NFL Week 14 winners, losers: 49ers had a big Sunday, Texans still maddeningly inconsistent

Lorenzo Reyes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption NFL Week 14 overreactions: 49ers class of NFC, Patriots not in AFC SportsPulse: We have entered the final quarter of the NFL season and the games just get bigger and bigger. Lorenzo Reyes breaks down all the biggest storylines from Week 14.

There are now just three games left for each NFL team to make its case for the playoffs. And one week after the New Orleans Saints became the first squad to clinch a berth, two more joined them: the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs.

That means there are nine slots left, though most of the teams that will be playing in January are already in position. Still, Week 14 had games with some massive implications, and it was the road teams that did well. The Chiefs toppled the Patriots, becoming the first team to beat New England in Foxborough in 22 tries. The Ravens tightened their hold on the AFC’s top seed with a gritty victory in Buffalo. And the 49ers took down the Saints in what was maybe an NFC Championship Game preview and the game of the year.

WINNERS

San Francisco 49ers

They entered Sunday as the fifth seed in the NFC, though they were in a three-way tie atop the conference with a 10-2 record with the Saints and the Seahawks. After a thrilling, back-and-forth 48-46 victory against New Orleans, though, and after a 28-12 Seahawks loss to the Rams, the Niners ended the day in the No. 1 seed. San Francisco’s stingy defense did allow Drew Brees and the Saints to rack up 465 total yards of offense and convert all four of their red zone trips. But its offense excelled in the Superdome and earned 516 yards of offense, including 354 passing yards from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Now, the 49ers are in the driver’s seat. The game to watch, however, is a Week 17 showdown in Seattle that could determine the NFC West – and home-field advantage.

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Greg Roman

Bolstering his case for NFL assistant coach of the year, Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman helped lead the team to a tough road victory against the nine-win Bills, 24-17. Baltimore improved to 11-2 and now has a one-game cushion in the AFC for the No. 1 seed. It’s tied for the best record in the NFL with the 49ers. And the offense Roman has installed this season continues to be too diverse and too difficult to stop. Roman has quarterback Lamar Jackson as the leader for NFL MVP thanks to a scheme that has melded a spread passing attack with a misdirection, power rushing game. And that might be enough to carry Baltimore for a Super Bowl run.

Mike Vrabel

Mired in mediocrity at midseason, Vrabel, head coach of the Titans, made a switch to Ryan Tannehill at starting quarterback. Since then, Tennessee has won six of its last seven. The latest was a 42-21 drubbing of the Raiders to improve to 8-5 and putting the Titans in a first-place tie in the AFC South with the Texans. After they converted four of their five trips in the red zone against Oakland, they’re now 19 of 22 (86.4 %) inside the 20 since Tannehill took over. Running back Derrick Henry is averaging 7.3 yards per carry over Tennessee’s last three. And with two games left against an up-and-down Houston team, the Titans' momentum might be enough to give them the upper hand on Houston.

John Elway

After so many hits and misses in trying to find the answer at quarterback in post-Peyton Manning Denver, the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations might have finally found his answer in a rookie. Drew Lock has started just two games — both victories — and looked quite impressive in helping take down the Texans, 38-24. Lock was ultra-efficient, completing 22 of 27 passes for 309 yards with three touchdowns against one interception. He now has completed 72.7% of his passes for 443 yards, five scores and two interceptions. He has taken just one sack. There’s still so much left for Lock to do before he can be considered a reliable option, but what has been notable is Lock’s 8.1 yards per attempt average. For context, that would put him at a tie for eighth in the NFL, if he qualified for quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts. As linebacker Von Miller said after the game: “That guy is an (expletive) rock star.”

LOSERS

Seattle Seahawks

Almost the opposite scenario of the 49ers, Seattle entered Sunday as one of the two teams in the NFC that looked poised to retain a first-round bye in the playoffs. Yet after a disappointing 28-12 loss to the Rams in which the Seahawks' offense stalled and the defense looked a step slow, the team tumbled to No. 5 in the NFC playoff picture. Historically, Seattle has been a strong team in November and December, and this is a defeat it will need to move on from quickly. The good news for Pete Carroll and Co. is that with the Panthers and the Cardinals coming up, the schedule sets up favorably before the season finale against San Francisco.

Jerome Boger’s officiating crew

Again, NFL officials became part of the story in Week 14. During a key stretch early in the fourth quarter of the 23-16 Chiefs victory over the Patriots, referee Jerome Boger’s crew twice wiped off what almost certainly would’ve been touchdowns for the Patriots. During the second one, receiver N’Keal Harry was ruled to have stepped out of bounds, though replays showed he never did. New England had to settle for a field goal.

N’Keal Harry was ruled out of bounds here 🤔🕵️‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/cJllNhGXRM — FG 🏈 (@ForeverGridiron) December 9, 2019

But the first, before that drive started, was arguably worse. Officials have been told to swallow the whistle on questionable turnovers where a scoop and score is on the line, since every turnover is automatically reviewed. But a fumble by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was called and Kelce being down by contact, forcing Patriots coach Bill Belichick to use his final challenge — the one he needed to overturn the Harry mistake — to acquire possession, despite cornerback Stephon Gilmore having picked up the ball with momentum and a clear path to the end zone. Boger’s crew also had thrown several flags throughout the game, only to later pick them up. Another late no-call on an apparent pass interference went against the Patriots. New England didn’t lose because of officiating. But officiating certainly made the challenge more daunting for the Pats. All in all, a bad day for this crew.

Houston Texans

This team can be maddeningly inconsistent. One week after Houston’s biggest victory of the season, against the Patriots, the Texans put forth a pathetic effort in an embarrassing 38-24 letdown against a Broncos team that had entered Sunday with just four victories. One week after making Tom Brady look average, Houston made Broncos rookie passer Drew Lock look legendary. Lock completed six of his first eight passes. Four of them went for 25 yards or more and one was a score. He started the game 9 of 11 for 173 yards and two touchdowns, racing out to a 21-0 lead. Making matters worse, it was Denver safety Kareem Jackson, whom the team declined to extend an offer to after he had been a dependable starter for nine seasons in Houston, who helped complete the blowout. Jackson leveled receiver DeAndre Hopkins, had an interception and had a fumble return for a touchdown that was 77 yards, off a lateral.

Kareem Jackson is having a big game against his former team. Scored a touchdown and he's creating dropped passes with some big hits.pic.twitter.com/wOhfMTxHTu — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 8, 2019

Perry Fewell and the Panthers

In Carolina’s first game since the team fired former longtime coach Ron Rivera, it wasn’t much better with interim Perry Fewell. The Panthers dropped their fifth straight game in a 40-20 loss to the Falcons, fell to 5-8, and were officially eliminated from playoff contention. During the five-game skid, Carolina has committed 13 turnovers and has forced just one. Cornerback Donte Jackson ripped the coaching staff for two “horrible” play calls on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s two touchdown passes. With each passing week, quarterback Kyle Allen looks less and less like a long-term solution. Cam Newton is sidelined for the season and in a contract that the team can get out of fairly easily with no remaining guaranteed money. It will be a busy offseason in Charlotte, and transition could be a constant.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.

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