The Vikings’ win put them closer to a playoff seat. Two NFC East teams were shut out. The Bears hung on to get to 10 wins and the Ravens tallied their fourth victory in five Lamar Jackson starts.
All that and more in Week 15’s biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.
Jump to a matchup:
GB-CHI | DAL-IND | TB-BAL | MIA-MIN
TEN-NYG | ARI-ATL | WSH-JAX | OAK-CIN
DET-BUF | HOU-NYJ| CLE-DEN | LAC-KC
Chicago has only reached the postseason six times since the Mike Ditka era ended after the 1992 season and not at all since 2010, but the Bears are headed to the playoffs in 2018 — and look like they’ll be there plenty in coming years. Under first-year head coach Matt Nagy, the Bears have a roster loaded with starters below the age of 28, including All-Pro pass-rusher Khalil Mack, who’s under contract through 2024. Every season presents unique challenges, but the Bears look set-up for long-term success. — Jeff Dickerson
When asked what changes are coming in the last two weeks now that the Packers were eliminated from playoff contention after Sunday’s loss to the Bears (combined with the Vikings’ win), interim coach Joe Philbin said, “Nothing.” That would seem to apply to Aaron Rodgers, who said several times that he expects to keep playing. “I’d like to be out there and lead us the last two weeks,” Rodgers said. — Rob Demovsky
The Colts beating a team with Andrew Luck throwing for less than 200 yards and not having a touchdown pass? It used to be out of the question. Oh how things have changed for the Colts. They ended Dallas’ five-game winning streak and got their first shutout since October 2014 by rushing for 178 yards and holding Dallas to 292 total yards of offense. More importantly, the Colts have won seven of their last eight games to remain right in the thick of the AFC playoff race with a home game next week against the Giants. — Mike Wells
With a chance to win the NFC East on Sunday, the Cowboys came out listless in their loss to the Colts. With a win next week against the Buccaneers, they can clinch the division title for the second time in three seasons. “Just the way we didn’t give ourselves a chance pisses me off, pisses everybody off,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “We knew what was on the line and it’s been on the line. It will be on the line next week. We just got to go and get better this week in practice.” — Todd Archer
Lamar Jackson continued his winning ways, helping the Ravens keep hold of the final playoff spot in the AFC. Jackson, now 4-1 as a starter, tallied 226 yards of offense (131 passing, 95 rushing) against the NFL’s No. 27 defense. He will face his toughest test Saturday, when he goes against the Chargers; it will mark the first time he will go against a defense ranked in the top half of the NFL (No. 8). — Jamison Hensley
0:44
John Harbaugh tells reporters he was happy that the Ravens were able to overcome adversity and pick up a win against the Buccaneers.
For the second consecutive week, the Buccaneers hung tough against a playoff team, but struggled to overcome their second-half issues. Since Week 12, Tampa Bay has scored a total of 12 points in the second half of games. “We can’t seem to get out of our own way almost,” tight end Cameron Brate said. “You can’t really pinpoint one thing or one play, one player or anything like that. Until we find a way to either not make those critical errors or find a way to get over them, we’re gonna continue to struggle to win games.” — Jenna Laine
The Vikings scored season-high 41 points in Kevin Stefanski’s debut as interim offensive coordinator and maintained the sixth overall seed in the playoff picture, now sitting with a 73 percent chance to reach the postseason, according to ESPN’s live FPI projections. Minnesota accomplished what it’s been trying to do all season in sticking to the run, which resulted in Dalvin Cook notching a career-best 136 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Vikings can take another step toward the playoffs next Sunday when they face Detroit. — Courtney Cronin
Miami came into Sunday’s game needing a win to keep pace with the three other teams tied for the AFC’s final playoff spot, but it laid an egg. Ryan Tannehill was sacked nine times, the offense produced only 193 yards and the defense gave up 41 points. The Dolphins can’t prepare for 2019 yet given the season is still alive, but they have just a 3 percent chance to make the playoffs. — Cameron Wolfe
The Titans continued the theme of physical play on both sides of the ball as Derrick Henry‘s 170 rushing yards and two touchdowns were enough to beat the Giants. The formula is simple: control the game, win field position and play stout defense. It has resulted in Tennessee dominating consecutive opponents with a 47-9 point advantage. Next up for the Titans is a struggling Redskins team as they continue to work towards a postseason berth in head coach Mike Vrabel’s rookie season. — Turron Davenport
The Giants’ offense may not be fixed after all. Shut out by Tennessee, Saquon Barkley was stymied (31 yards on 14 carries) and the offense couldn’t do anything in the heavy rain. It was the second time the Giants were shut out in a year and seventh time in Eli Manning‘s career. There are still a lot of questions to be answered regarding the Giants’ offense, including making a long-term decision on Manning. — Jordan Raanan
0:32
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur vents his frustration after a shootout loss to the Titans 17-0.
