The playoff picture is getting clearer but there are three more games on Monday and each one contains a division leader. They start at 12:00 CST.
Cincinnati 11, Steelers 34
The Steelers had this one from the start, and it wasn’t just the 86-yard touchdown jaunt by George Pickens to open the game. The Steelers went into halftime already leading 24-0. The Bengals were without Ja’Marr Chase and Jake Browning wasn’t nearly as effective though he ended up throwing 42 passes. The Steelers cruised to the win with the only touchdown in the second half was yet another long touchdown by Pickens.
Jake Browning threw for 335 yards and one score but also three interceptions and fumbled once. Tee Higgins (5-140, TD) and Tyler Boyd (5-59) were the only notable receivers though ten players managed at least one reception. Joe Mixon only gained 43 yards on 11 runs and had just seven yards on two catches. The Bengals fell behind and Browning did what he could to catch up but the turnovers were killers and the damage had already been done.
Mason Rudolph was effective with 290 yards and two touchdowns. Both went to George Pickens (4-195, 2 TD) who scored the 86-yard touchdown on a short catch that let him race through the secondary. He finished with a 66-yard score on a deep catch. No other Pittsburgh receivers were much of a factor. Alan Robinson (4-36) caught all four targets. Najee Harris (19-78, TD) ran much better than usual while Jaylen Warren (8-24) also caught five passes for 30 yards. It was a solid win by a Steelers team that had solid performances by both offense and defense.
Buffalo 24, Los Angeles Chargers 22
The Bills pulled out the win but it was far closer than expected. The Chargers took a 10-0 lead, then fell behind 14-10 at halftime. The Bills led 21-13 entering the fourth quarter and gave up three field goals by the Chargers who couldn’t get the touchdown but led 22-21 with five minutes left to play. The Bills drove the field and threw a touchdown to Shakir Shaheed that was called back on penalty. Tyler Bass kicked the winning 29-yard field goal with only 31 seconds left to play.
Josh Allen passed for just 237 yards and one score but ran in two touchdowns on his five rushes for 15 yards. Gabe Davis (4-130, TD) had the rare big showing that included a 57-yard score in the second quarter. Stefon Diggs (5-29) continued the whimper portion of his season. James Cook only ran for 70 yards on 20 carries and had no targets. Worse yet, Leonard Fournette was active for the first time and ran for 20 yards on his five carries – just enough to degrade Cook without offering any fantasy value himself.
Eason Stick only managed 215 passing yards and no scores. Joshua Palmer (5-47) and Gerald Everett (7-42) were the top receivers. Stick played with no notable starting receivers and it showed. Austin Ekeler ran for 65 yards on 15 carries but only managed three catches for 21 yards for yet another disappointing performance. The Chargers gave the Bills all they could handle and almost pulled off a trap game. But they couldn’t stop the Bills on their final drive.
Indianapolis 10, Atlanta 29
The Falcons owned this game. They fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter but then scored 29 points while the Colts only managed one third-quarter field goal. The main difference in the game was that the Falcons rushing effort was more than the Colts could handle.
Gardner Minshew threw for 201 yards and an interception as the Colts were without Michael Pittman. Tight ends Kylen Granson (5-62) and Will Mallory (4-47) were the top receivers while Josh Downs (6-39) was the best wideout. Jonathan Taylor (18-43, TD) took over the backfield with Zack Moss out but failed to catch his only target.
Taylor Heinicke threw for 229 yards and a score to Kyle Pitts (3-49, TD). Drake London only managed 39 yards on three catches. Bijan Robinson ran for 72 yards on 12 carries, and led the team with seven receptions for 50 yards. Tyler Allgeier (9-69, TD) stole the rushing touchdown though he ran for 30 yards.
Cleveland 36, Houston 22
The Browns turned this into a laugher, leading 36-7 until late in the fourth quarter when the Texans had two touchdowns from Davis Mills who had replaced Case Keenum. The Texans’ offense without C.J. Stroud and Tank Dell isn’t even average and resembles the Texans of 2022.
Joe Flacco doesn’t run the ball, but he is throwing it better than any other Browns quarterback this year. He passed for 368 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, benefitting Amari Cooper (11-265, 2 TD) and David Njoku (6-44, TD). No other receiver gained more than 19 yards. The run game was not effective with Jerome Ford (15-25, TD) and Kareem Hunt (7-11) both scoring to prevent abysmal fantasy value. The Browns looked playoff ready.
With C.J. Stroud out, Case Keenum got the start but was given the hook after his second interception. He combined with Davis Mills for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Nico Collins (4-18, TD) was active but Dalton Schultz (8-61) and Noah Brown (3-38) were the top receivers. Devin Singletary (9-44) was effective when he ran the ball but didn’t get enough volume to matter much. The Texans are down to their third-string quarterback but may be C.J. Stroud back this week.
