NFL Week 15 Recap
What a week in the NFL, we seen teams eliminated, teams clinching and teams winning their division all while the seeding remains in flux. There are now six teams officially eliminated and four teams have punched their tickets to the playoffs. Every game is a must win for those both on the bubble and those holding onto the remaining seeds!
Thursday Night Football
Las Vegas Raiders 63 – Los Angeles Chargers 21
Nobody expected this to be the final score on Thursday Night, not after both teams struggled to score in their previous games, and yet Aidan O’Connell helped lead the Raiders to a franchise record 63 points in this game. The Raiders started off by scoring on their opening drive, ending the drought which triggered four passing touchdowns in the first half alone. At half time Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce told the team “Put your foot on the gas!”, the kind of attitude Al Davis would have loved!
On the other side of the ball, Easton Stick couldn’t seem to figure out the Raiders defence, his first drive going 3 and out and the next drive he fumbled the ball away. This quickly let the Raiders jump out to a 21-0 lead and once this happened, the game was put on Sticks shoulders. As a quarterback taking his first start in the NFL, this is a nightmare scenario, as the Raiders pass rushers turned up the heat knowing Stick was being asked to win the game with his arm. While he threw three touchdowns and one interception, it was a tall ask for the rookie.
Playoff Seeding: Raiders 12th Seed (Up 1) – Chargers 13th Seed (Down 1)
Saturday Night Football
Cincinnati Bengals 27 – Minnesota Vikings 24 (OT)
When Burrow went down for the season, Bengals fans’ hopes for the playoffs went with him, until Jake Browning found his footing. Despite his slow start against the Vikings, by the second half, Browning was in rhythm under centre and the Bengals scored on three fourth quarter drives including an insane catch and score by Tee Higgins which brought the game into overtime where Browning got the Bengals into range for the game winning field goal by McPherson. Browning got his revenge on the team that waived him!
The Vikings entered this game trying to figure out their quarterback dilemma, with Cousins out for the season Dobbs took over until recently and then was benched for Nick Mullens, who seems to have settled the debate with his impressive performance against the Bengals. Mullins leaned on the Vikings superstars (Jefferson, Addison and Hockenson) and held the lead for three quarters before it all came apart. The Vikings are holding onto a playoff spot, barely but if Mullens plays this good or better, they will hold off the other NFC bubble teams and make the playoffs.
Playoff Seeding: Bengals 6th Seed (Up 4) – Vikings 6ht Seed (No Change)
Indianapolis Colts 30 – Pittsburgh Steelers 13
Indy stood tall at home, losing both Michael Pittman and Zach Moss, but Minshew didn’t seem to be bothered by this, he took everything the Steelers defence could throw at him and shook it off as the Colts looked to keep pace in the AFC playoff picture. Being down 13-0, Minshew Mania ran wild on the Steelers putting up 30 unanswered points and sealing the win at home. The win was enough to help them hang onto the final seed in the AFC as other teams were closing in on them. For another week, the Colts are a playoff team.
The Steelers are collapsing and Mike Tomlin could face his first losing season as Head Coach. Without Kenny Pickett under centre the offense looked stale and while they started off 13-0, they couldn’t score again for the rest of the contest. With every game being a must win in the tight AFC playoff picture, the Steelers failed to get the job done. Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph are not the answer under centre and should be traded or cut in the offseason. George Pickens, while talented is a huge distraction and his failure to offer support on run blocking kept Jaylen Warren out of the end zone, his attitude is not a team positive one at this time.
Playoff Seeding: Colts 7th Seed (No Change) – Steelers 10th Seed (Down 4)
Detroit Lions 42 – Denver Broncos 17
The Lions are back.. again! After suffering multiple turnovers and losing the past two games, even starting slowly, the Lions finally showed the NFC that they are a threat to be treated with respect. Against a resurgent Broncos defence, Goff threw five touchdowns and no interceptions, a performance which put many Lion’s fans’ concerns to rest. Now at 10-4 (the first time since 2014) and inching closer to the NFC North title, the Lions are looking to make a statement in the playoffs.
