The Dallas Cowboys ended their losing streak and the Baltimore Ravens lost in the final seconds. See what these games and more do to our 2021 NFL Power Rankings at Week 14
After suffering a loss on Thanksgiving Day, the Dallas Cowboys were in the midst of a two-game losing streak. In Week 13, they were able to snap that streak as they beat up on Taysom Hill and the short-handed New Orleans Saints.
While they were ending a rough couple of weeks with a solid win, the Baltimore Ravens found themselves suffering a last-second loss as they went for two instead of taking the tie against the Steelers.
Those games, and many others over this weekend, shook things up a bit in our 2021 NFL Power Rankings.
Detroit gets a win, but is stuck at No. 32 in the 2021 NFL Power Rankings
Somehow, someway, they finally did it. Almost exactly one year to the day from their last win in the NFL, the Detroit Lions pulled off an upset as they beat the Minnesota Vikings 29-27 in Week 13.
The 1-10-1 Lions scored 20 points in the second quarter as they were in full control at the half. However, that 20-6 lead wasn’t enough for them to walk away with the win as the Vikings kept fighting back and took a lead late when Kirk Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for a touchdown.
That gave them a 27-23 lead but the Lions were able to go 75-yards on 14 plays before Jared Goff his Amon-Ra St. Brown for a game-winning 11-yard touchdown. It was a lot of fun for them and their fans — and it didn’t cost them their hold on the No. 1 overall pick either which is another win.
Once again, things didn’t go as planned for the Jacksonville Jaguars. They headed out to Southern California to take on the Los Angeles Rams and it wasn’t long until we saw this one was over.
Jacksonville gave up 65-yards on the opening kick return and they never really slowed the Rams down from there. In the end, it was a 37-7 loss and there was nothing good to take from it.
Trevor Lawrence had just 145 yards and no touchdown passes. Their top runners were James Robinson and Carlos Hyde who each had 24 yards. Defensively, they allowed Matt Stafford to carve them up and Sony Michel had 121 yards and a touchdown.
The only thing Jacksonville really can play for now is the No. 1 pick, and they might have a shot because that requires them doing the one thing they’ve figured out under Urban Meyer — losing.
Week 13 was yet another ugly one for the Houston Texans as they fell to 2-10 in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. And calling this one a loss, is underselling it quite a bit.
Houston was shut out for the second time this year as they were on the wrong end of a 31-0 blowout in front of their home crowd. Both Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills had rough stat lines as they had 45 and 49 yards passing respectively.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, they lost 37 yards on sacks which means the team finished with 57 yards through the air. It’s clear this team needs to make a lot of changes in order to be competitive — and if we’re being honest, it may take a couple of years to get this thing fixed.
Zach Wilson was playing well early in the game as he had two early touchdown passes against the Eagles. As fate would have it, the New York Jets were unable to connect on either extra-point try, so their lead was just 12-7. The lead was also very short-lived as Gardner Minshew and the Eagles put up 17 points in the second quarter to take control of the game.
New York’s latest loss makes them 3-9 on the season and it’s getting more difficult than ever to try and find anything positive to build upon. Sure, there might be a decent individual performance here or there but as a team, there’s not much to be impressed with.
New quarterback, same results.
The New York Giants were without Daniel Jones in Week 13 and that meant they were turning to Mike Glennon. The veteran backup did very little in his first start with the G-Men as they were only able to muster up a few field goals in a loss to Miami.
New York fired Jason Garrett a couple of weeks ago as Joe Judge wanted to use the offensive coordinator as a scapegoat. Now, it’s becoming painfully clear that the entire roster and coaching staff is an issue — not just one guy. With that being said, there are going to be some serious changes for this franchise in the offseason.
Before their game against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, there were reports that Matt Nagy was on the way out with the Chicago Bears. That’s probably likely still the case especially after another uninspiring performance in Week 13.
While no one expected them to beat the Arizona Cardinals who were getting Kyler Murray back following a few weeks of missed games, they just never seemed to be competitive. They had four picks from Andy Dalton and gave up four touchdowns to Murray in a 33-22 loss — and it was never as close as that score made it seem.
Now at 4-8, the Bears are truly in “maybe next year” mode.
Russell Wilson finally got the Seattle Seahawks back in the win column. Wilson was 0-3 since returning from surgery on his finger as they lost to the Packers, Cardinals, and the Washington Football Team. Then this weekend, they were able to knock off the San Francisco 49ers in a game that came down to the final seconds.
Seattle trailed 23-14 at one point and ended up shutting down the Niners in the second half. They took the lead with 2:28 left in the third quarter and then no one else scored after that. They fumbled it away on their own goal-line and then had a goal-line stand on the other side of the field, which ended a rather uneventful second half in Seattle.