Detroit 30, Minnesota 24
The Lions fell behind 21-17 in the third quarter but score two more touchdowns to only a field goal for the Vikings. Nick Mullens passed for a monster game but his four interceptions and the utter absence of any rushing game by the Vikes made the losing difference.
Jared Goff threw for 257 yards and one score to Amon-Ra St. Brown (12-106, TD). Jameson Williams (5-43) was the only other receiver with more than 29 yards. Sam LaPorta was held to only 18 yards on three receptions. Jahmyr Gibbs (15-80, 2 TD) and David Montgomery (17-55, TD) helped control the game and scoreboard.
Nick Mullens passed for 411 yards and two scores between Justin Jefferson (6-141, TD) and KJ Osborn (5-95, TD), T.J. Hockerson managed four receptions for 58 yards and only had four targets. The run game was shut down with Ty Chandler (8-17, TD) and Alexander Mattison (2-(-1)) stuffed on every run. The Vikings lack of a run game and their defense was their undoing.
Washington 28, New York Jets 30
This was almost another crushing defeat for the Jets who led 27-7 in the third quarter and then fell behind when the Commanders swapped out Sam Howell for Jacoby Brissett and 21 straight points to lead 28-27 with five minutes left to play. The Jets were able to reach the Washington 36-yard line with 13 seconds left to play where they kicked the winning 54-yard field goal.
The duo of Brissett and Howell combined for only 156 yards and one score with two interceptions. Logan Thomas (5-36, TD) and Terry McLaurin (3-50) were the leading receivers. Brian Robinson was out so Chris Rodriguez (10-58, 2 TD) and Antonio Gibson (9-30) handled the rushing needs. The Commanders were better after the switch in quarterbacks and nearly pulled off the upset.
Trevor Siemian threw for 217 yards and a touchdown and that was after 49 pass attempts and 27 completions. Garrett Wilson ended with 76 yards on nine receptions and Tyler Conkling gained 36 yards on four catches. The biggest weapon was Breece Hall (20-95, 2 TD) who also was the leading receiver with 12 catches for 96 more yards. The Jets thought they had this game won as a laugher but had to hang on after the Commanders changed quarterbacks and start scoring.
Seattle 20, Tennessee 17
Close game where both teams were always within a touchdown of the other. And mostly because neither team could do much on offense. The Titans took the 17-13 lead with 3:21 left to play but the Seahawks dinked and dunked down the field until they threw a five-yard touchdown with one minute left to play to win the game.
Geno Smith passed for 227 yards and two scores and favored the wideouts of Tyler Lockett (8-81), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (6-61), and DK Metcalf (4-56, TD). Kenneth Walker ran for 54 yards on 16 carries but no one on the offense had more than a moderate game. The Seahawks won a road game, but the Titans didn’t put up much fight and the Seahawks still needed a final-minute score for the victory.
Ryan Tannehill only threw for 152 yards and the passing score happened on a trick play with Derrick Henry as the passer. Chig Okonkwo led the team with six catches for 63 yards and a score. No other receiver totaled more than 27 yards, including DeAndre Hopkins (2-20). Henry ran for 88 yards and a touchdown on 19 rushes while Tyjae Spears added 40 yards on nine runs. The Titans offense continues to sputter.
Jacksonville 12, Tampa Bay 30
This was never remotely close. The Buccaneers already led 30-0 in the third quarter before allowing the two scores to make it look like the Jaguars were actually there. The Jaguars ‘ decline continues and Trevor Lawrence cannot stay on the field, let alone pull the team out of their nosedive.
Lawrence left the game due to a shoulder injury and C.J. Beathard took over. Lawrence was already a game-time decision and was coming off a concussion. He and Beathard combined for 305 yards and two scores with two interceptions. Evan Engram has been a fantasy start for the last month and led the team with ten catches for 95 yards while Calvin Ridley (6-90, 2) enjoyed his best game as a Jaguar. Travis Etienne only gained 12 yards on six carries and caught three passes for 19 yards. The Jaguars’ promising season has fallen apart.
Baker Mayfield didn’t replicate his monster performance of last week, but he still threw for 283 yards and two scores to Mike Evans (7-86, 2 TD). Chris Godwin (6-78) and Trey Palmer (4-42) chipped in as well. Rachaad White only gained 39 yards on 290 carries, but scored and caught six passes for 38 yards, Chase Edmonds also ran for 25 yards on ten carries. The rushing effort wasn’t that effective but still had 30 carries just to get the game over faster.
Arizona 16, Chicago 27
The Cardinals’ season continues to fall deeper in the hole. They never scored until they were behind 21-0 and the Bears just cruised to the win. This was expected to be the war of running quarterbacks but Kyler Murray never did more than lightly jog.
