2023 NFL season, Week 15: What We Learned from Sunday's games

Baltimore Ravens

11-3

23-7

Jacksonville Jaguars

8-6

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• READ: Ravens become first AFC team to punch playoff ticket
• READ: Jaguars’ Lawrence enters concussion protocol after loss
• READ: Logjam atop AFC South after Jaguars’ loss
• READ: Ravens’ rookie back Mitchell likely out for rest of season

Bobby Kownack’s takeaways:

1. Lamar’s ridiculousness, chemistry with Likely powers Ravens’ win. Baltimore just got a reminder of what it’s like to have Lamar Jackson available for the playoff push. The former most valuable player was electric Sunday night, his first time suiting up beyond Week 15 since 2020. He wasn’t perfect through the air, committing one bad interception and amassing just 171 passing yards on the night, but he consistently made chain-moving throws or left defenders in his wake on highlight-reel runs when the Ravens required it. Jackson paced Baltimore’s 251-yard rushing outing with 97 of his own. He combined the best he has to offer with his arm and legs on the play of the night when he shrugged off a Dawuane Smoot sack, dropped farther in the pocket to buy time and uncorked a long ball for Isaiah Likely to collect with a leaping grab between two defenders. The jaw dropper set up an eventual Gus Edwards touchdown to start off the final stanza, and it was also an indicator of the trust Jackson has brewing for his backup tight end. Likely led the team with five receptions and 70 yards. He was also the recipient of Jackson’s lone TD pass, a tight-window laser and the TE’s second score in as many weeks.
2. Mistake-prone Jags hit three-game skid. Jacksonville seemed hell bent on throwing this game away. The Jaguars reached the Baltimore 36-yard line or farther on four straight drives at one point, yet came away with a goose egg heading into halftime. The first two of those possessions ended with missed kicks by Brandon McManus, while Trevor Lawrence was responsible for bungling the latter two. First, while scrambling into the red zone, Lawrence seemingly juked himself out of the ball, fumbling it for Baltimore’s Arthur Maulet to scoop up. On the ensuing drive, a two-minute drill that reached the Ravens’ 5-yard line, the franchise QB woefully mismanaged the running clock after a 36-yard dime by forgoing a spike in favor of a shotgun pass to rookie Parker Washington, who gained 1 yard and stayed inbounds to send the clock to triple zeroes. Lawrence and Co. did play cleaner (comparatively) in the second half, but spotting the Ravens a 10-point lead with two quarters remaining proved too large a deficit. On a night when Lawrence looked surprisingly unbothered by his high ankle sprain suffered two weeks ago and the Rayshawn Jenkins-led defense gave Jacksonville a shot, the Jags still dropped their third straight. The top of the AFC South now has a three-way tie at 8-6 with three to go.
3. Baltimore continues taking care of business. Back in Week 11, all four AFC division leaders were surging toward the end of the season with three losses apiece. Since then, the Dolphins have lost one, the Chiefs have dropped two and the Jaguars are mired in a three-game losing streak. The Ravens? They’re now winners of four straight. Baltimore’s offense is relentless on the ground, having just eclipsed 200 yards for the second time this season and surpassed 100 yards rushing in every game this year. The defense has perfectly complemented that, especially Sunday night, when it bent and allowed the Jaguars offense to break. After giving the Jaguars long drives to start the night, the unit tightened as the game went down the stretch to limit them to three plays each on three of their final four possessions. The fourth ended in a turnover on downs. The Ravens are now officially the AFC’s first team in the playoffs. They should be brimming with confidence heading into two matchups that could be game-of-the-year caliber against the 49ers and Dolphins.

Next Gen stat of the game: Lamar Jackson’s 26-yard completion to Isaiah Likely in the third quarter included 7.24 seconds to throw, 1.3 yards of target separation and a 18.7% completion probability, Jackson’s second-most improbable completion in 2023.

NFL Research: With his strip-sack against the Jaguars, Justin Madubuike became the third player (since sacks became official in 1982) to have 0.5-plus sacks in 11 consecutive games within a season.

