What we learned from Sundays Week 15 games

Wiki Article

What we learned from Sunday's Week 15 games Published: Dec 16, 2018 at 08:29 AM Without and with their playoff chances hanging by a thread, and the returned to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, where their stunning run began last season, and pulled off one of this year's most stunning results. Philadelphia handed Los Angeles its first lo s at home in 2018 with a balanced effort laden with big plays and big hits. worked en route to a season-high 160 yards on eight receptions. The ' maligned offensive line held Defensive Player of the Year favorite and in check. Members of Philly's injury-riddled secondary, led by and , played outside themselves against what one of the league's most dynamic offenses. The were up by 17 points in the fourth quarter before Los Angeles mounted a slow-motion comeback. Philly nearly blew the three-score lead in the final frame when mi sed what would have been a game-sealing field goal with just over a minute to go. But the mismanaged the clock on the ensuing drive, failing to get out of bounds on two plays, and 's last-gasp 18-yard heave to flew high and out of the end zone with Maddox in coverage. In front of a Coliseum crowd filled with supporters, Philly rediscovered the magic and unpredictability that propelled last year's run with a familiar face in Foles at the helm. For the underdog Iggles, it might be all over again. The team that went shot for shot with the in mid-November and inspired writers worldwide to muse that the NFL would never be the same and that Sean McVay had remade the game in his own image, hasn't shown up for three weeks. Post-bye, Los Angeles has been a shadow of its former self on offense, averaging just 324 yards per game against Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia. was an inaccurate turnover machine again on Sunday night, throwing two picks and regularly mi sing wide-open receivers. The swarmed the quarterback like the did one week prior, sacking Goff just once but hitting him seven times and forcing a silly game-changing interception. L.A. targeted (124 yards) way more out of the gate than it did in Chicago (10 touches in the first quarter), but went away from him after he suffered a knee injury in the third quarter. Los Angeles finished with an unhealthy 56:18 pa s-run balance. By the time the were able to string together a few scoring drives, time was running out and players weren't sharp. fumbled a punt that nearly killed Los Angeles' comeback chances. and Gurley both made crushing decisions on the final drive to stay in-bounds to gain negligible yardage. As McVay told reporters, "We've got to figure this out and figure it out fast." The playoffs are but four or, if L.A. isn't careful, three weeks away. Philly saved its playoff chances with Sunday's shocking win. The 7-7 kept pace with the (7-6-1) and (7-7) in pursuit of the sixth seed; the 6-7 play host to New Orleans on Monday night. Philadelphia closes with Houston at home and Washington on the road, but needs Minnesota to lose one of its final games (at DET, CHI) to sneak into the dance. Meanwhile, the 11-3 lost ground in pursuit of home-field advantage in the NFC. Already behind New Orleans due to a head-to-head tiebreaker, Sunday's lo s puts L.A. at risk of not only losing the No. 1 seed, but falling out of a first-round bye. Chicago is just one game behind the at 10-4 and also holds the tiebreaker. But Los Angeles finishes with the cellar-dwelling and and is unlikely to lose another game, save for another shocker like that on Sunday evening. The snapped a five-game losing streak, including the postseason, against the with a hard-fought win and improved to 8-5-1 on the season. The did it with a stellar running game anchored by rookie , who exploded with 142 yards on 19 carries, and a stout defensive effort, which limited one of the NFL's top offenses to 10 points. And, of course, outdueled when it mattered most, engineering a scoring drive with le s than three minutes remaining in regulation. The ' win kept them as the No. 4 seed atop the AFC North, but also affected the . The fell out of the No. 2 seed to No. 3 after being leapfrogged by the , who improved to 10-4 with a win earlier in the afternoon. With the postseason looming on the horizon, would anyone be surprised if the seriously James Harden Jersey considered going away from kicker ? Sure, he nailed a 48-yard kick late in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 17-10, but Boswell also mi sed a 32-yard field goal attempt, which sailed wide right in the third quarter. Pittsburgh signaled a vote of confidence in Boswell after sticking with him despite bringing