NFL Week 14 betting action couldn't have gone a heck of a lot better for a lot of teams, whereas there were others that suffered through some brutal nightmares that won't easily be forgotten.
The mass majority of the jubilation and the sadness occurred in the AFC. The Houston Texans were clearly the most excited team on Sunday. Down nine points with less than half the fourth quarter to play, rookie QB TJ Yates led his team on two scoring drives, the second of which was capped by a six-yard touchdown pass to WR Kevin Walter with just two seconds left to beat the Cincinnati Bengals. It was the game that ensured Houston's bid to the playoffs for the first time in team history, but at the same time, it dealt a crippling blow to the Bengals. Not only were they knocked out of the playoffs for the time being, but they also drew just over 41,000 fans to the game, the second worst home crowd in the history of Paul Brown Stadium.
Meanwhile, in a game running at the exact same time, the Tennessee Titans suffered all of the pain in the world. Some of it was literal; RB Javon Ringer injured his hand in the game, and he'll miss the rest of the season, while QB Matt Hasselbeck had to spend the majority of the second half on a training table after pulling a calf muscle. Still, the Titans were in a position with just a few minutes left in the game where they could have beaten the New Orleans Saints and made it to 8-5 on the season, and at least at that point, they could have pulled within a game of the Texans as well since they were losing.
However, in a span of literally less than 10 minutes, the Titans went from hoping to be a game back to being eliminated from the division title race. QB Jake Locker's comeback attempt came up a few yards shy, as he was sacked on the final play of the game inside the Saints' 10-yard line.
Losses by Cincinnati, Tennessee, and the Oakland Raiders left the door wide open for two more teams to have the ultimate pick-me-up. The New York Jets trounced the Kansas City Chiefs to become the only team in the chase for the last AFC Wild Card slot to win on Sunday, and the Denver Broncos, behind some more magic by QB Tim Tebow, knocked off the Chicago Bears.
It was a brutal day for Chicago. Not only did it win, but the Detroit Lions fended off a challenge from the Minnesota Vikings, and the Atlanta Falcons completed a huge comeback to beat the Carolina Panthers. Now, the Bears, who have been firmly entrenched in the Wild Card chase for the majority of the season, find themselves on the outside looking in, and with no semblance of an offense to pick the team up.
Of course, all of those losses left the door open for the San Diego Chargers to barge back into the playoff chase. They crushed the Buffalo Bills in a de facto elimination game on Sunday to stay two back of both the final Wild Card slot and the AFC West lead with three to play.
In the NFC, the win for the Saints put a ton of pressure on the rest of the teams atop the NFC. The Green Bay Packers, as expected, had absolutely no troubles putting away the Raiders in a game that was essentially over before it started to move to 13-0. However, the San Francisco 49ers couldn't get the job done on the road, losing to the red hot Arizona Cardinals 21-19. The Niners still haven't allowed a rushing touchdown this year, and they are still in control of their own destiny for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but their lead has evaporated, and there is no more margin for error with New Orleans on level terms with them at 10-3.
The NFC East now knows that it is going to be fielding the No. 4 seed in the NFC. The New York Giants came back from 12 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington on Sunday Night Football to move both teams to 7-6. It ended a four-game skid for the G-Men, and it sent Dallas reeling to its second straight horrible loss in a game in which it was favored by a comfortable margin.
That also kept the Philadelphia Eagles at least remotely alive for the playoffs, as they killed the Miami Dolphins to get within two games of the NFC East lead with three to play.
In other notable action, the Jacksonville Jaguars scored 28 points in the second quarter after not scoring more than 20 points in an entire game all season long to propel to a 41-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The loss was marred by seven Tampa Bay turnovers, and it clearly puts Head Coach Raheem Morris in a heck of a lot of trouble.
Underdogs had a great week, going 10-6 ATS in a week in which there were eight games decided by eight points or fewer. Two games ended on a field goal attempt on the final (or the de facto final) play of the game. Dallas was unsuccessful. Denver was. Four other games ended with the team that was trailing inside the 10 yard-line of their opponents with virtually no time on the clock. Houston got the job done (and with its third stringer quarterback, no less), while Minnesota, Tennessee, and Washington all failed.
This was also a week in which more coaches were fired. Tony Sparano's day with the Dolphins were nixed, and Kansas City decided to cut ties with Todd Haley. That makes three coaches that have formally been fired this season (Jack Del Rio), and Norv Turner has already been proclaimed as dead meat at the end of the season.
In the AFC, the Texans would be the top seed in the playoffs if they started today, but none of Houston, New England, Pittsburgh, or Baltimore control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed quite yet since all four are 10-3. The Broncos opened a one-game lead in the AFC West and can essentially clinch a playoff bid next week with a win and some help. The Jets own a one-game lead on the Bengals, Raiders, and Titans for the last playoff spot.
The Packers are going to lock up the top seed in the NFC next week in all likelihood, while the Saints are right on the heels of the Niners now for the No. 2 seed. The Giants took back the NFC East lead via tiebreaker against the Cowboys, who are joined by the Bears a game behind the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons for the two Wild Cards. Seattle and Arizona are still within shouting distance, two games back with three to go.
