Welcome to the Week 15 grades!
The NFL playoff race is in full swing, and there are several big games on the Week 15 schedule that will have huge playoff implications. One of those games took place in Houston, where the Miami Dolphins wilted under the pressure of playing in a must-win game with a 20-12 loss to the Texans.
After throwing zero interceptions in his past four games, Tua Tagovailoa had a meltdown with three picks against the Texans. The Dolphins are now 1-11 since the start of the 2023 season against teams that are over .500.
So what kind of grade do you get when you choke away your playoff chances? Let's get to the Week 15 grades and find out.
Houston 20-12 over Miami
| C- |  |
| With their playoff hopes on the line, Tua Tagovailoa wilted under the pressure. The Dolphins quarterback threw three interceptions, including two that came in the fourth quarter when his team was trailing by just one score. The Dolphins had three possessions in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie the game, but those ended with one punt and the two picks. Tagovailoa also lost a fumble in the first half that eventually led to a Texans touchdown, and it feels like if the Dolphins had gotten better QB play, they might have been able to win. Instead, the Dolphins will spend the offseason wondering what they need to do to take the next step. | |
| C+ |  |
| For the first time in 18 years, the Texans won a game where they had fewer than 185 yards of total offense, and they were able to pull it off thanks to a wildly impressive performance from their defense. The Texans sacked Tua Tagovailoa three times, with Danielle Hunter coming up with 1.5 of those. Houston's pass-rush flustered Tua for a good chunk of the game, which was a big reason why the Texans were able to force four turnovers with three interceptions and a strip-sack by Will Anderson Jr. The Texans should be slightly concerned with how their offense is playing, but if their defense keeps playing like this, Houston will be a tough out come playoff time. | |
Kansas City 21-7 over Cleveland
| B |  |
| For the first time all season, the Chiefs absolutely dominated a game from start to finish, but they're not going to be able to enjoy it because Patrick Mahomes got knocked out of the game with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Before leaving, Mahomes completed just 50% of his passes for 159 yards, but he did throw two TD passes. The story of this game for the Chiefs was the play of their defense. Steve Spagnuolo's unit beat up on Jameis Winston with five sacks, including two from George Karlaftis. The defense also came up with four interceptions. The Chiefs won this game comfortably, but no one in Kansas City will be feeling comfortable this week as everyone waits to see how Mahomes' ankle looks. | |
| D+ |  |
| When Jamies Winston is your quarterback, it's a roller-coaster ride and that roller-coaster finally crashed. The Browns defense played well enough to win, but the Browns were never really in this game due to the play of Winston, who threw three interceptions before being benched in the fourth quarter. Winston didn't get any help from a Browns' offensive line that got beat for five sacks. With Winston flailing, the Browns are going to have some big questions to answer at the quarterback position in the offesason. | |
Cincinnati 37-27 Tennessee
| B+ |  |
| It's been a rough season for the Bengals defense, but they were able to put that behind them with a nearly perfect performance against the Titans. The Bengals forced SIX turnovers, including a pick-six by Geno Stone that essentially iced the win in the third quarter. Offensively, the Bengals weren't flashy, but they were still impressive: Chase Brown totaled 113 yards and two touchdowns while Ja'Marr Chase had another big game with nine catches for 94 yards. Even Sam Hubbard got in the action, becoming the first defensive player in Bengals history to catch a touchdown pass on offense. With the win, the Bengals kept their faint playoff hopes alive. | |
| D |  |
| The Titans have spent the season trying to figure out if Will Levis is their QB of the future, and if Sunday's game was any indication, the answer is no. Levis had a total meltdown against the Bengals with three interceptions, including a pick-six, on just 12 pass attempts. Levis was so bad that the Titans ended up benching him in the third quarter. The Titans have been sloppy all year, and this game was no different as they turned the ball over a total of six times in the loss. The only silver lining for the Titans is that they stayed firmly in the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. | |
Washington 20-19 over New Orleans
| B- |  |
