It's Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season, and we're keeping you updated on all the action and biggest storylines throughout the day. This week's 15 slate has some fantastic matchups and storylines, including three Saturday games, and we're here to help you watch it unfold. Check back often to find out everything you need to know.
Week 15 schedule
Thursday
49ers 21, Seahawks 13 (Takeaways)
Saturday
Vikings 39, Colts 36, OT (Takeaways)
Browns 13, Ravens 3 (Takeaways)
Bills 32, Dolphins 29 (Takeaways)
Sunday
Jaguars 40, Cowboys 34 (OT) (Takeaways)
Lions 20 Jets 17 (Takeaways)
Saints 21, Falcons 18 (Recap)
Eagles 25, Bears 20 (Takeaways)
Chiefs 30, Texans 24 (OT) (Recap)
Steelers 24, Panthers 16 (Recap)
Raiders 30, Patriots 24 (Takeaways)
Broncos 24, Cardinals 15 (Recap)
Chargers 17, Titans 14 (Takeaways)
Bengals 34, Buccaneers 23 (Takeaways)
Giants 20, Commanders 12 (Takeaways)
Monday
Rams at Packers, 8:15 p.m. ET (Preview)
WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.
So far this weekend, there's been the biggest comeback in NFL history (Vikings), a walk-off touchdown run in overtime (Chiefs) and a walk-off pick-six in overtime (Jaguars).
Raiders: hold my beer.
In one of the wildest endings in NFL history, Las Vegas won on a walk-off touchdown from edge rusher Chandler Jones. And how it happened was unfathomable. On third-and-10 with three seconds left in regulation, the Patriots were content with going to overtime, as they simply handed the ball off to Rhamondre Stevenson. He actually looked like he could make something happen, as he got to the Raiders' 35-yard line before he met any resistance.
At that point, he pitched the ball to Jakobi Meyers, who ran backward 8 yards and then, inexplicably, THREW A PASS BACK TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD. The only Patriot there was Mac Jones, but the ball landed right into the hands of Chandler Jones just past midfield, and Chandler Jones proceeded to stiff-arm Mac Jones' head into the Bermuda turf and rumble the other way. The only players to catch him were clad in black and grey, celebrating with their teammate and he crossed the goal line for the 48-yard touchdown.
The loss dropped the Patriots to 7-7 and out of the AFC playoff picture with just three weeks to play. If New England ends up missing the postseason, you can bet Stevenson, Meyers, Jones, Bill Belichick and others will be haunted by one of the most insane football endings you'll ever see.
Dicker the kicker!
Credit to the Titans, with hardly any proven pass catchers, driving 74 yards for the game-tying score in the final minutes. But also credit to Brandon Staley, who called his timeouts as Tennessee was in goal-to-go situations. If you have Justin Herbert, you give him every chance to let him win the game in regulation.
The Titans ended up tying the game on Ryan Tannehill's quarterback sneak, but the Chargers still had 48 seconds to get into field goal range. And on second-and-4 from their own 45, Herbert rolled out right (while shooing away a defender) and launched a laser down the right sideline that Mike Williams caught in double coverage for a 35-yard pickup.
Los Angeles couldn't get any closer, but Herbert had done his job. From there, it was Cameron Dicker drilling the 43-yard field goal to put the Chargers back in the playoff (as the No. 6 seed) with just three weeks left to play.
Wild fourth quarter!
It's the Raiders, so what did you expect? Leading by 13-plus points at halftime for the fifth time this season, they were on the verge of going to 0-5 when Rhamondre Stevenson broke through the line of scrimmage and was gone, from 34 yards out, to give the Patriots the lead with fewer than four minutes to play.
Of course, the Raiders stormed back, going nine plays and 81 yards -- including a fourth-and-10 conversion at the beginning of the drive -- to tie the game on a controversial 30-yard touchdown catch from Keelan Cole with just 32 seconds left. It looked as if one foot was out of bounds, but after ruling the play a touchdown on the field, the referees apparently didn't see enough to overturn it. Las Vegas had tied the game at 24.
INT No. 3
In a game between a backup QB and a third-string QB, the backup QB has had the upper hand. Well, kind of. This has really been about the Broncos defense, which secured three interceptions against the combination of Colt McCoy and Trace McSorley and got enough from QB Brett Rypien and the running game to secure the 24-15 victrory.
