The 2015 NFL regular season is about to come to a close. It has been nothing short of a drama-filled, unpredictable year for many teams and players.
With injuries-galore, underdog teams making their way into the playoffs, veterans out-performing younger players and first-round draft picks gone sour, here are some of the good and bad in the NFL as we say goodbye to 2015.
Good: Veteran players rise to the occasion
A month or so back we featured an article that focused on successful NFL veteran players over the age of 30.
Spotlighted in the piece were Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Peterson, DeAngelo Williams, Benjamin Watson, Charles Woodson, Darrelle Revis, Carson Palmer and Tom Brady.
Every one of these guys is at least 30 with some of the crowd actually pushing 40. Still playing strong with only one game to finish out the 2015 season, each of these players has made invaluable contributions to their team.
Palmer and Brady, both leading playoff-bound teams, rate No. 1 and 2 respectively in overall quarterback performance this season according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Meanwhile running backs Peterson (1,639 total yards, 10 touchdowns) and Williams (1,253 total yards, 11 touchdowns) have been the solid rushing legs for the Vikings and Steelers.
Keeping receivers tied up on his island and frustrating quarterbacks, Revis has tallied five interceptions along with 33 combined tackles.
Watson, who has 766 receiving yards and five touchdowns, has been a reliable target for Drew Brees sans Jimmy Graham.
All the while, Fitzgerald has been phenomenal with his 1,160 yards and eight touchdowns to date, making himself and Palmer look like players in their 20’s.
Lastly there’s the 39-year-old Woodson, who has five interceptions and 67 combined tackles on his road to retirement after an illustrious 18-year NFL career.
Cheers to whatever diet and exercise these eight players are practicing to maintain their amazing level of physical fitness.
Bad: Quarterback injuries
The 2015 season has been the year of the injured quarterback.
Injuries ranging from devastatingly season-ending to mildly hampering have caused 13 opening-season starting quarterbacks to miss various periods of time this year.
From broken clavicles to ACL and MCL injuries to concussions, the following quarterbacks have missed at least one game because of an injury: Tony Romo, Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Nick Foles, Joe Flacco, Sam Bradford, Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler, Josh McCown, Drew Brees, Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota and Ben Roethlisberger.
Furthermore, multiple backup quarterbacks called to duty also sustained various injuries this season causing for third and fourth stringers to step in.
As for how crazy and unpredictable the season has been, heading into playoffs the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos could be relying on A.J. McCarron and Brock Osweiler to lead their teams.
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Plus, the likelihood exists that one of these two backup quarterback-led AFC teams could manage their way to Super Bowl 50 in February.
Good: Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers
How awesome has Cam “Superman” Newton and the Carolina Panthers been this season?
Except for a blip on the radar when the Panthers lost in Week 16 to the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina with its 14 wins has had a phenomenal season.
It all starts with Newton, who currently ranks No. 3 in overall quarterback performance (PFF) and has passed for 3,544 yards and career-high 33 touchdowns. This is quite noteworthy considering Newton isn’t exactly armed with Julio Jones and Antonio Brown aren’t on the Panthers’ payroll.
On top of Newton’s success through the air, he has also tallied 626 rushing yards and eight rushing scores.
In addition to Newton’s offensive talents, the Panthers also boast the No. 2 rush attack in the NFL which has averaged 144.7 yards per game, and has primarily featured Jonathan Stewart.
Also attributing to much of the success of the Panthers is their stellar defense. This unit includes studs Luke Kuechly and Josh Norman, who have contributed to Carolina forcing the most takeaways in the NFL (36) this season.
In Week 17, the Panthers will close out the regular season with a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If they pull off another win, they’ll secure the home field advantage to enjoy a bye week before the playoffs begin.
Bad: Chip Kelly’s plan for success
So much for Philadelphia Eagles former head coach Chip Kelly’s grand plans that he began launching during this year’s free agency period.
From the surprise trade of Eagles former lead rusher LeSean McCoy, to the signing of the ultra-overpriced DeMarco Murray, to the acquisition of Sam Bradford – for whom the jury is still out for deliberation, to Kelly’s firing, much drama has surrounded Philly this year.
When Kelly’s best-laid plans for the success of the Eagles in 2015 came crashing down, the coach didn’t even make it to “Black Monday.”
After an up-and-down season that had only produced six wins, and racial allegations surrounding Kelly, Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie released this statement after firing the head coach, via the team’s official website.
“I have made a decision to release Chip Kelly this evening. I spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched this season unfold, I determined that it was time to make a change.
As we move forward, the search for a new head coach will begin and will be led by myself, Don Smolenski and Howie Roseman. To the extent that we are able, we will try to keep you informed as we go through this process.”
Who will come to the aid of the Eagles next season and sweep up Kelly’s mess? Here are some potential head coach candidates who could fit the bill.
In the meantime, the Eagles will play their last game against the New York Giants this Sunday with Pat Shurmur as interim head coach.
Good: Kansas City Chiefs’ major comeback
Not many would have pegged the playoff-bound Kansas City Chiefs to currently occupy the fifth seed in the AFC after such a dreadful start to the season.
But after turning lemons into lemonade, Kansas City has done what no other NFL team has done in 45 years, which is make it to the playoffs after launching 2015 off with a 1-5 record. This is due to the Chiefs putting pedal to the medal and winning their last nine games in a row.
Now the Chiefs enter their Week 17 matchup against the Raiders with the potential to win the AFC West, providing they beat Oakland and Denver loses to San Diego. Even if the Chiefs lose, they’ll be on their way to the postseason for the first time since 2013.
Alex Smith, who has the fewest interceptions (five) of any starting quarterback, and the gang have forcefully clawed their way to the top of the food chain, despite losing veteran running back Jamaal Charles early in the season.
Kansas City’s successful passing/rushing offense is averaging 25.5 points per game, while its stifling defense has limited opposing teams to only 18 points per game on average (the second-fewest in the NFL). The Chiefs have simply been quite amazing.
And how thrilling would it be for the Chiefs, who have the most optimistic fans, if Kansas City defied the odds postseason and wound up in their first Super Bowl since 1969?
Our fans are the greatest. Period.
Meet Leva Sharon ➡️ https://t.co/jj1erFlUpD https://t.co/UaIlkGNdJn
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 26, 2015
Go grandma! Go Grandma!
Bad: Melvin Gordon’s debut
On top of the multitude of things that have gone terriblyy wrong for the San Diego Chargers, moving ahead in the 2015 NFL Draft to select Melvin Gordon stinks the worst.
Gordon looked like a promising first-round draft pick coming off a fantastic Wisconsin career. However, the rookie never made it to the finish line, being placed on IR due to a season-ending knee injury.
Gordon’s IR status isn’t the doghouse, but it might was well be for the rookie who had an absolutely horrific year.
All season long, Gordon struggled with blocking and never found a way to become a three-down back. He finished out his rookie campaign starting in 13 games when he totaled 184 attempts for 641 yards. That equates to an underwhelming 3.5 yards per carry. Plus, the running back failed to find the end zone once during this stretch of time.
And instead of Gordon providing a boost to an already lagging Chargers rush attack, San Diego will likely finish the season with the NFL’s 32nd-ranked rushing offense.
This is about as bad as it gets. After a miserable season, the Chargers surely can’t wait to go home and crawl under the covers and dream of better days.