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San Francisco 49ers

11-3

45-29

Arizona Cardinals

3-11

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• READ: Niners repeat as NFC West champions
• READ: Win by 49ers ushers Eagles into playoffs

Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

1. MVP candidates shine as 49ers put up 40-burger in Arizona. Get ready for another round of most valuable player debates in the Bay Area this week. Quarterback Brock Purdy diced up the Cardinals’ defense, tossing four touchdowns. Owning the ability to make plays out of the structure of the offense, Purdy threw seeds, touch lobs and perfectly placed balls in stride to give his pass-catchers space to run. Even on plays when the Cardinals had the 49ers’ offense backed up in third and long, Purdy found answers. It helps to have Christian McCaffrey on the field. The running back was dominant, rushing for 115 yards with a TD and adding five catches for a team-high 72 yards and two more scores. CMC dominated the Cards this season, scoring seven total TDs in two contests. Deebo Samuel chipped in two scores, his third straight game with multiple touchdowns. The 49ers’ offensive embarrassment of riches was on display in Arizona.  
2. Cardinals put up 234 yards rushing in loss. Arizona took advantage of the 49ers missing their top two defensive tackles, Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave, gashing the Niners on the ground for 234 yards, averaging 7.8 yards per rush. James Conner popped a 44-yarder, and Emari Demercado housed a 49-yard gallop. The Cards came in wanting to control the ball, which worked early, as the game sat at 14-13 late in the second quarter. But the better team pulled away. Despite piling up 436 total yards, Arizona’s miscues sank any chances to keep the contest close. Kyler Murray threw an early fourth-down pick-six. A botched handoff eliminated a chance to score a third-quarter TD that would have made it an eight-point game. The Cardinals roster simply isn’t talented enough to overcome errors, particularly against the NFC’s top seed.
3. San Francisco clinches NFC West. With three games to play, Kyle Shanahan’s club wrapped up the division title with a 12th consecutive division victory. Now, the Niners’ eyes turn to the No. 1 seed. The pre-bye three-game losing streak feels like eons ago. San Francisco has won six consecutive contests to move to 11-3, averaging 34.5 points per game in those tilts. The 49ers close the season with games against the Ravens, Commanders and Rams. Win out, and the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC runs through Santa Clara.

Next Gen stat of the game: Brock Purdy went 5-of-7 passing under pressure for 96 yards and two TDs for a 153.3 passer rating and plus-8.9 CPOE.

NFL Research: Week 15 marked Brock Purdy’s 13th career start with a 100-plus passer rating. Purdy’s 13 such games only trail Patrick Mahomes (16) and HOFer Kurt Warner (14) for most games with a 100-plus passer rating in a QB’s first 20 starts since 1950.

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Los Angeles Rams

2023 · 7-7-0

28-10

Washington Commanders

2023 · 4-10-0

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Eric Edholm’s takeaways:

1. Rams couldn’t put Commanders away in ugly but effective outing. It wasn’t pretty for long stretches, and you’d like to see the Rams play far better than they did against one of the worst teams in the NFL. But they did what they needed to do in a game they had to win to keep their postseason hopes healthy. The Rams were only up 3-0 midway through the second quarter, squandering two scoring chances on fumbles. Los Angeles’ defense did its part to hold Washington early, forcing four first-half three-and-outs and batting away Sam Howell’s fourth-down pass on what could have been a walk-in TD. The Rams’ offense eventually found some rhythm and took care of the ball. Matthew Stafford ended up having a good statistical game, and Cooper Kupp had his second straight 100-yard receiving effort. They connected for a 62-yard strike to start the third quarter and make it a 20-0 lead. The Rams’ defense allowed three second-half TD drives, including one after Washington replaced Howell with Jacoby Brissett. But the offense held serve with two TD drives of its own, doing just enough to hit .500 with three games left.
2. Commanders fall apart during ‘middle 10’ of the game. Washington only trailed 3-0 when the Rams started taking control of the game late in the second quarter. But a rough sequence from the final five minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half helped turn a tight game into a three-score Rams lead. Washington would hang tough, making it a one-score game late, but that 14-0 swing in the middle sixth of the game was where it was lost. The Rams drove for a touchdown to up the lead to 10-0, but Washington had a shot to make it a one-score game before halftime. The Commanders ended up punting twice in the final two minutes of the half – or attempting to, anyway. On the second punt try, Camaron Cheeseman short-hopped his snap on an aborted try, giving the Rams the ball at the Washington 15-yard line. The Commanders were lucky to only give up a field goal and trail 13-0 considering they gave the Rams a second life after getting stopped with a roughing-the-passer call against Daron Payne. There was still a shot at that point. But on the second play of the second half, Matthew Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on a 62-yard touchdown pass, and Washington’s losing streak would eventually hit five.
3. Kyren Williams racked up the yards again, but two fumbles marred his day. Since he returned from injury four games ago, Williams arguably has been the Rams’ most valuable offensive player, and he continued his strong production Sunday with 25 carries for 149 yards (just shy of his career-best 158) and a touchdown, along with five receptions and a two-point conversion. His late second-quarter TD put the Rams up, 10-0, and they pretty much coasted from there. But Williams lost two first-half fumbles, both on Washington’s side of the field. The Commanders recovered his first one at their own 8-yard line, part of the reason why it was only a 13-0 Rams lead at halftime. Sean McVay stuck with Williams and continued giving him the ball late, although the Rams did build out a pretty insurmountable lead. They’re lucky that Williams’ two first-half fumbles didn’t hurt more. Against a better team, they might have been more costly.