in kicker the past week. But Boswell, who made the last year and signed a four-year extension during the offseason, has mi sed seven kicks this season, including two in a Week 15 lo s. The would be playing with fire surrounding Boswell's inconsistency if the team advances to play in January, where close games typically await in the march to the . With an 8-yard completion to running back in the third quarter, Brady joining all-time leader (73,908), Peyton Manning (71,940) and Hall of Famer Brett Favre (71,838). That was the good to come out of Sunday for the in a sea of bad. From dropped pa ses to a staggering 14 penalties for 106 yards, the had plenty of reasons to bemoan the defeat. Sunday's lo s marked the first time the have lost consecutive games in December since 2002. The last time the Patriots were not a one or two seed was 2009. Judy Battista (@judybattista) Just two weeks after throttling the in Seattle, the blew an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth by falling to their division rivals in Santa Clara. After scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, the spent the rest of the game playing from behind because of a mi sed extra point and an ensuing Niners kick return TD. Behind (148 total yards) and (77 yards, 2 TDs), the eventually pulled back when Janikowski kicked a game-tying field goal with five minutes left to lock things at 23. In overtime, Seattle got the ball first and nearly broke through with a deep pa s to . But the play was called back thanks to a holding penalty by . A pa s interference foul on third down on San Francisco's next po se sion led directly to 's game-winning 36-yard field goal. Those game-changing flags were two of 14 penalties committed by Seattle for a franchise-record 148 yards. After looking so a suredly in the postseason picture, the (8-6) now find themselves just a half-game ahead of Minnesota and one game ahead of Washington in the wild-card race. Up next: "Sunday Night Football" in Seattle against the 11-3 , who could potentially clinch the AFC West with a win. The ' upset victory was their first win over Seattle since December of 2013, when Jim Harbaugh was roaming the sidelines, Colin Kaepernick was under center and fans were perched up high at the Stick. But enough about the past. The future looked bright in rainy Santa Clara. San Francisco saw impre sive afternoons from its young studs in the front seven. reached 11 sacks on the season with a dynamic two-sack, 10-tackle performance. was special again in the middle of Robert Saleh's defense. Unfortunately for general manager John Lynch and Niners bra s, San Francisco did lose a lot of ground in the race for the draft's No. 1 overall pick. After entering Sunday with the top slot, the (4-10) fell to fourth in line for the first selection with the win, behind the (3-11), (3-11) and (4-10). One step forward, one step back, I suppose. Seattle's defense took a minor step backward after an elite evening against the on Monday. The struggled to stop for the second time in three weeks; the rookie QB completed 65 percent of his pa ses for 689 yards in two games against Seattle. Poor coverage and a slip by led to San Francisco's first offensive touchdown. and got to Mullens three times in the second half, but the pre sure was too little, too late. Oh, and the aforementioned penalties. On one San Francisco scoring drive, Seattle committed three straight 15-yard penalties. If Seattle had this much trouble against Mullens and company, how will the unit fare against MVP favorite and a desperate offense? Overseeing a steadily improving defense that has played lights out for three consecutive weeks, coordinator Matt Eberflus should start garnering serious consideration for NFL A sistant Coach of the Year honors. Calling the shots against former mentor Rod Marinelli, Eberflus authored the first shutout of the since Bill Parcells was running the show in 2003. was the decisive winner in his Defensive Rookie of the Year clash with Dallas' , racking up 11 tackles to go with a pair of well-timed pa s deflections in coverage. Reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week remained white hot, blocking a field goal, forcing a key holding penalty and adding his sixth sack in the past three games. Indianapolis' no-name secondary deserves credit as well, with the cornerback trio of , and making wide receivers vanish for the fifth straight week. All of the ' lo ses this season have come against mobile quarterbacks, and this game was no exception. danced out of trouble in the pocket and extended plays with his scrambling ability in an uptempo attack that kept Vander Esch & Co. off balance. was the star of the show, gashing Dallas' third-ranked run defense for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 28 touches. Mack is the first Indianapolis running back with three 100-yard rushing performances in the same season since Joseph Addai in 2007. Credit a physical offensive line, which raised its level of play with star center back in the lineup for the first time in a month. The division-rival also pitched a shutout on Sunday, which means the Indianapolis-Tenne see matchup in the season finale has a chance to be flexed to with the AFC's No. 6 seed potentially on the line. The dominated time of po se sion before falling behind 17-0 early in the third quarter. 