NFL Week 15 Thoughts, Reactions and Recap

Jacksonville Stuns Dallas

Aside from a beatdown from Detroit 3 weeks ago, Jacksonville has been a very hot team. The Jaguars have not taken down Dallas, Tennessee and Baltimore in the last month. Trevor Lawrence has been playing much better and might be starting to look like the generational quarterback talent everyone thought he was. Jacksonville might have dug themselves into too big of a hole though record wise as they still sit at 6-8 and one game behind Tennessee with only 3 left to play. 

Dak threw a couple of interceptions in this game and both Dallas running backs couldn’t average more than 3.9 YPC. This loss isn’t all on the offense though. They put up 34 points. The Cowboys dreadful run defense reared its ugly head again. Etienne rushed for over 100 yards on 5.4 YPC. Jamal Agnew had a few long runs, one going for 30 yards. When Dallas can’t stop the run, it really hinders their great pass rush. They don’t have much time to get it figured out as they face an Eagles team that lives to run the ball next week. 

Minnesota Completed NFL’s Greatest Comeback

What a game we saw on Saturday. When the Vikings were down 17-0, I took Minnesota +7.5. By the time halftime rolled around and the score was 33-0, I felt like an idiot. The Vikings ended up winning in overtime as well all know. Getting into that big of a hole against a bad Colts team doesn’t bode well, but the fact they were able to come back and win has to count for something. I am not a Vikings fan, but the lack of respect they’re getting is insane to me.

New England Loses in a Most Embarrassing Way

I had just turned my head back to RedZone when this play was unfolding. Jakobi Myers came out and said after the game the play call was a simple draw. He tried to be a hero and it failed spectacularly. With this loss, the Patriots are likely out of the playoffs unless they can go 2-1 against Cincinnati, Miami and Buffalo. 2-1 would be the minimum they could go and still have a chance at getting in. With those 3 teams all being top-10 squads, the likelihood New England wins any of them is rather low. 

If Las Vegas could’ve just held on to beat the horrible Rams last week, this win might mean something. Unfortunately, they’re now just 6-8 with no hope for a playoff berth. All talk is pointing towards a Derek Carr exit this offseason and I can’t say I blame Las Vegas. He’s a great quarterback, but it just isn’t working. They need to reset and come at this AFC with a different look. 

Buffalo Escaped Miami with Mother Nature’s Help

This matchup was back and forth for all four quarters. In a game that saw 61 total points, the largest lead was only 8. Miami and Tua played a lot better than I thought they would. Raheem Mostert rushed for 136 yards on only 17 carries. I don’t really think there was much to be learned from this game besides getting a clearer playoff picture. Buffalo is a little better than Miami and they won by 3. 

Kansas City Survives in Houston

Another bad showing from Kansas City’s defense this week. The Chiefs defense has had back-to-back subpar games against bad offenses. It wasn’t so much the yards or stats Houston gained this week. They only registered 219 total yards (3.8 YPP). But Houston shredded this defense in the Red Zone, scoring 3 touchdowns the first three times they were there. Mahomes did enough to make up for it though. He threw for 336 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mahomes completed 87.8% of his passes on 41 attempts and at one point completed 18 in a row. He should arguably be the MVP, but Hurts’ storyline is keeping him as the favorite. The decision will likely come down to Philadelphia’s game against Dallas next Saturday. If Philadelphia loses and Hurts isn’t excellent, Mahomes will probably leap-frog into first. 

Titans Falling and Chargers Rising

Los Angeles has won 3 of their last 4 and show no signs of slowing down. When Mike Williams and Keenan Allen are healthy, I don’t think anybody wants to face this team. Herbert did throw 2 interceptions, but one of those was at the end of the first half on a crazy tip play, so I can’t say I really count that one. The Chargers are now 8-6 and in complete control of their destiny. 

Tennessee is flailing at the worst time possible. They’ve lost 4 in a row and have only scored 20+ once in the last month. This offense has been anemic and difficult to watch. The defense hasn’t been much better either. In the first 9 weeks, they were only allowing 18.6 PPG. Now in the last 5 games they’re allowing 25 PPG. With Jacksonville storming, the division is no longer locked down. The Titans need to turn it around fast. 

Giants Move Closer to the Playoffs

With this win, the Giants almost guaranteed themselves a playoff spot. As long as they win one of their next three and Seattle doesn’t win out, New York will make it. The Giants did get a lot of help from the “zebras” in this game. Look at this clip of McLaurin asking an official if he was offside, the official saying he’s good and then immediately throwing a flag once the ball was in play. If you don’t think there’s anything wrong there, watch this clip of the absolute mauling that took place on one of the most important fourth quarter plays. I understand not wanting to call pass interference at the end of the game, but when it’s egregious like it is here, it has to be called. The refs might as well head to the locker room a snap early if they’re only there because they have to be. I would be irate if I was a Commanders fan. 

The candle might be slowly going out on Washington’s season. The good news is they can still make it with at least two wins in the next three games. The bad news is they play San Francisco, Cleveland and Dallas. Two of the best six or seven teams in the league. I would be extremely shocked to see them still be playing come the Wild Card round. It was a fun season though and if they can get the right quarterback in there, they will set themselves up for continued success in the future. 

Lions are .500 after Week 15

This is the first time in 5 years Detroit is .500 or better with 3 weeks left to go in the season. They’ve won 6 of their last 7 and this offense looks like a force to be reckoned with. They’re currently 5th in the league in scoring and 3rd in red zone trips that end in a TD. Their defense has a lot of room for improvement, but that’s okay. They’re aren’t going to fix everything in one season. They have 2 first round draft picks next year and one will be in the top 5. A couple more great pieces added to this team will have Detroit looking like a potential contender.

Other Notes:

• New Orleans beat Atlanta by 3. Did anyone care about this game or even know it was being played? This matchup might have won the award for Most Unimportant Game of the Season
• Brett Rypien leads Denver past Arizona. I might have spoke too soon giving out that award to the game above. Both of these squads are now 4-10 and might as well phone it in the rest of the season. They’re playing for contracts and draft picks only. 
• Pittsburgh handled Carolina with ease. Every week I say Tomlin’s perfect streak is dead and then the Steelers win a game and keep it within reach. It’s going to take 3 straight wins against Vegas, Baltimore and Cleveland, so not probable, but possible. 
• Cleveland beat Baltimore 13-3 on Saturday. Any talk of Huntley being a good backup quarterback should be dead. With Baltimore’s loss, Cincinnati now owns sole possession of the AFC North. With how hot the Bengals are, it’s going to be tough for Baltimore to get it back. 
• Philadelphia did just enough to beat Chicago. Hurts had a rough day through the air but made up for it via the ground game. Chicago continues to show signs of life, but can’t seem to win. I’m sure they’re fine with that as a higher draft pick sounds better than an extra meaningless win or two. 

Gambling Recap

Our best bet hit again this week. That’s two winning weeks in a row. Yes, it’s only been one bet a week, but it still counts. If we can get a few more wins on the board before the end of the year, we’ll be in good shape come playoff time.