FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

The Houston Texans picked a great time to come up with their biggest win of the season. Mired in a losing streak that dropped them back to the rest of the pack in the AFC South, the Texans used an old-school approach to end the slide and regain control for the division’s only postseason bid. That win over the Colts, however, will be meaningless unless the Texans can follow it up with a victory over the division’s bottom feeder Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15.... 

Now that the 11-game winning streak of the Dallas Cowboys is over, can you guess which team currently has the longest streak in the NFL? If you said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you would be right. The Bucs won their fifth straight game to remain tied at the top of the NFC North standings and hold a precarious lead for a wild card spot heading into the final weeks of the season. It’s a strange position for the Bucs, who haven’t played beyond the regular season since 2007. They can strengthen their grip on a postseason berth with a Week 15 victory.... 

Both teams were all but eliminated from the playoff race with losses last weekend, ending what had become one of the most disappointing seasons for the Arizona Cardinals. Picked by many to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LI, the Cards never climbed above the .500 mark and must win their remaining three games to finish with a winning season. It’s been equally frustrating for the Saints, who’ve gone into an offensive funk just when the defense starts to figure things out. The teams will play out the string in this Week 15 contest.... 

If Jeff Fisher got to play the Seattle Seahawks every week he might not be the losingest coach in NFL history. That sounds kind of strange since Fisher hasn’t had a winning record in his tenure with the Los Angeles Rams and guaranteed that streak will continue with another embarrassing loss last week. But the Rams have had success against Seattle with three consecutive wins, including a 9-3 slugfest earlier this season. The Seahawks will look to end that streak as a heavy favorite in this Week 15 matchup.... 

The Green Bay Packers are playing their best football of the season at this juncture and many are wondering where that style of play has been all year. With their backs against the wall, the Packers responded by winning three straight games to keep their playoff hopes alive. Despite their injury-ravaged roster, the Chicago Bears are still competing, and faced with a chance to knock their longtime rivals out of the postseason picture is more than enough motivation to get them amped for this Week 15 showdown.... 

It was pretty much a given that the Buffalo Bills had to reach the postseason in order for Rex Ryan to keep his job. Another loss last weekend likely extended the streak of playoff-less football in Western New York to 17 straight seasons, and could end the tenure of Ryan. Rex boasted that his Bills would be the best defensive team in the league when he took over, the failures on that side of the football the past two weeks will likely be his downfall. The move would be assured if the Bills can’t handle the Cleveland Browns in Week 15.... 

A cushy part of the schedule couldn’t have come at a better time for the Atlanta Falcons, as they continue to battle for the top spot in the NFC South. After dismantling the Rams last weekend, the Falcons look to keep at least a share of the division lead when they battle the equally inept San Francisco 49ers in a Week 15 contest. For years the Falcons fought with those two clubs in the old NFC West, and now it’s time for redemption on their way to what could be a division title.... 

The Dallas Cowboys are slight road favorites on Sunday night as they visit the New York Giants on NBC in this Week 14 matchup. The Cowboys have the best record in the NFL at 11-1 and have clinched a playoff spot but they still have things to play for as they want to wrap up the NFC East title and home field advantage in the NFC. The Cowboys also want revenge as the Giants are the only team to beat Dallas this season as New York won 20-19 in Week 1.... 

The negative streaks surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars continued, reaching comically new levels of futility. For a team that had so much promise entering the year, it’s hard to imagine things could’ve gone much worse. The Jags were officially eliminated from playoff contention for a ninth straight season with last week’s loss and in the process guaranteed themselves a sixth straight season with double-digit losses. The Jags will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Minnesota Vikings in a Week 14 tilt.... 

Given how bad the AFC South is, this meeting for first place is likely to end in a tie. The Houston Texans have owned or shared the division lead since the season began, but that once comfortable cushion has evaporated, and now the Texans must avoid a four-game losing streak to keep their streak alive. The Indianapolis Colts made it a three-way tie in the division with Monday’s night’s victory and could knock the Texans from their pedestal with a Week 14 win.... 

After playing themselves out of the playoff picture with a four-game losing streak, the Green Bay Packers have turned things around with consecutive victories and are back trying to join the party. It might be too little too late for them, but at least the Pack is going out fighting trying to keep their streak of seven straight postseason trips alive. They can remain in the hunt with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14.... 

The New England Patriots seem to bring out the best in Joe Flacco, and the Baltimore Ravens will need that greatness to surface if they are to get an upset road win and keep pace in the AFC North. The division will likely have just one representative in the postseason and that’ll be the winner. The Ravens and Steelers have a showdown in two weeks, but there are games to be played in the meantime, and Baltimore has a huge one in Week 14.... 

Near the end of a horrendous season, New York Jets fans finally got their wish. Todd Bowles, possibly in an attempt to deflect criticism hurled at him, announced that Bryce Petty will start the final four games beginning at the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14, essentially ending the tenure of Ryan Fitzpatrick in the Big Apple. It’s time for Petty to prove he can be the future quarterback, but at least the Jets have one. The San Francisco 49ers continue to search for answers at the most important position after their duo did nothing in the team’s 11th straight loss.... 

