Saturday’s NFL Week 15 action was something else. It started with the Cincinnati Bengals pulling off a huge overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings. For Minnesota, this loss hurts big time when it comes to the team’s playoff aspirations.
The second game of Saturday’s tripleheader saw Gardner Minshew lead the Indianapolis Colts to a blowout win over a struggling Pittsburgh Steelers squad. Indy is clearly in the AFC Playoff picture while the Steelers take a major step back.
The nigtcap saw the Detroit Lions put on an absolute clinic offensively by scoring touchddowns on five consecutive drives in a huge 42-17 win over the Denver Broncos. This game had wide-ranging playoff ramifications with the Broncos falling to 7-7 and Detroit moving to 10-4.
These are among the winners and losers from Saturday’s NFL Week 15 action.
Related: Updated NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Winner: Jake Browning proves he’s a starter-calibur quarterback
What a story it has been for this former Washington Huskies star and undrafted free agent after replacing an injured Joe Burrow back on November 16. Browning entered NFL Week 15 having led Cincinnati to a 2-1 record in three starts. He had thrown five touchdowns compared to two interceptions while completing 75.5% of his passes and boasting a 110.9 QB rating.
Browning was just as good in Cincinnati’s huge overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. He completed 29-of-42 passes for 324 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. That included a clutch 44-yard pass to Tyler Boyd on third-and-nine in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal.
Browning has Cincinnati in the AFC Playoff race heading into Week 16. From a micro perspective, he’s now looking very much like a starter-caliber quarterback after having not thrown a regular-season pass since entering the NFL back in 2019 until September. What a great story this is.
Related: Jake Browning works his magic again for Cincinnati Bengals in NFL Week 16 win
Loser: Damontae Kazee ejected for dirty hit, likely to be suspended
There is an argument raging on social media regarding a hit this veteran defensive back put on Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in Pittsburgh’s loss on Saturday. Kazee launched into a defenseless Pittman, injuring Indianapolis’ receiver in the process. It was an ugly play.
Some point to Kazee leading with his shoulder as a reason why he shouldn’t have been flagged, let alone ejected from the game. That’s completely false. He hit a defenseless receiver and could have caused a serious injury. Whether Kazee intended malace on this play is not the point. The rules are clear.
Winner: Gardner Minshew continue to play well in Indianapolis Colts win
We saw it earlier in his career when he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. This former sixth-round pick from Washington State has looked very much the part of a starter-caliber NFL quarterback. Minshew threw 37 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 20 starts over two seasons in Duval. Despite this, he didn’t earn a QB1 gig.
After two seasons as Jalen Hurts’ backup with the Philadelphia Eagles, Minshew signed on with Indianapolis to be Anthony Richardson’s backup. Since the rookie went down with a season-ending injury, Minshew has led Indy to a 6-4 record. That included a 30-13 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday in which he completed 18-of-28 passes for 215 yards with three touchdowns.
Signed to a mere one-year, $3.5 million contract this past offseason, Minshew has potentially played himself into a starting gig with another team next season. He also has Indianapolis at 8-6 and very much alive in the AFC Playoff race.
Related: NFL Week 15 defense rankings
Loser: Minnesota Vikings lose in brutal fashion
Minnesota controlled its own destiny in the NFC North and NFC Playoff picture heading into Week 15. If the team were to win out, it would be in as the division champs. While that always seemed unlikely, losing in the fashion we saw Saturday is not going to do Kevin O’Connell’s team any favors.
Getting the start over the benched Joshua Dobbs on Saturday, veteran Nick Mullens threw two interceptions. That included an absolutely ugly pick late in the second quarter. In fact, it might be the worst interception you’ll ever see.
We will just leave that play where it is. But this isn’t the only mistake we saw from the Vikings in a 27-24 loss to Cincinnati. O’Connell had what had to be described as a brain fart in overtime. With Ty Chandler having gone for 132 yards on 23 attempts, the head coach didn’t give him the ball on consecutive short-yardage plays. Instead, he ran consecutive tush pushes with Mullens — failing to get a first down.
The end result was a turnover on downs with Cincinnati nailing a game-winning field goal mere minutes later. Just ugly.
Related: Jordan Addison and Tee Higgins stole Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson’s big show
Winner: Indianapolis Colts rushing attack comes alive
With with 2021 NFL rushing champion Jonathan Taylor sidelined to injury, Indianapolis’ running backs provided the necessary balance that Gardner Minshew needed during NFL Week 15. Former San Francisco 49ers draft bust Trey Sermon went for 88 yards on 17 attempts in a career-best performance.
Sermon’s physical play was complemented by Tyler Goodson going for 69 yards on 11 attempts. All said, the Colts went for 170 yards on 34 rushes for an average of five yards per tote. It’s astonishing given that Indy was down to its third and fourth string backs after Zach Moss went down with an arm injury early.
Related: NFL Week 15 power rankings
Loser: Denver Broncos defense reverts to earlier form
Remember when the Broncos gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins back in Week 3? Their defense has not looked anything like that during a seven-game span in which Denver won six games and yielded an average of 15.6 points per game. Vance Joseph’s squad was putting in work ahead of NFL Week 15.
About that? Jared Goff and the Lions’ offense absolutely ate apart this previously stout unit to the tune of 29 first downs and 448 yards. That included five consecutive touchdown-scoring drives. Meanwhile, rookie Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 185 yards on 28 attempts. The end result was a 25-point loss and Denver falling behind in the AFC Playoff standings.
Winner: Jared Goff rebounds big time as Detroit Lions dominate Broncos
Detroit looked very much mediocre in the four games leading up to Saturday night’s outing against the Denver Broncos. That span saw the team go 2-2 with losses to the division-rival Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. For his part, Goff was a mistake waiting to happen with nine total turnovers. Regardless of the Lions’ talent level, that’s not going to cut it.
Talk about a rebound performance against Denver’s defense Saturday night. Goff completed a resounding 24-of-34 passes for 278 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. He hit stud rookie tight end and potential OROY Sam LaPorta on three touchdowns.
Detroit needs this iteration of Goff moving forward late in the regular season and in the playoffs if the team is going to compete in a top-heavy NFC with the likes of the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. What we saw Saturday night could prove to be a harbinger of things to come.
Related: NFL Week 15 expert picks
Loser: Broncos run game was a complete no-show
Russell Wilson was not great by any stretch of the imagination Saturday night. He completed a mere 18-of-32 passes for 223 yards in defeat and was vastly outplayed by Jared Goff. Unfortunately, the Broncos rushing attack didn’t do him any favors.
Denver went for 83 yards on 28 attempts for an average of three yards. Javonte Williams gained just 27 yards on 12 attempts. A total of 17 of those yards also came from non-running backs. At 7-7 on the season, Denver needs this part of its offense to step up. The good news? Denver has outings against the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders to close the regular season.