A key postseason matchup was already decided on Thursday, but with 14 games on Sunday, the field in the playoff race is primed for plenty of shuffling in Week 14.
NFL scores 2015: Follow all the Week 14 action from Sunday
Several teams were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday. Follow along for all the scores and updates!
With four weeks left to play, the most exciting divisional races are the ones in the NFL's two worst four-team groupings: the NFC East and the AFC South. Five of the eight divisions have a leader with a lead of at least three games, with the tight race between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North serving as the only other exception.
The Packers and Vikings are scheduled to duel in Week 17, so if the race stays even in the next three weeks, it's entirely possible that the division could be decided on the final day of the regular season. But for now, the Packers have a chance to take a one-game lead over Minnesota with a win against the Dallas Cowboys.
But the silliness of the NFC East might be the race most worth watching on Sunday. The New York Giants won't play until Monday night, but wins for Washington and Philadelphia pulled them even at 6-7 for the lead. Washington, however, holds the tiebreaker.
A key game in the AFC South also happened in the early slate of games. The Indianapolis Colts could have grabbed the lead by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Jags crushed the Colts, snapping their 16-game divisional winning streak. With a tough game tonight for the Houston Texans against the New England Patriots, the win gives the Jaguars a chance to climb back into the race and make it a three-way run for the divisional crown.
Rounding out the notable things to watch in the early slate was the Cincinnati Bengals against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Ben Roethlisberger back in action, the Steelers have one of the NFL's most dangerous offenses, but so do the Bengals -- with a healthy Andy Dalton. But Dalton was injured in the first quarter of the game, and the Steelers were in control from there on out, keeping Cincinnati from clinching the AFC North title. Pittsburgh needed the win to stay ahead in the AFC Wild Card race.
After the early group of 11 games kicking off at 1 p.m., there were just two more games before Sunday Night Football. In the first, the Denver Broncos tried to keep a stranglehold on the AFC West. But they fell to the Oakland Raiders and failed to clinch a spot in the postseason. The Raiders gave their wild card hopes a boost with their win.
Similarly, the Dallas Cowboys desperately needed to find wins to stay in the tight NFC East race, but beating the Green Bay Packers was a tall task, and they proved they weren’t up to it when Green Bay got the win.
In the finale of the day, a key AFC matchup between the Patriots and Texans had a big impact on the postseason race. New England faced its first three-game losing streak since 2002, but beat the Texans easily to clinch a playoff spot and jump back into first place in the AFC. The Texans had a chance to assert their grip on the AFC South, but fell back into second place behind the Colts.
Below, we’ve got all of the Week 14 games, with scores updated throughout the day.
Final scores so far for Sunday (all times ET):
Arizona Cardinals 23, Minnesota Vikings 20 (Thursday)
Washington 24, Chicago Bears 21
Pittsburgh Steelers 33, Cincinnati Bengals 20
Cleveland Browns 41, San Francisco 49ers 10
Jacksonville Jaguars 51, Indianapolis Colts 16
New York Jets 30, Tennessee Titans 8
Philadelphia Eagles 23, Buffalo Bills 20
St. Louis Rams 21, Detroit Lions 14
Kansas City Chiefs 10, San Diego Chargers 3
Carolina Panthers 38, Atlanta Falcons 0
Oakland Raiders 15, Denver Broncos, 12
Green Bay Packers 28, Dallas Cowboys 7
New England Patriots 27, Houston Texans 6
Biggest Moments
A.J. Green made AJ McCarron’s first career touchdown look good.
McCarron’s first pick-six, however, wasn’t pretty. But William Gay sure had fun celebrating it, penalty be damned.
Cam Newton can still, somehow, find kids in Carolina he hasn’t given a ball to -- so don’t even try, adults.
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Cam Newton Zone.
Johnny Manziel, stop hitting yourself!
Marcus Mariota had a long touchdown catch -- yes, catch -- for the Titans.
Jags TE Clay Harbor snagged the silliest catch of the day. The Jags also gave up the saddest touchdown of the day.
Every Titans defender except a 305-pound lineman forgot to cover Brandon Marshall. Spoiler alert: Marshall scored.
Newton and the rest of the Panthers are 13-0 after dominating the Falcons and they look like they’re having a blast.
Matt Jones forgot a basic NFL rule, but the Bears were nice enough to not make him pay for it.
The Chargers came within a half-yard of tying the Chiefs late in the game, but then kept moving backward due to dumb mistakes.
Robbie Gould missed yet another crucial field goal attempt. The Bears lost and Gould lost a couple of diehard fans.
It’s unseasonably warm in Wisconsin, but James Jones is still wearing a hoodie under his Packers uniform.
Holy crap, La’el Collins is faster than Darren McFadden.
This cramp from Von Miller was ... well timed.
Another game at Lambeau and another incredible catch that was called back for Dez Bryant.
No one on the Texans could take down LeGarrette Blount.
Major injuries
Andy Dalton injured his right thumb in the first quarter against the Steelers. He was replaced by AJ McCarron and did not return to the game. He’s expected to miss at least one more week.
Bengals TE Tyler Eifert, who missed last week with a neck injury, entered concussion protocol in the first half and did not return.
Rookie RB Thomas Rawls has done an excellent job filling in for Marshawn Lynch, but his season is over after he broke his ankle against the Ravens.
Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor exited soon after Rawls and did not come back in the game due to a tailbone injury.
Vincent Jackson injured the same knee that has limited him throughout the season. He did not return against the Saints.
Greg Olsen injured his left knee before halftime against the Falcons. He did not play in the second half, though the injury does not appear to be serious.
Matt Hasselbeck got beaten up against the Jags and was replaced by Charlie Whitehurst.
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