When it comes to awards this week, the biggest prize goes to the Carolina Panthers who upset Matthew Stafford and the Rams. The biggest surprise reward goes to the Chicago Bears who keep rolling and this time knock off the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. Next we have the most embarrassing award which hands down goes to my Pittsburgh Steelers.
With a chance to hold sole possession of first place in the AFC North, the Steelers laid a big egg. Not only was their offense pathetic, but the defense was also even worse. As a Steelers fan, this is absolutely the most embarrassing moment in my 53 years of watching them. That said, I posted an 8-8 record last week and my opportunities to do better are dwindling as the season winds down.
There are games on this week’s schedule that have significant implications for the division races. In Baltimore, the lead in the AFC North division is at stake. The Jacksonville Jaguars, currently first, are playing a huge game with the Indianapolis Colts. The Bears and Packers will battle for first place in the NFC North.
Then there are teams flirting with first place and need wins to keep up. These would be the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans, as well as the Philadelphia Eagles. Week 14 will feel like a playoff weekend.
Week 13: knee reflexes
Packers 31 Lions 24: (Harv scores Lions 24-20). The Lions blow their chance to win the division again and are now two full games behind the Bears. Green Bay is suspect because you never know what to expect.
Cowboys 31 Chiefs 28: (Harv Cowboys score 31-21). Was this the beginning of the end for the defending AFC champion Chiefs? The division title is likely out of reach now with Denver at 10-2, so the wild card could be their only chance to return to the postseason. Dallas is getting closer to the lead of the division and is launching into the big dance. If they do, be careful.
Bengals 32 Ravens 14: (Harv Ravens score 30-19). Pittsburgh missed its chance to take over the division, as did Baltimore…at home. Joe Burrow is back but is it too late?
Bears 24 Eagles 15: (Harv Eagles score 27-17). The Eagles, as the defending Super Bowl champions, are on a two-game streak. We now know that Chicago does exist.
Jaguars 25 Titans 3: (Harv Jaguars score 35-13). The Jaguars are now in first place, seemingly out of nowhere. Once the playoffs start, if they get in, that’s when we’ll find out how good they really are. It’s unbelievable that the Titans only have one win and they probably shouldn’t have had it. Are they really going to finish 1-16?
Texans 20 Colts 16: (Harv Colts score 30-21). Many people didn’t believe in Indianapolis and now they’re proving it. Danny Jones’ fast start turns into a slow finish.
Dolphins 21 Saints 17: (Harv score for Dolphins 33-9). The Saints face the Titans for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in Burgh. Miami is starting to get hot with three consecutive victories.
New York Jets 27 Falcons 24: (Harv Jets score 17-14). After a nightmarish start to the season, the Jets suddenly had three victories. The Dirty Birds need to get this season over with and find out what happens to Michael Penix.
Buccaneers 20 Cardinals 17: (Harv Buccaneers score 38-20). The Cardinals thought they could have a winning season and here they are in last place with a 3-9 record. Tampa better look over its shoulders at the dangerous Carolina Panthers.
Panthers 31 Los Angeles Rams 28: (Harv Rams score 31-17). Just when Los Angeles thought it could take over in the NFC West, the Panthers turned things around. Despite all the criticism Bryce Young received early in his career, he is now turning heads.
49ers 26 Browns 8: (Harv Browns score 23-20). First it was the Dillon Gabriel experiment and now it looks like the Shadeur Sanders trial is going to end the same way. San Francisco is keeping pace with the Rams.
Seahawks 26 Vikings 0: (Harv Seahawks score 34-24). A big wow to the Vikings. Exclude? Their season is heading towards puppies. Seattle continues to roll as Sam Darnold gets a small return on the team that didn’t want him and instead chose JJ McCarthy, who played little in 2025.
Los Angeles Chargers 31 Vegas 14: (Harv score for Chargers 45-10). This was a case of a bad team losing to a suspect team, so there’s not much we can say about the quality of the Bolts.
Bills 26 Steelers 7: (Harv’s score. Initially it was the Bills 34-28, then at the last minute it was the Steelers 28-17). I should have stuck to my original score. I really thought the two offensive linemen missing from Buffalo’s starting lineup plus one other would be a plus for the Steelers.
Broncos 27 Commanders 26 OT: (Score of Harv Commanders 24-21). Like the Chicago Bears, this Denver Broncos team is no joke. They don’t play. Washington? It’s over for them.
Patriots 33 New York Giants 15: (Harv Patriots score 37-13). No surprises here. However, no one could have expected Mike Vrable to get his team to perform the way they have. The Giants had a 15-minute moment, then everything went downhill from there.
Pick of the week 14