Next Gen stat of the game: Matthew Stafford completed 16 of 17 passes Sunday when he was in rhythm (throwing between 2.5 and 4 seconds) for 196 yards and two TDs (+23.3% CPOE). Stafford leads the NFL in passing EPA (+34.6) and success rate (55.2%) when in rhythm since returning from injury in Week 11, while facing the second-lowest pressure rate on such throws (29.9%).

NFL Research: Rams WR Puka Nacua (five receptions, 50 yards in Week 15) became only the fifth rookie since yards were officially tracked in 1932 to have nine-plus games of five-plus receptions and 50-plus receiving yards in a season, joining Michael Thomas (2016), Odell Beckham Jr. (2014), Anquan Boldin (2003) and Terry Glenn (1996).

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Buffalo Bills

2023 · 8-6-0

31-10

Dallas Cowboys

2023 · 10-4-0

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• READ: Cowboys clinch playoff spot before kickoff
• READ: Parsons: Cowboys’ road struggles ‘mind-boggling’

Nick Shook’s takeaways:

1. Finally, the Bills ran the ball with intent. We can credit the rain with the assist, as it made conditions less than friendly toward the passing game, but let’s not minimize what Buffalo accomplished Sunday. For the first time in seemingly ages — legitimate years, in fact — the Bills legitimately ran the ball down an opponent’s throat with someone other than Josh Allen. James Cook carried the day with his 179 yards on 25 carries, and Buffalo dominated, both at the point of attack and in time of possession. It’s traditionally been the best formula to beat a high-powered offense, playing keep-away by embarking on methodical drives that drain clock and produce points, and for the Bills, it worked to perfection. It was also shocking to see Buffalo do it, considering how often it’s struggled to establish a traditional running game against lesser opponents. Just consider this: Buffalo scored 31 points, racked up 351 yards, and did so with Allen completing just seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. If this holds — and if it isn’t just an aberration spurred by 30 years of bitterness stemming from their blowout loss to Dallas in Super Bowl XXVII — then the Bills might be one of the scariest teams in the running in the AFC.
2. Cowboys no-show on the road. The Cowboys are 7-0 at home, and 3-4 away from AT&T Stadium. That alone does not explain this loss, but it does provide a rather concerning trend, especially considering how they played Sunday. Dallas came out flat, got bullied by Buffalo and succumbed to the adverse weather conditions, barely registering a pulse offensively and struggling to stop a nosebleed defensively. They lost the war of attrition badly, so much that the second half essentially devolved into a mere passage of time for Dallas, and a celebration for Buffalo. The Cowboys came into Week 15 on a heater and left as cold as the rain that fell on them in Orchard Park. It will be up to them to prove to the rest of the NFL that it was an exception, and not the true definition of who they are as a team.
3. We got a snowball game in Buffalo. It’s not often that a game played between two relative powerhouses ends in such lopsided fashion. It’s even more stunning to see it happen to the Cowboys, a team that put 33-plus points on the board in each of their last five games (all victories) with an offense that appeared all but unstoppable in that span. But when such an offense struggles to get going, then has to wait seemingly an eternity to have another go, things can get out of hand and snowball. That’s exactly what happened Sunday, in which the Bills dominated time of possession (35:05 to 24:55), nearly doubled the Cowboys in total yards, converted 5 of 9 third-down attempts, finished with 266 rushing yards, and absolutely shut down Dallas’ high-powered attack. This game felt like it was over just before halftime, precisely when Dak Prescott‘s third-and-6 pass attempt for Jake Ferguson was broken up by Bills corner Cameron Lewis. If anything, we learned the Cowboys need to get tougher mentally to fight back in a situation like this. Although it was too warm to snow, the Bills sure left the Cowboys out in the cold with the fashion in which they treated them Sunday.

