It was an exciting and unpredictable, yet sloppy Week 15 in the National Football League. Home teams were a combined 5-11, with only the Texans, Cardinals, Broncos, Eagles and Vikings holding their ground. The NFL’s 32 teams combined for 58 turnovers, the 16 losing clubs combining for 41 of those miscues.
There’s football on four days this week, and seven of the games in Week 16 are divisional clashes.
Thursday, Dec. 19
Denver (9-5) at L.A. Chargers (8-6): Back in Week 6 at Denver, Jim Harbaugh’s club held off a late Broncos’ rally and came up with a 23-16 win. Now the Chargers can sweep this AFC West rivalry for the first time since 2010. For most of the season, the Bolts had allowed the fewest points in the NFL, and still have that on their resume. They now share that distinction with the Broncos, who clinch a playoff berth with a win.
Saturday, Dec. 21
Houston (9-5) at Kansas City (13-1): A win by Andy Reid’s team will give the Chiefs their 14th victory, tying the franchise record set in 2020 and once again in 2022. By all indications, Patrick Mahomes and his sore ankle figures to be a go in this battle between two teams that have already won division titles. For what it’s worth, the Texans are 4-1 vs. their divisional rivals, and a mediocre 5-4 vs. the rest of the NFL this year.
Pittsburgh (10-4) at Baltimore (9-5): Both of these clubs faced NFC East competition last Sunday with dramatically different results. Mike Tomlin’s club is playoff bound, but the Steelers can wrap up the AFC North for the first time since 2020 by completing a sweep of these Ravens. A year ago, Baltimore tied for the NFL lead with 31 takeaways. This season, the Steelers have forced a league-high 30 turnovers.
Sunday, Dec. 22
N.Y. Giants (2-12) at Atlanta (7-7): The Falcons have opted to give the ball to rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and sit down veteran Kirk Cousins. It’s an interesting strategy considering Atlanta is only one game behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South, and swept Tampa Bay this season. The woeful Giants have dropped nine straight, are dead last in the league in points scored, and are 1-9 vs. NFC teams in 2024.
New England (3-11) at Buffalo (11-3): These teams will clash twice in the season’s final three weeks, as the AFC East champions close out 2024 with three straight divisional foes. Buffalo’s offense was in high gear last week at Detroit, rolling up 559 total yards in a wild 48-42 win. Even more impressive is the fact that the Bills have committed an NFL-low seven turnovers, quite the difference from a season ago (28).
Arizona (7-7) at Carolina (3-11): Both of these basement dwellers from 2023 have won more games than they did a year ago. The Cardinals can double their victory total from 2023 by knocking off Dave Canales’s club. Arizona has allowed a respectable 306 points in 14 games this season. The Panthers have given up 242 points in the first half alone in 2024. James Conner faces the league’s bottom-ranked run defense.
Detroit (12-2) at Chicago (4-10): Back on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field, the Lions held on for a wild 23-20 victory over a Bears’ team that mismanaged the final seconds of the game. Chicago is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and while the Lions, Vikings, and Packers have all reached double-digits in terms of wins, the Bears (0-4 vs. NFC North foes in ‘24) have now dropped at least 10 games four straight years.
Cleveland (3-11) at Cincinnati (6-8): The last time the Bengals swept this intrastate rivalry was 2017. Zac Taylor’s team survived four turnovers last week at Nashville. That’s because Cincinnati came away with six takeaways in a 37-27 victory. Last year, the Browns started five different quarterbacks and won 11 games. On Sunday, Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be the third different starter for Kevin Stefanski in ’24.
Tennessee (3-11) at Indianapolis (6-8): Thanks to a 20-17 win in Week 6 at Nashville, Shane Steichen’s club can complete a sweep of the Titans for the second consecutive year. The Colts, as well as the Bengals and Dolphins, are all barely breathing when it comes to reaching the playoffs. Tennessee now leads the NFL with 29 turnovers, six coming in last week’s loss to the Bengals, and Indianapolis isn’t far behind (25).
L.A. Rams (8-6) at N.Y. Jets (4-10): Sean McVay’s rejuvenated club is 7-2 in its last nine outings after a 1-4 start. It is very reminiscent of the Rams’ 2023 season in which they won seven of their final eight contests after opening 3-6. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams put on a show last week at Jacksonville, but there’s an upgrade in competition this Sunday. The Jets have dropped four games vs. NFC teams this season.
Philadelphia (12-2) at Washington (9-5): On a Thursday night at Philadelphia in Week 11, Dan Quinn’s team came up short, 26-18, as their defense gave up 228 yards on the ground to Saquon Barkley and the Birds’ ground game. The Eagles lead the NFL in rushing yards, and boast the league’s top-ranked defense in terms of fewest yards allowed. Washington could be playoff-bound with a win and some help.
Minnesota (12-2) at Seattle (8-6): Last Sunday night at home, the Seahawks saw their four-game winning streak snap by the Packers. Now the playoff-bound Vikings are in town, and have won seven in a row. The bad news for Mike Macdonald’s club is the fact that this game is at home, where the ‘Hawks are just 3-5 this season. Meanwhile, the Purple Gang is 5-1 on the road, and fourth in NFL in fewest points allowed.
Jacksonville (3-11) at Las Vegas (2-12): Is it time for the Silver and Black to finally snap its 10-game losing streak? The Raiders are tied with the Giants for the worst record in the league, and the Jaguars aren’t far behind. Antonio Pierce’s club is last in the NFL in turnover differential (minus-19), mainly because the club is next-to-last in the league in takeaways (9). Guess who’s at the bottom? That would be the Jaguars (8).
San Francisco (6-8) at Miami (6-8): It was 40 seasons ago that the Bill Walsh’s 49ers and Don Shula’s Dolphins clashed in Super Bowl XIX—the Niners prevailing in Palo Alto. Now these two franchises that reaches the postseason a year ago, are in dire straits when it comes to their playoff chances. The 49ers run defense can be had, but the Dolphins have rushed for less than 100 yards in six straight games.
Sunday night
Tampa Bay (8-6) at Dallas (6-8): Todd Bowles’s club has won four straight and comes off an impressive 40-17 victory over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium. The Buccaneers are also 5-2 on the road this season, bad news for a Cowboys’ team that owns a 1-6 home mark. Even worse for Dallas is that only the Panthers and Bengals have allowed more points in 2024, while the first-pace Bucs are fourth in the NFL in scoring.
Monday, Dec. 23
New Orleans (5-9) at Green Bay (10-4): The Saints have utilized two different head coaches, and three different starting quarterbacks, hence a disappointing season that started out with so much promise. The Packers dominated at Seattle last Sunday evening, and their four losses this year have come to teams that have won 12 games. Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs has rushed for nine touchdowns in his last five games.