The calendar turned to December this week, that means we have already reached the ultimate full month of the 2025 NFL common season.
Earlier than Week 14 motion begins, listed below are 5 storylines we’re monitoring over the subsequent 5 weeks.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hasn’t missed the AFC Championship Sport, not to mention the playoffs, since being named the full-time starter in 2018. However each outstanding streaks are in peril of being snapped this season.
Kansas Metropolis is 2 video games behind the Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills within the AFC’s wild-card race, and three of its 5 remaining video games are towards groups with a successful report. The Chiefs (6-6) are 1-3 of their previous 4 video games, permitting 25.3 factors per recreation in the course of the span. We’re used to seeing Kansas Metropolis peak right now of yr, not wrestle. If the Chiefs are to make the playoffs for the eleventh season in a row, they’re going to should rapidly rediscover their championship type.
2. Who wins MVP?
The race for league MVP intensified on Monday with New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s cool, calm and picked up efficiency in a 33-15 win over the New York Giants, in the future after Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, one other prime MVP candidate, had his worst game of the season in a street loss to the Carolina Panthers.
General, although, each are worthy selections. Every has statistics to again their candidacy. Maye has the upper completion share, extra passing yards and is a cell risk, whereas Stafford has extra touchdowns and fewer interceptions. It is a toss-up between the second-year professional and 17-year veteran, and the stretch run may decide if both claims their first MVP.
Regardless of fielding the 2 worst scoring defenses, the Cowboys (6-5-1) and Bengals (4-8) have pulses. The margin for error is nonexistent for each, however Thanksgiving wins gave every hope.
Dallas ran its win streak to a few video games with a 31-28 win over the Chiefs, whereas the Bengals went to Baltimore and handily beat the Ravens, 32-14, whereas forcing a season-high 5 turnovers in quarterback Joe Burrow’s return from turf toe.
The Cowboys are 1.5 video games behind the Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) for first within the NFC East, whereas the Bengals are simply two video games again of the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6) within the AFC North. The 2 groups performed beneath their expertise stage for a lot of the season however seem to have discovered their strides in time to make issues attention-grabbing.
4. Can the Chicago Bears stick the touchdown?
The Bears have surged to the highest seed within the NFC, however a continued tough schedule makes it removed from a actually they’re going to stay in that put up coming into the playoffs. Two of Chicago’s subsequent three video games are towards the Green Bay Packers (8-3-1), whereas it additionally travels to the San Francisco 49ers (9-4) in primetime in Week 17. The Bears shut the common season towards the Detroit Lions (7-5), who they misplaced to, 52-21, earlier this season.
Chicago could have earned the No. 1 seed if it navigates that gauntlet and comes by means of the opposite facet with a first-round playoff bye. With six of their 9 wins coming by 5 factors or much less, nonetheless, the Bears are extra susceptible than most 1-seeds at this level of the season.
5. “With the No. 1 decide, _____________ choose…”
A Week 17 recreation between the Tennessee Titans and (1-11) and New Orleans Saints (2-10) may swing the race for the No. 1 decide. The Giants (2-11) and Las Vegas Raiders (2-10) are additionally within the operating.
Tennessee earned the No. 1 decide in 2025 and might be the primary crew with back-to-back first general picks for the reason that Jacksonville Jaguars, who chosen Trevor Lawrence and Travon Walker in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
The Saints final had the draft’s first decide in 1981, whereas the Giants have by no means picked No. 1 general. Notorious draft bust JaMarcus Russell was the Raiders’ most up-to-date No. 1 decide (2007).
All 4 groups have multi-year playoff droughts and will use the highest decide to launch a revival. The subsequent 5 weeks will probably be a race to the underside.
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