The Lions and Bills might have shaken off the label of pretenders with dominant victories in Week 15.
As for the Cowboys, many people are currently saying, “I told you so.” Dallas had a flat performance in Buffalo.
Antonio Pierce might shake off the label of interim coach after the Raiders crushed the Chargers on Thursday Night Football. The Chargers slapped the interim tag on Giff Smith following Brandon Staley’s firing hours after the embarrassing loss.
Here are the winners and losers from Week 15.
Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK
Winners
Lions
Detroit needed a dominant performance after a month of disappointment.
The Lions’ offense regressed in losses to the Packers and Bears, but they were in sync against a very good Broncos’ defense on Saturday night. Jared Goff delivered five touchdown passes in the 42–17 victory, including three to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, who might have a case for an All-Pro selection.
The rushing attack was also on point, with rookie Jahmyr Gibbs as the lead back. Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 185 rushing yards. At the start of the season, Dan Campbell said he wanted Gibbs fresh for the stretch run. That plan has come to fruition, with Gibbs getting more work than Montgomery in recent weeks.
The Lions (10–4) will be dangerous in the postseason if Goff and the running backs play as well as they did against the Broncos. They also received stellar play from the defense, which had struggled for most of the second half of the season. Detroit didn’t allow Denver to score until the third quarter.
With a three-game lead in the NFC North, the Lions are well on their way to capturing their first division title in three decades.
Bills
I’m done doubting the Bills (8–6) after back-to-back wins against the Chiefs and Cowboys.
They currently sit in ninth place, but they might be the best team in the AFC because of how well the defense has played during this winning streak—and because of what the rushing attack has produced since Joe Brady took over as the interim offensive play-caller. Josh Allen only had 94 passing yards and the Bills still beat the Cowboys by 21 points. James Cook has been on a tear, recording 179 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards against Dallas.
Now the Bills need the Dolphins (10–4) to lose one game against either the Cowboys or Ravens in the next two weeks. Buffalo also has to handle business against the lowly Chargers and Patriots. If that occurs, the AFC East title will be up for grabs when the Bills travel to Miami in Week 18.
Raiders
Pierce has done enough to get a serious look as the Raiders’ full-time coach.
Not only did the offense drop 63 points on the Chargers last week, but the defense has played well most of the season. When was the last time the Raiders had a good defense with a physical running game? Pierce has quickly provided a winning culture with an identity that suits the Silver and Black.
Las Vegas (6–8) didn’t have Josh Jacobs, but the team still recorded 124 rushing yards against the Chargers. That’s a credit to the scheme and coaching.
Mark Davis should seriously consider allowing Pierce to build off what he’s done since taking over for Josh McDaniels. The Raiders’ team owner was enjoying himself in his luxury suite as his team crushed an AFC West rival on Thursday night.
Browns
The Browns (9–5) are a fun team to watch with Joe Flacco at quarterback.
After beating the Bears, Cleveland appears headed to the postseason and could make noise in a wide open AFC. The Browns have the offense and defense to hang with the Ravens, Chiefs, Dolphins and Bills. They also have the coaching with Kevin Stefanski, who might now be the frontrunner for Coach of the Year.
Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports
But this team wouldn’t be viewed as an AFC contender without Flacco, who threw for 374 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears. He did have three interceptions, but Myles Garrett and the defense were capable of minimizing the mistakes.
Rams
Many expected this season to be a rebuild year for the Rams after they parted ways with a few key veterans in the offseason.
Instead, they’re a year ahead with a combination of veterans and impactful rookies. The Rams took control of the No. 7 seed in the NFC after defeating the Commanders, 28–20.
They got a little scare from Washington in the end, which isn’t surprising from a team filled with inexperienced players. But the Rams wouldn’t be 7–7 without rookies Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and second-year running back Kyren Williams. They also wouldn’t be in the playoff picture without the play of 15-year veteran Matthew Stafford.