Next Gen stat of the game: Entering Week 15, Dak Prescott led the NFL with a plus-7.4 completion percentage over expected when taking more than 2.5 seconds to throw. He completed just 7 of 19 such attempts Sunday for 55 yards and an interception, finishing with a CPOE of -15.9 on throws attempted after 2.5 seconds.

NFL Research: James Cook is just the fourth Buffalo player all time to record 200-plus scrimmage yards, a rushing touchdown and a receiving TD in the same game. 

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Carolina Panthers

2023 · 2-12-0

9-7

Atlanta Falcons

2023 · 6-8-0

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Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

1. Bryce Young leads game-winning drive for Panthers’ second win of the season. In a rain-soaked affair in Charlotte, Young got off to a shaky start, missing several passes badly early, but when the defense forced a red zone turnover late, the young QB made the plays to win the game. Young jumpstarted the drive, dropping a nice ball to Tommy Tremble for 19 yards, and followed it up with a 20-yarder to Jonathan Mingo on a pivotal third-and-3 to cross midfield. Two plays later, D.J. Chark made a gorgeous toe-tapping grab for 18 yards to get into field-goal range. The Panthers milked the clock to set up the game-winning chip-shot field goal with no time left. The sequence was the most confident Young has looked throwing the ball in weeks. Young benefited from finally getting decent protection in the rain. Young was pressured a season-low eight times — on 28.6% of dropbacks — against the Falcons, the first game of his career under 30%, per Next Gen Stats. After struggling out of the gate, for the No. 1 overall pick to bounce back in bad weather is a positive sign for his development down the stretch.  
2. Falcons bungle opportunity for a win. What an awful effort by Arthur Smith’s club. The offense couldn’t find its footing early, bumbling and stumbling through much of the first half against a one-win opponent. It took a throw-back 56-yard completion to tight end Jonnu Smith to get anything going. Even with the moribund play, Atlanta had a chance to escape with a win. But Bijan Robinson fumbled deep in his own territory, setting up a Panthers field goal to cut a four-point lead to one. Then came an awful red-zone interception from Desmond Ridder . The QB escaped pressure and forced an off-balance throw across his body right to safety Xavier Woods for a game-changing pick. It was a dumb decision and an ugly throw. Bad combo. Atlanta’s run game was nonexistent, averaging 1.7 yards per carry on 31 attempts, and Ridder made a host of poor throws in the rain. Combined, that equals a pitiful road loss.
3. Atlanta’s playoff hopes take brutal blow. The Falcons dropped to 6-8, and with the Saints and Bucs both winning, they saw their chances of taking the NFC South extremely damaged. With three games remaining against the Colts, Bears and Saints, Smith’s team needs to go on a run and get help for any chance. Given how they’ve played the past two weeks, it simply doesn’t look like a postseason club. A late-season collapse could lead to changes in Atlanta for a team that had playoff aspirations entering the campaign.

Next Gen stat of the game: Chuba Hubbard generated a season-high plus-25 rushing yards over expected across 22 carries for 87 yards, including four runs of 10-plus yards (his most in a game this season).

NFL Research: Desmond Ridder has a 2-6 career record on the road (6-2 at home). He’s averaging 176 passing yards per game (second-lowest in NFL) for road games (minimum 80 passing attempts).

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Cleveland Browns

2023 · 9-5-0

20-17

Chicago Bears

2023 · 5-9-0

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Nick Shook’s takeaways:

