2:06 Eddie Hearn switches his focus from boxing to NFL to give his Week 14 predictions
Concerns: Injuries at this stage of the season are a concern for any team, but perhaps more so for a Dolphins offense that is not blessed with proven depth at skill positions.
A lacklustre running game, in particular, cannot afford any more personnel losses, with primary options Myles Gaskin and Matt Breida both missing game time along with undrafted rookie Salvon Ahmed. The Dolphins enter Week 14 ranked 26th in rushing offense having surpassed 100 yards on the ground in just six games this year.
They are also met by one of the tougher schedules to finish the season, including matchups with the Chiefs and New England Patriots followed by road games at the Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills.
7:10 The Good Morning Football team take a look at some of the best running plays from Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
Ones to watch: You cannot not mention rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has displayed signs of those slick quarterback mechanics, but is also visibly still finding his feet in the NFL. His poise in the pocket has been increasingly evident, and for that to continue rookie left tackle Austin Jackson will need to be consistent down the stretch.
Xavien Howard has proven himself a ball hawk with a league-best eight interceptions, while wide receiver Davante Parker and tight end Mike Gesicki are crucial targets for their quarterback. Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah has also been a major contributor with eight sacks on the year.
Indianapolis Colts (8-4)
Current AFC seeding: No 7
Remaining games: Colts
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| December 13 | @ Las Vegas Raiders |
| December 20 | vs Houston Texans |
| December 27 | @ Pittsburgh Steelers |
| January 3 | vs Jacksonville Jaguars |
Strengths: Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has reminded the Dallas Cowboys of what they are missing by orchestrating one of the most athletic and, on its day, intelligent units in the NFL. Between some rashness, injuries and mere down weeks, the Colts defense has slipped from No 1 in the league to No 5, but this is still a playoff calibre scheme capable of playoff calibre execution.
The Colts’ success with tight end packages has also become a familiar component to offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni’s system. Jack Doyle, Mo Alie-Cox and Trey Burton are all useful pass-catchers, with the former also a reliable blocking presence at the line of scrimmage.
0:20 Colts quarterback Philip Rivers passed Dan Marino on the all-time pass yards list during their game against the Titans in Week 10
Concerns: A major fear will be defensive regression, with the likes of Darius Leonard having spoken out recently in criticism of the unit’s dip in performance levels. Slow starts are also seeing the Colts give up a fifth-most 15.4 points per game in the first half, and a league-most 27.7 over the past three games.
Injuries on the offensive line are another worry. Starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo is set to miss time after going down with a knee injury against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12, and his replacement LeRaven Clark is out for the year with a torn Achilles suffered against the Houston Texans in Week 13. That could leave the Colts down to third-string Chaz Green, who has just seven career starts since being selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2015 Draft.
Ones to watch: The importance of defensive tackles DeForest Buckner reminded in Week 12 when the Colts gave up 229 total rushing yards to the Derrick Henry-led Titans in his absence. Buckner has been dominant on the interior since arriving from the San Francisco 49ers and, combined with Justin Houston and Darius Leonard, led the way on defense.
Amid a quiet individual season, T.Y. Hilton illustrated his value as a deep threat for Philip Rivers with 191 combined receiver yards and two touchdowns across Weeks 12 and 13 – more than his previous four games combined. The double punch of Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines as multi-purpose backs has also become a vital piece to this offense.
Las Vegas Raiders (7-5)
Current AFC seeding: No 8 (missing playoffs)
Remaining games: Raiders
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| December 13 | vs Indianapolis Colts |
| December 17 | vs Los Angeles Chargers |
| December 26 | vs Miami Dolphins |
| January 3 | @ Denver Broncos |
Strengths: A strength at first glance is that they seem to matchup well with some of the best, having beaten the playoff-bound Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns this season. They were also a better Gregg Williams play-call away from losing to the New York Jets on Sunday, so who knows?
0:40 Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III hauls in a 46-yard game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Derek Carr
On offense the Raiders are ranked third in the league in third down conversion percentage and still sit in the top half with a 15th-ranked 364.8 points per game. They enter Week 14 averaging an 11th-most 26.9 points per game while being ranked 10th in rushing offense. The point being they are steady enough to compete.
