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A Recap of all the Games from Week 15 of the 2019-2020 NFL Season
Introduction
Week fifteen of the 2019 – 2020 NFL regular season was fairly predictable and uneventful. There was an upset or two, some playoff spots clinched, and some teams eliminated from playoff contention. Let’s review the third to last week of regular season NFL football.
FINAL
Jets (5-9, 1-6 Away) 21
Ravens (12-2, 6-1 Home) 42
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Sam Darnold - NYJ
18-32, 218 YDS, 2 TD
RUSH
Le'Veon Bell - NYJ
21 CAR, 87 YDS
REC
Jamison Crowder - NYJ
6 REC, 90 YDS, 2 TD
Lamar Jackson continues to impress with another outstanding game last Thursday night. He rushed for 86 yards on 8 carries as he broke Michael Vick’s NFL record for the most single season rushing yards by a quarterback. Jackson also threw for 5 touchdown passes which ties his career best in that department. The Baltimore Ravens clinched the AFC North division and they are one win away from securing home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs this season. Jamison Crowder played well for the New York Jets. He pulled in 6 passes for 90 yards and 2 touchdown receptions.
Week 16 Games
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
FINAL
Patriots (11-3, 6-2 Away) 34
Bengals (1-13, 1-6 Home) 13
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Andy Dalton - CIN
17-31, 151 YDS, 1 TD
RUSH
Joe Mixon - CIN
25 CAR, 136 YDS
REC
James White - NE
3 REC, 49 YDS, 1 TD
This contest was another example of the New England Patriots having a poor game offensively especially early on, but their defense bailed them out. Stephon Gilmore added to his strong case to be the Defensive Player of the Year Award winner this year. He added two more interception one of which was a pick six. He padded his stats with two more tackles as well as four more pass break ups last Sunday.
New England wanted to get N’Keal Harry more involved in the offensive game plan, and the Patriots did just that as Harry had two receptions for 15 yards and a touchdown to go along with his two rushes for an additional 22 yards. New England’s run defense is very vulnerable once again as this time Joe Mixon rushed for 136 yards on his 25 rushes. The Patriots need to sharpen up on both sides of the ball if they want to make another deep postseason run this season.
Week 16 Games
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins
FINAL
Buccaneers (7-7, 5-3 Away) 38
Lions (3-10-1, 2-5 Home) 17
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Jameis Winston - TB
28-42, 458 YDS, 4 TD
RUSH
Ronald Jones II - TB
11 CAR, 23 YDS
REC
Chris Godwin - TB
5 REC, 121 YDS
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers extend their winning streak to four games after defeating the struggling Detroit Lions last Sunday. Jameis Winston threw for 458 yards and 4 touchdown passes, and finished the game with a passer rating of 124.9. Chris Godwin racked up 121 yards on only 5 receptions. The Buccaneers have been playing well lately under their first year coach Bruce Arians. It is a little too late now this late into the season, but they seem to be building momentum prior to the 2020 – 2021 NFL season. We will have to wait until next year to see how Tampa Bay plays when everything is on the line as this season is all but over for teams like the Bucs.
Week 16 Games
Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos
FINAL
Bears (7-7, 3-4 Away) 13
Packers (11-3, 7-1 Home) 21
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Mitchell Trubisky - CHI
29-53, 334 YDS, 1 TD
RUSH
Aaron Jones - GB
13 CAR, 51 YDS, 2 TD
REC
Allen Robinson II - CHI
7 REC, 125 YDS
The Chicago Bears desperately needed a win against the Green Bay Packers on the road to continue their hunt to make the NFL playoffs this season. Unfortunately, they did not play well enough to get that win as the Bears lost 13 to 21 to the Packers last Sunday. Like much of this year of football for Chicago they struggled to score points, and did not play up to their potential. The Green Bay Packers continued to win although they did not make a great statement by allowing the Bears to hang around in this game, and they were only a play away from potentially losing this match up. Aaron Jones had another impressive game by scoring two touchdowns, but the Packers better tighten up their performance on both sides of the football if they plan on making a Super Bowl run in the highly competitive NFC playoffs.
Week 16 Games
Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears (SNF)
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (MNF)
FINAL
Texans (9-5, 4-3 Away) 24
Titans (8-6, 4-3 Home) 21
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Ryan Tannehill - TEN
22-36, 279 YDS, 2 TD
RUSH
Carlos Hyde - HOU
26 CAR, 104 YDS, 1 TD
REC
DeAndre Hopkins - HOU
6 REC, 119 YDS
This was a close game in which the Tennessee Titans started very slow as they failed to score any points in the first half of this match up. Deshawn Watson passed for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns leading the Houston Texans to victory in this critical AFC South contest. DeAndre Hopkins racked up 119 receiving yards, and Kenny Stills caught two touchdown throws from Watson. Ryan Tannehill performed well by completing 22 of 36 passes for 279 yards as well as a pair of TD throws. A.J. Brown turned in another great game with his 114 yards through the air and a touchdown reception. The Titans are now one game back of the Texans in the AFC South with only two regular season games remaining so anything can happen in this heavily contested division.
