Sunday’s NFL Week 15 action clarified a ton as it relates to the playoff race. Led by Baker Mayfield’s career day, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved to 7-7 on the season in a 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers (6-8). That game had wide-ranging ramifications in the NFC Playoff race.
Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins stayed alive for the No. 1 seed in the AFC via a blowout 30-0 win over a hapless New York Jets squad.
The late-afternoon slate saw the Dallas Cowboys lay an egg in a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills while Brock Purdy strengthened his MVP candidacy in the San Francisco 49ers’ win over the Arizona Cardinals.
These are among the biggest winners and losers from Sunday’s NFL Week 15 action.
Related: NFL Week 15 power rankings
Winner: Baker Mayfield saves career-best performance for must-win
Tampa Bay entered NFL Week 15 tied with the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC South with a 6-7 record. Given how mediocre that division has been this season, Sunday represented an opportunity to do their thing against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau.
About that? Mayfield was absolutely brilliant in a 34-20 win over Green Bay. The former No. 1 pick completed 22-of-28 passes for 381 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. That included a 52-yard touchdown pass to David Moore in the fourth quarter to put this one away.
Outside of having Tampa Bay in playoff positioning, Mayfield’s performance this season could very well lead to a long-term contract from the Buccaneers during the offseason. The pending free agent has now accounted for 24 passing touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. Not too shabby.
Loser: Tommy DeVito magic dies as New York Giants lose
Tommy Cutlets had been the talk of the NFL world after the undrafted rookie free agent led the Giants to three consecutive wins heading into Week 15. He also had the Giants just one game out of the final wild card spot in the NFC heading into NFL Week 15.
Unfortunately, DeVito’s magic died in a 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Giants didn’t make it into the red zone a single time as the youngster completed 20-of-34 passes for a mere 177 yards. He completed just 8-of-16 passes to wide receivers after connecting with them at a great clip over the past three games. The end result was a loss and a 5-9 record, leading to New York finding itself pretty much out of the NFC Playoff race.
Winner: Los Angeles Rams continue to surprise
It wasn’t always pretty. But Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams did their thing against the hapless Washington Commanders in NFL Week 15. Continuing with his brilliant recent play, Matthew Stafford completed 25-of-33 passes for 258 yards with two touchdowns. That included a 62-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp.
Did we mention that the Washington Commanders are a bad football team? How in the world does their defense let Kupp that wide open? But we digress.
Stud young running back Kyren Williams went off for 152 yards on 27 attempts. Kupp and rookie Puka Nacua combined for 13 receptions and 161 yards. Los Angeles’ offense is humming along as the team finds itself in playoff positioning with a 7-7 record heading into a huge Week 16 outing against the New Orleans Saints.
Related: Los Angeles Rams playoff odds up to 56%
Loser: Jacksonville Jaguars were a mistake waiting to happen
Two missed field goals, a lost fumble in the red zone and failing to even get a play off down deep inside the Baltimore Ravens territory. These were the key mistakes that defined what we saw from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.
Looking to remain alive for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Jaguars laid a complete egg at home against Baltimore. Trevor Lawrence was a mistake waiting to happen. His brain fart at the end of the second quarter pretty much doomed this team in what was a 23-7 loss to the Ravens. It has Jacksonville at 8-6 on the season and struggling down the stretch.
Related: NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Winner: Bryce Young gets second career win
At 1-11 heading into Sunday’s action, the Carolina Panthers are merely playing out the string in what has been yet another lost season. This doesn’t mean that the final four weeks of the campaign is not huge for rookie No. 1 pick Bryce Young. He’s struggled throughout his first NFL season and needs to improve down the stretch to give the Panthers optimism.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Panthers pulled off their second win of the season by defeating the division-rival Atlanta Falcons by the score of 9-7. Young completed a solid 18-of-24 passes for 167 yards. More importantly, he did not turn the ball over after suffering 14 giveaways in his first 12 NFL games.
Related: NFL Week 15 quarterback rankings
Loser: New York Jets’ Aaron Rodgers aspirations now dead
It was reported earlier in the weekend that Aaron Rodgers was pushing for a return Christmas Eve against the Washington Commanders. Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles four games into his Jets career back in Week 1 and has since partaken in one of the greatest rehab processes in modern NFL history.
For the Jets, winning Sunday against the Miami Dolphins would enable Rodgers to return. A loss would pretty much shut him down for the season.
About that? New York put up another dreadful outing in a 30-0 shutout loss to the Dolphins. Zach Wilson completed 4-of-11 passes for 26 yards and was sacked four times before Trevor Siemian came in after Wilson was injured. All said, the Jets’ offense tallied 103 total yards and 11 first downs. This loss pretty much means that Rodgers will not return in 2023, leading to further questions about the Jets’ brass.
Winner: Brock Purdy takes lead in NFL MVP race
Christian McCaffrey went for 187 total yards and three touchdowns. The NFL’s top running back is firmly in the MVP conversation after his performance in a 45-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals. However, it’s quarterback Brock Purdy who took the lead in the NFL MVP race.
Purdy completed 16-of-25 passes for 242 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions in the win. He’s now thrown 17 touchdowns compared to two interceptions during San Francisco’s six-game winning streak. The dude was unbelievable Sunday afternoon.
- Brock Purdy stats (2023): 70% completion, 3,795 yards, 31 total TD, 7 INT, 118.9 QB rating
These represent the best numbers for a 49ers quarterback since Hall of Famer Steve Young was doing his thing in the 1990s. It has San Francisco at 11-3 on the season and having clinched the NFC West title. Purdy is the MVP right now. That’s as clear as day.
Loser: Dak Prescott comes up small for the Dallas Cowboys
Prescott entered NFL Week 15 having thrown 23 touchdowns compared to two interceptions in his past eight outings. It’s not a coincidence that the Cowboys were 7-1 in those eight games while averaging 34.8 points per game during that span.
This did not translate to success against the Buffalo Bills in Western New York on Sunday. Prescott completed a mere 21-of-34 passes for 134 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. He was under duress throughout the game (7 QB hits and 3 sacks). However, Prescott did not seem to be in rhythm against what was a Bills defense that was more than up to the task.
By virtue of this performance, Dallas falls to second place in the NFC East and is currently the fifth seed in the conference. As for Prescott, he’s no longer the top NFL MVP candidate.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens run all over Jacksonville Jaguars
Led by Lamar Jackson (97 yards on 12 attempts), Baltimore absolutely dominated Jacksonville on the ground during Sunday Night Football. The Ravens went for 251 yards on 42 attempts. Sure, Keaton Mitchell suffered a potentially serious injury in the second half. But the Ravens ability to control the trenches loomed large in an 23-7 win over the Jaguars in Duval.
Baltimore now finds itself at 11-3 on the season and has become the first AFC team to clinch a playoff spot. The Super Bowl contender now has a date with another top-end team in that of the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas night. That should be a blast.
Related: NFL Week 15 defense rankings
Loser: Green Bay Packers blow prime opportunity
By virtue of the Minnesota Vikings’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, Green Bay controlled its own destiny heading into NFL Week 15 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Win out and the team would be playing postseason football.
About that? The Packers’ defense was a disaster class against Tampa Bay. It allowed Baker Mayfield to complete 22-of-28 passes for 381 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. All said, the Buccaneers gained 452 total yards and 22 first downs in their best offensive performance of the season. At 6-8, Green Bay can pretty much kiss any hopes of a playoff spot goodbye.