Concerns: The biggest concerns have arisen in recent weeks, with star running back Josh Jacobs, who is arguably their most important piece on offense with 782 yards rushing for nine touchdowns in 2020, nursing an ankle sprain suffered in the 43-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. His return date, while expected to be soon, is unconfirmed. Things on the ground have dried up for the Raiders altogether, with just 201 rushing yards across the past three games.
A defense ranked in the bottom half in all departments is also missing cornerback Damon Arnette and safety Johnathan Abram to injuries, has a tied third-worst 15 sacks and is currently allowing a fourth-worst 48.34 per cent third down conversion rate,
0:26 Raiders tight end Darren Waller scores a touchdown in their upset win over the Chiefs earlier in the season
Ones to watch: Jon Gruden’s use of Darren Waller has been inspired, the tight end proving a ridiculous mismatch for most this season on his way to a team-high 77 catches for 742 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. He is Derek Carr’s go-to man, and for good reason.
Uncertainty over Jacobs’ condition means the onus is on Devontae Booker to be productive out the backfield, while second-year Clelin Ferrell’s disruptive performance upon his return from injury against the Jets has raised expectations of him being greater pass-rush support for Maxx Crosby than he was earlier in the campaign.
Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
Current NFC seeding: No 7
Remaining games: Vikings
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| December 13 | @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| December 20 | vs Chicago Bears |
| December 25 | @ New Orleans Saints |
| January 3 | @ Detroit Lions |
Strengths: Dalvin Cook. The fourth-year running back is having a career year with 1,250 yards through 11 games; he is second only to Tennessee’s Derrick Henry (1,317) in leading the league in rushing. His stellar form has, quite rightly, seen him talked up as a potential league MVP contender.
0:38 Dalvin Cook breaks free of the Detroit defense to run in a 70 yard touchdown for the Vikings
This team are also a resilient bunch. Having stumbled their way out of the blocks to a 1-5 record, a statement 28-22 win over their NFC North rivals the Packers at Lambeau Field proved to be the springboard for a run of five wins in six games. Not many had them pegged as occupying a playoff spot – as they do – down the stretch but, arguably, they are the in-form team of the bunch in the NFC.
Concerns: Can this team deliver on the big stage? Under the bright lights of prime-time playoff action? In front of the watching world? It is an accusation that has long been levelled at the Vikings, and they have the small matter of road games at Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the conference-leading Saints in the coming weeks.
The play of their much-maligned quarterback Kirk Cousins has been much-improved over their win streak, but he is 9-32 as a starter against teams with a winning record in his NFL career, and 5-9 since arriving in Minnesota in 2018. He did get one monkey off his back this year, winning his first Monday Night Football game, at the 10th attempt! Though, admittedly, it was against the tanking Chicago Bears, who have not won a game since mid-October.
As much as the Vikings would like to lean on Cook and their run game, the play of the defense – in the bottom 10 of both yards and points allowed – often requires Cousins to sling it to try and overcome large deficits. You feel the success of this team rides on the play of their quarterback.
0:41 Rookie sensation Justin Jefferson grabs a huge 71-yard touchdown reception for the Vikings
Ones to watch: We have already mentioned Dalvin Cook, but there is certainly another shining light on offense this season in Minneapolis. Rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson is having a remarkable impact on the league, hitting Randy Moss (circa 1998) like levels. The No 22 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is currently fourth among all receivers in yards (1,039) to go with seven touchdowns.
Lining up on the opposite side of Jefferson in the receiving corps is the ever-reliable Adam Thielen and, while the defense is no longer as star-studded as it was a few years ago, safety Harrison Smith is still playing at a high level.
Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
Current NFC seeding: No 8 (missing playoffs)
Remaining games: Cardinals
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| December 13 | @ New York Giants |
| December 20 | vs Philadelphia Eagles |
| December 26 | vs San Francisco 49ers |
| January 3 | @ Los Angeles Rams |
Strengths: Kyler Murray. Or, at least, it was. The drop off in Arizona’s second-year star quarterback is rather alarming but, before he picked up a shoulder injury against the Seattle Seahawks which seems to have troubled him of late, Murray looked to be steering a five-win team from 2019 to not just the playoffs but possibly an NFC West title – widely considered the toughest division in football – and perhaps a personal MVP crown to boot.
