Matchday 14: NFL Winners & Losers | Andy Reid Under Fire

By Mike Bootshagen

The 14th matchday in the best football league in the world was once again tough.

The focus was on some quarterbacks and coaches who are also playing for their future towards the final phase of the regular season.

To name just a few examples.

Who are the winners and losers? ran introduces her.

Winner: Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers)

As we all know, revenge tastes best. Even if the head coach of the Green Bay Packers didn’t want to express it that way. The Chicago Bears, who were demoted from the best NFC team to seventh place in the conference, were beaten 28:21. The Packers end the run of five straight Bears wins. LaFleur’s cherry on the cake: the win against Bears coach Ben Johnson.

At his inaugural conference in January, he announced that as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, he had really enjoyed winning both games against the Packers. The boomerang came. This means the Packers win another important game in the division and the changes in the way they play continue to bear fruit. LaFleur is playing more courageously offensively and letting quarterback Jordan Love off the leash.

It pays off. Now it’s – once again – about consistency.

Winner: Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)

Of course, the Bills quarterback benefited from two interceptions by his counterpart. Joe Burrow played well but risked too much in the end. So Josh Allen had the chance to be Superman again. And that was him. Thanks to 21 points in the last quarter, the Buffalo Bills won 39:34 against the Cincinnati Bengals and would currently be a playoff team.

The way Allen sometimes scrambled for his life to then score a 40-yard touchdown is nothing other than world class. The 29-year-old seems to be on this list every week. Either on one side or the other, as the team’s success depends on his performance. A shaky structure.

Gewinner: Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints)

Okay, I guess we have to apologize! This was not an easy opponent. And that was a strong game. After many doubts, this was a strong argument for the Saints future. The rookie led his team to a 23:20 victory over division rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Although he didn’t record a touchdown pass or an interception, Shough powered his team to victory with two TD runs and an insane 13-yard scramble, especially on the ground. Despite the pressure, the 26-year-old remained calm and had few passing points due to many injury problems. Nevertheless, he beats the Bucs, the top team in the division. Strong!

Winner: JJ McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)

The right opponent at the right time. 31:0. A statement. After weak weeks, the Minnesota Vikings are back against pale and injury-hit Washington Commanders. “Nine” McCarthy needed exactly this game and this calm.

Three TD passes, just 2.56 seconds per throw – McCarthy was in the tunnel! Now come the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. He has to keep the momentum going for the Vikings. If he wants an NFL future.

Winner: Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins)

With the 34:10 win over the New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins (like the Chiefs!) are 6-7 and are somehow still in the playoff race. Head coach Mike McDaniel, who for some should have been fired long ago, played a key role in the four-game winning streak.

There were some adjustments on offense. The running game is in the foreground. Less pressure on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. This also makes the defense appear more grippy. HC McDaniel could still save his job.

Loser: Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts)

Self-explanatory. Just before the end of the first quarter of the NFL game in Jacksonville, Daniel Jones ran into the pocket to throw a pass with 7:14 remaining. Without any outside influence, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback’s right leg buckled. The 28-year-old remained on the ground and immediately realized that he had sustained serious injuries. He tore his Achilles tendon. Season off.

As insider Ian Rapoport reports, the Colts are currently testing the fitness of Philip Rivers. The longtime Chargers quarterback played one year for the franchise before retiring. Now he could be the backup to rookie Riley Leonard, who has to fill in for the injured Jones. But Leonard is suffering from knee problems.

The Colts have lost three games in a row and could even miss the playoffs. Bitter.

Loser: Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)

In a festival of bad decisions, the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Philadelphia Eagles after overtime (22:19).

The tragic figure: Jalen Hurts. Not only did the Eagles quarterback throw four interceptions – during one interception the Chargers fumbled the ball, Hurts picked it up and then lost it again. When the team needed Hurts the most, his nerves gave out and he threw the game away. 240 passing yards without a TD and a pass accuracy of just 50 percent tell the rest.

The Eagles lose their third game in a row and fall to 8-5. Hurts is under more criticism than ever.

Loser: Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)

The Kansas City Chiefs lose their first game of the season by more than one score. The final score is 10:20 against one of the best defenses in the league: the Houston Texans. Patrick Mahomes had three interceptions and was completely let down by his teammates.

No matter whether from his offensive line or from tight end Travis Kelce. Playcalling also needs to be questioned when you lose so many close games and make one of the best QBs in history look like that. But that also goes hand in hand with the work of general manager Brett Veach.

Reid and Veach created a dynasty with their sensational performances. And they are tearing these down right now. The Chiefs are no longer the Chiefs. Also because of their leadership.

Loser: Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)

We don’t believe in the theory that the head coach wants to sabotage Shedeur Sanders’ career and that’s why he so often overlooks or leaves him out. Why would he do that and risk his own job by not letting the seemingly better QB play?

But the decisions in the game against the Tennessee Titans added fuel to the fire of these conspiracy theorists. Sanders made typical rookie mistakes, but in the latter part of the game put his team back in position to win. Three TD passes and one TD run speak for a strong performance. And at the all-important moment for a two-point conversion, Stefanski takes out his QB. And tries a wildcat play without a real QB. Things go wrong. The Browns lose to the weakest team in the league to date.

Another argument to think about filling the HC position. At some point it’s enough.

Loser: Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders)

Jayden Daniels is coming back from a serious elbow injury, which he only sustained because Quinn let his QB keep playing in a hopeless game. The Commanders’ season was pretty much over anyway and yet Quinn throws his QB back in, who hasn’t fully recovered yet. Of course Daniels wants to play, but as a coach you have to be more far-sighted.

Things cracked again against a notoriously tough Vikings defense. Daniels injured his elbow again. With announcement. To make matters worse, tight end Zach Ertz was also hit. The Commanders are incredibly unlucky with injuries and are finally out of the playoff race after the 32-0 defeat.

But Quinn also controls the team too willing to take risks. Instead of a championship game, the Commanders are 3-10.