2021 NFL: Week 14

For the second time this season, the Steelers came oh so close to pulling off an improbable comeback but once again fell just short. With Pittsburgh down by 8 and three seconds remaining, Ben Roethlisberger’s pass to Pat Freiermuth in the end zone was broken up as time expired, saving a 36-28 Vikings victory.

And after the game, Big Ben spoke to reporters.

“We’re running out of time,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t look at moral victories.”

Time is indeed running out, in more ways than one. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that Roethlisberger has told some teammates and members of the Steelers organization that he intends to retire after the season. So, if he’s planning on a last postseason hurrah, every game counts as his team is currently outside the playoff bubble. And Thursday’s night’s loss dropped Pittsburgh to 6-6-1.

And this is what Big Ben has to face over the season’s final four weeks: Tennessee, Kansas City, Cleveland and Baltimore. Three of those four teams are leading their divisions and the Browns are just a shade behind the Steelers in the playoff race.

Time could also be running out on head coach Mike Tomlin. No, I don’t mean that he’s on the hot seat. That would be ridiculous. He’s not going anywhere. However, he’s never had a losing season in Pittsburgh. And judging by what the Black and Gold have on their schedule going forward, Tomlin’s streak is in a precarious position.

And judging by his postgame comments, he’s not impressed with what he saw from his squad on Thursday night, despite the rally after falling behind 29-0.

“We were JV again tonight, and I’m talking up front on both sides,” Tomlin said.

Far be it from me to doubt Tomlin and the Steelers’ ability to find a way to get it together down the stretch. We’ve seen them do it before. But this season feels different. That was evident in Pittsburgh’s putrid first-half performance against the Vikings.

And for a future Hall of Fame quarterback, it would be a shame to see Roethlisberger’s career finish with a whimper, even though that has happened to better players than him. It would also be a shame to see Tomlin’s improbable run of success snapped.

But hey, that’s life, right? All good things must end.

NFL’S TOP 10

1. Cardinals – Things were already going well for them. Now they’ve got Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins back in the lineup and both looked like they didn’t lose a step while out with injuries. If they can take care of business this week against the Rams, they’ll have the division in hand and can take aim at being the NFC’s top seed in the postseason.

2. Buccaneers – Two offensive linemen are listed as questionable to play this week, including center Ryan Jensen, who suffered an ankle injury. But as long as Tom Brady (future MVP?) is back there taking snaps, Tampa should be just fine.

3. Packers – They have a comfortable division lead and are coming off a bye week. Even though Green Bay is 0-2 off byes under Matt LaFleur, they’re playing the Bears on Sunday night at Lambeau Field. Barring something unforeseen, they should get that first win.

4. Patriots – New England is No. 1 in the league in points allowed and are in the top five against the pass. Also, they just won a game where they threw only three passes. Call it recency bias, but this has to be the best coaching job that Bill Belichick has ever done. He should take home some personal hardware when the season is over.

5. Chiefs – I said it last week: Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo must have found that special sauce to use in his gameplans, because his unit has pulled a 180 from their early season incompetence. The Chiefs have won five of their last six games and have done it with Pat Mahomes not playing particularly well. Unreal.

6. Cowboys – They got a big win last week and looked strong on defense, albeit against a Saints team that has turned south. My only big worry is their running game is still suspect as there’s something clearly wrong with Ezekiel Elliott. It might be time to let Tony Pollard carry the workload until Zeke can either recover or snap out of his funk.

7. Ravens – Last week’s loss hurt. People wanted to blast head coach John Harbaugh for trying for a two-point conversion with seconds left in the game instead of kicking the extra point and settling for overtime, but I’m not one of them. The Ravens were on the road and that’s what you do, especially when injuries in the secondary kept piling up. It just didn’t work out. However, despite all of Baltimore’s issues, I still have confidence that Harbaugh’s squad will win this division.

