Patriots fan rooting guide for NFL Week 14: Monday edition

The New England Patriots are on their bye this week, which means that it is time for rest and relaxation. That said, we will naturally still keep a close eye on the rest of the NFL between Thursday, Sunday and Monday. The playoff picture is still taking shape, after all, and the Patriots would appreciate some help in their quest to win the AFC East and earn the No. 1 seed in the conference.

With that said, let’s go through the list and find out who you should be rooting for in Week 14.

Monday

8:15 p.m. ET

Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) at Los Angels Chargers (8-4): Go Eagles! NFC team versus AFC team with a chance of still ending up leapfrogging the Patriots in the standings. Easy call. | ESPN/ABC

The following games were played earlier in the week:

Thursday

8:15 p.m. ET

Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1) at Detroit Lions (7-5): Go good game! The game has no meaningful impact on the Patriots and their place in the playoff picture, so nothing stands in the way of a fun Thursday night. | DAL 30, DET 44

Sunday

1 p.m. ET

Seattle Seahawks (9-3) at Atlanta Falcons (4-8): Go Falcons! In case the strength of schedule tiebreaker comes into play in any way, shape or form — it won’t if the Patriots and Broncos end up fighting for the top seed — than a Falcons win is the preferred outcome here. | SEA 37, ATL 9

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6) at Baltimore Ravens (6-6): Go Ravens! Both teams are entering Week 14 with identical records, but there are two reasons why the current AFC North leaders get our nod here. A Baltimore win might end up increasing New England’s strength of victory — they visit the Ravens in Week 16 — while also increasing the odds of Pittsburgh missing the playoffs. The sixth-round draft pick the Patriots received from the Steelers via Kyle Dugger would benefit from that. | PIT 27, BLT 22

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Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) at Buffalo Bills (8-4): Go Bengals! This one is easy. Next week’s Patriots vs. Bills meeting will be a “hat and t-shirt game” for New England regardless, meaning they can wrap up the division by Week 15 no matter who wins on Sunday in Buffalo. Still, a Bengals win would give them significantly more wiggle room down the stretch. | CIN 34, BUF 39

Indianapolis Colts (8-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4): Go Colts! Losers of three of their last four games, the Colts have begun fading in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. In fact, they are the current No. 6 seed, trailing the Jaguars in their own division. That is precisely why we are rooting for Indianapolis here to keep the most possible distance between the Patriots and another potential competitor for the top spot in the conference. | TEN 31, CLV 29

Washington Commanders (3-9) at Minnesota Vikings (4-8): Go good game! Two disappointing teams, zero real impact on the Patriots. | IND 19, JAX 36

Miami Dolphins (5-7) at New York Jets (3-9): Go Jets! Besides putting a dent in the Dolphins’ slim remaining playoff hopes, a New York win would also move them further away from the top spots in the draft. | WAS 0, MIN 31

Tennessee Titans (1-11) at Cleveland Browns (3-9): Go Titans! The Patriots beat both those teams already, so this has nothing to do with their playoff outlook and everything with the draft. In order to make sure the Jets are as far removed from the top spots as possible, a Titans win would be helpful here. | MIA 34, NYJ 10

New Orleans Saints (2-10) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5): Go Bucs! Both teams were beaten by the Patriots already this year, but only one of them is in the running for those top draft slots. | NO 24, TB 20

4:05 p.m. ET

Denver Broncos (10-2) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-10): Go Raiders! It’s not hard to see why a Raiders upset is the play here. In the unlikely case it happens, it would give the Patriots sole possession of the best record in the AFC and a clearer path toward the No. 1 seed. | DEN 24, LV 17

4:25 p.m. ET

Los Angeles Rams (9-3) at Arizona Cardinals (3-9): Go Rams! This all-NFC West battle doesn’t really matter for the Patriots’ playoff outlook, so let’s again play spoilers to the Jets’ draft position. | LA 45, ARZ 17

Chicago Bears (9-3) at Green Bay Packers (8-3-1): Go good game! Interesting matchup, no real impact on the Patriots. | CHI 21, GB 28

8:20 p.m. ET

Houston Texans (7-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-6): Go Texans! The Patriots are almost certain to make the playoffs, and the favorite to end up winning the AFC East, so the fortunes of neither of those teams have too big an impact on them. That said, New England does own the Chiefs’ 2026 sixth-round pick, so them missing the playoffs would be in their best interest from that perspective. | HST 20, KC 10

This article also serves as an open thread for this week’s games. Please head down to the comment section to discuss and share your thoughts on the games as they unfold.

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