us.Right-hander Johnny Cueto (13-2) gets the call for the Giants on Thursday. In his most recent outing, he allowed one run, which was unearned, in six innings Saturday during a no-decision against the Yankee

NFL Nation reporters detail the biggest storylines -- and what they mean going forward -- for every team coming out of Week 14.AFC East | AFC North| AFC South | AFC West NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC WestAFC EASTBuffalo Bills (6-7)Losers of five of their past seven games, the Bills have sunk into uncertainty at both head coach and quarterback. Rex Ryan -- whose job could be in danger by the end of the season, if not sooner -- said after Sundays game that the team [will] see when asked if Tyrod Taylor will remain the starter through the final three games of the season. Ryans noncommittal response could open the door for rookie Cardale Jones to start at quarterback as soon as next Sunday against the Browns. -- Mike RodakWeek 15: vs. Cleveland, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETMiami Dolphins (8-5)The Dolphins won an important game over the Cardinals to improve their playoff chances, but suffered a major loss in QB Ryan Tannehill. The team fears Tannehill suffered an ACL tear in his left knee, which would mean backup Matt Moore would take over for the rest of the season. The Dolphins will have a harder time winning with Moore under center and could have to run the table in the final three weeks in order to make the playoffs. -- James WalkerWeek 15: at New York Jets, Saturday, 8:25 p.m. ETNew England Patriots (10-2)The Patriots play their only Monday night game of the season, and one of the overlooked storylines is if starting cornerback Eric Rowe will play. He has a hamstring injury and is not running at full speed, which could create a big void. If Rowe cant play, Logan Ryan and Cyrus Jones are the top candidates to take his spot. -- Mike ReissWeek 15: at Denver, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ETNew York Jets (4-9)Bryce Pettys performance was far from clean, but he got his first win as a starter because of toughness and a gunslinger mentality. Surrounded by a patchwork supporting cast, he passed the first test in his four-game audition. Now he has another short week to get ready for the Dolphins, but at least he has energized a team that appeared lifeless. -- Rich CiminiWeek 15: vs. Miami, Saturday, 8:25 p.m. ETAFC NORTHBaltimore Ravens (7-5)The Ravens need to win in New England on Monday night to keep up with the Steelers, who held off the Bills on Sunday. Baltimore, which trails Pittsburgh (8-5) by a half-game, needs another strong performance from QB Joe Flacco to upset the Patriots. In his past three trips to Gillette Stadium, Flacco has averaged 236.8 yards passing and has thrown 13 touchdowns, which are the most by an opposing quarterback there since 2009. -- Jamison HensleyWeek 15: vs. Philadelphia, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETCincinnati Bengals (5-7-1)The Bengals have their first win streak of the season, but we still dont know the capabilities of this team when its playing well on both sides of the ball. The Bengals past two wins have come against the struggling Eagles and Browns. A showdown looms with division rival Pittsburgh, and beating the Steelers would go a long way to salvaging the season. -- Katherine TerrellWeek 15: vs. Pittsburgh, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETCleveland Browns (0-13)The Browns lost for the 13th time in 13 games on Sunday, and for the 31st time in their past 34. Its hardly news that they are not a good team, but Hue Jackson seemed to accept Robert Griffin IIIs struggles, saying the guy who plays quarterback needs understanding. Griffin will start Sunday against Buffalo. -- Pat McManamonWeek 15: at Buffalo, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETPittsburgh Steelers (8-5)The Steelers won their fourth straight game Sunday in Buffalo, but they also honed their winning formula: Run, run, run. LeVeon Bell has 118 carries over the past four games, yet he continues to get stronger and the holes continue to get bigger. Guard David DeCastro said the offensive linemen love the games when they start moving downhill on defensive lines. Fueling this identity will be crucial for cold-weather games the next three weeks. You set a franchise record [236 yards for Bell] in a snow game in December -- I mean, come on, DeCastro said. -- Jeremy FowlerWeek 15: at Cincinnati, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETAFC SOUTHHouston Texans (7-6)Though the Texans had dropped three in a row entering Sundays game against the Colts, the mantra repeated by players and the coaching staff was that Houston controls its own destiny. The Texans took care of the first step by beating the Colts 22-17 for only their