The Broncos suffered too many mistakes to keep pace with the Lions. They suffered multiple fumbles and four straight 3 and outs, it wasn’t until the second half before they found their mojo and by then it was too little too late. Frustrations boiled over to the point we saw Sean Payton shouting at Russell Wilson on the sideline as the Broncos defence seemed to revert to the unit that allowed 70 points. The Broncos had a slim chance of making the playoffs before this loss, now that chance is next to non-existent.
Playoff Seeding: Lions 3rd Seed (No Change) – Broncos 11th Seed (Down 2)
Sunday Early Window
Carolina Panthers 9 – Atlanta Falcons 7
The cheapest seats in town, as low as $0.45 a ticket and bad weather, a losing record and a struggling rookie meant the crowd at the Panthers home game was unbelievably small. As is the norm, Bryce Young struggled often and early and while the weather didn’t help, neither did his offensive line or receivers. However Young managed to eventually do just enough to ensure the Panther picked up their second win of the season while dealing a brutal blow to the Falcons playoff hopes.
Once again the worst division in football lives up to its name, as the Falcons with Desmond Ridder under centre fell to the then 1 win Panthers. Trying to keep pace with the Saints and Buccaneers, the Falcons should have capitalised in this contest but as per usual, Ridder threw an ugly interception during a key series and Bijan Robinson fumbled the ball away. These mistakes cannot be considered mistakes as they happen so frequently now that they can be considered part of the Falcon playbook. While the Falcons could still win the division, they now need to win out and the Saints and Buccaneers need to stumble their way to the end of the season.
Playoff Seeding: Panthers Eliminated – Falcons 10th Seed (No Change)
Cleveland Browns 20 – Chicago Bears 17
Joe Flacco is keeping the Browns alive in the AFC playoff picture, despite throwing three interceptions against the Bears, not having a successful running game and having to deal with an offensive line who couldn’t keep him protected, Flacco still found a way. With less than 2 minutes left, he authored a drive that brought them into field goal range to win the game. Even though his performance wasn’t the best, Flacco got it done and as the postseason approaches, even an ugly win is a win!
The Bears let this one slip through their fingers,they had a chance to deal a blow to the Browns playoff hopes and couldn’t manage to close it out. Their defence played amazing for three quarters against the Browns but could not stop the 38 year old Flacco from driving the field when they needed to. Even with the Browns down to 3rd string linemen, the defence in the final two minutes allowed the Browns to move into field goal range and with another loss, the Bears are all but eliminated from the playoffs, however not officially as of yet.
Playoff Seeding: Browns 5th Seed (No Change) – Bears 13th Seed (No Change)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34 – Green Bay Packers 20
Mayfield stepped up and the Buccaneers toppled the Packers as Baker finally wins in Lambeau. Baker played probably his best game as a Buccaneer on Sunday, throwing for four touchdowns and no interceptions. His effort was helped by a running game that nearly broke the 100 yard mark and the defence did just enough to stop the Packers. In the worst division in football, Mayfield and the Buccaneers might just be the team to beat. Mayfield is the only visiting quarterback to have a perfect passer rating in Lambeau!
The Packers aren’t used to losing at home in December, in fact this is their first home loss in December since 2018! Looking to keep their slim chances of a playoff appearance alive, the young Packers team hoped they’d be able to handle Baker Mayfield who lost the last two visits to Lambeau, unfortunately this was not the case as the Packers defence struggled to stop the Buccaneers and while Jordan Love had a good day under centre, he couldn’t do enough to put the Bucs away.
Playoff Seeding: Buccaneers 4th Seed (No Change) – Packers 11th Seed (Down 4)
Miami Dolphins 30 – New York Jets 0
No Tyreek Hill? No problem as Tua executed the Dolphins offense perfectly against the Jets as he spread the ball around to his other receivers. Even the much talked about Jets defence couldn’t stop the Tua train in this divisional tilt. It wasn’t just all Tua either, the Fins defence is starting to heat up at the right time, generating six sacks and two interceptions on the way to a shutout and once again causing the Jets to bench Wilson.