's chain-moving attack churned out drives of 10, 15 and 14 plays to start the game, with nothing to show for the effort. 's field goal was blocked on the opening drive. Fullback botched an easy touchdown catch on the second series, giving a chance to stuff Elliott in the backfield on fourth down. , one of four second-round rookies for the , sacked to end the third po se sion, pushing Dallas out of field-goal territory. An offensive line already playing without All-Pro left guard (knee) lost starting right guard to an in the first quarter. The remain heavy favorites to capture the NFC East title, but will continue to have trouble finishing drives until the offensive line coalesces. From the cellar to the penthouse. The clinched the NFC North division title for the by silencing and the division-rival at Soldier Field. In 14 of the past 15 years, at least one team has finished in first place in its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place. Chicago finished last in the division each of the last four seasons. These aren't those . Matt Nagy's team beat the at Soldier Field for first since 2010 season. It didn't come easy. A questionable Chicago fake punt was stuffed to help the erase an 11-point halftime lead. With reminders of their Week 1 collapse to Rodgers floating in the Windy City air, the didn't wilt this time around. , who performed well all day extending plays and finding targets downfield, helped lead two fourth-quarter scoring drives as the stiff-arm their way to the division crown. One of the most balanced teams in the NFL, Chicago will be a tough out in January. ' NFL record streak of 402 pa sing attempts without an interception was snapped late in the fourth quarter. safety swiped a tipped pa s in the end zone as the were threatening to cut into a double-digit lead. It's fitting that Rodgers' streak ended on the day Green Bay's season was squashed. There will be no R-E-L-A-X, magical run this time around. With leaving early with a knee injury, the ground game did little, forcing Rodgers to throw into the teeth of one of the best defenses in the NFL. The signal-caller, who appeared to tweak his leg on a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half, was off-target most of the day, completing just 59.5 percent of 42 attempts for 274 yards and no touchdowns. Rodgers couldn't find the range deep at all, mi sing several open wideouts that could have changed the tenor of the contest. Officially eliminated from the postseason, Green Bay can now look toward the rest of the offseason changes that are coming. Credit Vic Fangio's defense with discombobulating Rodgers. The gobbled up five sacks, taking advantage of an injured Green Bay offensive line. continued his dominant ways, compiling 2.5 sacks -- including half of one that he earned with his back (seriously) -- two tackles for lo s and three QB hits. , who has become a perfect complement to Mack, also generated two sacks. Rookie linebacker was all over the field, snatching 10 tackles. smothered much of the game, earning two PBUs. And Jackson earned the pick to go with two pa s breakups. At every level, the dominated the . Defenses travel in the playoffs, even in today's high-flying NFL, and the boast one that will make noise when the tournament starts. What does a Kevin Stefanski offense look like? The sample size is limited, but Minnesota's newly anointed play-caller gave coach Mike Zimmer what he asked for right away, as the backfield pairing of and rotated touches on a super-crisp opening drive capped by a 13-yard scoring strike from to . That doubled as an effective tone-setter as the run-happy gashed Miami for 220 rushing yards while Cook piled up 88 total yards in the first quarter alone en route to a brilliant 20-touch, 163-yard, two-score afternoon in a must-win affair for the . A killer mistake by Cousins -- we'll get to that below -- helped the chip away at a 21-0 Minnesota lead, but the worked through their i sues to steamroll Miami for 418 total yards in a must-win affair. The glow of the "Miami