Bengals battle all the way back
It's truly been a tale of two halves in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers completely dominated the first half en route to taking a 17-3 advantage into the break. In the third quarter, they turned the ball over FOUR TIMES, which has resulted in 24 Cincinnati points to put the Bucs in a 10-point hole. Here are the turnovers and subsequent scores, in order from earliest to most recent:
Herbert picked off again
It's been nearly a year since Justin Herbert throw multiple interceptions ... until Sunday. Five plays after Nasir Adderley secured his interception, Kevin Byard jumped in front of Mike Williams to give the Titans offense back possession. It's the first time since Week 15 of 2021 that Herbert has thrown more than one interception. (For more on the first interception, click here.)
Leaping INT
The Chargers defense has showed up for the second straight week. After limiting a high-flying Dolphins offense to 17 points, it has shut down the Titans -- aside from one direct snap touchdown from Derrick Henry. Locked in a 7-7 game midway through the third quarter, Nasir Adderley got the ball back for Los Angeles with a leaping interception of Ryan Tannehill.
Patriots back in it
Most teams would feel comfortable up double digits. Not the Raiders, who inexcusably gave up a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Rams just last week! Las Vegas fans hope it can keep a lead this time, but it's not looking great. Up 17-3 at halftime, Derek Carr proceeded to throw an awful interception on a screen pass that Kyle Dugger easily took for a touchdown. Now the Patriots have added an interception to pull within four with more than a quarter to play.
Interception of the year!
If you've seen an interception like this before, please send me it (@kylefstackpole on Twitter), because I've never seen what Titans rookie Roger McCreary did at the end of the first half. The pass from Justin Herbert was going out of bounds, which was fine because then the Chargers could line up for a field goal before the break. But then McCreary made one of the best defensive plays of the year, catching the ball and passing it to his teammate in midair for the interception!
Joshua Kalu will get credit in the stat sheet, but he better get his rookie counterpart something nice for Christmas for gift-wrapping him his first-career interception.
All Bucs in first half
If you missed the first half between the Bucs and Bengals, I'll quickly recap it here: Tampa Bay had double the plays (40 to 20), more than triple the yards (261 to 83) and 14 more points through the game's opening 30 minutes. It's been the Tom Brady show, as the greatest QB of all-time has thrown for nearly 200 yards on 17 of 23 passing and found Russell Gage and Chris Godwin for touchdowns.
And while Joe Burrow led the Bengals to a field goal to make it 17-3 at halftime, he's thrown an interception while barely being on the field.
JAGUARS WIN
The Lions' and Chiefs' wins were exciting (read more about them below), but neither compares to what the Jaguars accomplished against the Cowboys. Down, 27-10, with about 20 minutes to play, Trevor Lawrence (four TD passes), Zay Jones (three TD catches) and Riley Patterson (game-tying FG) combined to shock the Cowboys and force overtime. But if you thought Dallas' collapse was surprising, how it lost was shocking. Take a look:
The pass, intended for Noah Brown, popped right into the hands of Rayshawn Jenkins, who then completed the stunning victory by following his blockers down the right sideline for the walk-off 51-yard score.
CHIEFS WIN
You have to feel for Texans fans. In back-to-back weeks, Houston has taken the Cowboys down to the wire and the Chiefs to overtime. Both times, they've lost in heartbreaking fashion. In Dallas, the Texans allowed Dak Prescott and the offense to drive 98 yards for the game-winning score with just 41 seconds left. On Sunday, they forced Kansas City to punt in overtime, only to have Frank Clark immediately strip Davis Mills and then Willie Gay Jr. rip away the ball from a Texans player at the bottom of the pile.
On the next play, this happened:
With Jerick McKinnon's walk-off 25-yard scamper, the Chiefs clinched the AFC West title for the seventh straight year. On the bright side for Houston, it moved that much closer to securing the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft and getting its quarterback of the future.
LIONS WIN
The Lions started 1-6. They're now 7-7 (!) after surviving a back-and-forth nail-biter with the playoff-contending Jets. The biggest play came on a fourth-and-inches with fewer than two minutes to play. Needing a touchdown down by four, Jared Goff faked the hand-off and found Brock Wright, who slipped free across the middle after helping block at the line of scrimmage. At first, it seemed like Wright would get Detroit closer to the end zone; instead, Wright weaved his way all the way across the goal line for the go-ahead 51-yard score!
