N.F.L. Week 15: What We Learned (Published 2019) (2024)

In a week that had quite a few blowouts, there were thrillers in Tennessee and San Francisco and there was a scoring resurgence for New England (which came with some caveats). Overall, Week 15 will wrap up with eight of the league’s 12 playoff spots having been secured, giving a fairly clear picture of what we can expect going forward.

Here’s what we learned:

JULIO CROSSES THE PLANE. THE @AtlantaFalcons WIN! @juliojones_11 #InBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/b7lzYrF4iY

— NFL (@NFL) December 16, 2019

• The 49ers miss their injured defensive backs. Playing without Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams and Jaquiski Tartt, San Francisco was helpless to stop Atlanta on a frantic final possession in which Matt Ryan marched his team 70 yards on 10 plays, culminating in a 5-yard touchdown to Julio Jones that, along with a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff, gave Atlanta a shocking 29-22 victory on the road. Adding some drama to the upset, Jones’s touchdown was initially ruled to have come up short, but was confirmed to have broken the plane after a review by officials. Sherman hopes to return next week despite having sustained a partially torn hamstring in Week 14, and Williams (concussion) and Tartt (ribs) could be back soon, but they were clearly missed as San Francisco lost on its opponents’ final possession for the third time this season.

• The best (Patriots) offense is a good defense. Turning the old saying on its head, New England broke out of a scoring slump by dropping 34 points on Cincinnati. A closer look turns down the enthusiasm a bit, at least in terms of the team’s recent offensive woes having dissipated. The Patriots had an impressive 75-yard opening drive, but their other 27 points came off a pick-6 and four other scoring drives that went an average distance of just 31.3 yards. New England was outgained by Cincinnati, 315 yards to 291, and won in a blowout thanks to five turnovers. If the win had come against a better team, the volume of turnovers would have played into conspiracy theories surrounding a videographer working for New England who was caught filming the Bengals’ sideline last week.

• The Titans are relentless, but the Texans can outlast them. Houston went up by 14-0 on Sunday, let Tennessee sneak back into the game, then held on for a narrow 24-21 victory. The game provided a fairly tidy synopsis of the A.F.C. South this season, with the Texans appearing to have had the division in hand only to have the Titans make them sweat. Houston now has a one-game lead, and will undoubtedly be favored when it hosts Tennessee in Week 17, but the Titans, who have scored 20 or more points in the second half of six straight games, seem to have a knack for making things dramatic.

• Travis Kelce is weatherproof — and automatic. On a snowy day in Kansas City, the Chiefs did not have to settle for running the ball thanks to Kelce’s accounting for nearly half of Patrick Mahomes’s 340 passing yards in a 23-3 win over Denver. The Chiefs were dominant on both sides of the ball, with Kelce grabbing 11 catches for 142 yards and Kansas City’s defense virtually eliminating Denver’s Drew Lock from the game. Through three quarters, Kelce had outgained the Broncos’ offense, 141 to 139. Kelce is up to 1,131 yards for the season, tying him with Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten for the most 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end, and unlike the others, Kelce’s totals came in four straight seasons.

• All is not well in Los Angeles. The Rams had won three of four, and were looking dramatically better on both sides of the ball. The Chargers had been getting their turnovers under control, an upward trajectory that culminated in a blowout win over Jacksonville last week. It is hard to remember that enthusiasm after the Rams were demolished by the struggling Dallas Cowboys this week, 44-21, and the Chargers, with seven turnovers, were embarrassed at home by the Vikings, 39-10. At least the Rams could blame some of their failure on playing on the road.

• The Raiders believe in tradition. Playing in what is expected to be the team’s final game in Oakland Coliseum before moving to Las Vegas, the Raiders scored on the game’s first possession and proceeded to lead or be tied until the game’s final minute. Jacksonville’s Gardner Minshew then broke Oakland’s heart with a 4-yard touchdown pass with just 27 seconds left, giving the Jaguars a shocking 20-16 victory. There was some poetry to the loss, however, as Oakland also lost its last game in Oakland Coliseum before moving to Los Angeles following the 1981 season.

Top Passer: Jameis Winston

Winston threw an interception on his second official pass of the game, and then caught fire in a dominant win over Detroit. He completed at least one pass to 11 different receivers and threw for a career-high 458 yards. Tampa Bay will have a lot to think about this off-season, in terms of bringing Winston back, as he has thrown a career-best 30 touchdowns for the season, but has also thrown a career-worst 24 interceptions.