1. Joe Flacco finds a way. With three interceptions (two being his fault), Flacco wasn’t having the best day in his third start with the Browns. His patchwork offensive line was struggling mightily to protect him, Cleveland couldn’t run the ball effectively, and the entire operation couldn’t build enough momentum to make anyone believe it might erase a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. And yet, somehow, the Browns did just that. With little to lose, Flacco kept slinging the football, connecting with Marquise Goodwin on a 57-yard completion to set up a Dustin Hopkins field goal. Two possessions later, Flacco ripped a beautifully placed and timed throw into an open intermediate window, where Amari Cooper caught the pass and ran around the right end, breaking a tackle and tight-roping the sideline to the end zone for the game-tying score. With 1:50 left on the clock, Flacco made some final magic, lofting an under-pressure pass to David Njoku for a gain of 34, his second connection for 30-plus yards with Njoku on the drive. That ended in the go-ahead field goal, capping a wild comeback fitting of this unlikely season for the Browns, who have consistently overcome incredible odds to stay on a winning track, with the last two coming thanks to the heroics of Flacco.
2. Bears waste great opportunity. Chicago’s defense has been playing excellent football of late, and through three quarters, it appeared positioned to score another upset win thanks to the unit’s stifling performance. Three interceptions led to 14 of the Bears’ 17 points, Montez Sweat was in the midst of another banner day (he finished with 2.5 sacks), and all they had to do was salt away the win by finishing the fourth quarter. Instead, they crumbled, allowing Flacco just enough room to operate and failing to prevent the Browns from moving down the field via chunk plays. As for the offense, well, despite Justin Fields‘ stellar improvisation on his touchdown pass to Cole Kmet, the Bears had a tough time against Cleveland’s hungry defense, finishing with just 236 yards and converting just 4 of 18 third downs. Fields completed less than 50 percent of his passes, Chicago punted 10 times and when the Bears desperately needed a game-tying field goal in the final seconds, they failed to move within Cairo Santos‘ range. The Bears had plenty to be proud of in this game, but the result will resonate more than the smaller victories, and with Matt Eberflus headed toward a treacherous end of the season, this might be the outcome that does him in.
3. Cleveland’s injuries are nearing an avalanche. At one point in the game Sunday, the Browns were playing with their third right tackle, backup left tackle, third center and backup guard. The only starter to make it through the entire game was right guard Wyatt Teller. That’s only where the injuries begin for Cleveland, which is playing without an incredible amount of key contributors. The Browns had every reason to lose a game like Sunday’s, yet they didn’t. The results serve as a testament to Kevin Stefanski, who has done a fantastic job of coaching up a decimated group, so much that he should be considered for Associated Press Coach of the Year.

Next Gen stat of the game: Amari Cooper caught three of five targets on in-breaking routes for 104 yards and a touchdown Sunday.

NFL Research: Joe Flacco led his first game-winning drive since Week 2 of 2022, in which he powered the Jets to a stunning win over the Browns in Cleveland.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7-7

34-20

Green Bay Packers

6-8

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• READ: Mayfield first opposing QB to be perfect in Lambeau

Eric Edholm’s takeaways:

1. Baker Mayfield’s best game leads Bucs to biggest win of season. Mayfield had been to Lambeau Field the past two seasons – with two different clubs – and lost both games. He wasn’t about to make it three straight with so much on the line for the Bucs. Mayfield turned in his finest performance as a Buccaneer, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the second half to pull away from the dangerous Packers. Mayfield lost a fumble inside his own 5-yard line late in the first quarter, and Green Bay scored two plays later for a 7-3 lead. But Mayfield responded with a 75-yard TD drive punctuated with a pretty 19-yard TD pass to Mike Evans, and Tampa Bay wouldn’t trail the remainder of the game. Mayfield threw a dangerous pass to David Moore (only his third grab of the season) in between two Packers defenders, but Moore ripped off a 52-yard catch and run – and replay confirmed that Moore didn’t fumble at the goal line, despite losing the ball. Tampa’s 457 yards of offense were their most since Week 17 last year, with Mayfield, Rachaad White and Chris Godwin all having big games.
2. Rare home December loss drops Packers to 6-8. The Packers lost their first December game at Lambeau Field since 2018, sinking their chances to make the playoffs. Green Bay got hot midseason to even its record a 6-6 after a 2-5 start, but two straight losses spell trouble for any postseason hopes. The Packers were moving the ball and very much in the game at halftime, down only 13-10. But Green Bay’s defense allowed Tampa Bay to score touchdowns on its first three possessions of the second half and run the clock out with a beautiful four-minute offense on their fourth. The Packers weren’t quite as efficient offensively, fumbling away their final possession down two scores late. Jordan Love lost a fumble but otherwise had a good day throwing the ball. This loss is on the defense for sure. Head coach Matt LaFleur also lost a bizarre challenge in the second half when he probably didn’t need to try it. LaFleur also settled for a field goal on fourth-and-4 from the Tampa 15-yard line, making it a 27-20 Bucs lead. The Bucs marched down and scored another TD immediately after that, preserving the win. It was just an all-around frustrating day for everyone at Lambeau Sunday, save for the visitors.
3. K.J. Britt steps in again at middle linebacker and thrives. The Buccaneers’ defense had an up-and-down day overall Sunday, but the team is now 3-0 with someone other than Devin White at middle linebacker. Todd Bowles said after the game that White told him he couldn’t go because his foot injury still pained him, so in stepped Britt, who had six tackles (including two big run stuffs) and was good in coverage, allowing only three catches for 17 yards, per Next Gen Stats. His running mate, Lavonte David , kept up his excellent play with nine tackles and a half sack, taking over White’s role as the blitzing linebacker. But Britt was better in this game than White has been in any game this season, turning in his second straight quality start for the Bucs. Tampa tried J.J Russell in White’s spot three weeks ago, but it would be hard to imagine Britt not being the top option going forward. This casts even more doubt about White’s future in Tampa Bay, even if it comes at a time when the Bucs are making a strong push for the playoffs.