Losers
Chargers
Perhaps no team has had a worse week this season than the Chargers in Week 15.
The Chargers were embarrassed in the 63–21 blowout against the Raiders, a divisional rival in a prime-time game. It was 49–0 at one point. Oh, and the Amazon Prime Broadcast announced to the world what “Chargering” meant.
Los Angeles (5–9) has had many heartbreakers over the years, but what happened last Thursday was just a pathetic effort, one that cost Staley and general manager Tom Telesco their jobs. Telesco went 11 seasons as the Chargers’ GM, despite only three postseason appearances and no AFC West titles. But owner Dean Spanos couldn’t continue to have the same decision makers, not after Thursday’s debacle. And especially not after another failed season with quarterback Justin Herbert, who’s no longer on a rookie contract.
Cowboys
So the Cowboys are pretenders, after all.
The Cowboys were embarrassed by the Bills in all three phases during a 31–10 loss. Dak Prescott’s MVP campaign took a hit after only producing 134 yards on 34 attempts (3.9 yards per attempt). The Dallas defense had no answers for Cook and the Bills’ rushing attack, which generated 266 yards.
The Cowboys (10–4) will probably end the regular season with the fifth seed and flame out again in the divisional round of the playoffs. They still have games against the Dolphins, Lions and Commanders.
Dallas hasn’t shown it can win on the road against the best teams. The Cowboys have a 15-game winning streak at home, but they’re 3–4 on the road and 3–3 in outdoor venues this season. Not good if the Cowboys are forced to play the Eagles or 49ers on the road in the postseason.
Falcons
Perhaps it’s not Arthur Smith’s fault that the front office settled on Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke as the quarterback options for the 2023 season. But there are many coaches around the league that have produced more offensively with worse situations than the Falcons.
Jake Browning and Nick Mullens each threw for more than 300 yards during the thrilling game between the Bengals and Vikings last week. Ridder threw for 152 yards and generated only seven points in the embarrassing loss to the Panthers. Now Smith is contemplating whether to bench Ridder again for Heinicke, who also struggled in his two starts earlier this season.
Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports
The Falcons (6–8) haven’t had a quality starting quarterback the past two seasons. But Atlanta has plenty of talent at the skill positions, and it hasn’t worked out under Smith. Here are a few notable stat lines from the 9–7 loss vs. the Panthers: Bijan Robinson: seven carries, 11 yards; Drake London: two catches, 24 yards; Kyle Pitts: three catches, 37 yards.
Smith might need to win the NFC South to save his job. The Falcons are one game behind the Buccaneers and Saints.
Jaguars
The Jaguars (8–6) have a three-game losing streak and now find themselves in a three-way tie with the Colts and Texans atop the AFC South.
Jacksonville still leads the division because of a 4–1 division record, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the losing skid continues for another week. The fading Jaguars go on the road to face the red-hot Buccaneers.
Trevor Lawrence might need to save the Jaguars with elite performances down the stretch, but he’s been far from elite lately. Lawrence made a handful of costly mistakes in the loss to the Ravens, including two fumbles that led to Baltimore points. Lawrence had three interceptions the prior week in the loss against the Browns.
Packers
Matt LaFleur told reporters “now’s not the time” to make a switch at defensive coordinator.
It’s possible the Packers’ coach said that because Joe Barry’s defense might have already cost them the playoffs, so it could make sense to wait until after the season.
Six days after struggling against Tommy DeVito and the Giants, the Packers were torched by Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers to hand them two consecutive losses. Mayfield recorded 381 passing yards, four touchdowns and became the first visiting quarterback to post a perfect passer rating of 158.3 at Lambeau Field.
Jordan Love and the Packers (6–8) are only one game behind the Vikings and Rams for the final two wild-card spots, but it’s tough to trust this team. Green Bay has road games at Carolina and Minnesota the next two weeks before hosting Chicago in the regular-season finale.