second road win of the season to improve to 4-0 in the AFC South. After playing four out of the past five games on the road, the Texans will return to NRG Stadium, where they are 5-1 this season, to play the 2-11 Jaguars. -- Sarah BarshopWeek 15: vs. Jacksonville, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETIndianapolis Colts (6-7)The Colts are no longer in position to control their own destiny after losing the Texans on Sunday. So instead of being in first place in the AFC South, the Colts are now in third place behind Houston and Tennessee in the division. The Colts would have to win their final three games in addition to getting help from Houstons and Tennessees remaining regular-season opponents in order to avoid missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1997-98. -- Mike WellsWeek 15: at Minnesota, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETJacksonville Jaguars (2-11)The Jaguars have tied a franchise record with their eighth consecutive loss. It unfolded pretty much the same way the previous seven did: with the defense playing solid football, but unable to come up with a critical stop late, while the offense puts a drive together but cant consistently move the ball. The Jaguars have games against Houston, Tennessee and Indianapolis remaining and could be on their way to tying the worst record in franchise history (2-14). -- Mike DiRoccoWeek 15: at Houston, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETTennessee Titans (7-6)If the Titans win their final three games, they win the AFC South. Unfortunately, the first of those three comes on the road at the 10-3 Chiefs, who will be coming off a mini-bye following a Thursday night game. The Titans beat Denver by running for 180 yards and playing solid defense that included their first two fumble recoveries of the season. Against the Chiefs theyll likely need more from Marcus Mariota and the passing game. -- Paul KuharskyWeek 15: at Kansas City, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETAFC WESTDenver Broncos (8-5)After five consecutive division titles, two Super Bowl trips in the past three years and a seasons worth of taking everyones best shot in what they hoped was a title defense, the Broncos look to be a tired team in need of a second wind. They dropped to 8-5 Sunday with a 13-10 loss to the Titans and face games against New England, Kansas City and Oakland to close things out. The Broncos likely need to win two, and possibly all three, to make the postseason. And thatll be a tall order if they cannot clean up the season-long problems in the offensive line and running game. -- Jeff LegwoldWeek 15: vs. New England, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ETKansas City Chiefs (10-3)The Chiefs get back to work on Monday, eyeing the possibility of a couple of big prizes: the AFC West championship and the AFCs No. 1 overall playoff seed. The finishing three-game stretch begins on Sunday against the Titans, who could represent a trap game of sorts. Tennessee falls in between Kansas Citys Thursday night win over the Raiders and a Christmas night rematch with the Broncos. Coach Andy Reid acknowledged recently the difficulty of facing the Falcons in between games against the Broncos and Raiders. -- Adam TeicherWeek 15: vs. Tennessee, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETOakland Raiders (10-3)The Raiders, as QB Derek Carr said in the aftermath of their 21-13 loss at Kansas City on Thursday night, were punched in the mouth by the Chiefs. How they respond after a mini-bye and weekend off will tell the tale for Oakland, which is awaiting word on a potential reinstatement of OLB Aldon Smith and saw its playoff seeding fall from No. 1 in the AFC to No. 5 and a wild card with the loss to the Chiefs. Up next? Another division rivalry game on the road, at San Diego. And the question: Who will do the punching this weekend? -- Paul GutierrezWeek 15: at San Diego, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ETSan Diego Chargers (5-8)The Chargers arent going anywhere because of the teams injury-plagued season, so it doesnt really matter much. Still, QB Philip Rivers has turned the ball over 12 times in his past four games, including five turnovers in a road loss to the Panthers on Sunday. Head coach Mike McCoy quickly answered no when asked if he considered benching his veteran signal-caller. And while replacing Rivers with Kellen Clemens likely isnt the answer, McCoy and the Chargers have to figure out a way for the offense to hold on to the football and stop putting the defense in tough situations. -- Eric D. WilliamsWeek 15: vs. Oakland, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ETNFC EASTDallas Cowboys (11-2)The Cowboys have picked the wrong time to struggle with their third down. Against Minnesota last week, they converted on