NFL week 14 recap – Multiple overtime thrillers, Aaron Rodgers still “owns” Bears

by Seth Udinski

Seth Udinski, FISM News

 

As the NFL season nears the playoffs, fans were treated to several exciting matchups in Sunday’s Week 14 lineup of games.

After a fairly calm early slate, the late window saw several thrillers, each with massive playoff implications. The San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals ended the 4th quarter of their game in Ohio deadlocked at 20 after a late Bengal surge to tie. The Bengals kicked a field goal on their first drive in the extra frame, giving the ball back to San Francisco on a do-or-die drive. Niners’ tight end George Kittle was near-unstoppable all day, and he had several big catches in overtime to march his team down the field. Finally, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Niners receiver Brandon Aiyuk who dove for the pylon and made it, giving the team a 26-23 win.

San Fransisco improved to 7-6 and tightened its grip on the second wildcard spot in the NFC, while Cincinnati dropped to 7-6 and lost a golden opportunity to take over first place in the AFC North.

Meanwhile, the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers outlasted the Buffalo Bills in overtime in Florida. In a game in which Tom Brady threw the 700th touchdown of his career (regular and postseason combined), the Bucs jumped out to a 27-10 4th quarter lead. But Josh Allen and the Bills roared back with three late scores to tie the game at 27 and force an overtime. Buffalo got the ball to start but was forced to punt, pinning Tampa Bay at their own 6-yard line. Several plays later, Brady threw a 58-yard touchdown to Breshad Perriman to give the Bucs a 33-27 win and improve their record to 10-3. The Bills, now with some concern about their playoff hopes, fell to 7-6.

In the nightcap, the Green Bay Packers met their fierce rival, the Chicago Bears, in a matchup with significant media attention, thanks to Aaron Rodgers’ claim from earlier this season that he “owns” the Bears. Behind Rodgers, the Packers have indeed dominated the rivalry for the last 14 seasons, and Sunday night was no different. Rodgers was brilliant, leading Green Bay to a 45-30 win and jumping to a 10-3 mark on the year.

Rodgers is now 23-5 against Chicago (4-9).

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