At 4-8, this season seems to be a wash and the real discussion is now going to be whether or not this is the last year we see Wilson in Seattle.
Once again, the Atlanta Falcons fell short on Sunday as they were defeated 30-17 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Every loss stings in the NFL, but this one was especially hard for the home team.
Atlanta had a shot to get back to 500 and a Marlon Davidson pick-six just before the half made it 20-17. All they needed to do was find a way to outscore their divisional rivals by three in the second half. However, they didn’t even score a single point.
Not just that, but they really struggled to even gain first downs in the second half. They fought hard and Cordarrelle Patterson again put up some great numbers but the Falcons continue to head in the wrong direction.
A 3-0 start to the 2021 season feels like a dream now for the Carolina Panthers. They have a record of just 2-7 since that hot start and they now enter the bye week after suffering a 33-10 beatdown at the hands of the Miami Dolphins.
Not only were they thoroughly outplayed but they also had to bench Cam Newton as he was struggling in a major way. It was frustrating for them to see since he had played so well since returning to the team.
Perhaps the extra time will help him get back on track but even if he does, it feels as though this team is already playing for next year.
For the second week in a row, the New Orleans Saints were on Thursday Night Football, and for the second week in a row, they suffered a loss. This time it was at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys who won 27-17.
If there was any good to take from this one for New Orleans, it would be that they only lost by 10 despite not having their two offensive tackles as well as running back Alvin Kamara.
As for the negative, it would have to be the play of Taysom Hill. Getting his first start of the season at quarterback, Hill was largely ineffective and threw four picks — although it could have easily been six as he was heaving them up for the defense.
Now at 5-7, New Orleans has to be planning for what to do in 2022 because this season has gotten away from them.
Every game the Minnesota Vikings play in seems to be close. And that was again the case this weekend, even though they were playing against a winless Detroit Lions franchise.
Minnesota fell behind 20-6 at the half and had one problem after another as they continued to try and fight back into the game. Eventually, they did take the lead as Kirk Cousins hit Justin Jefferson on a three-yard touchdown pass to go up 27-26.
But then, their defense allowed Jared Goff and the Lions to march 75-yards in the final 1:50, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Minnesota deserves a lot of criticism for that as well as they rushed three players while leaving eight back in the end zone to cover the pass — and still gave up the touchdown.
Make it five in a row for the Miami Dolphins.
Miami was hosting the New York Giants in Week 13 and while they managed to score just 20 points, it was more than enough to handle the Giants. The victory was their fifth in a row and they are now just the fourth team in NFL history to make it to 6-7 following a horrific 1-7 start.
There’s still a long way for them to go if they want to make the postseason but they actually have a chance now. And with games against the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints on the schedule over the next two weeks, they could make it very interesting.
6-6 is not where the Cleveland Browns thought they would be following their breakout campaign in 2020. Unfortunately, there have been a lot of injuries and a ton of drama which has contributed to their disappointing campaign.
They now have a week off to prepare for the Baltimore Ravens, who just so happen to be the last team they played. In that one, the offense wasted a stellar performance from the defense which included four interceptions of Lamar Jackson.
Cleveland will need to make sure their offense is ready to go when they meet again because there’s no way they can expect the defense to do what they did in Week 12 all over again. That’s not a knock on their defense, just the fact that Jackson is hard to slow down once, let alone twice in a season.
Sure, it was against the New York Jets but Gardner Minshew put up some impressive numbers in his first-ever start with the Philadelphia Eagles. With Jalen Hurts out, Minshew stepped in and completed 20-of-25 passes for 242 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Miles Sanders added 120 yards on 24 carries and Kenneth Gainwell put up 54 yards and a touchdown as well on the ground.
Philly moved to 6-7 on the season, keeping their hopes alive this year. The question now will be whether or not the play of Minshew starts a quarterback controversy in Philly. If it did, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all, because it seems as if there’s always a quarterback controversy in Philly.
One of the hottest teams in the NFL right now is the Washington Football Team. Four losses in a row had them sitting at 2-6 and it seemed they were done. But then, they reeled off four wins in a row including one this weekend that came down to the wire.
Washington had the lead for most of the afternnon against the Las Vegas Raiders byt a 37-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson with 2:26 left to play made it 15-14 Vegas. The Football Team responded with an eight-play drive that covered 44-yards — and included a dropped interception from Tre’von Moehrig that would have won it for the Raiders.
That allowed Brian Johnson to knock one in from 48-yards which led to the win. Now at 6-6, Washington is very much alive and has two games against Dallas and Philadelphia over the next four weeks which allows them a great opportunity to make a run at the NFC East.
If anyone can figure out whether or not the Las Vegas Raiders are good, would you mind letting the rest of us know?
