Five observations on Week 14 in the NFL:
New England back on top
There was much hand-wringing in New England when the Patriots lost two games in a row and fell to the third seed. But their 27-6 victory over Houston combined with losses by Denver and Cincinnati once again put the Patriots into position to be the top-seeded AFC team with three games left. Unless the Patriots stumble, they will be in the Super Bowl if they don’t lose a home playoff game.
Andy Dalton learns quarterbacks should not try to make tackles
After Dalton threw an interception on a shovel pass that Pittsburgh’s Stephon Truitt intercepted, Dalton broke his thumb making the tackle.