Zach Wilson, filling in for the injured Mike White, made things very interesting with miraculous conversions on third-and-19 AND fourth-and-18, which set up the Jets just outside of the Lions 40-yard line. Greg Zuerlein had a chance to send a third game of the early window to overtime, but he hooked his 58-yard field goal attempt wide right to keep the Lions' playoff hopes alive.
OT in Jacksonville!
If you've been living under a rock for the past month, then let me be the first to tell you: Trevor Lawrence has arrived. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick has been magnificent in recent weeks, and he's torched the stout Dallas defense on Sunday. Even more importantly, with the game on the line, Lawrence, who threw four touchdowns in regulation, led the Jaguars 41 yards in seven plays in about a minute to set up the game-tying field goal. Riley Patterson delivered, sending the game to the extra period.
OT in Houston!
Harrison Butker entered 2022 as one of the NFL's best kickers, but 2022 has been up and down. He missed several games with an injury, and since coming has been volatile. The Chiefs got the bad Butker on Sunday, as he not only missed an extra point but also missed the 51-yard field goal that would have given the Chiefs a walk-off win.
Hurts, Fields run wild
One is the MVP frontrunner. The other is a Year 2 breakout. Both quarterbacks delivered in the Eagles' 25-20 win over the Bears on Sunday.
Hurts, despite throwing multiple interceptions for the first time all season, still threw for more than 300 yards while finding the end zone THREE TIMES on the ground. When Philadelphia needed its QB to make a play, Hurts did what needed to be done to help the Eagles improve to 13-1.
Fields, meanwhile, had another miraculous run, which served as the highlight of his 152-passing-yard, 95-rushing-yard, two-touchdown performance that put Chicago on the brink of pulling a big upset. Both franchises are in good hands with their respective QBs.
Cowboys!
The Cowboys offense has been terrible in the second half, but in need of a score after a 17-point collapse, Dak Prescott and Co. delivered: 13 plays, 75 yards and the go-ahead score from Prescott to Noah Brown to put Dallas back ahead.
Jags!
With 5 minutes, 21 seconds left in the third quarter, the Cowboys kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 17 points. Since then, it's been ALL Jacksonville. Here's the drive-by-drive sequence:
- 59-yard touchdown from Trevor Lawrence to Zay Jones
- Dak Prescott interception
- Lawrence touchdown pass to Marvin Jones
- Three-and-out
- Another touchdown pass from Lawrence to Zay Jones
In just over 10 minutes of game action, the Jaguars went from being down 27-10 to up 31-10. It's been a collapse from the Cowboys but also a roaring comeback from Lawrence, who is up to four touchdown passes.
Haason Reddick EATING
Offseason signee Haason Reddick has been a great addition to the Eagles defense, with Sunday serving as his best outing of 2022. In just three quarters, the veteran pass rusher has two sacks, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defensed.
Zay Jones makes father proud
Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones' father is former NFL linebacker Robert Jones, who won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys in the early 1990s. Playing against his dad's team Sunday, Jones has put fourth a incredible performance to the tune of five receptions, 90 yards and three scores to keep the Jaguars in the game.
21-play drive!
There are clock-eating drives, and then there is the drive the Steelers went on to start the second half. Pittsburgh marched 91 yards in 21 PLAYS (and 11:43 off the clock!) on a possession that ended with Mitch Trubisky's second quarterback sneak attempt resulting in a touchdown. It marked the longest drive of the season and just the 20th drive of 20-plus plays since 2001, per Pro Football Reference. This was just the sixth to result in a touchdown, as nine drives ended in field goals and five ended in no points.
Welcome back, Zach Wilson
Thrust back into the starting role with Mike White out with a rib injury, Zach Wilson looked very sharp in the first half versus the Lions. He threw for 185 yards on just eight completions, the biggest of which were a 40-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Uzomah and a 50-yard connection to Jeff Smith that set up the game-tying field goal before halftime.
However, the second half did not start out how Wilson would have liked. The former No. 2 overall pick floated a pass with multiple Lions in the area, and Jerry Jacobs came down with the interception and proceeded to take it deep into Jets territory. New York's defense held strong, though, limiting Detroit to another field goal.
The Texans?