Week 16 Games
Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New Orleans Saints at Tennessee Titans
FINAL
Broncos (5-9, 2-6 Away) 3
Chiefs (10-4, 4-3 Home) 23
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Patrick Mahomes - KC
27-34, 340 YDS, 2 TD
RUSH
Darwin Thompson - KC
8 CAR, 38 YDS
REC
Travis Kelce - KC
11 REC, 142 YDS
This game was extremely over taken by the elements as there was a great deal of snow falling before, during, and after this contest in Kansas City. The snow may have slowed down the Denver Broncos offense, but not the offensive attack of the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes passed for 340 yards and 2 touchdowns as he led the way for the Chiefs. Their big tight end Travis Kelce had a monster performance with 142 yards on his 11 receptions. Kansas City is starting to look good heading into the last two regular season games of the 2019 – 2020 NFL season.
Week 16 Games
Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears (SNF)
Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos
FINAL
Dolphins (3-11, 1-6 Away) 20
Giants (3-11, 2-5 Home) 36
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Eli Manning - NYG
20-28, 283 YDS, 2 TD
RUSH
Saquon Barkley - NYG
24 CAR, 112 YDS, 2 TD
REC
Sterling Shepard - NYG
9 REC, 111 YDS
The Miami Dolphins had a solid first half of the game, but the New York Giants rode the momentum they had in the second half to put away the Dolphins quite easily last weekend. Eli Manning took advantage of his offensive weapons as he lit up Miami’s secondary with 283 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Saquon Barkley ran all over the Dolphins with 112 rushing yards and two TD’s as well. It will be interesting to see what the New York Giants do with Eli Manning after this season as he has played well down the stretch, but Daniel Jones is most likely their future at the quarterback position.
Week 16 Games
Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins
New York Giants at Washington Redskins
FINAL
Eagles (7-7, 3-4 Away) 37
Redskins (3-11, 1-6 Home) 27
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Carson Wentz - PHI
30-43, 266 YDS, 3 TD
RUSH
Miles Sanders - PHI
19 CAR, 122 YDS, 1 TD
REC
Terry McLaurin - WSH
5 REC, 130 YDS, 1 TD
The Philadelphia Eagles started off slow, but they turned it on when it counted late in the game in the fourth quarter. Washington simply couldn’t respond to the Eagles attack late in the match as they suffered their 11th loss of the season. Carson Wentz did what he had to do by throwing for 266 yards on 30 receptions and three touchdown passes. The Philadelphia Eagles are currently tied with the Dallas Cowboys at 7 and 7 for the lead in the weak NFC East division. The Eagles will host the Cowboys this upcoming week in a huge game for the lead of the division. It will be interesting to see how the remainder of this season unfolds for both of these underperforming ball clubs.
Week 16 Games
New York Giants at Washington Redskins
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
FINAL
Seahawks (11-3, 7-1 Away) 30
Panthers (5-9, 2-5 Home) 24
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Russell Wilson - SEA
20-26, 286 YDS, 2 TD
RUSH
Chris Carson - SEA
24 CAR, 133 YDS, 2 TD
REC
Tyler Lockett - SEA
8 REC, 120 YDS, 1 TD
The Seattle Seahawks fought off the Carolina Panthers 30 to 24 in a close match up last Sunday. The Seahawks claimed a spot in the NFC playoffs with this win last weekend. Russell Wilson quietly had another great game. He threw for 286 yards and 2 touchdown passes as Seattle remains as a strong contender in the highly competitive National Football Conference. Chris Carson rolled hard rushing for 133 yards and a couple of touchdown runs while Tyler Lockett got it done through the pass game finishing with 120 yards and a receiving touchdown. Seattle will be a very tough game in the NFL postseason, and many other teams will avoid this match up at all costs whether it is at home or on the road! For Carolina there are so many questions that will have to wait to be answered next year.
Week 16 Games
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
Carolina Panthers at Indianapolis Colts
FINAL
Jaguars (5-9, 3-4 Away) 20
Raiders (6-8, 5-3 Home) 16
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Derek Carr - OAK
22-36, 267 YDS, 1 TD
RUSH
Josh Jacobs - OAK
24 CAR, 89 YDS
REC
Darren Waller - OAK
8 REC, 122 YDS
The Black Hole was fired up as this was the last game the Oakland Raiders will play in Oakland, California. Next season the Raiders will make Las Vegas their home town. Oakland really screwed this one up as they didn’t come across any points in the second half of the game. Derek Carr’s slide was misjudged by officials giving Gardner Minshew and the Jacksonville Jaguars the chance to drive the field with enough time to win the game. Jacksonville fired Tom Coughlin after this game, and it will be interesting to see what the Jaguars do with this mess during the NFL offseason as they fell way short of their lofty expectations this year.
