15 key questions for NFL Week 14

It’s getting to be crunch time in the NFL, with Week 14 upon us. Some teams basically need to win out to make the playoffs now, so things are getting tense for certain teams. Others are probably in the playoffs either way, but they’re either playing well and want to keep it going or are playing a bit poorly and want to turn it around before it’s too late. Everyone has at least some incentive — even the league’s worst teams.

Here’s a look at 15 key questions that we’ll be keeping in mind during this week’s action.

1. Can Jared Goff avoid the pressure from Khalil Mack and the Bears?

On Sunday night, Jared Goff faces a pass rush comparable to his own team’s, as Khalil Mack leads the Bears against the 11-1 Rams. This will be a genuine test for Goff. Few teams have been able to successfully slow down the Rams’ passing offense, but if the Bears can create a lot of pressure, they might just have what it takes. They’re on the road, too, so this is a particularly dangerous game for the Rams in what is a potential playoff preview.

2. Are the Vikings firmly in must-win territory?

The answer is probably yes. They’d be 6-6-1 if they lose on the road to the Seattle Seahawks, who have been playing well of late and represent a formidable foe. While not impossible, the best Minnesota could do with a loss here would be 8-7-1, which may not end up being good enough for a playoff spot in the NFC. The Vikings have entered must-win territory, essentially, and it’s up to them to respond appropriately.

3. Does Lamar Jackson have any chance of keeping up with the Chiefs?

Lamar Jackson is 3-0 as Baltimore’s starter and has done a fairly steady job under center, but going up against the Kansas City Chiefs represents a very different challenge. As good as Baltimore’s defense is, they may well struggle a bit against the high-powered Kansas City offense. Jackson may be over his head if asked to pass the Ravens back into the contest. They have to find a way to keep this game close, be it by forcing turnovers or Jackson playing what would be the game of his career to date.

4. Can the Eagles show some of their Super Bowl mettle in a must-win game?

The Eagles’ struggles to this point have left them in a very tough spot. They’re on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, with just one home loss all season, in a game that is huge to their playoff hopes. The Eagles are in good shape with a win, but a loss to the Cowboys would leave them in real trouble. This is a team that overcame its fair share of adversity to win the Super Bowl last year, and it’s vital that they rediscover that toughness in what is essentially a must-win for them.

5. Could Cleveland deal a potentially fatal blow to Carolina’s playoff hopes?

This is the rare game that feels like the four-win team could justifiably be a favorite over the six-win one. The Browns are at home and have performed well on offense lately. The Panthers, on the other hand, appear to be in freefall with questions about their ability and Cam Newton’s health dogging them. A Browns win would drop Carolina to 6-7 and all but knock them out of the playoff picture, so this is a hugely dangerous game.

6. Will the Raiders be just what the stumbling Steelers need?

It’s been a forgettable two weeks for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went from potential AFC bye to a real fight for the division after two straight losses. A road game may not be ideal for them, but on the bright side, they couldn’t ask for many better opponents than the Oakland Raiders, who shouldn’t pose much of a challenge if the Steelers play to their potential. If this can’t stop the slide, worries are going to reach a new high in Pittsburgh.

7. Do the injury-riddled Redskins have any shot of crawling to the finish line successfully?

The Redskins are down to Mark Sanchez at quarterback after a pair of devastating injuries to the two players ahead of him on the depth chart, which is probably the end of their playoff hopes. That said, they’re still at home to a beatable New York Giants team, though this is nowhere near the slam dunk it probably could have been. If Sanchez can come up with a competent game, they absolutely have a chance, though that’s a significant “if.”

8. Have the Colts blown it?

There are a lot of reasons last week’s 6-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars was so devastating for the Colts’ playoff hopes. The score was only 6-0, so they were very close to winning, and it was against a team that hasn’t performed like that at really any other point since Week 4. Now they’re on the road against the red-hot Houston Texans, and their margin for error is completely gone. That means they have to bring their best against one of the hottest teams in the entire league right now.

9. Can the Saints get back on track?

It’s been over a week since the Saints’ stunningly inept offensive performance against the Dallas Cowboys, so they’ve had plenty of time to evaluate what went wrong and stew on it. The good news is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are defensively vulnerable, so as long as those problems aren’t terminal, they should pretty easily be able to get back on track. The offense is worth watching to see if they come storming out of the gates or struggle some more; the latter could be a sign of confidence that is still trying to repair itself.

10. Can Denver take advantage of a soft schedule to remain in the AFC playoff race?

At 6-6, the Broncos don’t have the obvious profile of a playoff team, but it’s worth remembering that their next three games are against the 49ers, Browns, and Raiders, all of whom are theoretically beatable. That would put the Broncos at 9-6 ahead of a season-ending matchup with the Chargers. San Francisco is up first, and Denver must take care of business. The end of their season bears watching if they do.

11. How will the Packers respond after a tumultuous week?

The Packers were so bad last week against the Arizona Cardinals that coach Mike McCarthy paid for it with his job. Joe Philbin is in charge now, but the question is how Green Bay will respond to levels off off-field distraction that they’re not very used to. They actually have a chance, as the Atlanta Falcons are also in a messy situation, albeit not to Green Bay’s point. Any hopes of a late-season renaissance are probably over here, so it remains to be seen what their response will be.

12. Does the Cincinnati defense have any fight left?

The Bengals’ defensive resistance has been pretty much non-existent, and a Los Angeles Chargers team that’s clicking on all cylinders is probably not what they need to see right now. Marvin Lewis’ future is murky, especially as the Cincinnati defense continues to be overwhelmed in a stretch of six losses in seven games. At this point, it would probably come as a surprise if they find much success in this one.

13. Could home field be what the Dolphins need to pull off a surprise?

Perhaps surprisingly, the Dolphins are 5-1 at home, accounting for all but one of their victories this season. Of course, they haven’t played the New England Patriots there, but that changes Sunday. The playoffs are probably a bridge too far for Miami at this point, but they’ll be motivated to trip up the Patriots on Sunday. That home success could bolster their confidence heading into the contest.

14. Can Sam Darnold end his up-and-down rookie season on a high note?

Darnold returns to the starting role this weekend against the Buffalo Bills, his first action in about a month. He had been regressing prior to that foot injury, so this is actually an instance where the injury could inadvertently help him hit the reset button and perform a bit more like he did earlier in the season. The Bills aren’t awful defensively, but Darnold will want to go into his first full NFL offseason with a good taste in his mouth, and that starts here.

15. Do the Cardinals actually have some momentum?

Nobody really saw Arizona going into Green Bay and getting a road win, but that’s exactly what happened to them last week. Now they play at home against the Detroit Lions, another struggling group, and it’s not outside of the realm of possibility that they find a way to win this one, too. The Cardinals don’t have much to play for, but rookie quarterback Josh Rosen’s improvement is a nice incentive, and they have a real chance here to win a couple games in a row and feel good about themselves.