Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots are on their bye this week, which means that it is time for rest and relaxation. That said, we will naturally still keep a close eye on the rest of the NFL between Thursday, Sunday and Monday. The playoff picture is still taking shape, after all, and the Patriots would appreciate some help in their quest to win the AFC East and earn the No. 1 seed in the conference.
With that said, let’s go through the list and find out who you should be rooting for in Week 14.
Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1) at Detroit Lions (7-5): Go good game! The game has no meaningful impact on the Patriots and their place in the playoff picture, so nothing stands in the way of a fun Thursday night. | Amazon
Seattle Seahawks (9-3) at Atlanta Falcons (4-8): Go Falcons! In case the strength of schedule tiebreaker comes into play in any way, shape or form — it won’t if the Patriots and Broncos end up fighting for the top seed — than a Falcons win is the preferred outcome here. | FOX
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6) at Baltimore Ravens (6-6): Go Ravens! Both teams are entering Week 14 with identical records, but there are two reasons why the current AFC North leaders get our nod here. A Baltimore win might end up increasing New England’s strength of victory — they visit the Ravens in Week 16 — while also increasing the odds of Pittsburgh missing the playoffs. The sixth-round draft pick the Patriots received from the Steelers via Kyle Dugger would benefit from that. | CBS
Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) at Buffalo Bills (8-4): Go Bengals! This one is easy. A Cincinnati win in Buffalo would make next week’s Patriots vs. Bills meeting a “hat and t-shirt game” for New England, meaning they could wrap up the division by Week 15. | FOX
Indianapolis Colts (8-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4): Go Colts! Losers of three of their last four games, the Colts have begun fading in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. In fact, they are the current No. 6 seed, trailing the Jaguars in their own division. That is precisely why we are rooting for Indianapolis here to keep the most possible distance between the Patriots and another potential competitor for the top spot in the conference. | CBS
Washington Commanders (3-9) at Minnesota Vikings (4-8): Go good game! Two disappointing teams, zero real impact on the Patriots. | FOX
Miami Dolphins (5-7) at New York Jets (3-9): Go Jets! Besides putting a dent in the Dolphins’ slim remaining playoff hopes, a New York win would also move them further away from the top spots in the draft. | CBS
Tennessee Titans (1-11) at Cleveland Browns (3-9): Go Titans! The Patriots beat both those teams already, so this has nothing to do with their playoff outlook and everything with the draft. In...
