Week 15 Takeaways for the 2024 NFL Season
We’re in the holiday season, and I was deciding whether I should be like the Grinch or full of cheer. New York gave me an analogous dichotomy: do I focus on things like QB Tommy DeVito exiting with a concussion as part of the Giants’ miserable season, or do I praise the Jets for their win powered by a vintage day WR Davante Adams? Then, QBs Geno Smith and Patrick Mahomes got hurt, and NFL RedZone, our “commercial-free football”, started airing ads. Christmas is more than a week away anyway, so Grinch it is for my week 15 takeaways! Don’t worry though; some positive takeaways await you below.
TNF: Surprising Defensive Battle Goes Rams’ Way Against 49ers
With two teams that combined for 82 points in their games last week, I did not anticipate them totaling just 18 points 0 TDs the very next game. San Francisco did game some reinforcements, with RB Isaac Guerendo and DE Nick Bosa active and Dre Greenlaw back from his torn Achilles in last year’s playoffs. The 49ers defense bullied the Rams a ton early on, but they didn’t capitalize on their biggest opportunities. CB Deommodore Lenoir and S Talanoa Hufanga dropped 3rd-down INTs on LA’s first two drives, which would’ve set up short fields. However, this defense excelled in the first half, allowing just 3 points.
Unfortunately for SF, the Rams’ defense, which just let Buffalo score 42 points, did just as good of a job. The two teams combined for 7 first-quarter punts and 13 overall. Part of San Francisco’s offensive issues came from their need to get WR Deebo Samuel more involved after his recent rant. That went rather poorly; Samuel earned 3 catches for 16 yards and ran twice for just 3 yards. Worse still, he dropped a 3rd-down slant in the 3rd quarter that might’ve gone for a TD. Instead, the Niners had to kick a field goal. The other problem was heavy rain, but that affected both teams equally. SF’s only real weapon was TE George Kittle (4/61).
Greenlaw’s return (8 tackles) made a big difference. Rams QB Matthew Stafford (16/27, 160 yards) did not take any sacks, but he found few open receivers. WR Puka Nacua (7/97; 2/11 rushing) and RB Kyren Williams (29/108) did everything offensively; the next-closest receiver to Nacua had just 21 yards. Fellow star receiver Cooper Kupp had no catches in this game. The 49ers even broke their streak of allowing 13 straight red zone drives to end in TDs. However, Greenlaw ran out of steam in his first game back, which allowed LA to make some noise. Side note: LB De’Vondre Campbell refused to replace him and just quit.
Tied 6-6, Stafford hit Nacua for a 51-yard gain, by far the biggest play of the night, which led to a third Joshua Karty FG. 49ers QB Brock Purdy (14/31, 142 yards, INT) responded with an INT on a deep shot the end zone. It was not his night, but to be fair he didn’t have much help. LA added a fourth FG at the end of the game for an oddly comfortable 12-6 win. With Seattle’s loss to Green Bay, the Rams are in first place in the NFC West via tiebreaker. I apologize for saying this, but the Niners’ season is over. There are just too many injuries to expect them to climb out of a 6-8 hole.
Three QBs Benched in Losses After Committing Turnovers
When you consistently turn the ball over, you’re going to do two things: cost your teams games and cost yourself your starting job. Three QBs learned that the hard way this week, as the Titans, Browns, and Saints all made mid-game changes at the position. New Orleans started Jake Haener for the first time this week in relief of the injured Derek Carr. Ironically facing former Saints CB Marshon Lattimore, who made his Washington debut this week following a midseason trade, Haener (4/10, 49 yards, INT, 3 sacks taken) played terribly and dug his team a 17-0 halftime hole. Rookie Spencer Rattler relieved him and had a mixed day.
Rattler (10/21, 135 yards, TD) certainly gave the team more energy, but he wasn’t particularly accurate. WR Cedric Wilson Jr actually threw a 21-yard TD pass for the best throw by a Saint in this game. Still, Rattler led a spirited comeback and had a chance to win the game after Washington, up 20-13, missed a field goal. He threw a TD on the game’s final play, but interim HC Darren Rizzi went for 2. The play predictably failed, and the Saints lost. I’m going to go on a full rant about how much I hate that strategy one of these days. Regardless, New Orleans should keep starting Rattler to see what he’s got. Haener doesn’t have it.