Murray is only four weeks removed from stunning the NFL world with a game-winning ‘Hail Mary’ pass of epic proportions to DeAndre Hopkins to beat the Bills in the dying embers of a classic. Also, as well as 2,987 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air this season, Murray has run for a further 665 yards and a staggering 10 scores!
1:28 Kyler Murray’s Hail Mary pass finds DeAndre Hopkins in the endzone as the Cardinals beat the Bills at the death
Concerns: None of those 10 Murray rushing touchdowns have come in their past three games (all defeats), with the fear being that defences have finally caught up to this electric QB and have found the blueprint on how to contain him.
Murray’s effectiveness in the passing game also appears to be on the wane, with two of his three lowest yardage totals of the season coming in consecutive weeks – 170 at the Patriots and 173 versus the Rams – ahead of Sunday’s road trip to New York to face the now in-form Giants.
Another meeting with the Rams, in Los Angeles, looms on the horizon, while the San Francisco 49ers – their Week 16 opponents – are just a game back from them, ready to pounce on any further slip-ups
Ones to watch: Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury needs to find a way to not only get Kyler Murray back to mid-season form, but also re-establish his connection with star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, with the big-money acquisition in the offseason seen grumbling on the sideline in recent weeks after failing to top 55 yards since holding up his half of the Hail Mary connection against Buffalo.
The defense can play a bit hot and cold, but there is a smattering of stars in among the lineup, including most notably veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson, who is having an up year, play-making safety Budda Baker. Rookie linebacker/safety hybrid Isaiah Simmons is another to watch out for as he shows flashes of big-play potential.
San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
Current NFC seeding: No 11 (missing playoffs)
Remaining games: 49ers
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| December 13 | vs Washington Football Team |
| December 20 | @ Dallas Cowboys |
| December 26 | @ Arizona Cardinals |
| January 3 | vs Seattle Seahawks |
Strengths: This team is battle tested. While the season has far from gone to plan for the defending NFC conference champions, it is they who still hold the title until knocked off their perch come January.
They boast arguably the best coach in the business in Kyle Shanahan, or certainly the league’s most creative schemer on offense, while they also have the much-coveted head-coaching candidate Robert Saleh looking after the defensive side of ball. That is before we even get onto the likes of run-game coordinator Mike McDaniel and co.
Their record might not currently reflect it, but this is a team no one in the NFC would want to face in a one-and-done scenario of playoff football.
Concerns: Injuries! How could it not be? It has been their major concern all season, ever since 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Nick Bosa, and fellow D-lineman, Solomon Thomas, suffered season-ending blows within a couple of plays of each other back in Week Two in New York.
Since then, the likes of Raheem Mostert, Richard Sherman, Deebo Samuel, Jordan Reed, Tevin Coleman, Jeff Wilson and Brandon Aiyuk have all had spells on the sidelines, while starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and star tight end George Kittle continue to do so.
3:22 Here’s every catch from George Kittle’s epic 183-yard game against the Eagles from earlier in the season
There are rumours and hope that both Jimmy G and Kittle will be back for the potentially pivotal games against Arizona and Seattle to close out the regular season, though they first have to navigate a tricky test against an in-form Washington Football Team, in which defeat could all but knock them out of the running.
Hampering their playoff hopes even further is the fact the 49ers will be playing away from home for the remainder of the season, with their recent defeat to the Bills coming in Arizona, the first of three ‘home’ games there after new Covid-19 regulations forced them out of Levis Stadium in Santa Clara.
Ones to watch: The return of Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle – if they can get back for a couple of games down the stretch – really is key. Backup QB Nick Mullens has filled in as best as he can but has consistently had trouble taking care of the football. Garoppolo has his doubters, but their win-loss record with and without him is stark, while the eccentric Kittle makes the whole team tick.
Elsewhere, second-year receiver Deebo Samuel is a matchup nightmare for defenses, while rookie Brandon Aiyuk has also flashed this season. On defense, Fred Warner is the standout, with the linebacker currently playing at an All Pro level – even earning praise as ‘the best in the league’ from Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers when the two teams met earlier in the year.
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Sourse: skysports.com