just 1-of-9 third-down attempts. In Sunday nights loss to the Giants they converted just one of their 15 third-down attempts. The Cowboys have had too many mistakes that have left them behind the chains in third down. Coach Jason Garrett likes to say the best way to be good on third down is to be good on first and second down. In their last two games the Cowboys have not been do much after converting nearly 50 percent of the time in their first 11 games of the season. -- Todd ArcherNew York Giants (9-4)With every team in the NFC wild-card hunt winning on Sunday, the Giants desperately needed to keep pace. It didnt seem likely, until they were saved by Odell Beckham Jr. Now, the Giants remain the NFC wild-card leader with three games remaining. One more win against Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, and theyre in good shape. Two and they almost certainly end their four-year playoff drought. -- Jordan RaananPhiladelphia Eagles (5-8)Its all about survival right now for the Eagles, who are losers of four straight and eight of 10. Coach Doug Pederson has to avoid a total collapse down the stretch. His team did play inspired football against the Redskins on Sunday following a lifeless loss to Cincinnati the week prior. If nothing else, his team needs to show some fight over the next three games. -- Tim McManusWeek 15: at Baltimore, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETWashington Redskins (7-5-1)TE Jordan Reeds impact over the next three weeks will be a key point of interest. Reed was a nonfactor in his first game back playing with a Grade 3 separation of the AC joint in his left shoulder. He didnt play much in the second half in the win over the Eagles, as the Redskins dont want him to take much pounding. The shoulder will continue to bother him moving forward. The Redskins can survive without Reed being a huge factor, but when he is one theyre a better offense. -- John KeimWeek 15: vs. Carolina, Monday, 8:30 p.m. ETNFC NORTHChicago Bears (3-10)Matt Barkley deserved better. Making his first NFL road start, Barkley went 20-of-32 for 212 yards and one touchdown (92.2 pass rating) in Chicagos 20-17 loss to Detroit, including several big-time throws on the games final drive. Unfortunately, the Bears committed multiple costly holding penalties and dropped a key pass on fourth down that erased Barkleys heroics. The good news for Barkley is that former Pro Bowl WR Alshon Jeffery returns from a four-game PED suspension on Monday. Jeffery should have plenty of motivation over the final three weeks. He can reach free agency in the offseason if the Bears refuse to apply the franchise tag for a second straight year. -- Jeff DickersonWeek 15: vs. Green Bay, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETDetroit Lions (9-4)The Lions are going to be paying attention to the right middle finger of Matthew Stafford this week after he injured it in a 20-17 come-from-behind win over the Bears. Stafford has been the Lions leader this season and a legitimate MVP candidate. He struggled while playing with a glove, but also led a game-winning touchdown drive when it mattered the most to keep Detroit two games up in the NFC North with three to play. It also clinched the Lions second winning season in three years under Jim Caldwell. -- Michael RothsteinWeek 15: at New York Giants, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETGreen Bay Packers (7-6)Aaron Rodgers said he wont know until Wednesday if the right calf injury he sustained in Sundays win over the Seahawks is as bad as the left one he suffered in 2014, but at least he feels better about the Packers situation than he did coming into the game. Even though theyre two games out of first place in the NFC North with three to play, Rodgers said he feels strong to quite strong about the Packers playoff chances after the way they handled Seattle. -- Rob DemovskyWeek 15: at Chicago, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETMinnesota Vikings (7-6)As ugly as it might have been, the Vikings win over the Jaguars did some important work for the teams psyche. It was just the second time the Vikings had won since Oct. 9, and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said after the game he could see the teams confidence waning as the losses started to mount. The Vikings are still in the playoff race as they head home to face the Colts, and as they prepare for one of their final two home games, a boost of confidence might help them shake some of the issues they had Sunday. -- Ben GoesslingWeek 15: vs. Indianapolis, Sunday, 1 p.m. ETNFC SOUTHAtlanta Falcons (8-5)The Falcons 42-14 win over the Rams showed they could win without their best player on the field: Julio Jones. The receiver missed the game with a turf toe injury, though he was intent on playing. An outstanding defensive