This whole year has been about determining whether Will Levis can be the Titans’ franchise QB. First-year coach Brian Callahan gave us his final answer this week by benching Levis for Mason Rudolph. Before his benching, Levis went 8/12 for 89 yards but threw 3 INTs (including his league-leading 4th pick six) and lost a fumble. Turnovers have always been his problem, as he is completely reckless with the football. Making him look worse, Rudolph (21/26, 209 yards, 2 TDs, INT) looked far better. That fact alone tells me that Levis isn’t the answer. We knew that before he was drafted though, so no surprise there!
Equally unsurprising was that Cleveland’s Jameis Winston threw 3 more INTs this week against the Chiefs. They were especially painful, with two of them coming on end zone shots that simply had no chance of being completed. Coach Kevin Stefanski has seen enough of this, and he made a move to Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Unfortunately, DTR led the Browns to 0 points in a 21-7 loss and threw an INT of his own. The Browns should probably go with DTR because he’s at least young with upside. We already know who Winston is: an exciting player with maddening inconsistency. Cleveland’s QB of the future isn’t on the roster.
Plenty of Other QBs Struggled, with Various Degrees of Concern
This was not a good week for quality QB play. Six different passers committed 3 turnovers apiece, and three of them were extra generous with 4 giveaways. Naturally, 4 of the 6 lost their games, with one winning by virtue of playing another. That winner was Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who threw 2 INTs and lost 2 fumbles on strip sacks. However, he also threw for 3 more TDs and put 37 points on the board in Cincy’s victory over the Titans. The game was just ugly, as the two teams combined for 10 turnovers and 26 penalties. We discussed this game in the last section, and Burrow is elite, so I think we can move on in his case.
Sticking with games from the last section, Jameis Winston’s benching wasn’t the only QB change made in the CLE-KC game, but the other wasn’t by choice. Late in the 4th quarter, Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes (19/38, 159 yards, 2 TDs) struggled to get up after being hit. Trainers taped his ankle, but with the game in hand, Carson Wentz (2/2, 20 yards) replaced him. Hopefully Mahomes can recover quickly, because KC needs him badly. I do feel the need to note though that the offense still looks stuck in the mud. This happened for OC Matt Nagy when he coached the Bears as well, so I wonder if we’re starting to isolate the problem.
Two other turnover-prone QBs, both Alabama boys, led their teams to losses. Carolina’s Bryce Young (19/28, 219 yards, TD, 2 INTs, 2 FUM lost, rush TD) undid much of the good will he has generated over the past few weeks. He had one great play against Dallas: an 83-yard TD to rookie WR Jalen Coker (4/110) on a busted coverage when two Cowboys collided. Other than that, he did nothing but stifle his team. I’m not going to be too critical because we know that Young is still a project. This was a major setback though, and it led to Carolina being officially eliminated from playoff contention at 3-11.
Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa (29/40, 196 yards, TD, 3 INTs, FUM) had some inopportune turnovers against Houston. Putting the last one aside (WR Tyreek Hill had the ball taken away from him on what should’ve been a catch), two were poor decisions and throws, while the fumble came on a blind-side strip sack. This wasn’t his finest game, but he’s been pretty great overall since his return from injury. I’m still very much on his bandwagon (that I feel like I started at this point). However, this outing came at a poor time, as the Fins are essentially done at 6-8, while the Texans clinched the AFC South with Indianapolis’ loss.
The only other winner among the QBs with 3+ turnovers was Denver’s Bo Nix. He fired off 3 INTs in 2 quarters and change, but his defense kept the score close at 13-10. That gave the offense time to jell, and Nix rebounded with 3 TDs. While he only threw for 130 yards on 31 attempts, his resilience was telling, and he did it without any support from the running game (his 23 yards were a team high). I wouldn’t read too much into this, as the Colts have a quality defense and Nix is still just a rookie. What happened to the other team is much more worthy of panic.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson (17/38, 172 yards, 2 INTS; 7/46/1 rushing) had a bad day, and his prospects are looking dimmer after one good game a few weeks ago. His teammates were far worse. Indy lost 3 fumbles, and two of them were obscene. On one, WR Adonai Mitchell was throwing a double backward pass, but he tossed it right to OLB Nik Bonitto for a fumble six. The other was a sure TD by RB Jonathan Taylor (22/107), but he dropped the ball just before crossing the goal line. Someone needs to tell these guys to just carry the ball into the end zone. Seriously, this is wrecking games at a disturbing rate.
