A pair of potential Super Bowl previews. Leap-frogging division leaders. Long photographs battling for his or her playoff lives. And, after all, there’s at all times the Kansas City Chiefs, who enter NFL Week 15 trying to proceed their march towards what they hope ends with a 3rd straight Lombardi Trophy.
Last week, the Chiefs improved to 12-1 after delivering yet one more nail-biting win — their fifteenth consecutive victory in one-score video games. Is this yet one more Chiefs staff of future?
With final Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers and the Buffalo Bills’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City added to its lead within the race for first place within the AFC, a end result that will safe them home-field benefit all through the AFC playoffs.
This week, the Chiefs face the Cleveland Browns, who at 3-10 discover themselves amid a gravely disappointing marketing campaign. On the floor, it’s under no circumstances that engaging of a showdown. The Browns, nonetheless, definitely have confirmed themselves able to taking part in above their file. They upset one other AFC front-runner, the Pittsburgh Steelers, three weeks in the past.
The Browns already are eradicated from postseason rivalry, however they’ll do the Steelers, Bills and Baltimore Ravens a favor by upsetting the Chiefs and stopping them from extending their lead within the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Can Cleveland rock on Sunday? Or will Patrick Mahomes and firm discover yet one more technique to pull off a seemingly miraculous victory?
That’s simply one of many many storylines on faucet for Week 15. Here are 5 extra to keep watch over. (Find the complete schedule right here.)
The Dolphins’ playoff hopes are alive because of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
1. Crunch time for the Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins confronted the chance being eradicated from playoff rivalry early after falling right into a 2-6 gap. But a wholesome Tua Tagovailoa has led his staff to victories in 4 of its previous 5 video games, and Miami is now 6-7 with an outdoor probability of saving its season. The odds nonetheless aren’t nice. According to our NFL Projection Model, the Dolphins have solely a 15 p.c probability of reaching the postseason. But a victory Sunday towards Houston might virtually double these odds.
The Dolphins are coming off an exhilarating comeback victory over the New York Jets. After trailing 23-15 late within the third quarter, Miami outscored the Jets 17-3 behind two landing passes from Tagovailoa, together with a 10-yard strike to Jonnu Smith in time beyond regulation to safe the 32-26 victory. This week, the Dolphins will attempt to proceed the momentum as they face the Texans’ top-10 protection. Tagovailoa final week grew to become the primary participant in NFL historical past to submit at the least 40 cross makes an attempt, 300 passing yards and no interceptions in three straight video games inside a single season. Houston’s protection, which is second within the NFL with 16 interceptions and tied for third with 24 complete takeaways, will do its greatest to finish that spectacular streak.
The Texans have endured a rocky second half of the season, going 2-3 earlier than coming into final week’s bye with an 8-5 file. Now well-rested, DeMeco Ryans’ staff goals to begin constructing some momentum of its personal in these remaining 4 weeks of the common season. With a win Sunday and a loss by Indianapolis (at Denver), the Texans can clinch the AFC South for the second straight 12 months. Ryans might be a part of Jim Caldwell, Jim Harbaugh, Matt LaFleur, Sean McVay and Mike Tomlin as the one coaches in NFL historical past to win a division in every of their first two seasons. (Dolphins at Texans, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
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2. Steelers-Eagles Keystone State conflict
The Pittsburgh Steelers go to their cross-state rival Philadelphia Eagles for a showdown that may very well be a Super Bowl preview.
Mike Tomlin’s Steelers are one of many NFL’s most well-rounded groups, boasting a top-10 protection and an offense able to dominating on the bottom or by means of the air. Quarterback Russell Wilson goals to enhance to 7-1 as Pittsburgh’s starter, however for a second consecutive week he’ll be with out prime vast receiver George Pickens, who’s nursing a hamstring harm. Wilson has averaged 254 passing yards a sport, however final week threw for less than 158 yards with out Pickens. He did, nonetheless, file two landing passes. Facing an Eagles protection that boasts gifted younger defensive backs and ranks second within the NFL towards the cross might current a steep problem. Look for the Steelers to work to ascertain a dashing assault that averages 132.1 yards per sport.
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Speaking of dashing assaults, the Eagles boast a league-best 190.5 dashing yards per sport, and Saquon Barkley leads the NFL with 1,623 dashing yards. Pittsburgh’s protection presents a stiff check, nonetheless, having restricted opponents to simply 91.5 dashing yards per contest.
If the Steelers succeed, that may put extra strain on quarterback Jalen Hurts, who’s averaging 200.2 passing yards per sport (a profession low as a starter) and has solely 16 landing passes. Hurts has come underneath scrutiny after reviews of friction between him and prime vast receiver A.J. Brown surfaced this week. Brown has grown pissed off by the decline within the passing assault. After averaging 9.3 targets and 6.2 catches per sport final season and receiving double-digit targets eight occasions, Brown hasn’t obtained double-digit targets since Week 1 of this season and is averaging 6.6 targets and 4.8 catches per sport.