effort by Vic Beasley Jr., taking advantage of turnovers, and other receiver options stepping up for Matt Ryan with Jones and Mohamed Sanu (groin) sidelined made the difference. The win could entice Falcons coach Dan Quinn to hold Jones out at least another week, with the 1-12 49ers next on the schedule. The Falcons are still tied atop the NFC South with the Buccaneers. -- Vaughn McClureWeek 15: vs. San Francisco, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET?Carolina Panthers (5-8)The Panthers finally got the kind of game against San Diego they were hoping for from their young secondary with two rookie corners working with a veteran defensive front. Now, a week of what-ifs in terms of what Carolinas season would look like if the Panthers had not rescinded the franchise tag of cornerback Josh Norman is ahead, with a Monday night game at Washington next on the schedule. -- David NewtonWeek 15: at Washington, Monday, 8:30 p.m. ETNew Orleans Saints (5-8)It seems crazy now that the playoffs felt like a realistic option for the Saints just two weeks ago. Since then, they have given their two worst performances of the year, with Drew Brees throwing a stunning six interceptions with zero touchdown passes. At the very least, it felt like the Saints were a young team on the rise two weeks ago, with a 2017 playoff run as the big-picture goal. But theyll have to play awfully well over the next three?weeks to regain their optimism after a third straight season of .500 or worse. -- Mike Triplett?Week 15: at Arizona, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ETTampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5)The Bucs 16-11 win over the Saints?extends their win streak to five games and keeps them tied with the Falcons?for first place in the NFC South. The defense picked off Drew Brees three times and has gone from giving up an average of 29 points per game in Weeks 1-9, fourth most in the league, to 13.25 in Weeks 10-14, the fewest in the league. The Bucs have forced 11 turnovers in that span, second most in the league. Whatever soul-searching Mike Smith did after that Falcons game, its clearly paid off. This is a red-hot team. -- Jenna LaineWeek 15: at Dallas, Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ETNFC WESTArizona Cardinals (5-7-1)Mother Nature rained all over the Cardinals playoff hopes. Torrential downpours were scattered throughout Arizonas 26-23 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. The loss dropped Arizona to 5-7-1 and all but out of the playoff picture. The Cardinals havent been mathematically eliminated with three games left, but its highly unlikely at this point that they can get enough help from the teams ahead of them to sneak into the postseason. But the Cardinals have no one to blame but themselves, and they know that. Self-inflicted wounds continued to haunt them Sunday, especially on special teams, where they missed a PAT and field goal, and had another PAT blocked and returned by Miami for two points. -- Josh WeinfussWeek 15: vs. New Orleans, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ETLos Angeles Rams (4-9)Jeff Fishers job status seems more tenuous than ever now, after the Rams embattled coach suffered a 42-14 thrashing at the hands of the Falcons that gave his team eight losses in a span of nine games and himself 165 career defeats, tying Dan Reeves for the NFL record. Rams players defended Fisher after the game, blaming their woes on constant mistakes and lamenting the fact that Fisher faces so much criticism. Still, itll be hard to justify bringing Fisher back if the Rams season continues to spiral. -- Alden GonzalezWeek 15: at Seattle, Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ETSan Francisco 49ers (1-12)The 49ers seemed well on their way to finally breaking their 11-game losing streak on Sunday against the Jets when the same old Niners appeared in the second half. San Francisco blew a two-touchdown lead to lose in overtime, dropping its 12th straight. It wasnt so much that it happened as how it happened that was disturbing. But given the circumstances, a strong case can be made it was the Niners worst loss of the season. Now, they enter their final three games, starting next week in Atlanta, with a realistic chance at a 1-15 season and a top-two pick in the 2017 NFL draft. -- Nick WagonerWeek 15: at Atlanta, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ETSeattle Seahawks (8-4-1)Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have three days to figure out whats wrong with the offense before the team takes on the Rams Thursday night. The Seahawks turned the ball over six times in their 38-10 loss to the Packers on Sunday. Wilson was uncharacteristically off-target, missing big-play opportunities to Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham early. Its the second time in three weeks -- the Seahawks lost 14-5 to the Bucs in Week 12 -- that the offense has looked incompetent. Going into Sundays game, the Seahawks had never lost by more than 10 points during the Wilson-Pete Carroll era. They need to find answers quickly if theyre going to go on a run. -- Sheil KapadiaWeek 15: vs. Los Angeles, Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET Custom Seattle Seahawks Jerseys . