NFL Week 15 Essentials
December 15, 2015
Only three regular-season games remain. Surprisingly, 21 of 32 NFL teams are below .500, which means many mediocre squads remain in the hunt since two divisions are probably going to be won with records of 9-7 or 8-8. Week 15 will add a few key pieces to the puzzle. Here’s an early look:
Thursday, Dec. 17
Tampa Bay at St. Louis: The Bucs suffered a costly home loss to New Orleans in Week 14 to fall back in the playoff hunt, managing a single first down in the first quarter in a sloppy penalty-filled game against the NFL’s worst defense. As a result, they wasted an opportunity to climb over .500 for the first time in three years, putting them in a situation where they’ll have to win out just to have a chance at a postseason berth. WR Vincent Jackson suffered an MCL sprain and is likely done for the season, so Jameis Winston won’t have one of his most effective weapons available.
Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin ranks second in the league in rushing (1,214 yards) and faces a depleted Rams run defense that is tied for 11th-worst, surrendering 115.9 yards per game. St. Louis rookie RB Todd Gurley ran for 140 yards and two scores in Sunday’s 21-14 win over Detroit and will be ready to play here despite banging knees late. Both teams are playing their only primetime contest of the season. The Bucs haven’t won a night game since 2013, while the Rams are winless in them since ’12, losing their last four.
Saturday, Dec. 19
N.Y. Jets at Dallas: Stuck in a three-way tie with the Chiefs and Steelers for the final two playoff spots in the AFC, the Jets have virtually no room for error since those teams have fairly light schedules the rest of the way. The Jets have division rivals New England and Buffalo left after this one, making this visit to AT&T Stadium a must-win. Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown nine touchdowns without an interception during New York’s three-game winning streak and has made plays with his feet as well, but this Cowboys defense will be the best he’s seen since a loss at Houston on Nov. 22. Dallas isn’t mathematically eliminated in the NFC East, but brings up the rear in the division and can’t afford another loss. Matt Cassel has thrown a single TD pass in his last four starts. The ‘under’ is 7-3 in the last 10 Cowboys games. An unhappy Dez Bryant, set to visit Revis Island here, caught just one pass for nine yards in Sunday’s 28-7 loss at Green Bay and had multiple drops.
Sunday, Dec. 20
Chicago at Minnesota: The Vikings could be sitting pretty if they had just kicked on third down and successfully gotten out of Arizona with an OT win. Because Mike Zimmer failed them with an awful decision, Minnesota has fallen behind Green Bay in the NFC North and looks vulnerable as they attempt to hang on to an NFC Wild Card spot by avoiding a bad loss here. The Vikes are 4-2 at home but have dropped consecutive games in Minneapolis. The Bears are actually 4-2 on the road and have won their last three in opposing stadiums, counting conquests at Arrowhead and Lambeau Field among their victories. Minnesota won the first meeting 23-20 on Nov. 1 on a last-second field goal from Blair Walsh to cap a rally from a 20-13 deficit inside the final two minutes. Defensive standouts Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and Linval Joseph all missed the Arizona loss, so monitor their availability here.
Atlanta at Jacksonville: You would think Sunday’s 38-0 loss at Carolina would be rock bottom for the Falcons, but that wouldn’t necessarily be the safest of assumptions. Dan Quinn’s team has been unable to pick themselves up off the mat, entering their final road date of the season mired in a six-game losing streak. Remember when this team was 5-0? All hope isn’t lost just yet, but considering it would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker to Minnesota, Atlanta’s playoff hopes look bleak. The Jaguars actually seem like they’re closer to a postseason berth since they’re just one game back in their division and have a game in Houston to end the season. Blake Bortles has thrown eight touchdown passes and no picks over the last two games, helping the Jags pile up 90 points. He’ll be hoping to avoid an interception in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.