8. Rams – That win over the Jaguars was just what they needed to wash the unpleasant taste from the previous three weeks of failure out of their mouths. What’s even more encouraging is that they ran the ball with authority with Sony Michel doing most of the heavy lifting. Now they face another game on national television against a solid opponent. Can they finally put a good foot forward?

9. Titans – You never know what to expect from this team week to week. But they’re coming off a bye and have Jacksonville on Sunday. A good thumping is just what Tennessee needs to start its stretch run on the right track.

10. Chargers – Another case of recency bias as I was impressed with how they handled themselves on the road against Cincinnati. The AFC playoff race is crowded, but they’re in the bubble at the moment and have a remaining schedule that won’t be the most difficult to navigate. We just might get two L.A. teams in the playoffs this year.

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

They might just do it: As I told my colleague Chris Stoner on this week’s podcast, the Dolphins have been on quite the run. Remember, they were 1-7 just a few weeks ago. Since then, they’ve rattled off five straight wins and amazingly, have a shot at the playoffs. And their next two opponents are the 3-9 Jets and the 5-7 Saints. When they take on the Titans in Week 17, they could be above .500. As Chris pointed out, that’s a testament to this team refusing to pack it in after a terrible start. And it also points to how head coach Brian Flores, who had his coaching acumen questioned, has managed to keep his team from falling apart.

That can’t happen: Steelers receiver Chase Claypool did something on Thursday night that almost made me throw something at the TV. With Pittsburgh trying to score a touchdown and possibly tie the game with a two-point conversion, Claypool made a catch on fourth down that extended the drive with 38 seconds in the game. The Steelers had no timeouts left. The obvious thing to do is immediately hand the ball to the ref and rush to get lined up, right? Instead, Claypool celebrated the first down and a teammate had to run over and try to grab the ball out of his hands. Of course, the ball tumbled to the ground and by the time the bumbling and confusion was over, 14 more seconds had ticked off the clock before the Steelers spiked it. My only reaction to this is: What a dope.

Just keep quiet: The Cowboys go on the road to face Washington on Sunday. And there’s reason to believe the Football Team has a great chance at a win. They’ve won four in a row, their running game has been solid, Taylor Heinecke is playing great and their defense has finally showed up. But just in case I didn’t feel great about Washington’s chances, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy sealed it by saying “we’re going to win the game.” Ugh, coach … why? I’ve stuck up for you over the years when everyone was having fun at your expense. Why talk nonsense when you’ve got a road game coming up against a division rival?

“He’s now made it about him and what he said, it’s not about his players anymore. So I think that’s a big mistake,” Washington head coach Ron Rivera.

Exactly.

RIP too soon: News broke late Thursday night that former Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas died at 33. It’s too early to know what exactly happened to him, but that doesn’t matter at the moment. It’s sad to see a young man with so much life and potential ahead of him leave us like this. Condolences to his family, friends and other loved ones.

APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 14

Ravens at Browns: Quite the tasty AFC North matchup. Cleveland has been somewhat circling the drain as of late and needs this win in the worst way. Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see how Baker Mayfield responds.

Raiders at Chiefs: It was just a few weeks ago when Kansas City smacked the Silver and Black in the mouth in Las Vegas. Can the Raiders respond with a big road win? They did it last year.

Cowboys at Washington: This has turned into the Mike McCarthy Bowl. And quite frankly, I’m here for it.

49ers at Bengals: Both teams are coming off losses. And both teams are desperately trying to stay in the playoff hunt. Expect a hard-hitting affair.

Bills at Buccaneers: No team has been more disappointing as of late than Buffalo. The Bills have traded wins and losses over the past six weeks. The good news is they lost on Monday night, so they should be due for a victory on Sunday if the pattern holds.

Bears at Packers: Aaron Rodgers and his gimpy toe takes on the team that he owns. I know he owns them because he said that the last time these two squads faced off. Anyone else find Aaron more annoying than usual now?

Rams at Cardinals: Ugh, I can’t look. It’s going to be bad, I can feel it.