NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Cowboys & Seahawks Make Jump

No. 3 New England Patriots

No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs

The Patriots notched an impressive win over the Vikings in Week 13. Tom Brady threw for 311 yards against a difficult Vikings defense. After the game, Brady was peppered with questions about finally rushing for more than 1,000 yards over his career.

"It's just playing a lot of football," Brady explained to ESPN. "And obviously, I'm not a scrambler. But hopefully I can make a couple plays. Running for it, made a good third down on that one, and I just give a lot of credit to the offensive line. They blocked their tails off today against a good front. And I don't want to make too much of a 4- or 5-yard gain. That wasn't really a difference in the game."

New England faces the Dolphins this week before squaring off with the Steelers in a matchup that will likely have a major impact on the AFC playoff seeding. Heading into Week 14, the Patriots have a bye, but they are tied with a surging Texans team.

Any additional losses put the Patriots in danger of having to play in the Wild Card round.

---

Kareem Hunt's Saga Overshadows Chiefs Reaching Double-Digit Wins

While the conversation this week likely would have centered around the Chiefs reaching double-digit victories, things took a detour after a domestic violence video featuring Kareem Hunt surfaced. Kansas City quickly parted ways with the star running back after noting he was not forthcoming about the incident when the team asked him about it.

After the game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid noted the team had made their decision and are moving on.

"We made the decision that we made,” Reid explained to Sports Illustrated. “We put out a statement to explain the situation. As we’ve done in the past, when things come up that’s where we go. We handle it within and we handle it with the person that it affects. We’ve done all of those things.”

Patrick Mahomes noted he had talked to Hunt but opted to keep the conversations private.

"I've talked to him, but I'll keep it between me and him," Mahomes said per Sports Illustrated. "I saw the stuff that happened. We don't do those things."

The running game did struggle without Hunt. Spencer Ware got the majority of touches but only averaged 3.4 yards per carry for a total of 47 yards. It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs are able to adjust to losing one of their most productive offensive players.

The Chiefs host the Ravens in Week 14 in a matchup featuring two potential playoff teams.

0 Comments