Murray passed for 230 yards and two scores, and added 32 yards on five rushes. Greg Dortch (2-45) was the only wideout with more than 30 yards. James Conner (5-67, TD) and Emari Demercado (7-40) were top receivers and Conner gained 45 yards on his 12 rushes. Trey McBride (6-31) was also involved but the wideouts did nothing to replace Marquise Brown.
Justin Fields threw for 170 yards and a score, plus added 97 yards on nine rushes with another touchdown. Cole Kmet (4-107) left with an injury later in the game but was still the only receiver with more than 18 yards. The big lead encouraged more rushing and Khalil Herbert (20-112, TD) and Roschon Johnson (9-37) helped to cover for the absent D’Onta Foreman.
Dallas 20, Miami 22
The “Game of the Week” didn’t contain nearly as many points expected with two of the top offenses facing off with plenty on the line for both franchises. The Dolphins led 19-10 entering the fourth quarter and the Cowboys kicked a field goal and scored a touchdown with a two-point conversion to lead 20-19 with 3:19 left to play. The Fins drove from their own 25-yard line to reach the Dallas 9-yard line and then drained the clock and kicked the 29-yard winning field goal.
Dak Prescott passed for 253 yards and two scores between CeeDee Lamb (6-118, TD) and Brandin Cooks (2-14, TD). Jason Ferguson ended with 45 yards on four catches but Lamb was the only receiver that did any real damage. The Cowboys rushing offense was anemic as usual in a road game, with Tony Pollard gaining 38 yards on 12 rushes and he only added one catch for five yards. The Cowboys did not get blown out on the road against a quality team this time, and they almost pulled off a win. The lack of any rushing game will continue to be a problem when the Cowboys are not at home.
The Cowboys’ defense couldn’t stop the Dolphins at the end of the game, but they slowed them down. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 293 yards and one score to Raheem Mostert on his only catch in the game. Tyreek Hill (9-99) was active and led the receivers while Jaylen Waddle (1-50) was forced from the game with an injury. Tight end Durham Smythe ended with five catches for 56 yards as the second-best receiver which says how good the coverage was. Monster (11-46) and De’Von Achane (7-24) were not nearly as effective as expected after what the Cowboys allowed in Buffalo the previous week.
New England 26, Denver 23
The Broncos scratched their way into playoff contention but lost in Week 15 and now again to the visiting Patriots. The Broncos fell behind 23-7 and scored twice in the fourth quarter, with two-point conversions, to tie the game 23-23 with under three minutes left to play. The two teams traded quick series and the Pats took over on their own 25-yard line with 58 seconds left. A 27-yard catch by DeVante Parker gave them the chance to reach the Denver 38-yard line where Chad Ryland kicked the winning 56-yard field goal.
Bailey Zappe passed for 256 yards and two scores by Ezekiel Elliott (9-33, TD) and Mike Gesicki (2-15, TD). Demario Douglas (5-74) and DeVante Parker (4-65) were the top receivers. Elliott also ran for 27 yards on 12 carries but the Patriots were able to throw just well enough to notch the win.
Russell Wilson threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns but lost Courtland Sutton before he registered a catch. That forced him to use Marvin Mims (3-63), Jerry Jeudy (3-44), and Brandon Johnson (3-47, TD). Javonte Williams rushed for 24 yards on 11 runs with a touchdown while Jaleel McLaughlin settled for six runs for 37 yards. Both Mims and Demario Douglas caught a 40+ yard pass, but otherwise this was a slower, lower-scoring matchup.
GAME-O-THE-WEEK: Green Bay 33, Carolina 30
The Packers had this matchup won, leading 30-16 in the fourth quarter before the Panthers made it interesting and tied 30-30 with 4:05 left to play. The Panthers were eventually beaten by the Packers’ final drive that ended with a 32-yard winning field goal with only 19 seconds left to play.
Jordan Love threw for 219 yards and two scores between Romeo Doubs (4-79, TD) and Dontayvion Wicks (2-29, TD) as the Packers, yet again, get used to not playing with Christian Watson. Tyler Kraft turned in four catches for 60 yards. Aaron Jones finally looked healthy again when he rushed for 127 yards on 21 carries but only caught one pass and did not score. They allowed AJ Dillon (7-12, TD) to handle most the goal line carries.
Bryce Young passed for 312 yards and two touchdowns to DJ Chark (6-98, 2 TD). Adam Thielen (6-94) and Tommy Tremble (4-59) were the only receivers with more than 21 yards, Chuba Hubbard (16-43, TD) salvaged his fantasy value with the four-yard touchdown run, The Panthers hung in the game despite being down 23-10 at half time and battled back to tie the game. They just couldn’t stop the Packers when it counted the most.