Vegas knocked off the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day in large part due to the officials calling a penalty on every deep pass Derek Carr threw. Carr went for the same strategy late against Washington in Week 13 as he heaved one up for Zay Jones clearly wanting a flag as they tried to get into range for a game-winning field goal.
It wasn’t meant to be and the Raiders lost, falling to 6-6 on the season. It’s been up and down all year and it appears it may be that way until their final game in Week 18.
The Denver Broncos had a huge opportunity presented to them on Sunday Night Football as they were taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. With Denver coming in at 6-5 and the Chiefs sitting at 7-4, the road team had a shot to move into a tie in first place in the AFC West.
That ended up not happening as they left points on the board in the first half and Teddy Bridgewater threw a pick-six in the fourth quarter that ended any hopes for a comeback.
Even at 6-6, Denver is much better than some expected them to be this season but they still know they let one get away from them.
Ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens, there were reports that Ben Roethlisberger expected this to be his final season with the team. That’s not a major shocker since there were rumors the front office was considering moving on this offseason but decided to give it one more year.
After 13 weeks, the jury is still out on whether or not that was the right call. They did get back above 500 with a surprising win over Baltimore where the Ravens elected to go for two at the end and missed the try — giving the Steelers the win.
At 6-5-1, they’re still alive but they need a lot to go right in order to make the playoffs this year.
The San Francisco 49ers had a golden opportunity this weekend and were unable to capitalize. Entering the weekend with a record of 6-5, they could have put themselves into a great position to make the postseason as they were playing the struggling Seattle Seahawks.
They were unable to capitalize as they found themselves trailing by seven and had a final drive with just under four minutes to play. They then moved the ball all the way to the three-yard line but Jimmy Garoppolo’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete and they dropped to 6-6.
San Francisco has had just one winning season in five years under Kyle Shanahan and once again, they find themselves in a tough spot under his watch. Eventually, we need to start asking if he’s part of the problem rather than just assuming he’s the right guy.
A 1-4 start to the season didn’t deter the Indianapolis Colts who have now won four of their last five games. Their latest win over the Houston Texans was an impressive 31-0 blowout, which improved their record in 2021 to 7-6.
For the first time this season, they have a winning record as they’re suddenly threatening the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South — and the Titans are trending in the wrong direction as well.
Running back Jonathan Taylor again went off as he had 143 yards and two touchdowns in this win, making it nearly impossible for anyone to catch him in the rushing yardage race. If they keep winning — and find a way to take the South title from Tennessee — he could also be the favorite for the MVP this season.
Every time it seems as though we can start to believe in the Cincinnati Bengals, they decide to remind us all how inconsistent they can be. After convincing wins against the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers — where they surrendered 23 points in the two games combined — they were blown out 41-22 by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Ironically, their last loss was to the Cleveland Browns when they also gave up 41 while only scoring 17. In each of those losses, they were guilty of multiple turnovers and this time, it was two picks and two fumbles that helped the Bolts put them away.
They’re still looking up at Baltimore in the AFC North and could have used a win this week to stay in the race. They’re not out of it but this one hurt.
This last game was a roller-coaster.
For a while there, it seemed as though the Los Angeles Chargers were going to run away with the game as they were up 24-0 on the Cincinnati Bengals. But then, they gave up 22 unanswered as all the momentum was in Cincinnati’s corner heading into the fourth.
Then, the Chargers found another gear and scored 17 unanswered to win 41-22. They’re now 7-5 but they had some concerning moments which included a stretch in this game where they just couldn’t block for Herbert who was sacked four times.
Los Angeles also struggled with ball control, fumbling it away twice as well as having one pass intercepted. They’re still in the AFC West race but there’s a lot to clean up if they want to make any real noise.
The bye week comes at a great time for the Tennessee Titans who somehow lost to the Houston Texans in Week 11 and then got run out of the stadium against the New England Patriots in Week 12. They’re now 8-4 but the back-to-back losses are worrisome.
This time off will allow some of their players to get healthy but they also have to prove they continue to play well without Derrick Henry.
With their lead against Indianapolis in the AFC South dwindling, they need to come out of the bye ready to compete. The good news is, they play the Jags in Week 14 — however, they already saw against the Texans they can’t just count that as a win.
On Thursday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys were able to defeat the New Orleans Saints on the road as they ended a two-game losing streak. They did have some breaks go their way — for once — as the Saints were without several starters including their offensive tackles and Alvin Kamara.
Dallas also got DeMarcus Lawrence back and he played very well. Also standing out was rookie Micah Parsons who recorded his 10th sack of the season. Trevon Diggs also made an appearance, grabbing his ninth interception.
