NFL Week 15 Recap: So You're Telling Me There's a Chance

For the last few weeks, I semi-lamented over Week 15's Monday Night matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers. The reason was simple: when the schedule makers plan the Monday games, they pick out the biggest marquee matchups for the early months, and as for the December games, they pick out the ones they figure would be highly important. Regarding this game, this was set figuring that the Packers and the Rams would be jockeying for position, even the #1 seed.

You can't really predict the NFL season, and this proves it. The Rams and Packers are having disastrous seasons by their standards, and entering their Monday matchup, the Packers were 5-8, while the Rams were 4-9. The game started slow overall, both teams traded field goals until AJ Dillon ran one in to make it 10-3. It was 10-6 at the half, but Dillon struck again to make it 17-6. This game was over for the Rams, they couldn't do anything against the Packers in Lambeau, and at the final whistle, the Packers left victorious, by a score of 24-12.

The Packers have a chance, ladies and gentlemen. Considering how this team started, the fact that they're 1.5 games out of a spot is a big deal. More on that later, though.

The Rams' season is over. With this loss, they have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, and before Christmas at that! This has been a very disastrous season for the Rams. It was supposed to be a celebration of their Super Bowl championship, but it ended up being one catastrophe after another. Injuries, defensive miscues, offensive miscues, you name it. The indignity doesn't end there. At 4-10, they are on their way to surpassing the record for most losses by a defending champion (their next loss will set the record). The Rams were one of two NFC teams to be eliminated this week; the Arizona Cardinals were eliminated a day prior with their loss to the already eliminated Denver Broncos.

So...what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas. In this case, it gets ridiculed and mocked all over the world. The New England Patriots were in "Sin City" to face the Las Vegas Raiders in what ended up being a hotly contested game. But the talk of the game was the ending, as the Patriots decided to toss some laterals in the final seconds. However, Jakobi Meyers' attempt ended up in the hands of Chandler Jones, who ran it all the way back for a touchdown for the Raiders. Now, there's nothing wrong with attempting laterals at the end of regulation...except when it's done during a particular scenario.

I want you to take a look at the score. It's 24-24. The game was tied! The desperate lateral play is usually done when a team's behind. This was a tie game at the end of regulation! Just take the knee and go to overtime! First off, why would you hand it off to Rhamondre Stevenson in the first place?! Again, the game's tied, and the Pats were about 30 yards away from field goal range. I hate that Meyers is being scapegoated for the fumble (he tossed it to Jones, but because it was a backwards lateral, it's technically a fumble), because the play shouldn't have been called in the first place. This is definitely on coaching; a massive brain fart at the sidelines. If the Patriots end up missing the playoffs this season, this play will be the reason.

Let's talk about something positive, shall we? Week 15 kicked off with the San Francisco 49ers on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, which marked the second start of the season for Brock "Mr. Irrelevant 2022" Purdy. The Niners are coming off a massive win over the Brady Bucs, and they entered this meeting with a chance to win the NFC West. All they had to do was beat the Seahawks, and they did just that; a 21-13 victory to remain unbeaten under Purdy, and to wrap up the West. Leading the charge in that game was George Kittle, who pleased everyone who started him on fantasy this week (myself included). How did he perform this week? Let's go to the numbers.

Fantasy scoring for tight ends is the same as scoring for wide receivers: PPR rules apply, one point per every 10 yards, and touchdowns are six points each. Kittle had four receptions (4 points) for 93 yards (9.3 points) and two touchdowns (12 points), totalling 23.3 points in half PPR leagues, and 25.3 points in full PPR leagues. Kittle, after a few weeks of quiet performances, ended up leading tight ends in fantasy scoring for Week 15, with Juwan Johnson (Saints) and Dawson Knox (Bills) rounding out the top three.

While the centerpiece of the Saturday tripleheader ended up being the big comeback, it also saw the Browns win over the Lamar-less Ravens, while the Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins to become the first AFC team to lock in a playoff spot. The Kansas City Chiefs were looking to join them as they faced off against the very lowly Houston Texans, but for the second straight week, the Texans appeared to be on the verge of a shocking upset win. The game ended up going to overtime tied at 24, and while KC's first possession ended with nothing, Houston coughed up the ball to the Chiefs, who now needed a field goal to win. Jerick McKinnon decided to go all the way, a 30 yard touchdown run to win it for the Chiefs, who ended up clinching the AFC West with the victory. This is the Chiefs' seventh straight AFC West crown, and they remain tied with the Bills for the top spot in the conference.

And now, a look at the beautiful dumpster fire known as the NFC South. The week started with a divisional clash between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints; a close affair won by the latter by a score of 21-18. The Carolina Panthers were at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who ended up emerging victorious on the road, but the true kicker came in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers had a 17-0 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals, but a comedy of errors resulted in the Bucs joining the Colts and Cowboys in the "Blown Leads Club" for Week 15. The Bucs lost 34-23; back to back losses after their Monday Night comeback against the Saints.

As a result, the Bucs dropped to 6-8, but they still lead the division. The other three teams are now 5-9, and here's the thing. The Saints entered Week 15 as the only NFC South team facing elimination. Instead, they ended up being the only NFC South team to win a game. Amazing.

I mentioned the Packers' chances earlier. I said that the Packers were 1.5 games out of a playoff spot, and that was due to Sunday Night Football. The Packers ended up being just 1.5 games behind whoever lost this game, and the losing team ended up being the Washington Commanders. This was the rematch between the Commanders and the New York Giants, with the first meeting taking place two weeks prior and ending in a 20-20 tie. This time, it was the G-Men winning this game, 20-12, with the Commanders' attempt at tying the game falling short. New York clinched the season series with the win, actually picking up two games in the standings over their division foes. As for Washington, they are only a half game ahead of the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions (the latter winning their sixth game in their last seven) in the playoff race, and in addition, their loss allowed Dallas to clinch a playoff spot, as Washington's loss coupled with Seattle's loss to fulfill one of Dallas' scenarios.

Week 16 is the NFL's Christmas Week, which is always exciting. It will kick off with a pivotal Thursday Night Football matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets, and after regional coverage takes over Christmas Eve Saturday, NFL Network will air a primetime showcase between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Christmas Day, the Miami Dolphins will host the Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos will face off in what is officially a meaningless game, and Sunday Night Football will feature the Arizona Cardinals hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Monday Night Football, the Indianapolis Colts (who could be eliminated before they take the field) will host the Los Angeles Chargers.

To any and all football fans, as well as everyone else, I just want to say Happy Holidays! Feel free to check out my stories below!