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Custom Houston Texans Jerseys . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. http://www.footballcustomjerseys.com/custom-denver-broncos-jerseys-188c.html . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Custom Detroit Lions Jerseys . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Custom New York Giants Jerseys .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. SAN FRANCISCO -- Two teams that would be National League first-round playoff opponents square off Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series that will feature neither teams staff ace.The Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants will take identical 59-42 records onto the field for the first of seven games they will play coast to coast over the next 11 days.The Nationals, who lead the NL East by four games over the Miami Marlins, rode ace Stephen Strasburgs strong seven-inning outing to a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday before boarding a flight to San Francisco.The Giants, meanwhile, retained a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL West despite a 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, a game in which ace Madison Bumgarner lost despite allowing only two runs (one earned) in eight innings.By virtue of both having pitched Wednesday, neither Strasburg nor Bumgarner is scheduled to start again until next week.Interestingly, both are tentatively slated to pitch a week from Sunday, when the Giants and Nationals wrap up a three-game series in Washington.Thursdays first 2016 meeting of the division leaders will pit Giants center Denard Span against his former team for the first time since he left as a free agent over the winter.Washington might finally have found an adequate replacement atop the batting order in Trea Turner, the offensive star the Wednesday win with three hits and three RBI.He is batting .297 in eight games as the Nationals leadoff hitter after the earlier Span replacements struggled at a .214 clip.Hes fun to watch, Strasburg said of Turner after Wednesdays game. I was just excited the other day to finally watch him hit a triple. I was waiting for that for such a long time, just to see him run.The Nationals will be catching Span in his hottest stretch of the season. The Giants leadoff man has recorded two more hits in nine of his past 16 games, raising his average to .256.The Nationals will begin the San Francisco portion of the seven-game sequeence by sending right-hander Tanner Roark to the mound.ddddddddddddoark has been roughed up on a regular basis over his past nine starts, allowing four or more runs on four different occasions, including in his last outing against the San Diego Padres.Roark gave up a pair of home runs among four hits in five innings against the Padres, allowing all San Diegos scoring in 5-3 Washington loss last Friday.Home runs were plentiful in the Giants just-completed series with the Cincinnati Reds, during which San Francisco pitchers allowed eight long balls in three games.That was the most home runs allowed by the Giants in a three-game series in AT&T Park history.The homers led directly to a pair of Reds wins, which dropped San Franciscos record since the All-Star break to 2-9.Weve been through this plenty of times, and we know what its about, Bumgarner said of the Giants struggles of late. Things will turn around for us.Right-hander Johnny Cueto (13-2) gets the call for the Giants on Thursday. In his most recent outing, he allowed one run, which was unearned, in six innings Saturday during a no-decision against the Yankees at New York. San Francisco won 2-1 in 12 innings.Outside of the pitching matchups, second base will be a position of focus in the weekend series.Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy smacked his 20th home run of the season in the series finale against Cleveland. He will take the field Thursday with the NLs best batting average (.354).The Giants, meanwhile, have gone 23 games without their star second baseman, Joe Panik, who is recovering from a concussion. San Francisco has gone just 10-13 during that stretch.Panik began a rehab stint at Triple-A Sacramento earlier this week, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy hopes to have his 2015 All-Star, a .300 hitter in each of the previous two seasons, back in the lineup by the weekend. ' ' '