That was just one of four picks the Cowboys had as their biggest break of the week was the fact that Sean Payton continues to think Taysom Hill can play quarterback. He clearly isn’t cut out for it and the Dallas defense actually left some plays on the table and could have had many more turnovers.
There was a three-headed monster at SoFi on Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in every facet of the game and three offensive players stood out in the 37-7 beatdown.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford had 295 yards and three touchdowns through the air and continued to hit Cooper Kupp throughout the day. Kupp finished with 129 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. They also had a huge outing from Sony Michel who had 121 yards and a score on 24 carries.
The win was huge for L.A. not because of who they beat but because it ended a three-game skid. They still have a chance to get into the No. 1 seed conversation and a game against the Arizona Cardinals next week could help catapult them into that race should they be able to win.
If the play worked, Jon Harbaugh would be getting praised beyond belief on Monday. But it didn’t, so the Baltimore Ravens head coach will be questioned all week.
Playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore found themselves down by seven with just over 90 seconds to play. They were able to move the ball downfield and Sammy Watkins caught a Lamar Jackson pass from six yards out to make it 20-19.
Then, Harbaugh made the call to go for two instead of tying it with an extra point. The play call worked as Mark Andrews was open but Jackson missed him and that led to Baltimore falling to 8-4.
Now, they not only could lose the No. 1 seed in the AFC but they also failed to take advantage of a Cincinnati loss that could have almost guaranteed they would win the AFC North. Suddenly, their Week 14 game against Cleveland is very interesting.
Plays on Monday Night Football vs. New England Patriots
At 7-4, the Buffalo Bills are just a half-game behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East. They still have two games against one another, with the first coming on Monday Night Football in Week 13.
Buffalo once appeared to be running away with the division but a six-game winning streak from the Pats has turned this into a fun race. This game won’t decide the winner of the division, but it will go a long way toward deciding it.
For the Bills, these are the kind of games they need to win in order to be taken seriously. And they will be in Prime Time for everyone to see if they’re up to the task.
For just a quick moment on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers let the Atlanta Falcons think they had a shot. Marlon Davidson recorded a pick-6 to make it 20-17 heading into the second half. But then, Tom Brady and the Bucs put it away for good.
Rob Gronkowski hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass as he continues to prove he’s again one of the best tight ends in the game. Tampa Bay’s defense also played well, not allowing the Falcons to do anything at all.
Outside of their 65-yard drive at the end of the game, when it was already over, they never mustered up more than 36-yards on a drive in the final 30 minutes. That’s a great sign for the Bucs who know their offense will be ready for the playoffs, but they need their defense to start playing at a higher level.
Plays on Monday Night Football vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 13 is going to be huge for the New England Patriots. They started out 2-4 but have since reeled off six wins in a row and are now a half-game ahead of the Buffalo Bills. Now, they head into Orchard Park where they will take on the Bills in the first of two meetings between them.
New England, who is 5-0 on the road this season, has dominated the AFC East for years and after watching Buffalo win the division in 2020, they’re hoping to gain control once again. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones has been better than most expected and has a chance to prove himself in a prime-time game that has a lot on the line.
Early in the season, the Kansas City Chiefs were struggling to find wins. They were needing to play perfect football in order to get a victory but that’s no longer the case.
They proved this again on Sunday Night Football when they shook off some bad drops — including one that ended up in the hands of Patrick Surtain — to knock off the Denver Broncos. It was a statement win for Kansas City who improved to 8-4 and is now in control of the AFC West.
They have been to the Super Bowl in each of the past two seasons and with their current play, they look ready to make a run at a third trip in a row.
In Week 12, the Green Bay Packers had a huge game as they were hosting the Los Angeles Rams. Both teams are in play for the No. 1 seed but the Packers made a huge statement as they knocked off the Rams by eight — although it didn’t even feel that close.
Green Bay was also able to get back in the win column following a frustrating three-point loss to the Vikings as one of their divisional rivals was able to hand them just their third loss of the season.
After their week off, the Packers have the Bears followed by the Ravens — who just so happen to be the final team on their slate with a winning record. They could very easily be 13-3 for a third season in a row under Matt LaFleur, which is incredibly impressive.
Kyler Murray is back and he was electric once again. The Arizona Cardinals were able to remain the No. 1 team in our 2021 NFL Power Rankings even without Murray, going 2-1 with Colt McCoy. However, we saw on Sunday how much better the offense is with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Murray only threw 15 passes but he completed 11 of them for 123 yards with two touchdowns while adding another two on the ground — along with 59 yards. Arizona was in control throughout, so they were leaning heavily on the ground game — running it 35 times.
While Murray gets all the love, their defense also deserves a ton of praise. They were outstanding on Sunday, recording four interceptions on Andy Dalton in the win.
The top seed in the NFC still belongs to the Cardinals as they control their own destiny down the stretch.