Wilson’s second start after his last benching didn’t go as expected or maybe it went exactly as fans expected against a division rival. In fairness, Wilson was taken out of the game due to concussion but prior to this he only managed 26 yards passing. Siemian took over for the remainder of the game and, well, did nothing of impact and couldn’t help the Jets score.
Playoff Seeding: Dolphins 2nd Seed (No Change) – Jets Eliminated
New Orleans Saints 24 – New York Giants 6
The Saints defence cooked Tommy Cutlets on Sunday as they generated seven sacks and looked like they were part of the Giants backfield with how often they were back there. With the help of the impressive defensive showcase, Derek Carr played his best game as a Saint so far, spreading the ball around and making his passes quick and crisp to avoid the Giants pass rush. After halftime Carr stepped up the pressure, and scored three touchdowns to blow the game wide open and put it out of reach.
DeVito struggled massively against a top tier defence on Sunday as he spent a lot of the game being sacked and under constant pressure. His attempt to play up a hard hit, if it was a “flop” earned him a trip to the blue tent for a couple of plays. The winning streak under DeVito came to an end in an ugly loss, exposing DeVito’s inability to read and react to a swarming defence. Big Blue fans are still in love with DeVito and the offseason will be interesting for the Giants front office.
Playoff Seeding: Saints 9th Seed (Up 2) – Giants 12th Seed (No Change)
Houston Texans 19 – Tennessee Titans 16 (OT)
C.J. Stroud wasn’t available to play in this important divisional title in a tight AFC playoff race and the game fell onto the shoulders of Case Keenum, despite struggling the entire game Keenum did just enough to bring the Texans the win. However the big story is the Texans defence stepped up and dominated the Titans, even holding Derek Henry to 0.6 yard per carry which is insane! The Texans win, not only keeps them alive in the playoff race but it also eliminates their division rival.
Will Levis and Derek Henry faced a stout Texans defence and couldn’t adapt to overcome in a must win game for the Titans. Keeping Case Keenum honest for the majority of the game, the Titans could have ended the game with a win but when it was needed the Titans defence allowed Keenum to get the Texans into field goal range for the win in overtime. The Titans are now officially eliminated from the playoffs.
Playoff Seeding: Texans 8th Seed (No Change) – Titans Eliminated
Kansas City Chiefs 27 – New England Patriots 17
Another week and another Mahomes hissy fit on the sidelines, once again Kadarius Toney was the cause of this tantrum. Mahomes watched Toney drop two passes during this game including one that resulted in an interception which allowed the Patriots to move within 10 points. After causing back to back issues for the Chiefs offense, Mahomes will have trust issues with Toney going forward. Thanks to Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Rashee Rice the Chiefs were able to close out the game and stop the Patriots from upsetting them.
The Patriots coming off an upset win over the Steelers, still rolling with Bailey Zappe under centre looking to try and upset the Chiefs, which many thought wasn’t possible and New England made sure to live up to those expectations as they fell to the Chiefs at home. They kept it closer than expected but the mistakes piled up and the Patriots once again add another loss to the column.
Playoff Seeding: Chiefs 3rd Seed (No Change) – Patriots Eliminated
Sunday Late Window
San Francisco 49ers 45 – Arizona Cardinals 29
Do the 49ers have multiple MVP candidates on their roster? If you ask a 49ers fan they will vote for Purdy, CMC and Deebo and out of those three CMC would be the obvious choice. Even since they acquired them via trade, CMC has changed the 49ers run game and currently has over 1200 yards and 13 touchdowns. Every NFC playoff team will have to shut down CMC in order to have a chance. The 49ers defence was a little leaky against the Cardinals on Sunday and struggled against a mobile quarterback like Murray.
