Scoring was the name of the game in Week 15, as 10 teams scored at least 30 points and three at least 40. And there are still two games left to go on Monday night.
The Buffalo Bills (11-3) held off the Detroit Lions in a shootout, 48-42, remaining two games behind the Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. However, the Chiefs suffered a potentially devastating blow in the team’s 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes leaving the game due to an ankle injury.
The severity of Mahomes’ injury remains a question mark moving forward.
The Bills have scored at least 30 points in eight straight games, tied for the longest streak within a single season in NFL history, according to FOX Sports Research.
With Detroit (12-2) losing, the Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) moved into a tie for the top spot in the NFC with a franchise-best 10th straight win, a 27-13 defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Minnesota Vikings (11-2) also remain in the hunt for the top seed in the NFC. The Vikings, who host the Chicago Bears on Monday, clinched a postseason berth by virtue of the Green Bay Packers‘ 30-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks (8-6). The Los Angeles Rams (8-6) took over the driver’s seat of the NFC West with Seattle’s loss.
[2024 NFL Playoff Picture: Only three AFC spots remain; NFC race down to the wire]
Let’s take a closer look at who’s hot and who’s cold for Week 15.
WHO’S HOT
A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles
After a week of chatter about his comments on Philadelphia’s struggles passing the football, the go-to receiver was more involved in his team’s victory over the Steelers. Brown finished with eight receptions for 110 yards and a score. It was his most receptions in a game all season and his most receiving yards since Week 2.
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts, who performed a celebratory dance with Brown after his touchdown, completed 78% of his passes for 290 yards and two scores.
“That was our moment to tell everybody to shut up, honestly,” Brown told reporters afterward. “That’s it.”
At least for this week.
Kobie Turner, DE, Rams
Nicknamed “The Conductor,” Turner has been the leader as an interior force for L.A.’s defense. The second-year pro out of Wake Forest finished with two sacks, five combined tackles and two quarterback hits in his team’s 12-6 road victory over the San Francisco 49ers, giving the Rams the season sweep over their NFC West rivals.
While Turner never expected to match Aaron Donald’s Hall of Fame production as his replacement, he has seven sacks and 34 combined tackles in 14 games. According to Next Gen Stats, Turner’s 42 pressures against double teams is the most in the NFL. His 20 pressures against double teams is also a league high.
Davante Adams, WR, Jets
Adams finally had the kind of explosive receiving performance NFL observers expected on a regular basis when New York acquired him from the Las Vegas Raiders in a midseason trade.
Adams finished with nine receptions for 198 yards and two scores on 12 targets in New York’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the productive day is a little late to have any effect on the Jets’ trajectory this season, Adams showed he can still produce at an elite level — at least for a week.
Dan Skipper, OL, Lions
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson strikes again, dialing up a 9-yard touchdown pass to the 6-foot-10 offensive lineman. Even though it comes in defeat, Johnson keeps finding creative ways to get his big guys involved, which keeps opposing defenses on their toes.
The Lions are the only team in the league with a player other than a receiver, running back or tight end who has more than one touchdown. Quarterback Jared Goff also has a touchdown catch this year. Skipper joined Taylor Decker and Scott Conover as the only offensive linemen in Lions history to score a receiving touchdown.
Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers
For some reason, the Chargers decided not to double-team one of the best receivers in the game, and Evans made them pay, totaling nine receptions for a season-high 159 yards and two scores on 11 targets. Evans and Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield scorched L.A.’s secondary.
The 31-year-old Evans is on track for his 11th straight 1,000-yard receiving season. Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is the only other receiver in NFL history to have 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career.
Mike Evans on his dominant performance in Bucs’ 40-17 win
WHO’S COLD
De’Vondre Campbell, LB, 49ers
According to reports, San Francisco plans to suspend Campbell three games for refusing to enter the 49ers’ game in the third quarter on Thursday. The suspension would likely end Campbell’s season.
The 31-year-old linebacker chose not to play when starter Dre Greenlaw could not return because of a knee injury. Greenlaw took Campbell’s place in the starting lineup after returning to the field for the first time since suffering an Achilles injury in the Super Bowl.
San Francisco players had a strong response to Campbell’s actions.
“I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that, and I hope I’m never around anybody who does that again,” tight end George Kittle said.
Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers
A week after complaining on social media about a lack of touches, Samuel dropped a potential touchdown pass that could have helped the 49ers beat the Rams and stay in the playoff conversation.
He finished with three receptions for 16 yards and two rushes for three yards. He has just two 100-yard receiving performances this season, has rushed for just 95 yards and has two total touchdowns on the year.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts
The star running back became the latest ball carrier to casually drop the ball before arriving in the end zone. Taylor’s play came on what should have been a 41-yard score to give the Colts a 20-7 lead over the Denver Broncos.
Instead, the play was ruled a touchback, and the Broncos received the ball on the Indianapolis 20-yard line. Denver promptly scored 24 unanswered points, putting a damper on the Colts’ playoff hopes. It was a huge mistake by one of the best players on the field.
Perhaps players should pay homage to Barry Sanders and hand the ball to the official after they score?
Dan Campbell, Head Coach, Lions
The poster boy for aggressiveness on fourth down may have taken things too far in his team’s loss to the Bills. Trailing 38-28 with 12 minutes left, Campbell went for an onside kick that Buffalo receiver Mack Hollins caught on the run and returned to Detroit’s 5-yard line. The Bills scored on the next play and went on to win 48-42.
It was a curious decision at best by Campbell, considering how much time was left in the game and the 7% success rate this season of recovering an onside kick.
“Obviously, sitting here in hindsight after them taking it down to the [five]-yard line, yeah I wish I wouldn’t have done that,” Campbell said. “But it is what it is.”
[RELATED: Dan Campbell might be TOO aggressive, and what else we learned in Week 15]
Will Levis, QB, Titans
It seems like Levis’ time in Tennessee is coming to a close. He was picked off three times in a 37-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. One of the interceptions was returned 40 yards for a score, Levis’ league-leading sixth pick-six this year.
Mason Rudolph replaced Levis late in the game. Rudolph should remain the starter for the rest of the year, and the Titans are likely to take a quarterback early in the 2025 draft.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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