Look out, NFL, because the Texans are frisky. A week after nearly pulling off a historic upset against the Cowboys, Houston took the lead over the Chiefs with two first-half touchdowns. The much more unlikely one was Davis Mills taking the snap, looking right for a long time and then rolling left, where he had plenty of room. So much room, in fact, that he ran untouched for the 17-yard score.
JUSTIN FIELDS
He's done it again. On second-and-27 from around midfield, Justin Fields not only ran for the first down, he nearly scored, breaking tackles and juking several Eagles en route to what would have been the most incredible touchdown of the 2022 season. Unfortunately, Fields stepped out of bounds at the 9-yard line, but no matter. On the next play, David Montgomery scored to give the Bears a surprising lead.
Dak x2
The Cowboys offense has done whatever it has wanted in the first half against the Jaguars. Dak Prescott has completed 12 of his first 13 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, the first a dart to tight end Peyton Hendershot and the second on a creative play call that resulted in a Noah Brown one-yard score.
Taysom goes DEEP
Usually when Taysom Hill lines up at quarterback, he's looking to run over every defender in his path. But on the rare occasion, he'll drop back and sling it, which is exactly what he did midway through the first quarter Sunday. Hill delivered a laser over the middle to impressive undrafted rookie Rashid Shaheed, who caught the ball in stride over the outstretched arms of a defensive back and was off to the races for a 68-yard score.
Zeke = TD machine
Before his injury, after his injury -- it doesn't matter. Whenever Ezekiel Elliott has seen the field over the past two months, he's found the end zone. On Sunday against the Jaguars, his 10-yard scamper marked his seventh straight game with a score.
Get off me!
Safety Jeremy Chinn had a chance to stop Najee Harris on first-and-goal from the seven-yard line. Instead, Harris stiff-armed him and then went after another defender as he crossed the goal line to open the game's scoring.
Punt return TD!
The Jets seemed to snatch the momentum away from the Lions when they stuffed touchdown-machine Jamaal Williams at the goal line on fourth down, but Detroit immediately gained it back following a three-and-out. That forced New York to punt out of its own end zone, and Kalif Raymond took full advantage, making the first man miss and then exploding through a small crease and his teammates make key blocks on his way for the 47-yard punt return score.
Justin Tucker sets franchise record
The Ravens-Browns matchup did not feature much action in the first half, but Justin Tucker did set the Ravens franchise record for most career field goals made with 355. With just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Tucker converted on a 53-yard field goal to tie the game at three apiece, and set the Ravens record.
Tucker is the best kicker in the NFL, and owns the record for longest field goal made in NFL history. You probably remember it from last year -- a 66-yard, game-winning kick to down the Lions.
Vikings pull off largest comeback in NFL history
If you chose to turn off the TV at halftime of Colts-Vikings, you truly missed out. Minnesota embarked on a 39-3 run in the second half, including overtime as Greg Joseph's 40-yard field goal capped the comeback. With this win, the Vikings clinch the NFC North. Coach Kevin O'Connell also clinched the largest comeback in NFL history, as the Vikings came back from down 33-0!
DALVIN COOK TO THE HOUSE
With 2:15 remaining, the Vikings took over down eight points. Turns out, they needed just one play to get to the end zone.
Cook took it 64 yards to the house, and then T.J. Hockenson scored the two-point conversion to tie the game at 36 apiece. A 36-3 run!
Matt Ryan QB sneak fail
The Colts had the ball up eight points with 2:52 remaining, and successfully drained the Vikings of all three of their timeouts. Facing a fourth-and-1 with 2:31 remaining, Ryan attempted to pick up the yard himself. The officials ruled him short, however, so Jeff Saturday challenged the call on the field. After further review, the call on the field stood.
Chandon Sullivan robbed of two touchdowns
Back in the second quarter, it appeared the Vikings pulled off a momentous scoop-and-score thanks to Chandon Sullivan. However, the refs ruled the play dead as Michael Pittman was attempting to fight for extra yards.
Then, in the fourth quarter, as the Vikings were fighting to pull off the comeback, Jackson clearly fumbled possession, and Sullivan again picked up the ball and ran it back for six.
However, the officials ruled it dead.
Sullivan was beside himself, and picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Adam Thielen cuts Colts lead to eight points with 5 mins remaining!
The Vikings were down 33 points heading into the second half. Kevin O'Connell's squad has cut that lead to just eight points with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. Don't tell Matt Ryan, but Minnesota is currently on a 28-3 run, and has a legitimate chance to pull off the comeback.