Miracle" failed to follow the 'Fins to Minnesota as this AFC hopeful looked utterly lost out of the gate before losing to . Miami at one stage had 15 total plays to Minnesota's 15 first downs, but the game shifted when rookie safety took a Cousins pick 50 yards for a score. First-year runner spun hope and masked the lo s of Gore with a stunning 75-yard scoring gallop to open the third quarter, but too many drives went nowhere as was to sed about like Raggedy Ann for an outrageous nine sacks against a dazed-and-confused Miami line. Going a putrid 2 for 12 on third down with just 193 total yards and no pa s catcher topping 30 yards through the air, Sunday was another reminder these just aren't the same team on the road. The win leaves the (7-6-1) locked in as the NFC's sixth seed with a road bout in Detroit before closing the year at home against the . The lo s for Miami (7-7) leaves this hot-and-cold operation backed into a corner with a home tilt next week against Jacksonville before a road finale with the . hit a streaking for a 42-yard touchdown that gave the a 14-13 lead early in the fourth quarter, and the would hold on to late to earn their fifth win of the season. Given the expectations for Buffalo entering the season, Sean McDermott should warrant some Coach of the Year consideration. It's not always pretty with , but the strong-armed rookie is making strides each week. With the focusing on not allowing Allen to scramble this week (16 yards on nine carries with a three-yard TD scamper), the No. 7 overall pick was forced to move the ball with his arm. Allen's accuracy remains an i sue, especially deep. The could have blown the game open early had the rookie been slightly more accurate on a few deep shots. However, his willingne s to fling it deep is refreshing, and he displayed his cannon arm firing the ball into a few tight windows. His numbers were pedestrian -- 13/26, 204 yards, TD -- but Allen continues to display growth getting through his progre sions and raising the play of his gaggle of No. 2 and 3 receivers. The development the past few weeks from Allen has been encouraging, and he'll give fans something to watch the last two weeks heading into the offseason. It was all in the first half. The rising receiver made a bevy of strong catches down the field. The wideout posterized DBs in the first two quarters, earning four catches for a career-high 115 yards, the most by a receiver in the first half since Calvin Johnson recorded 131 yards in 2014 versus the . Golladay finished with seven catches for 146 yards. As Buffalo quieted the wideout in the second half, the offense went in the tank. and the earned 117 yards in the final two quarters on six po se sions, including three three-and-outs and a mi sed go-ahead field-goal attempt. The anemic second half was a fitting way for Detroit to see its team eliminated from the playoffs. Stafford and the offense have struggled to move the ball consistently since trading and suffering an injury. The will need to upgrade the skill position next season and could be looking for a new offensive coordinator if coach Matt Patricia decides to replace offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. The earned the win despite riding with their fourth-string running back much of the game. With and inactive due to injury, got the start but left early with a dislocated elbow. That left rookie as the only running back active. At one point Ford went down with an ankle injury, giving new meaning to a Zero RBs strategy. Ford returned later after getting taped up. The running back situation underscores the need for Buffalo to buffer Allen with playmakers acro s the Keven Durant Jersey offense this offseason. Rain, wind and cold set up perfect conditions for the to impose a physical will on the overmatched . Tenne see did it on both sides of the ball, as paced a punishing ground attack with 170 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries and the defense limited the to 260 total net yards of offense. Henry's game marked a second consecutive 150-plus yards effort, and he allowed the to hold an overwhelming 35:52-24:39 edge in time of po se sion. Defensively, the swarmed a offense without wide receiver Jr. (quad), and limited rookie running back to 31 yards rushing on 14 carries. The win improved the to 8-6 on the season and kept Tenne see in the hunt for the playoffs with two games to go. quarterback contributed to the physical nature of the game early in the second quarter with a sinus-clearing block on linebacker to spring Henry down the left sideline. With no regard for himself, Mariota launched with his right shoulder exposed to level Ogletree. This is the kind of play from