Week 14 started off in a manner extremely familiar to the rest of the 2021 NFL season. It was excruciatingly stupid.
The Minnesota Vikings took a 98.5 percent win probability into the second half thanks to a 23-0 lead at halftime, then nearly squandered it all as awful flashbacks to last week’s Lions loss encroached in their rear view. The Pittsburgh Steelers marched 84 yards in the final two-plus minutes in a 36-28 game, only to have a potential game-tying touchdown fall to the turf when Pat Freiermuth couldn’t hold on amidst triple coverage.
The world was saved from a brutal Vikings-ing on Thursday, but there’s still potential for other awful upsets. The Titans’ Derrick Henry-less skid could reach a nadir should they lose to the Jaguars. The Chargers can eliminate the goodwill of their road win against the Bengals by losing to the Jake Fromm-led Giants. Detroit could win two games in a row after winning exactly zero in Weeks 1-12.
None of these outcomes are likely, but neither was Pittsburgh storming back from a three possession deficit with a noodle-armed 39-year-old quarterback. 2021 has been a banner year for NFL parity; only the Texans have been eliminated from the playoff race in mid-December. Will chaos reign again in Week 14, or will normalcy wash over the league’s postseason campaign like a soothing lavender bath?
Let’s talk about it. All odds via Tipico.