Cousins led the Vikings on a five-play, 50-yard drive that ended with a one-yard Thielen touchdown. All of Minnesota's wide receivers are eating today.
Justin Jefferson pulls Vikings within two scores in fourth
We might just have a game on our hands. Cousins led a six-play, 61-yard drive early in the fourth quarter that was capped by this nasty Justin Jefferson touchdown. If Stephon Gilmore can't keep up, no one can.
K.J. Osborn gets Vikings on the board
The Vikings finally got on the board in the third quarter, and that's thanks to K.J. Osborn. The wideout failed to reel in a long pass in the first half, but made up for it with a 63-yard catch and run that got Minnesota down to the Colts' 4-yard line. Three plays later, Osborn finished off the drive with a touchdown.
Pick-six puts Colts up 30-0 before halftime
Things went from bad to worse for the Vikings on Saturday as their nightmare of a first half continued. With the Vikings facing a third-and-3 deep in their own territory, Cousins missed Jalen Reagor on a curl route, and Julian Blackmon picked it off and returned it to the end zone for Indy's third touchdown of the first half.
Colts DOMINATE Vikings in first quarter
The first quarter of the Colts-Vikings matchup was an absolute disaster for the home team. Who saw the Colts being up 17-0 at the end of the opening quarter?
Indy got the ball first, and Matt Ryan orchestrated an 11-play, 44-yard drive which was capped by a 26-yard field goal. On the Vikings' first possession, they went three-and-out, and then this happened.
Down 10-0 in the blink of an eye, Kirk Cousins and Co. needed to right the ship. Instead, Dalvin Cook fumbled away possession two plays later. Ryan then led a seven-play, 66-yard drive which ended with the Colts' first offensive touchdown of the afternoon.
The Colts are also doing this without the services of Jonathan Taylor, who left the game during the opening drive. He was quickly ruled out with an ankle injury.
Miami arrives in snowy Buffalo with trunks of cold weather gear
The Dolphins aren't in Miami anymore. Old Man Winter arrived in Buffalo on Friday night, and left behind about eight inches of the white stuff. Buffalo isn't done with the snow just yet either, as a Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect until 1 p.m. ET Sunday. According to the hourly forecast, precipitation will go from a "few snow showers" at 2 p.m. ET, to "snow showers" by 5 p.m. ET and then just straight up "snow" by kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET.
The Dolphins are doing their best to come prepared for the bleak conditions, as they've brought 1,400 pounds of trunks with cold weather gear to Orchard Park, per NFL Media. Every player has multiple cleats to try on to find the best footing in the snow.
Contenders or pretenders? Let's find out
Saturday NFL games are always bittersweet.
On one hand, it's the unofficial beginning of the end of the regular season. Before we know it, more than half of the league will be watching the playoffs from the couch.
On the other hand, have I mentioned we get NFL games on a Saturday?! No offense to the LendingTree Bowl or the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. It's just that I, like many other football fans around the world, would rather watch Justin Jefferson and Jonathan Taylor; Mark Andrews and Nick Chubb; and Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa. Starting from 1 p.m. ET on Saturday to 11:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, there will be professional football on for 21 of a possible 34.5 hours! (And you'll be sleeping for most of that off time.)
But not only is there a quantity of NFL on this weekend, there are plenty of intriguing showdowns. Do the Lions, Jaguars and Panthers actually have a chance to improbably sneak into the playoffs? For it to happen, Detroit must defeat the stingy Jets and Jacksonville must down the Cowboys. Carolina has a little more wiggle room in the putrid NFC South, but losing to the Kenny Pickett-less Steelers would be a bad look.
Elsewhere, the AFC wild card teams have gut-check-type matchups. We've already mentioned the Jets, but there's also the Patriots going to Las Vegas, the Chargers attempting to out-physical the Titans and the Dolphins looking to win in freezing and snowy weather (against one of the Super Bowl favorites).
In the NFC, there's basically an elimination game between the Saints and Falcons, an "are they really going to miss the playoffs?" bout for the Buccaneers versus the Bengals, and a monstrous NFC East matchup between the Giants and Commanders on "Sunday Night Football."
There's so much football to watch and so much on the line for so many of these teams. Let's see who steps up with the season on the line.