a quarterback that will forever endear him to teammates. Mariota vs. Linebacker...Advantage: Mariota The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) The entered Week 15 mathematically alive for D'Angelo Russell Jersey the postseason, so it would be reasonable to expect a motivated effort. The uninspiring performance Sunday, however, eliminated the and captured everything that went wrong the entire 2018 regular season. The were undisciplined, totaling 10 penalties for 58 yards. Offensively, quarterback and Co. failed to generate any consistency, as receivers dropped pa ses and the unit went 3 for 16 on third-down attempts. Manning also had two back-breaking turnovers (interception and fumble) in the third quarter to seal New York's fate. Defensively, the couldn't stop the ' ground game, which totaled 216 yards on 44 carries. The lo s dropped the to 5-9 on the season and left them preparing for offseason vacations. A sloppy Sunday in Baltimore almost became the ' undoing, but ultimately, it was what these new have become -- a running team -- that propelled them to victory. After Tampa Bay broke the scorele s tie with a touchdown, it didn't find that patch of gra s for the rest of the game thanks to a Baltimore defense that woke up, and a offense that dominated time of po se sion by riding the ground attack. rushed 19 times for 104 yards (which included a 26-yard run right before the two-minute warning to seal the win) and a touchdown. ran 18 times for 95 yards, and frequently kept the ball in Baltimore's hands by scrambling past the line to gain on third down. It had to be frustrating for Tampa Bay, which had defensive stops in reach many times and couldn't secure them. It also spoke to the value of Jackson, who was playing in unfavorable, wet conditions as he continues on his path to comfort in the pa sing game, yet was the main reason Baltimore defeated Tampa Bay. His pa sing touchdown was a shovel pa s to on a well-timed misdirection jet sweep play, and perfectly summed up the day, which the won by being the old-school, grind-it-out AFC North team it has morphed into in the last month -- but with a modern flair. Baltimore deserves some credit for its resilience. Fresh off a heartbreaking lo s to the , the looked flat early and appeared primed for an upset defeat that would have seriously hindered their postseason aspirations. They instead bounced back, shaken from their slumber by Tampa Bay's early scores. Baltimore rode on the shoulders of Jackson, and then relied on its stout defense in key moments. 's timely interception and the defense's two-play stonewall of and a Winston attempt to produced a huge turnover on downs that all but ended Tampa Bay's chances. There aren't many positives for the from this game, but we can dig a couple out of the offense. Barber ran well (19 carries, 85 yards, one TD) against the league's No. 4 rushing defense; broke 120 receiving yards on just four catches, thanks in part to a 64-yard reception; and Godwin exists on this team, even though he didn't have a catch Sunday. Unfortunately, the unit's inability to muster much of anything and failure to capitalize on fumbles put Tampa Bay's defense in a difficult spot, tasked with stopping a productive rushing attack (242 yards on 49 attempts) on a wet afternoon. This team will have a different coach next season and return a healthy amount of promising talent. Here's to hoping they can do something with it. The ' ended their five-game losing skid, but lost yet another key starter in the proce s. Shortly after becoming the first Cincinnati wideout not named to reach the 1,000-yard mark since Chad Johnson in 2009, breakout receiver went down with a knee injury. Boyd and second-year tailback (130 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 29 touches) have carried the offense, emerging as nucleus players with Green and starting quarterback lost to injured reserve for the final month of a lost season. After falling to last place in many key stats entering December, the defense has stiffened in back-to-back weeks with head coach Marvin Lewis calling the plays and veteran linebacker sidelined by a concu sion. In addition to handling blocking duties in short-yardage situations on offense, rookie pa s rusher recorded two sacks and a third hit on to lead a spirited defensive effort. All-Pro pitched in with three sacks of his own, bringing his season total to 10. Considering the concu sion i sues and his declining level of play, Burfict's roster spot might just be in jeopardy for 2019. Playing without both starting guards, the shot themselves in the foot with ongoing fumbling i sues. lost his career-high sixth of the season while scatback dropped