The Falcons might not want to give up on Vic Beasley Jr. just yet despite critics believing its time to move on from the former eighth-overall pick. Beasley has shown flashes here late in the season, including two batted passes — one that led to a pick-six for teammate Deion Jones — and a sack in the Falcons’ win over Arizona. Beasley aims to carry his momentum into the final two games at Carolina and Tampa Bay and maybe secure a future with the team. “Every game, my goal is to make a statement, to show the team, coaches, fans what I’m capable of,” Beasley said. — Vaughn McClure
The Cardinals strengthened their chances of securing the No. 1 draft pick with one of their worst showings of the season in a season full of them. After having a 7-0 lead, they gave up 40 consecutive points for the second time in four games before scoring a garbage-time touchdown. Arizona showed Sunday its issues are wide spread and will take a lot of moves to fix. — Josh Weinfuss
The Redskins kept their playoff hopes alive, but do not control their own fate. However, if they can win their last two games to finish 9-7, they could still end up either winning the division or sneaking in as a wild card. That would be quite an accomplishment for a team that was nearly done and buried early in the fourth quarter Sunday. The Redskins relied on grit to beat the Jaguars, but they will need more to beat both Tennessee and Philadelphia. — John Keim
0:23
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden speaks to the media after his team won on the road vs. Jacksonville 16-13.
The Jaguars’ offense has managed just one touchdown in the past three games and totaled only 192 total yards — just 20 passing — on Sunday against Washington. Cody Kessler was sacked six times and threw a critical late-game interception that led to the Redskins’ winning points. Injuries forced the Jaguars to start nine players who are either backups or midseason additions on offense. The season can’t end soon enough for Jacksonville. — Mike DiRocco
The Bengals snapped a five-game losing streak, but interest in the Bengals has waned in the last month, particularly with Marvin Lewis’ future in question. As a result, Paul Brown Stadium looked fairly empty for the last home game of the year. However, the future looks bright for Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon and Sam Hubbard, who had two sacks and a forced fumble. Boyd hit 1,000 yards on the season, and Mixon is five yards away from his first 1,000-yard season. — Katherine Terrell
Derek Carr continued his efficient, if unspectacular, play for the Raiders, which bodes well for the future. Hey, we’re keeping it positive but real around these parts for a 3-11 team, right? Besides, Carr set a franchise record in not throwing an interception in his last 301 attempts, a streak running nine games. Up next? What promises to be a sublime Christmas Eve as the Raiders might be playing their final game ever in Oakland against the rival Broncos. Buckle up. — Paul Gutierrez
Josh Allen rushed for only 16 yards after running for 335 over the past three weeks, but he accomplished two goals in Sunday’s win over the Lions: protecting his body and avoiding turnovers. Allen was not intercepted, improving his record to 3-0 in full games this season in which he has not been picked off. Allen still took some chances as a runner and fumbled in the third quarter but overall took a step in the right direction. — Mike Rodak
Detroit’s slim playoff chances ended in Buffalo with problems old (an unproductive offense with questionable play calling) and new (Matt Prater‘s first missed fourth-quarter field goal in three years). No matter how it happened, the end result is a losing season for the Lions in Matt Patricia’s first season. — Michael Rothstein
The Texans remain in the hunt for a first-round playoff bye in the AFC thanks largely to great performances by DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt. There are issues to fix, including pass-protection woes and third-down struggles on both sides of the ball, but Houston continues to quietly keep pressure on the AFC’s leaders. With the Eagles and Jaguars left on the schedule, the Texans likely will force the Patriots to win out to keep them from a bye. — Sarah Barshop
0:26
DeAndre Hopkins discusses his two touchdowns saying Deshaun Watson threw it up and gave him an opportunity on both. He also addresses rolling his ankle.
Yes, the Jets stink, but at least there’s hope at quarterback. Sam Darnold has played two good games in a row, cutting down on his interceptions and creating plays outside the pocket. The next coach, whoever it is, will inherit a promising young talent. — Rich Cimini
As the Browns play the waiting game in the playoff hunt, four wins in five games means they can finish with a winning record. Victories over the Bengals and Ravens in the last two games would mean the Browns finish above .500 for the first time since 2007. — Pat McManamon
The Broncos sit at 6-8, poised for their third consecutive playoff miss, and they can blame their offseason free agency work for their woes. Quarterback Case Keenum, who signed a two-year deal, was the centerpiece, but the Broncos have been unable to find consistency on offense. The Broncos’ 2018 draft class should be celebrated, but the free agent signings have to be better or they’re simply using cap space for players who aren’t contributing. — Jeff Legwold
The Chargers clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2013 while also elevating themselves into the conversation for the AFC West division title and a No. 1 seed in the AFC. They also stopped a nine-game losing streak to the Chiefs with the win. If the Chargers win out and the Chiefs lose one of their two remaining games, the Bolts will be hosting a playoff game at the StubHub Center. — Eric D. Williams
The Chiefs won’t always be able to score enough to overcome their leaky defense. This may not be a problem the rest of the regular season, with the Seahawks and Raiders the remaining opponents, but it could be a big obstacle in the playoffs, when high-scoring opponents such as the Patriots and Chargers could be on the opposite side of the field. — Adam Teicher