Coach Nick Sirianni mentioned earlier this week that Hurts and Brown are working time beyond regulation to strengthen their connection on the sphere. Brown and Hurts each downplayed any trigger for concern however expressed a want to collectively lead their staff to nice heights. Are they in for a breakthrough this week? Or will a Steelers protection that has restricted opposing quarterbacks to a 79.2 ranking (second lowest within the NFL) prolong their frustrations? (Steelers at Eagles, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)
MVP candidates face off as Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions welcome Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills to Ford Field for a reliable potential Super Bowl preview. Goff and the Lions have a franchise-record 11-game win streak and lead the NFL with 32.1 factors per sport. Buffalo ranks second, scoring 30.5 factors per sport, and hopes to rebound from final week’s loss to the Rams. The Bills had gained seven straight earlier than that loss.
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Goff ranks second within the NFL with a completion share of 72.4, and he directs an offense that’s prime 5 in passing and dashing. It’ll be fascinating to see which Bills protection he faces: The unit that entered final week ranked third within the NFL with 24 takeaways whereas limiting foes to simply 18.7 factors per sport, or the squad that received gashed by Baltimore for 35 factors and by the Rams for 37 factors. (L.A. additionally scored one other landing on a blocked punt.) Buffalo’s protection has struggled towards the run, yielding 4.7 yards per carry, which might translate into an enormous day for Detroit’s tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
Detroit, in the meantime, performs an aggressive model of ball on protection and boasts a blitz fee of 36.4 p.c (fourth highest within the NFL). However, Allen is simply as harmful along with his legs as he’s his arm. He has thrown for 23 touchdowns and rushed for 9 extra. There’s a number of strain on Allen. Can he elevate his staff towards this elite opponent? (Bills at Lions, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)
Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Bucs have gained three straight video games to take over the NFC South lead. (Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images)
4. Bucs surge, Chargers wobble
This is the week of sturdy interconference matchups, as a result of right here comes one other one: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers go to the Chargers as each battle to stay in heated playoff races.
After an injury-plagued 0-4 stretch in the midst of their season, the Buccaneers have rebounded whereas additionally regaining power. Tampa Bay (7-6) has gained three straight to leapfrog the reeling Falcons for first place within the NFC South. Leading the way in which is quarterback Baker Mayfield, who’s tied for third within the league with 28 landing passes whereas directing a Buccaneers offense that ranks third in complete offense with 379.2 yards per sport and fifth in scoring (27.9).
The 8-5 Chargers boast the NFL’s stingiest protection, nonetheless, holding groups to fifteen.9 factors per sport. L.A. has restricted opponents to twenty factors or fewer in 11 of 13 video games this season. That sturdy effort has eased strain on quarterback Justin Herbert, who this season has 14 landing passes and just one interception. Herbert can grow to be on Sunday the primary quarterback in NFL historical past to keep away from throwing an interception in 12 straight video games. (Tom Brady had an 11-game interception-free streak in 2010.) The Chargers will want Herbert and their protection to play at a excessive degree for them to regain the spectacular type that helped them win 4 straight halfway by means of the season. Since then, nonetheless, L.A. has gone 1-2, dropping to Baltimore and Kansas City.
The Bucs enter this week within the NFC’s fourth spot and a sport forward of Atlanta within the division race. They intention to increase their streak of profitable the NFC South to 4 seasons. The Chargers, in the meantime, hope to proceed their rebound from final season’s 5-12 marketing campaign by returning to the playoffs for the primary time since 2022 and solely the second time since 2018. Coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff ranks sixth within the AFC behind Baltimore and forward of AFC West neighbor Denver. (Buccaneers at Chargers, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)
Packers operating again Josh Jacobs is harmful when the ball is in his palms. (Jeff Hanisch / Imagn Images)
The Seattle Seahawks picked up an enormous win final week as they knocked Arizona down a notch and secured sole possession of first place within the NFC West. Now QB Geno Smith and firm, winners of 4 straight, will attempt to hold this factor rolling and return to the playoffs after lacking the minimize final season.
Since Week 11, the Seahawks protection has dominated, limiting foes to solely 15.5 factors and 297.3 yards per sport. This week’s check: Keeping Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs and the Packers in examine. Green Bay is keen to get issues again on observe following a 34-31 loss final week to Detroit. Before that defeat, the Packers had gained three straight and 7 of their final eight (with that one loss additionally to the Lions). Jacobs tallied three touchdowns final week and has fond recollections of taking part in towards the Seahawks. The final time he confronted them (with the Raiders, on Nov. 27, 2022), he set profession highs in scrimmage yards (303) and dashing yards (229) and ripped off an 86-yard, game-winning landing run in time beyond regulation.
For the season, the Seahawks have allowed 126.5 dashing yards per sport, they usually have allowed foes to hurry for 130 or extra yards six occasions. So, slowing Jacobs might pose fairly the check. An capacity to run the soccer has translated into success for Green Bay, which is 8-2 in video games it topped the 100-yard mark. Green Bay ranks sixth within the NFC playoff race and desires a win to stay forward of the Washington Commanders, who’re 8-5 and face the battered New Orleans Saints. (Packers at Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)
(Top photograph of Jahmyr Gibbs: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