We could say that the Dallas Cowboys are two points away from having a perfect season three-quarters of the way into it. Not bad for a team that had so many questions to be answered once the bell rang. And it wasn’t the best of starts to the year for the Boys either. They dropped the opener to the New York Giants but have since won 11 straight to stake their claim as the best team in the league. Dallas gets a chance to avenge that early season loss and clinch the NFC East in this Week 14 confrontation.... 

A second half meltdown last Sunday pretty much guaranteed the Buffalo Bills playoff-less streak would reach 17 seasons. With little margin for error, the Bills squandered a 15-point lead and gave up the game’s final 29 points in a disheartening loss. In a Week 14 matchup the Bills have to deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have seemingly corrected the wrongs from a four-game losing skid to win three straight, and need a victory to remain atop the AFC North.... 

It’s been a fruitful run for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who caught division-leading Atlanta at the top of the NFC South standings by winning four straight games. Nobody saw this coming after three ugly losses at the start of the year had the Bucs floundering at 1-3. But, it’s not how you start it’s how you finish, and the Bucs are hoping to finish off the New Orleans Saints in Week 14 in the first of two meetings between the clubs in the final four weeks.... 

When the Philadelphia Eagles soared to a perfect record through the first three weeks, Doug Pederson was being hailed as coach of the year. The only problem is that the season is 16 games not three, and after a lackluster effort in a loss at Cincinnati, their seventh loss in nine games, the Philly faithful are calling for Pederson’s head. Philly fans should be grateful that Chip Kelly isn’t roaming the sideline when the Eagles take on NFC East rival Washington Redskins in a Week 14 tilt.... 

The AFC West might be the strongest division in the NFL and the top two teams will square off with first place on the line in a Week 14 Thursday night matchup. The Oakland Raiders lead the division by a game and haven’t lost since dropping a 26-10 decision to the Kansas City Chiefs at home nearly two months ago. The Raiders have already guaranteed themselves a winning record for the first time since 2002, but they’ve been unable to shake the Chiefs, who can take the division lead with a victory.... 

If you’re an organization that wants to finish the season with six or seven wins, Jeff Fisher is the guy for you. So, I guess that’s what the Los Angeles Rams want to be. News of a contract extension for the coach came out before last Sunday’s game and the Rams promptly went out and laid an egg in a loss to New England. Losers in seven of their past eight games, the Rams will be hard pressed to reach that lofty win total, but they have the soon-to-be losingest coach in league history on the sidelines for their Week 14 battle with the Atlanta Falcons.... 

The Carolina Panthers have a lot more than Cam Newton’s wardrobe to be concerned about. In a Sunday night gut-check game, the Panthers hurled all over themselves in a loss to Seattle and will play out the string trying to avoid a last place finish in the NFC South, just one season after producing 15 regular season victories and a Super Bowl appearance. The San Diego Chargers aren’t going anywhere either, so we’ll see which team shows up in this Week 14 contest.... 

Both teams are fighting for their playoff life, which makes the Week 14 inter-conference matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins a riveting game with the loser likely eliminated from contention. The Cards are still alive in the NFC while the Fins chances took a hit when their six-game winning streak came to an end. The two are currently on the outside looking in and need some help along the way to qualify, but first and foremost, they need to win their own games.... 

The Tennessee Titans have already surpassed their win total from the previous two seasons combined and now they find themselves tied for the top spot in the AFC South. It’s been quite the renaissance for Tennessee, which has the benefit of playing in the worst division in the NFL. The Titans can quiet those nay-sayers who claim they don’t deserve to be a playoff team by collecting a victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos when the clubs collide in a Week 14 contest.... 

The Cleveland Browns didn’t lose last week so that has to be a positive in a season that has had very few. Of course, they didn’t win either and they are running out of opportunities to get that elusive first win of the season with the odds now in favor of them becoming the second team in NFL history to go 0-16. The Cincinnati Bengals are all but out of the playoff picture, but they don’t want to become “that” team when the clubs hookup in Week 14.... 

The Detroit Lions find themselves in a good spot heading into the final quarter of the regular season, but a flop against the Chicago Bears in their Week 14 matchup could make things interesting. Detroit has a two-game lead in the NFC North and is looking to secure its first division title since 1993. However, with some difficult contests ahead, the Lions better not overlook the Bears, a team that knocked them off back in Week 4.... 

Change she's coming for sure in the NFL. We haven't had a division leader change across the league in a few weeks, but we're at the point that we can officially start to see some madness taking place. Several teams that have been in front of their divisions have tricky matchups ahead that could either solidify said lead or blow it completely. The Week 14 odds are going to end up being bizarrely contested, and there are sure to be some thrills for bettors along the way....