Bills, Eagles Win in Interconference Displays of Supremacy
Two massive (and chippy!) contests took place during the late window on Sunday. All four participants will likely be division winners (or have already clinched theirs in Buffalo’s case), so these were two special cross-conference matchups. In the first, Buffalo went to Detroit in what many feel was a Super Bowl preview. If the offenses play like they did here, everybody will crave a rematch. The Lions were hit in the mouth by 3 early TDs, with Buffalo seeming unstoppable. They managed to score two of their own, and we had ourselves a shootout. Well, we had one and would resume it in the second half.
In the second quarter, Bills K Tyler Bass gave Detroit momentum by missing a 24-yard FG, but Lions K Jake Bates returned the favor with a shank from 52 yards out (only his second miss of the year). The fireworks really came out in the second half. Buffalo QB Josh Allen (23/34, 362 yards, 2 TDs; 10/69/2 rushing) was in MVP form. RB James Cook (14/105/2; 1/28 receiving) was highly explosive, and fellow back Ty Johnson (5 catches, 114 yards) played like a #1 WR. Things got so bad that Detroit, trailing 38-28 with a full 12 minutes left, went for an onside kick. It got returned to the 5, and Buffalo scored one snap later.
The Lions really gave it their all. QB Jared Goff (38/59, 494 yards, 5 TDs) was practically flawless despite a lack of a running game (48 total yards as a team and a season-ending injury to David Montgomery). WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (14/193/1) starred, and TE Sam LaPorta (7/111) and RB Jahymr Gibbs (8/31/1; 5/83/1 receiving) chipped in. All that led to a 48-42 deficit, and Detroit had to try one more onside kick. It was close, but the Bills emerged with the ball. This was the first time that a QB had lost after throwing for 400+ yards and 5 TDs without a turnover. That’s an indictment of the Detroit defense and an 11-game winning streak snapped.
Injuries have decimated this unit. Three more players were lost for (likely) the season this week, including CBs Khalil Dorsey and Carlton Davis and DT Alim McNeill. I don’t know how long I can call them Super Bowl favorites if they don’t have healthy bodies on their stop unit. Buffalo’s defense is equally concerning to me. This was their second straight week both scoring and allowing 40+ points. Everyone is pretty much available, so injuries can’t be blamed. The Bills are in very good shape though, as they seem to be able to score at will. I’m cautiously labeling them the NFL’s most dangerous team at the present moment.
Over in the battle for Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh offense only played one half of football. The Steelers scored 13 points in the first two quarters, doing so off of two Eagles fumbles. However, they still trailed 17-13 at the break. Philly’s much-maligned passing attack broke out with WR Devonta Smith (11/109/1) back from injury. QB Jalen Hurts (25/32, 290 yards, 2 TDs; 15/45/1 rushing) looked as crisp as he has all year, and he even rekindled his connection with WR AJ Brown (8/110/1). On a day when the Steelers slowed RB Saquon Barkley (19/65), this was truly a welcome development.
Everything unraveled in the second half for Pittsburgh. After ceding a field goal, the Steelers were driving until RB Najee Harris (6/14) dropped a pitch just outside of the red zone. QB Russell Wilson (14/22, 128 yards, TD) wasn’t awful, but he had at least 3 passes batted at the line of scrimmage and didn’t clear 100 passing yards until the 4th quarter. The Steelers ran for just 56 yards, and the defense eventually broke. OLB TJ Watt (2 sacks) was great as usual, but the Eagles held a time of possession advantage of 20 minutes. No defense can be on the field that long and stay fresh. Even Watt himself left injured.
The fact that Philly could control the ball that well and win 27-13 without an efficient rushing day is scary for the rest of the league. They’re still in play for the #1 seed and have now won 10 in a row. Nobody wants to face this team in the cold with their punishing style. Pittsburgh also clinched a postseason spot with the Colts’ loss, but they have concerns. Their offense could not compete with an elite opponent, and the AFC North isn’t even assured. Next week’s game against Baltimore will likely decide it. We get to find out very soon if Pittsburgh (with WR George Pickens?) is just a nice story for Hard Knocks or a true title contender.
