Week 15 NFL Recap

By Matt Quinn

It was another exciting day in the NFL as we inch closer and closer to the start of the playoffs. There were some tight games, some dominant performances, and teams clinching playoff spots despite losses. From the Eagles putting some pressure on the Lions for the NFC’s one seed to a scary situation developing in Kansas City with Mahomes’ injury, there were storylines everywhere. So let’s get into this week’s biggest games.

Miami- 12, Houston- 20

The Houston Texans would later clinch the AFC South due to a Colts loss but this game wasn’t the prettiest. For large stretches, neither team got much going. C.J. Stroud threw for just 131 yards but his two touchdown passes were enough to get the job done. RB Joe Mixon was largely ineffective also, with just 23 yards on 12 carries. It was the Texans defense that was the difference in the game, forcing 3 Tua interceptions, two of which came in the redzone and were absolute back breaking plays. Take away those turnovers and you probably get a different result. This loss ultimately all but ends the Dolphins season, barring an incredible collapse by Denver or the Chargers. The Texans may have clinched their division but the way this team is playing, it’s looking more and more likely that this will be a one and done playoff trip.

Colts- 13, Broncos- 31

When will the epidemic of players dropping the ball before crossing the goal line end? We saw yet another boneheaded example of exactly that by the usually reliable Jonathan Taylor. Boy was it a critical one too. At the time of the play, the Colts were up 13-7 in the 3rd quarter and the would-be touchdown would have put the Colts up 20-7 against a Broncos team that really didn’t do much right in the game leading up to that point. Bo Nix was not at his best on Sunday. While he did end up throwing three touchdowns after the Colts had given the Broncos life with the Taylor fumble, he also threw three picks and was bailed out by his defense and dark horse Defensive Player of the Year candidate Nick Bonitto, who took a lateral to the house in a wild sequence. The Broncos from there were able to stretch their lead and make the game look way more like a blowout than it actually was. With the win the Broncos clinched their first winning record since 2016 but playing the majority of the game the way they did will not get a team very far in the post season.

Steelers- 13, Eagles- 27

Oh Najee Harris. That’s about all you can say from a Steelers fan’s perspective. The Eagles largely dominated most of the game in terms of time of possession. The Steelers actually did a good job shutting down Saquon Barkley, who was pretty ineffective for most of the game. That, however, opened up the pass game and Jalen Hurts routinely found wide open receivers in the middle of the field. Despite all of that, the Steelers still had a legit chance to win this game. Trailing by seven in the 3rd quarter, The Steelers offense executed a nice flea flicker play and were driving down the field with relative ease when a toss play to Najee Harris ended in disaster. The pitch was perfect but Najee took his eyes off the ball and fumbled the pitch, allowing the Eagles to recover and basically end the game. The momentum was all on the Steelers side at that point and the fumble just absolutely killed them. There were some positives to take away from the game though from a Steelers standpoint. Despite the loss, the losses by the Colts and Dolphins were enough to clinch a playoff spot for Pittsburgh and despite some questionable referee decisions and being almost doubled up in time of possession, the Steelers still had a chance to win, despite missing WR George Pickens on offense, Safety Deshon Elliot and Defensive Lineman Larry Ogunjobi on defense, and losing TJ Watt towards the end of the game (low ankle sprain, x rays negative). Ultimately in the grand scheme of things, this game didn’t matter much to Pittsburgh as regardless of what happened in this game, the Steelers just need to beat the Ravens next week to win the division. As for the Eagles, they ended the day in a tie with the Detroit Lions for the number one seed in the NFC and look to be on a collision course with the Lions in this year’s NFC Championship game.

Bills- 48, Lions- 42

Finally, we finish with the game of the day and maybe the season, on paper at least. There’s no defense in Bills games anymore apparently. Granted, playing against the Lions will usually make your defense look suspect but that has to be a bit of a concern moving forward as the Bills have allowed 86 points in their last two games. If not for the otherworldly play of MVP front runner Josh Allen, the Bills would not be where they are now. This game was pretty much controlled by the Bills from start to finish though. They jumped out to a 14-0 lead early and never looked back, as the Lions never got closer than a seven point deficit throughout the game. The Lions have largely been looked at as the best team in the NFL for this whole season, but now that title has to go to Buffalo as they’ve now beat both number one seeds in each conference. They are clearly the team to beat right now, especially with the injury to Patrick Mahomes throwing a wrench into the Chiefs three peat plans. The Bills are looking like a real team of destiny right now and they will be extremely difficult to knock out of the playoffs in January.