Week 16 Games
Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons
Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
FINAL
Browns (6-8, 2-5 Away) 24
Cardinals (4-9-1, 2-5-1 Home) 38
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Baker Mayfield - CLE
30-43, 247 YDS, 2 TD
RUSH
Kenyan Drake - ARI
22 CAR, 137 YDS, 4 TD
REC
Damiere Byrd - ARI
6 REC, 86 YDS
The Cleveland Browns once again really devastated their fan base by failing to achieve a winning record once again. This is extremely unacceptable to many after their acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr. and Kareem Hunt in addition to their already proven playmakers of Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry. Look for Freddie Kitchen to be fired and possibly other changes in Cleveland’s organization in order to put a winning product on the field next year. In terms of Arizona we will have to wait and see. This was only Kyler Murray’s first year on the job as a rookie, and I am still not convinced that Cliff Kingsbury is your man out west in the desert. Only time will tell for these two struggling franchises.
Week 16 Games
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
FINAL
Vikings (10-4, 4-4 Away) 39
Chargers (5-9, 2-5 Home) 10
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Philip Rivers - LAC
28-39, 307 YDS, 1 TD
RUSH
Mike Boone - MIN
13 CAR, 56 YDS, 2 TD
REC
Keenan Allen - LAC
9 REC, 99 YDS
The Minnesota Vikings absolutely mopped up the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday. In a combined effort from both their offense and defense the Vikings smoked the Chargers 39 to 10, and Minnesota is steam rolling their way into the NFL postseason. However, the major question for them involves the health of Dalvin Cook. He has been an overpowering back in the league this season, but lately has been battling injuries. Mike Boone did well filling in for him last Sunday with 2 touchdown runs. On the other hand, how much longer can the Los Angeles Chargers roll with quarterback, Philip Rivers, as well as their head coach, Anthony Lynn.
Week 16 Games
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (MNF)
Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
FINAL
Rams (8-6, 4-3 Away) 21
Cowboys (7-7, 4-3 Home) 44
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Jared Goff - LAR
33-51, 284 YDS, 2 TD
RUSH
Tony Pollard - DAL
12 CAR, 131 YDS, 1 TD
REC
Tyler Higbee - LAR
12 REC, 111 YDS
This was a must win game for both teams, but the Los Angeles Rams most likely will not see the NFL postseason because of these results. In a losing effort Jared Goff threw for 284 yards and a couple of TDs’. For some reason Tyler Higbee caught 12 passes for 111 receiving yards, but even with these performances it did not even get this game close to even. Not even one of the greatest all-time defensive ends like Aaron Donald can save the Rams season now. The Dallas Cowboys need to take care of business this week against the Philadelphia Eagles otherwise their playoff hopes may evaporate as well.
Week 16 Games
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers
FINAL
Falcons (5-9, 3-4 Away) 29
49ers (11-3, 5-2 Home) 22
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Matt Ryan - ATL
25-39, 210 YDS, 2 TD
RUSH
Raheem Mostert - SF
14 CAR, 54 YDS, 1 TD
REC
Julio Jones - ATL
13 REC, 134 YDS, 2 TD
This was one of those games that slipped away from the San Francisco 49ers this year and there weren’t very many of them. Atlanta decided to dominate as Matt Ryan tossed is all over the Niners defense in this win for the Falcons. San Francisco better recalibrate before facing the desperate LA Rams this weekend.
Week 16 Games
Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers
Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons
FINAL
Bills (10-4, 6-1 Away) 17
Steelers (8-6, 5-3 Home) 10
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Devlin Hodges - PIT
23-38, 202 YDS, 1 TD
RUSH
Devin Singletary - BUF
21 CAR, 87 YDS
REC
John Brown - BUF
7 REC, 99 YDS
The Buffalo Bills conquered the hard fighting Pittsburgh Steelers in order to earn themselves a place at the final table as they made the NFL playoffs for the first time in quite a while. It will be fun to watch them take on the New England Patriots this Saturday from Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Pittsburgh Steelers will need to rape their way into the playoffs as a wild card team, but they have to get back to winning football games if that is going to happen after a tumultuous last year in Pittsburgh. They have had to deal with a plethora of injuries, trades, and losing key players to free agency. Next step shouldn’t be that daunting as they face the New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Week 16 Games
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets
FINAL
Colts (6-8, 2-5 Away) 7
Saints (11-3, 6-2 Home) 34
TOP PERFORMERS
PASS
Drew Brees - NO
29-30, 307 YDS, 4 TD
RUSH
Alvin Kamara - NO
14 CAR, 66 YDS
REC
Michael Thomas - NO
12 REC, 128 YDS, 1 TD
The New Orleans Saints marched their way right over the Indianapolis Colts to plant their heavy stake in the NFC landscape. They have a big game coming against the win or go home Tennessee Titans this weekend. The Colts can start planning for next year’s attack upon the National Football League.
Week 16 Games
Carolina Panthers at Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints at Tennessee Titans
Sources:
“NFL Scoreboard”, espn.com, December 18, 2019.
“NFL Scoreboard”, espn.com, December 18, 2019.