Next Gen stat of the game: Jordan Love completed 21 of 24 passes for 189 yards and two TDs (+13.0% CPOE) when the Bucs blitzed four or fewer pass rushers. Love against the blitz was 8 of 15 for 95 yards (-0.8% CPOE) with a 70.6% pressure rate and two sacks.

NFL Research: Chris Godwin tied his season high in targets (12), while hauling in a season high in receptions (10) and receiving yards (155) against the Packers.

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Miami Dolphins

2023 · 10-4-0

30-0

New York Jets

2023 · 5-9-0

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• READ: Jets QB Wilson concussed in shutout loss

Christian Gonzales’ takeaways:

1. Tua Tagovailoa orchestrates Dolphins’ offense perfectly without Tyreek Hill. With Hill dealing with an ankle injury and inactive for Sunday’s AFC East tilt, Tagovailoa had no issues delivering passes to other playmakers. To set the tone, Tagovailoa completed 13 straight completions to start the game and finished the game completing 21 of 24 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. It was a complete game from Tagovailoa, who had Raheem Mostert contribute two touchdowns on the ground, while Jaylen Waddle slithered his way past New York’s defense. In Hill’s absence, Waddle was the big-play threat and caught a 60-yard TD pass from Tagovailoa. It was a day for Miami’s offense to showcase that it could still be dangerous without its top receiver. The victory allows some breathing room in a tight AFC playoff race and the Dolphins took a big step closer to winning the AFC East title.
2. Zach Wilson’s second start after being benched doesn’t go well. Fresh off an impressive win over the Texans, Wilson would like to move past this one in Miami. The Jets QB suffered a concussion in the first half, and he finished the game with four completions for 26 yards in the first half. Thanks largely to struggling offensive line play, Wilson was sacked five times. Veteran Trevor Siemian took over the second half and struggled the rest of the way, tossing two interceptions. Aaron Rodgers‘ chances of returning from a torn Achilles in Week 1 are looking slim with Gang Green’s record. With the Jets (5-9) being eliminated from the playoffs, Rodgers’ comeback story seems to be unlikely now. 
3. Vic Fangio’s defense trending in the right direction. Yes, the Dolphins played an inconsistent Jets offense, but they smothered Wilson and Siemian on each drive. Fangio’s unit only allowed 11 first downs and produced six sacks, two interceptions and completed a shutout. It’s Miami’s first shutout win since 2020, which was against the Jets. Bradley Chubb’s performance played a big factor as he posted three sacks, seven tackles, two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Every time the ball was snapped, it appeared Chubb was already in front of whoever was under center for New York.  

Next Gen stat of the game: Tua Tagovailoa’s 60-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle traveled 48.59 yards in air distance. It was Tagovailoa’s seventh-farthest tracked completion this year. 

NFL Research: Raheem Mostert’s rushed for his 17th touchdown of the season, a Dolphins team record. It’s the fourth-most in a season by an undrafted player in the common-draft era. Only Priest Holmes (27 in 2003 and 21 in 2002) and LeGarrette Blount (18 in 2016) had more.

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New Orleans Saints

2023 · 7-7-0

24-6

New York Giants

2023 · 5-9-0

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Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