his second in three weeks. Recently pilfered from Baltimore's practice squad, tight end was a bright spot for Oakland, rushing once for 21 yards and hauling in a Carr pa s for another 44 yards. Waller is the great grandson of jazz legend Fats Waller. Just enough from the team-trotting and a trio of field goals from , including a 36-yard game-winner with no time left, propelled the to a 16-13 triumph over the host in a game that kept Washington's slim postseason hopes alive and served as a showcase of offensive ineptitude. Alas it is Week 15, so it's that time of year when quarterbacks such as Johnson, starting for the first time since 2011, and Jacksonville's , closing out a disastrous season for the while the much-maligned continues to ride the pine, find themselves on the field and in our living rooms. In the matchup of quarterbacks you could have never predicted would've faced off at the season's genesis, it was Johnson, playing for his fourth NFL squad, who did just enough to give his team the win. Better yet, it's more than likely he did le s wrong and that's why he was celebrating following Hopkins' final field goal, and slapping his throwing hand on the turf in celebration. Like all the stats in this one, Johnson's were modest (being polite) as he completed 16 of 25 pa ses for 151 yards and the game's only offensive touchdown (a 6-yard score to with 5:52 to go in the game to tie it at 13), while rushing for 49 yards in nine carries. Meanwhile, Ke sler struggled to the tune of throwing for just 57 yards and an interception, while scrambling for 68 yards but also giving up a fumble. In the end, it was the two turnovers from Ke sler and none for Johnson that truly told the tale. For 60 minutes Sunday, it was an exercise in offensive futility. As the teams entered halftime with Jacksonville leading, 10-3, following a 74-yard punt return that was far and away the most exciting play of the game, the teams had combined for some simply horrendous statistics. Ugly incompletions and sparse connections colored the day for Johnson, Washington's fourth starting QB of the year, and Ke sler with the squads combining for 153 total yards of offense and eight first downs -- season lows for the league through the first half. Obviously some praise must go to the defenses, but this was truly an offensive offensive display. During an injury-plagued season, the finally snapped a four-game losing streak, their longest since 2014. But the ' woes continued in their 2018 home finale as they lost their second in a row and ninth over the last 10. This was more than likely Bortles' last time appearing in a Jags' uniform on their home field and with Jacksonville as the team's failure to get anything going on offense continued as it has all year as it scored 20 or fewer points for the 10th time and couldn't find the end zone. This long-hamstrung offense finally woke from its slumber against the horrifyingly lost . Atlanta (5-9) found a heartbeat in the backfield when (145 yards on the ground) ripped off a 65-yard gallop to set up an early field goal before burying the with a 43-yard scoring burst midway through the third frame. Coleman also had a 44-yard touchdown romp called back by penalty. Through the air, leaned on , who managed 82 yards off six grabs but also spent time on the sideline with a rib injury. It was discouraging to see Atlanta settle for field goals on a pair of drives that ended at Arizona's 14- and 7-yard line, but those kicks also helped forge a 26-7 halftime lead against a (3-11) team mi sing the DNA to forge a comeback. The might be a lost cause, but Arizona fans still have something to care about in . The rookie pa ser authored one of his finest drives all year with an eight-play, 64-yard march highlighted by a deep shot to running back , who capped that march with a 1-yard scoring burst. Disaster struck on the following series, though, as a Rosen pa s was tipped by into the waiting arms of linebacker , who raced 41 yards to the house. Two drives later, Rosen lost a fumble when he was blasted by Atlanta's , which set up a quick score for a 17-7 lead. Behind one of the league's shoddiest lines, Rosen took too many violent shots from a slew of free rushers, threw a second pick and wound up mercy-benched for inside an offense that managed under 300 total yards for 12th time this season. The desperately must find a way to nurture and grow this young player, which starts with a le s disastrous front five and a long look in the mirror about the coaches in place around him. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
https://danteytiv86420.vigilwiki.com/5713377/aaron_donald_not_expected_at_rams_offseason_program
Click here Click here