Houston at Indianapolis: The AFC South could ultimately be decided here if the Jags fall off. The Texans and Colts enter 6-7,, so the winner takes control of the race. Andrew Luck (kidney) may wind up being available, but it will be up to doctors to clear him and the Colts weren’t optimistic entering their weekly preparation. Matt Hasselbeck defeated the Texans in Houston on a Thursday night to open Week 5, throwing for a pair of touchdowns in his highest-rated performance of the season, but he left Sunday’s 51-16 loss at Jacksonville with a rib injury. Charlie Whitehurst would start if both are unavailable. The Texans failed to score in the second half against New England in scoring a season-low six points on Sunday night. They’re 2-4 on the road this season and haven’t defeated Indianapolis since 2012, a span of six games. Brian Hoyer suffered a neck injury and is doubtful since he’s in concussion protocol for the second time in less than a month and got really dinged up, casting doubt on his availability the rest of the way. T.J. Yates will make his second start of the season and defeated the Jets 24-17 in Week 11. On the season, he’s thrown three touchdowns and no picks.
Kansas City at Baltimore: Since they don’t play a team with a winning record the rest of the way, the Chiefs are looking like a strong bet to reach the postseason for the second time under Andy Reid and just the second time since ‘06. Kansas City is working on a seven-game winning streak and hasn’t lost since Oct. 18. Despite the absence of top pass-rusher Justin Houston, who may return from a knee injury, the Chiefs held the Chargers to just three points on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead. Baltimore was destroyed 35-6 by the Seahawks at home as Matt Schaub missed the game due to a chest injury, forcing Jimmy Clausen into action. It’s unclear who will start for the Ravens here, but their four home losses are already the most of the John Harbaugh era. They haven’t dropped five home games in a single season since 1997.
Buffalo at Washington: Kirk Cousins played well in Chicago as the ‘Skins finally won a road game on their sixth try, but they’re now back home for a date with the disappointed Bills, who fell just short in Philadelphia to put their playoff hopes on life support. Buffalo missed top corner Stephon Gilmore, whose availability here is also in question and would be a major detriment given the presence of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Washington lost to Dallas at FedEx field in its last home game but is still 5-2 as it plays for the final time there this season unless it is able to secure a playoff spot. Buffalo is 3-4 on the road and has been involved in six consecutive one-possession games in opposing stadiums. WR Sammy Watkins has caught touchdowns in three straight games and has made 14 catches for 348 yards in that span, scoring four times.
Tennessee at New England: The Titans are 0-3 against AFC East opponents this season and have been outscored 82-31 in the losses, so considering they’re facing the team that has already clinched the division title for the seventh straight year, this doesn’t figure to go well. Marcus Mariota was held without a touchdown pass by the Jets for the fourth time in his rookie season but has been impressive on the road, throwing 10 touchdowns and just one interception in leading the Titans to two of their three victories outside Nashville. The Patriots welcomed back TE Rob Gronkowski in Sunday night’s win at Houston and may get WR Julian Edelman back from a foot injury. New England is 11-1 in games where Gronk plays and 9-0 when Edelman participates.
Carolina at N.Y. Giants: The Giants are also in the mix in the NFC East, but have a difficult schedule with the unbeaten Panthers coming to town followed by a visit to Minnesota and a home date against the Eagles. Coming off Monday night’s win in Miami, New York must quickly turn the page and prepare to stop a Panthers offense that ranks second in the league in rushing but has found ways to make big plays through the air of late. With Josh Norman emerging as one of the top corners in the league this season, it’s going to be a blast to watch his one-on-one matchup with Odell Beckham Jr., who has at least a TD in four straight games and has six consecutive 100-yard receiving games. During that span, he’s got 43 catches on 76 targets for 794 yards and 8 TDs. The Panthers beat the Giants in Charlotte 38-0 in 2013 but haven’t beaten them in East Rutherford since a 23-0 playoff win in 2005.
Cleveland at Seattle: The Seahawks have won six of seven, including four in a row, to put themselves on the cusp of a fourth consecutive playoff appearance. No one in the league is playing better than Russell Wilson during Seattle’s current winning streak (89-for-118, 1,171 yards, 16 TDs, 0 INTs), so a Browns secondary that has been missing leader Joe Haden and just put him on IR is in serious trouble. Corner Justin Gilbert missed the win over San Francisco with concussion symptoms, so this could be a depleted group facing red-hot receivers Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett. Johnny Manziel is 2-2 as the Browns starting QB this season after Sunday’s 24-10 win over the 49ers but has yet to win on the road. In fact, Manziel has taken the field in six opposing stadiums as a pro. All have been Cleveland losses. Seattle has actually lost the last two games in this series, last winning in 2003, the last time the Browns came to town.
