way tie with the Buccaneers and Saints.

Stock up after the loss: WR Drake London. A year ago, the Falcons took London in the top 10 for games like this — a career-high 172 yards on 10 catches and a two-point conversion which gave Atlanta a three-point lead late, which it eventually relinquished.

Stock down after the loss: K Younghoe Koo. One of the more reliable kickers in the NFL, Koo missed two field goals in the first half — from 50 yards and 52 yards — and considering the four-point margin could have been the difference between the division lead and the three-way tie Atlanta is now in. — Michael Rothstein

Next game: at Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

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Mayfield hits Rachaad White on the swing for a 31-yard TD

Baker Mayfield dishes to Rachaad White, who takes it 31-yards for a Bucs touchdown.

Bengals

Is the Bengals’ offense good enough to compete for a playoff berth? Absolutely. Cincinnati’s offense had a ton of fluidity for the second straight game. The Bengals were able to lean on an explosive screen game from running backs Joe Mixon and Chase Brown and also sprinkled in some of the traditional shotgun offense Cincinnati used when QB Joe Burrow was healthy. The Bengals scored more than 30 points for the second straight game despite Jake Browning playing at quarterback instead of Burrow, who is out for the year with a wrist injury.

Stock up after the win: RB Chase Brown. The rookie scored his first career touchdown on a screen pass and gives Cincinnati a big-play threat it has lacked at that position.

Stock down after the win: TE Irv Smith Jr. The veteran began the year as the starter but had the fewest offensive snaps of any Bengals tight end on Sunday. — Ben Baby

Next game: vs. Vikings (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET)

Colts

Will this loss derail the Colts’ playoff hopes? The Colts were going to be mathematically alive for the postseason regardless of the outcome. But how much damage did they do to their playoff aspirations? Indianapolis still has one of the league’s more manageable remaining schedules, with games against the Steelers, Falcons, Raiders and Texans to come. And fortunately for the Colts, they are in direct competition with Pittsburgh and Houston — two teams who are also 7-6 and jostling for a spot. The Colts can boost their own chances with wins in those games.

Stock up after the loss: LB Ronnie Harrison Jr. He made his first start in place of injured starter E.J. Speed (knee). He made a critical play when he snatched an interception away from tight end Tanner Hudson in the second quarter, returning it 36 yards for a touchdown. Harrison was converted to a linebacker from safety this season after starting 45 games as a defensive back in his previous five seasons.

Stock down after the loss: The pass rush. The Colts had produced 42 sacks entering the game, good enough for second-most in the league. All of that resulted in shockingly little production against the Bengals, with the Colts producing no sacks and three quarterback hits. — Stephen Holder

Next game: vs. Steelers (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Thursday

Patriots

How much will the homestretch affect the Patriots’ draft position? The team entered Thursday in sole possession of the No. 2 pick, but are now tied with the Cardinals with a 3-10 record. The Patriots would currently still pick second based on the tiebreaker and have games remaining at home vs. the Chiefs, at the Broncos and Bills, and at home vs. the Jets in the season finale. Players in the locker room have made it clear they are all about winning, and if they do that down the stretch, it could impact the franchise’s positioning to land a potential franchise QB at the top of the draft.

Stock up after the win: RB Ezekiel Elliott. The veteran totaled 140 yards from scrimmage and played all but five snaps, while adding a hustle tackle on an interception return that would have otherwise been a TD.

Stock down after the win: WR Ty Montgomery II. The veteran special teamer was pulled off the punt-protection unit after allowing a block in the fourth quarter. He was waived by the Patriots on Friday. — Mike Reiss

Next game: vs. Chiefs (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Steelers

Can the Steelers make the playoffs? Not if they keep playing like this. After beating the Bengals, the Steelers were 7-4 entering a very winnable home stretch and had a 74% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN Analytics. But they dropped back-to-back games against teams with two wins entering the contest and now have just a 36% chance to make it. It wasn’t just that they lost two winnable games, but it was how they lost. Pittsburgh fell behind by at least 18 points in each game. Against the Patriots, the defense made halftime adjustments to shut out the Patriots over the final two quarters. Still, the offense couldn’t score on a short field courtesy of a second-half interception, and it continued to lack execution and consistency. And quarterback Mitch Trubisky was unable to be the catalyst he hoped to be in his first game filling in for Kenny Pickett.

Stock up after the loss: LB Elandon Roberts. Even after sustaining a groin injury against the Cardinals, the inside linebacker not only got on the field four days later against the Patriots, but he also recorded a key pass breakup that turned into an interception. He also recorded six tackles, one sack and a pass defensed.

Stock down after the loss: Coach Mike Tomlin. For the second game in a row, the Steelers came out flat against an opponent with an inferior record. After their loss to the Cardinals, some Steelers said they took their opponent too lightly. That wasn’t the issue against the Patriots, Steelers players said Thursday. But the fact that they allowed one of the league’s worst offenses to jump out to an 18-point first-half lead suggests a failure from the top down. — Brooke Pryor

Next game: at Colts (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET)