WHAT WE LEARNED: NFL WEEK 14

BY ADAM GREENE

It’s been an eventful few days in the NFL, on and off the field….

THE LEAGUE IS IN A FULL BLOWN COVID-19 CRISIS

Monday night the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals in spite of missing their starting right tackle, starting running back, starting tight end and the best cornerback in the league to the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.

They were among 36 players who tested positive Monday. That number ballooned to 75 Tuesday to produce the highest two day total since the league began testing for Covid last season.

The good news for the Rams is, at least, as of right now all the positive players are asymptomatic and vaccinated, according to head coach Sean McVay.

“The scary thing about all this to me is every single person is vaccinated that we’re talking about,” McVay told reporters Tuesday. “That’s the thing that’s the most concerning about all of this is that everybody has done exactly what they could. I trusted these guys have taken the right precautionary measures … Now you’re adding a lot of layers to this situation that we thought we were past and that’s the thing that I think is the most mind-numbing about it all for me.”

Tight end Tyler Higbee’s test turned out to be a false positive, so he’s in the clear. There’s a chance the Rams could get all of them back before their game Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Vaccinated players need just two negative tests 24 hours apart to clear the protocol.

There’s a huge pool of talent at stake for the Rams, including Odell Beckham Jr. (who has broken out with the team over the last two weeks), Terrell Burgess, Jordan Fuller, Darrell Henderson Jr., Rob Havenstein, Don’t’e Deayon and Jalen Ramsey.

As for the other players and teams, it’s not clear. What we do know is that if 75 players were not able to take the field Sunday, that would be unprecedented in league history. And, like McVay said, there’s really nothing you can do about.

To help head the worst of it off at the pass, the NFL has mandated that all coaches and top staff receive a COVID-19 booster by Dec. 27. That mandate does not include players, but my guess is the smarter ones who want to play for a championship (as well as maximize their contract incentives) will go ahead and get the shot.

Ironically, the poster boy for unvaccinated players, Aaron Rodgers, should be more than fine thanks to a dose of natural immunity that will wear out right after the NFC Championship. So maybe he should think about tossing the Invermectin aside and taking the actual vaccine as well.

What other changes could happen? Well, the Rams have closed down shop for at least a couple of days to clear the building and stop any further spread. The league could go back to testing like they did a year ago, but I don’t see that happening. If anything, this surge should get the vaccine outliers to consider the shots. The Packers, for instance, already lost one game because a key player (Rodgers) was out with Covid. These last four weeks are literally the most important of the season with all but a handful of teams still alive for at least a Wild Card spot.

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY

Here’s our current brackets

AFC

1. New England Patriots (9-4)

2. Tennessee Titans (9-4)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4)

4. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)

6. Indianapolis Colts (7-6)

7. Buffalo Bills (7-6)

WILD CARD GAMES

Bills at Titans

Colts at Chiefs

Chargers at Ravens

Realistically in the hunt: Cleveland Browns (7-6), Cincinnati Bengals (7-6), Denver Broncos (7-6), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6-1). Miami Dolphins (6-7), Las Vegas Raiders (6-7).

Officially eliminated: New York Jets (3-10), Houston Texans (2-11), Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11)

We had a real shake up in the AFC this week as the Bengals, thanks to their loss to the San Francisco 49ers, find themselves back on the outside looking in. There are some monster contests on the docket this week that could shake up the entire field.

Thursday night the Chiefs and Chargers vie for AFC West supremacy. Sunday, the Raiders play at the Browns, the Patriots are at the Colts, the Titans are at the Steelers, the Bengals are at the Broncos, the Bills host the Carolina Panthers and the Ravens welcome the Green Bay Packers. It’s fair to look at all of these as playoff games to get into or secure a playoff spot. No AFC team can officially punch its ticket this week.

NFC

1. Green Bay Packers (10-3)

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3)

3. Arizona Cardinals (10-3)

4. Dallas Cowboys (9-4)

5. Los Angeles Rams (9-4)

6. San Francisco 49ers (7-6)

7. Washington Football Team (6-7)

WILD CARD GAMES

WFT at Buccaneers

49ers at Cardinals

Rams at Cowboys

Realistically in the hunt: Minnesota Vikings (6-7), Philadelphia Eagles (6-7), Atlanta Falcons (6-7), New Orleans Saints (6-7), Carolina Panthers (5-8), Seattle Seahawks (5-8).

Officially eliminated: Detroit Lions (1-11-1)

Here’s a fun fact for you — This is the first season since 2014 that at least one team hasn’t clinched a playoff spot coming into Week 15. Here’s another one — only one team, the Bucs, can do it with a victory this week. There are some other possibilities, with a little math help, but Tampa is the only team in control of its destiny.

Your games to watch this week are the aforementioned Packers at Ravens and Panthers at Bills along with the Falcons at 49ers, WFT at Eagles, the Saints at Buccaneers, the Vikings at Bears and the Seahawks at Rams. It’s safe to say that the Panthers and Seahawks can all but hang it up if they take their ninth loss Sunday. The WFT, Eagles, Saints and Vikings can probably count on being eliminated with losses as well, regardless of what the calculus says.

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

The NFL season is rolling along and the Week 15 Schedule is up and taking bets at BetOnline.AG.

Connect with us our socials on Twitter and Instagram for the latest sports news, viral moments, betting odds and the occasional memes.