Green Bay at Oakland: Northern California native Aaron Rodgers returns to the Bay area for the second time this season, having defeated the 49ers 24-10 in Week 4. After a rocky spot that saw them lose four of five games outright, the Packers have won consecutive games and come off their most lopsided win of the season, a 28-7 victory over Dallas. They’re back on top of the NFC North but finish the season at Arizona and home against Minnesota, so this is by far the Pack’s most manageable challenge. Oakland is basically playing spoiler despite not being mathematically eliminated from a playoff spot and handled the role well in a 15-12 upset of the Broncos on Sunday. Center Rodney Hudson couldn’t finish in Denver due to an ankle injury, so it remains to be seen whether he’ll be healthy enough to play here. The Packers have beaten the Raiders in six consecutive meetings, last losing in 1987.
Miami at San Diego: Dan Campbell’s audition for the Dolphins head coaching job started with a bang. Miami beat Tennessee and Houston by a combined margin of 82-36, but has lost five of seven since and been eliminated from playoff contention. The latest setback came at home on Monday night against New York, which means they’ll have a short week of preparation for this cross-country date with the slumping Chargers. Over the past four games, San Diego has been held to a single field goal on three separate occasions, which makes this the least attractive matchup in a week that has multiple duds.
Denver at Pittsburgh: Brock Osweiler tasted his first defeat as the Broncos starter against Oakland despite throwing for a career-high 308 yards on 35 completions. Without the injured C.J. Anderson, Denver managed just 34 yards on 21 carries to blow a game where its defense held Oakland to -12 yards in the first half. Demariyus Thomas, who appears to miss Peyton Manning more than anyone, dropped two key passes and fumbled as the Raiders defense dominated, registering five second-half sacks. There’s no way Denver is going to be able to hang with Pittsburgh’s offense on the road unless they get it together, so it will be interesting to see if they turn to Manning again since it’s likely that he’ll return to practice this week. The Steelers have won four of five and have averaged 35.2 points in that span, which is scary since Ben Roethlisberger didn’t even throw a TD pass in the 33-20 win over Cincinnati. This will be a matchup between two of the best corners in the NFL against an elite receiving corps.
Cincinnati at San Francisco: A.J. McCarron will attempt to become the first Alabama quarterback to win an NFL game since Jeff Rutledge in 1987 as he takes over for Andy Dalton, who broke his thumb making a tackle after an interception and probably won’t return this regular season. The Bengals are still in the mix for a bye in the AFC playoffs and need one more victory to clinch the North over the Steelers, so this is a pivotal game for them. They may have to go without tight end Tyler Eifert (concussion) and saw linebacker Vontaze Burfict and safety George Iloka each get banged up and leave Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, joining CB Adam Jones among injured defenders. The Bengals are just 3-9 lifetime against San Francisco and were dominated by the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII. They’ve only beaten the 49ers once on the road, way back in 1974.
Arizona at Philadelphia: The Sunday night game is arguably the best matchup of the entire week. This battle of birds features two playoff hopefuls as the Eagles look to win three straight for the first time all season. After winning an emotional encounter over Buffalo following an upset at New England, Philadelphia is making a late push at avoiding being the season’s biggest underachiever. Sam Bradford has been mediocre this season, but has an opportunity to help put together his team’s first three-game winning streak of the season. The Eagles will run into MVP candidate Carson Palmer, who has thrown 32 touchdown passes and hasn’t been intercepted since Nov. 22. He’s getting plenty of help from rookie RB David Johnson, who has run for 191 yards over the last two games since being pressed into duty as the starter.
Monday, Dec. 21
Detroit at New Orleans: A battle between last-place teams isn’t what the schedule-makers anticipated when they put this one together, but that’s what the country has to put up with here. At least there will be the pursuit of history in play. Drew Brees will look to pass Peyton Manning with his 94th career 300-yard game, the most in NFL history. He passed Dan Marino for fourth place in all-time touchdown passes (421) in last week’s win over Tampa Bay and needs just 206 passing yards to put together his 10th career season with 4,000 or more. Brees will be facing a Detroit pass defense that ranks 10th in the league. The Lions are 1-5 on the road this season and 0-3 in primetime games, last losing to Green Bay on a Hail Mary.