Murray and the Cardinals looked like they were gonna upset the NFC #1 Seed as the Cardinals kept the game close late in the second quarter however the mistakes started to build up and the 49ers took advantage of these and made the Cards pay, dealing to the tune of 45 points. With the loss, the 49ers clinch the NFC West division title and still hold onto the #1 Seed as the Cardinals find themselves eliminated.
Playoff Seeding: 49ers 1st Seed (No Change) – Cardinals Eliminated
Los Angeles Rams 28 – Washington Commanders 20
The Rams started slow against a poor Commanders team, only leading 3-0 half way through the second quarter and while Stafford had a good game statistically and they did enough to keep their playoff hopes alive, Rams fans might have cause for concern when looking at other NFC playoff teams. One of the biggest concerns for the Rams is Kyren Williams, while he is an offensive MVP for the Rams, his multiple fumbles in this game is something to watch going forward.
The Commanders tried to contain the Rams and did so until halfway through the second quarter but they still allowed Kupp to have 100 receiving yards and eventually the Commanders benched Sam Howell for Jacoby Brissett who managed to score twice against the Rams but while the score looks close the game was never the Commanders to win.
Playoff Seeding: Rams 7th Seed (Up 1) – Commanders Eliminated
Buffalo Bills 31 – Dallas Cowboys 10
The Bills made a statement against the Cowboys as they leaned on James Cook who generated 179 yards on the ground and made the Cowboys defence look terrible on the night. Knowing they need to win everything to make the dance, the Bills took revenge on the Cowboys as they dominated all sides of the ball and made sure the AFC noticed, the Bills are back!
The Cowboys didn’t get off the plane as they couldn’t score or stop the Bills from scoring, while the Cowboys are 7-0 at home, they struggle on the road, which means they will struggle in the playoffs as they will have to go on the road eventually unless they can take the #1 seed from the 49ers. The embarrassing loss to the Bills is cause for concern as it has exposed the Cowboys defence for the entire NFL to see and use that tape to game plan against them!
Playoff Seeding: Bills 9th Seed (Up 2) – Cowboys 2nd Seed (No Change)
Sunday Night Football
Baltimore Ravens 23 – Jacksonville Jaguars 7
The AFC top seed continues to dominate as the season comes to an end and with Lamar Jackson under centre, the Ravens are confident they can make it all the way as long as the former MVP stays healthy. While his performance against the Jaguars wasn’t exceptional, Jackson did enough to extend drives and keep the Ravens moving down the field to put up 23 points on the Jaguars and take home the win.
In a strange moment just before halftime, the Jaguars didn’t try to spike the ball but instead tried to run a play and didn’t manage to do so while in the red zone. There was no sense of urgency to get back to the line to either run a play or spike the ball, resulting in a missed scoring opportunity before the half. Dropping a third straight game while trying to remain in the playoffs, the Jaguars need to address their mistakes if they want to stay alive in the AFC playoff hunt and keep the Colts and Texans from sneaking in and winning the division title.
Playoff Seeding: Ravens 1st Seed (No Change) – Jaguars 4th Seed (No Change)
Monday Night Football
Seattle Seahawks 20 – Philadelphia Eagles 17
Drew Lock stepped in for Geno Smith and shocked the NFL as the Seahawks beat the once red hot Philadelphia Eagles. While the first three quarters were nothing amazing, Lock made sure to drive the length of the field unleashing some beautiful throws to Metcalf and then the go ahead touchdown to Smith-Njigba which sent the 12th man into hysterics as the Seahawks beat the Eagles.
The Eagles should have won this game, they were in control of this contest for the first half before the game ended up tied in the third quarter. The Eagles tried to bleed off the clock and grind out the win but they failed to do so and left too much time on the clock for the Seahawks to respond. The former #1 Seed in the NFC now find themselves falling to the 5th Seed and no longer holding home field advantage.
Playoff Seeding: Seahawks 8th Seed (Up 1) – Eagles 5th Seed (No Change)