MNF Double Header: Bears, Raiders Continue Losing Streaks
The NFL didn’t do the best job of scheduling this double feature, as three of the teams involved came in on losing streaks of 4 games or more. Chicago went into Minnesota having lost 7 straight, and right off the bat, they looked bad. Maybe they were down about being eliminated the prior day, but the Bears went 4 and out immediately after getting stuffed on 3rd and 4th downs. The Vikings, who clinched a spot with Green Bay’s win on SNF, were clearly energized, but they weren’t fantastic throughout the game either. Despite starting at Chicago’s 39, they only managed a field goal on their opening drive.
Chicago took that momentum and led a pretty good drive, but QB Caleb Williams (18/31, 191 yards, TD) took a strip sack in FG range, and the Vikings quickly went up 10-0. Following a Bears punt, Minnesota drove down the field, and then we saw something truly rare: a Justin Jefferson drop at the 2. The elite WR still had 73 yards and a score, but that drop caused Minnesota to go for it on 4th down, and QB Sam Darnold (24/40, 231 yards, TD) threw a desperation INT. The Bears did nothing with the takeaway, but the Vikings ran into the punter, extending their drive. Even still, a 4th-down stonewall turned Chicago away empty.
Absolutely nothing went Chicago’s way. They were shut out in the first half. In the red zone on one third-quarter drive, lineman Doug Kramer came in as a fullback, but the subsequent TD was nullified because he did not report. Then, a hold on rookie LT Kiran Amegadjie, his second of the day, moved the Bears back further, forcing an FG. Minnesota’s run game, led by Aaron Jones (106 scrimmage yards, TD) then began to wear on the Bears, who missed injured DT Gervon Dexter. The Vikings ran away with an easy 30-12 win, tying Detroit’s record at 12-2. Meanwhile, Chicago needs to get their coaching hire right. Right now, it’s ugly.
Simultaneously, Atlanta, losers of 4 straight, went to face the Raiders. LV had lost 9 in a row, and with QB Aidan O’Connell out, it fell to former Falcon Desmond Ridder to break the streak. The Raiders’ lone bright spot the last few weeks, RB Sincere McCormick, got hurt early. Alexander Mattison (7/21) replaced him, and he struggled. Mattison’s first carry resulted in a lost fumble, but Atlanta did nothing with it. Later, on a drive that started at the LV 3, he carried twice and went backwards both times, ceding a safety. The Raiders scored 3 first-half points and didn’t target a WR once during the first two quarters.
What struck my about Atlanta was their lack of trust in their players. First, K Younghoe Koo must be nervous whenever he goes onto the field. The Falcons eschewed two separate 56-yard FG attempts, which Koo has made in the past, to punt the ball. One punt did lead to the safety, but only because Ridder can’t take snaps under center. We really need to teach that to kids in college. Koo drilled 48- and 40-yard FGs, but his miss from 42 yards later validated the coaches’ worries and kept LV in the game. Atlanta did excel on special teams otherwise, blocking two punts and a PAT. That’s how they built a 15-3 lead.
Disturbingly, it’s clear to me that Atlanta doesn’t trust QB Kirk Cousins (11/17, 112 yards, TD). He threw yet another INT, but he looked fine to me. RB Bijan Robinson (22/125) was stellar, but a passing attack could’ve put a lousy Raiders team away quickly. It’s not the LV trusted Ridder (23/38, 208 yards, TD, 2 INTs; 5/28 rushing) either though. With 1:54 left in the first half and 2 timeouts, they opted to run out the clock instead of trying to score. So few passes went to WRs that the only notable receiver action was Jakobi Meyers (5/59) taking a sack on a trick play. That was disappointing for a college QB. Still, Ridder didn’t give up.
As Atlanta refused to throw to win, LV chipped away. They scored a very late TD and forced a punt to get one more chance. That drive reached the Falcons’ 35, but Ridder’s two Hail Mary attempts were batted down and intercepted. Owner Mark Davis may not care, as this 15-9 loss keeps his team firmly in the hunt for the #1 pick. The Falcons moved to 7-7 and snapped their losing streak. They’re even in decent shape in the postseason chase. I still don’t feel good about them though. This close call against a bad team tells me one thing. If the team can’t or won’t trust Cousins, they’ll be sitting at home during the playoffs.