Rodgers keeps his hopes alive but end of the line for the Chiefs? The best of NFL Week 14

Every game counts from here on out, with huge results in NFL Week 14 potentially settling the play-off spots at the end of the season.

Aaron Rodgers, 42, dealt a major blow to Lamar Jackson’s play-off hopes, while Josh Allen all but ended Joe Burrow’s.

Houston’s defense is the NFL’s biggest problem and they may have ended the Kansas City Chiefs’ season earlier than ever with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, while the Packers and Bears played one of the best games in their long rivalry.

Here’s what caught the eye in Week 14.

The breakdown: Divisional decision-makers live up to the hype

The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears will face off again in two weeks (Getty Images)

Three huge division battles did not disappoint – with Aaron Rodgers, fractured wrist and all, leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 27-22 victory in Baltimore to outright lead the AFC North.

The veteran Rodgers scored his first rushing touchdown in nearly three years, but it was his deep throws to DK Metcalf that made all the difference – three of them alone totaled 121 yards.

Lamar Jackson was off-balance as the Ravens missed opportunities – even though they were furious about a late touchdown being overturned. The two teams meet on the last day of the season.

The NFL’s oldest rivals met for the 211th time and it was classic as Jordan Love threw touchdown bombs, but a depleted Packers defense had to thwart another fourth-quarter comeback from Chicago’s Caleb Williams on a frigid Lambeau Field.

Green Bay takes a slight lead in the NFC North while the Bears have fallen from first place in the NFC to seventh despite some really positive aspects of their play.

Williams was elusive and made some great improvised plays down the stretch, and they dominated possession, but allowing big plays cost them. This is something to work on for the quick rematch in a fortnight.

And in the final division-clinching game, things went from bad to worse for the Colts, who not only lost their 11th straight visit to Jacksonville, but also lost Daniel Jones with a suspected torn Achilles tendon.

Jones had led a high-flying Colts offense that got off to a 7-1 start – but they are now 8-5 after losing to the Jags, out of the play-offs and with the four games remaining against teams currently occupying postseason spots.

Analysis: Where did things go wrong for the Chiefs?

NFL stats give the Chiefs a 15% chance of making the play-offs, but in all likelihood, this will be a first missed playoff run for Patrick Mahomes – and the first for the Chiefs in a decade.

In Mahomes’ seven full seasons, he reached seven AFC Championship Games and five Super Bowls – so incredibly that the team played in all but two possible games during his tenure.

Kansas City has a great defense, the reasons for failure are clear and were summed up wonderfully in Sunday’s loss to Houston – first, the already questionable offensive line was missing three starters.

A fourth was then injured in the first play.

Even then, Mahomes gave the Chiefs a chance, but a missed field goal was followed by crucial drops, including on a crucial fourth down with 10 minutes remaining.

Mistakes and missed opportunities will sum up this failed Chiefs season, and in some eyes, it will tarnish Mahomes’ previously nearly flawless legacy.

Focus: Could the Super Bowl be destined for the West?

Los Angeles Rams beat Arizona Cardinals 45-17 — The Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals 45-17 to take the lead in the NFC West (Getty Images)

The AFC’s top-seeded Denver Broncos won the last Super Bowl hosted at Levi’s Stadium in February 2016, while the NFC leaders Los Angeles Rams won at their own SoFi stadium and would like to add one right on the California coast.

They are built very differently to pursue the same goal, as they showed Sunday as sack master Denver, who leads the league with 55, the second most through 13 games in NFL history, took the life out of the Raiders.

They have now won 10 in a row, the last five by a total of 17 points, the second lowest total in such a streak in history. They dominated possession with three scoring drives of at least 14 plays and about nine minutes or more.

Matthew Stafford’s Rams, meanwhile, showed they could hit from anywhere by throwing for two touchdowns in one play and going 92 yards in 90 seconds for another.

In addition to Puka Nacua’s receiving excellence, the Rams now have a two-headed monster in a running game with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combining into what can be an offensive juggernaut.

The Rams have a defense there, make no mistake about it, but this offense will grab headlines if they try to win another Lombardi Trophy – whether they can handle a defense like Denver’s would be a fascinating watch.

Discussion topic: Will Travis Kelce quit?

Amid the fallout from the Chiefs’ loss, Mahomes’ quotes about Travis Kelce sparked more discussion about whether one of the best tight ends in history could retire at the end of this season.

Hearing Mahomes say “every season I’ve had with him over the last few years, I try to cherish it because you never know” certainly seemed like he was preparing for the 36-year-old to call it a day.

“He’ll have the opportunity to do whatever he wants after this season,” Mahomes added, and if the season ends prematurely for him, then with a lot of other things in his life, it could be that of the three-time Super Bowl winner.

Preview – Bills v Pats highlights Week 15

Josh Allen made history with three touchdown passes and a rushing score in the Buffalo snow (Getty Images)

Josh Allen did it all again for the Buffalo Bills in beating the Cincinnati Bengals in the snow – throwing three touchdowns and scoring another.

With 22 passing and 12 rushing passes, Allen has accounted for 34 of Buffalo’s 44 touchdowns this season – and is the first player in NFL history with 3,000 passing yards, 20 touchdown passes and 10 rushing touchdowns in three consecutive seasons.

He puts the Bills back on his shoulders as they try to chase down the New England Patriots in the AFC East. Oh, and look who they’re playing next? Yes, the Patriots on Sunday.

Big games of week 15

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Detroit Lions @ Los Angeles Rams
Green Bay Packers @ Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

We’ll have live text commentary on all of these matches on the BBC Sport website and app on Sunday from 5:30 p.m. GMT.

Week 14 Stats, Records and Game Notes

Seattle Seahawks entered tied at 6-6 against Atlanta at halftime, but Rashid Shaheed returned a kickoff for a 100-yard score and the longest play of the season to start a scoring blitz.

Jaxson Smith-Njigba scored twice and remains on track for first-ever 2,000-yard receiving season, while second-year head coach Mike McDonald won his 13th road game in charge of the club – only George Seifert (16) did more in the first two seasons of his career.

Myles Garrett recorded his 20th sack of the season and is just three away from breaking the single-season record. Cleveland still managed to lose the game to the Titans by one win after a mix-up on the final play for a two-point conversion.

Northern Ireland Charlie Smith helped the Saints topple the Buccaneers in a soggy Tampa, with the hosts dropping a fourth of five to fall level with the Panthers at the top of the NFC South. The Bucs and Panthers play twice in the last four weeks.

A week after being cleared in Seattle, the Minnesota Vikings kept a clean sheet against the struggling Washington Commanders – with JJ McCarthy achieving a welcome game-high three touchdowns.

Jayden Daniels returns for the Commanders but left the game after injuring the same elbow that kept him out recently. Washington has now lost eight games in a row.