1. Saints D throttles Giants to end Tommy DeVito parade. Saints linebacker Demario Davis flew around early, blasting Giants ball carriers and drilling DeVito for a sack, setting the tone for the hometown defense. Davis led a Saints squad that smothered everything Brian Daboll’s offense attempted. Runs? Stuffed. Dropbacks? Sacked. Heaves? Broken up. Davis tallied 10 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss in the contest. New Orleans swarmed DeVito, generating seven sacks, including three by Tanoh Kpassagnon. The Saints allowed a meager 3.2 yards per play on 61 snaps, holding Big Blue to 193 total yards and 12 first downs. For the second consecutive week, Dennis Allen’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown.
2. Derek Carr authors best game in Bayou. The Saints QB distributed the ball with aplomb, using a quick release and finding outlets to avoid the Giants’ pressure packages. The deep shots were absent sans Chris Olave, but Carr repeatedly tossed darts over the middle to move the chains. After a sluggish first half that saw the Saints leading 7-6 at the break, New Orleans scored on three straight drives to blow the game open. Carr played well in the red zone and threw three TD passes, his first three-touchdown pass game of the season. The QB’s 134.8 passer rating marked a single-season high. Carr completed 17 of his 19 pass attempts for 169 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants in zone coverage, generating his highest passer rating (138.8) against zone coverage since Week 8, 2018, per Next Gen Stats. With the victory, the Saints kept pace with Tampa Bay at 7-7 atop the NFC South race with three games remaining, including a Week 17 showdown with the Bucs.
3. Tommy DeVito banged around in loss. New York’s best story hit an ugly chapter. DeVito had few answers Sunday, rarely able to escape pressure, taking seven sacks and finding nothing downfield until the game was out of hand. With the ground game silenced, New York was one-dimensional and couldn’t move the chains, going three and out four times. DeVito exited late in the first half after getting hit on a slide but returned in the third quarter after getting checked for a concussion. Later in the game, he tweaked his leg after getting stepped on by one of his offensive lineman. The young QB didn’t turn the ball over, but the sacks were drive-killers. DeVito has been a sensational story, leading Big Blue to three straight wins ahead of Week 15, but Sunday showed the limitations of an offense that doesn’t have answers against one of the better defenses in the NFL.

Next Gen stat of the game: Tanoh Kpassagnon recorded a season-high seven pressures on 22 pass rushes (31.8% pressure rate) in Week 15 against the Giants. Kpassagnon entered Week 15 with just a 9.8% pressure rate this season, ranking 67th among 80 edge rushers (min. 175 pass rushes).

NFL Research: Alvin Kamara had 110 scrimmage yards (16 carries, 66 rushing yards, five receptions, 44 receiving yards). It marked Kamara’s seventh season with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards (most in Saints history). He became the 16th RB in NFL history to have 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in each of their first seven seasons (eight are in HOF) — last 3 RBs to accomplish it were HOFer LaDainian Tomlinson (2001-07), Adrian Peterson (2007-13) and Matt Forte (2008-14).

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Houston Texans

8-6

19-16 (OT)

Tennessee Titans

5-9

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• READ: Derrick Henry ponders future with Titans eliminated

Nick Shook’s takeaways:

1. Texans defense comes through. Houston had plenty of reasons to fold in Nashville on Sunday. C.J. Stroud‘s unavailability forced the Texans to start veteran Case Keenum, who threw an ugly pick-six in the first half and couldn’t lead the Texans to a touchdown through three quarters. But Houston’s defense was excellent Sunday, shutting down Derrick Henry to the tune of an unbelievable 0.6 yards per carry, and preventing rookie quarterback Will Levis from finding any semblance of a rhythm beyond Tennessee’s opening drive. The Texans held the Titans to 204 total yards, buying time for their offense to chip away at the Titans’ lead, and picked off Levis to change possession and produce a field goal. That same defense shut down Tennessee in the second half and overtime, forcing four punts on Tennessee’s final four possession — including two in overtime. On a day in which Houston’s stellar rookie signal-caller wasn’t able to lead them, the Texans’ defense answered the call.
2. Tennessee’s offense returns to its shell. It’s quite simple with these Titans: If the run game isn’t working, it’s going to be a tough day. Derrick Henry was a non-factor Sunday, and Tyjae Spears and Levis were only able to combine for 55 yards on 13 carries. That meant much of the responsibility was on Levis, who got the Titans off to a fun start with a fantastic completion to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to set up his one-yard rushing score. But otherwise, it was a fruitless grind. Levis finished 17 of 26 for 199 yards and an interception, and DeAndre Hopkins was effectively eliminated from the equation, ending his day with two catches for 21 yards. This is how most of the Titans’ losses have played out, and after Tennessee found a way to score two touchdowns in the final five minutes of their Week 14 win over Miami, it was disheartening to watch them revert to a lesser form.
3. Devin Singletary keeps Texans afloat. Gather your flowers for one of the unsung heroes of the 2023 season. Singletary, a Bills castoff, carried Houston’s offense on Sunday, racking up 121 yards on 26 carries and nearly running to a walk-off touchdown in overtime, had John Metchie III not been flagged for a questionable holding penalty. No matter, though, as Singletary’s efforts were enough to keep the Texans in a game that was in danger of getting out of hand early in the second quarter. He accounted for more than a third of Houston’s total yards on the day and paced an offense that desperately needed the ground game to be a factor without Stroud. It’s about time we give him the praise he deserves.

Next Gen Stat of the game: Houston’s win probability dropped as low as 8% with eight minutes left in the second quarter before Houston mounted a comeback and won in overtime, marking the Texans’ second win of 2023 in which they had less than a 10% chance of winning.

NFL Research: Case Keenum’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Noah Brown was his first game-tying or go-ahead touchdown pass in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter since the Minneapolis Miracle — Keenum’s game-winning 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs on the final play of the 2017 Divisional Round win over the Saints.

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Kansas City Chiefs

9-5

27-17

New England Patriots

3-11

• FULL BOX SCORE
• READ: Battista: Examining what’s next for Patriots, Belichick

Eric Edholm’s takeaways:

1. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Rashee Rice step up for offensively starved Chiefs. With Isiah Pacheco out, the Chiefs turned to Edwards-Helaire at running back and were rewarded with his best game production in more than a year. Edwards-Helaire totaled 101 yards from scrimmage, which included a 48-yard reception (his career long by 19 yards), a 20 yard-run (a season long) and a circus TD catch. Patrick Mahomes was flushed from the pocket and flipped a lob pass to CEH, who contorted his body for the score, giving Kansas City a 24-10 lead in the second half. Rice also stepped up with one of his best games this season, catching nine passes (on nine targets) for 91 yards and a touchdown, which came on a clever trick play in the red zone. The Chiefs have labored offensively for most of the season, at least compared to recent years, and they dropped at least four passes Sunday – including Travis Kelce in the end zone and Kadarius Toney tipping the ball for a Patriots interception. KC was never really in danger of losing the game in the second half, but it needed all the plays it got from its two top playmakers because of the mistakes it made elsewhere in the game. 
2. Patriots’ mistakes, injuries pile up again in another loss. Last week’s win over the Steelers eased some of the tension in Foxborough, but Sunday was a return to reality. The Patriots were competitive, and they again found some ways to frustrate Mahomes, but it wasn’t enough in yet another uneven offensive game with the Patriots also losing more players to injury. Rookie kicker Chad Ryland barely made his first field goal try, then missed a 41-yarder. It’s hard to be a field-goal offense when your kicker is only 12 of 19 on the season, with four misses under 50 yards. But there would be bigger mistakes on offense and defense. A Conor McDermott holding call wiped out a touchdown that would have given New England a 14-7 lead early, and Alex Austin’s defensive flag eliminated a fumble by the Chiefs’ Skyy Moore early in the third quarter. The real dagger was from Bailey Zappe, who was solid early but threw an interception into traffic in the third quarter that never should have been attempted. Throw in injuries to Cole Strange (who was carted off), Hunter Henry and McDermott, and it just added to the insult of a roster that already has seen major injury attrition.
3. Chiefs still have a Kadarius Toney problem. One week after Toney committed one of the most famous offensive offsides in league annals, he again found himself at the center of Chiefs fans’ ire. Toney suffered two more drops Sunday, including one that led to a Patriots fourth-quarter interception. It was a 27-10 Kansas City lead, but the Patriots scored quickly after that, changing the arc of the game briefly. Toney had two catches for 5 yards in the game and was taken off punt returns this season. So what would you say that it is you do? This season began with one of Toney’s Week 1 drops corralling into the hands of the Lions’ Brian Branch for a game-changing pick-six, and a later drop likely cost the Chiefs a chance to win that game. Four months later, nothing has changed. A team that already was struggling to score points and trust receivers might have to sit Toney for good now. Can they use him in the postseason with his catastrophic drop rate?

Next Gen stat of the game: Rashee Rice caught all nine of his targets for 91 yards in Week 15, including eight receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown on targets with 3 or more yards of separation. Rice leads all rookie receivers with plus-110 receiving yards over expected on targets with 3-plus yards of separation entering the rest of the Week 15 slate. 

NFL Research: Jerick McKinnon is the third Chiefs player all time with a TD pass and a receiving TD in the same game, along with Tyler Thigpen (2008 vs. Tampa Bay) and Curtis McClinton (1963 at Denver). McKinnon is also the first player in the league with a TD pass and a receiving TD in the first half of a game since the Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 (Week 6 at Raiders).

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