| This was the Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin show for the Commanders. Daniels got beat up by a Saints defense that sacked him eight times, but despite being under constant pressure, the rookie QB still managed to complete 25 of 31 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns, including a wild 16-yard TD pass to McLaurin in the first quarter. Daniels also led the team in rushing with 66 yards on a day where he totaled 292 yards. The Commanders looked like they fell asleep at the wheel after taking a 17-0 lead in the third quarter, and going forward, they'll want to make sure they keep their foot on the gas in the second half. | |
| B- |  |
| The legend of Spencer Rattler might have just started. With the Saints offense sputtering during a first half in which they scored exactly zero points, interim head coach Darren Rizzi decided to bench Jake Haener for Rattler in the second half. The gamble paid off. The Saints offense came alive with Rattler leading them to a score on all four possessions that he played, including a TD pass to Foster Moreau on the final play of the game. (The Saints' two-pointer missed, which is why they lost.) The defense also had an impressive game, led by Cameron Jordan and Chase Young, who combined for four of New Orleans' eight sacks in the game. With a score of 14-0 at halftime, this game could have easily been a blow out, but the Saints played hard in the second half, and playing hard is something they've been regularly doing under Rizzi. | |
Baltimore 35-14 over N.Y. Giants
| A |  |
| For some reason, Lamar Jackson became the forgotten man in the MVP race heading into Week 15, but that won't be the case after this game. With the Giants bottling up Derrick Henry, the Ravens needed Jackson to carry the offense and he answered the call. The Ravens QB threw for 290 yards and FIVE touchdowns while also adding 65 rushing yards. It was a nearly flawless performance from a QB who's now had six games this year with a passer rating above 130. The blowout win allowed the Ravens to bench their starters for the final half of the fourth quarter, which was huge, considering Baltimore has to turn around and play on a short week with a showdown against the Steelers on Saturday. | |
| D- |  |
| There's a reason the Giants were the largest underdog of the 2024 season in this game (16.5 points), and that reason is because they're a bad football team. At this point, the only reason the Giants are even remotely worth watching is to see what Malik Nabers will do next and in this game, the rookie didn't disappoint. Nabers caught 10 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He was about the only bright spot on an ugly day for the G-Men. | |
Dallas 30-14 over Carolina
| A |  |
| This was an all-around dominant performance by the Cowboys. Offensively, Rico Dowdle sliced and diced his way to his third-straight 100-yard performance. Dowdle carried the ball 25 times for 149 yards, and he's suddenly looking like a player who could be a key piece of Dallas' offense next season. CeeDee Lamb was also a huge weapon for the Cowboys with nine catches for 116 yards and a TD. As good as Lamb and Dowdle were, the defense might have been better. Micah Parsons recorded two of the Cowboys' six sacks in a game where Dallas almost completely shut down Carolina's offense. The Cowboys keep playing hard for head coach Mike McCarthy, which starts to make you wonder whether Jerry Jones will eventually decide to hang on to him. | |
| D |  |
| For the past few weeks, Bryce Young has been one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL, but he came crashing back to earth against the Cowboys. The Panthers offensive line got overwhelmed by a Cowboys defense that sacked Young six times. Young struggled with the pressure as he personally turned the ball over four times with two interceptions and two lost fumbles. Defensively, the Panthers got run over by Rico Dowdle, who finished with 149 yards on the ground. After making a lot of progress over the past few weeks, the Panthers took a giant step backward in this game. | |
N.Y. Jets 32-25 over Jacksonville
| B+ |  |
| It's been awhile since Aaron Rodgers showed off his fourth-quarter magic, but he did exactly that against Jacksonville. Rodgers, who finished with 289 passing yards in the game, threw for 166 of those in the fourth quarter, with a big chunk of that coming on a 71-yard TD to Davante Adams with just 3:24 left to play. Rodgers was also the Jets' leading rusher with 45 yards, and it was pretty clear that this was a game he did NOT want to lose. Although the defense struggled against Mac Jones, Sauce Gardner did ice the game with an interception that came with under a minute left. In a season that's gone sideways, the Jets are still playing hard for interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. | |
| B- |  |
| The Jaguars might not be winning games, but they can still be fun to watch and that starts with Brian Thomas Jr. The rookie receiver kept Jacksonville in this game with two touchdowns. Not to mention, he also caught 10 passes for 105 yards. Brenton Strange also made a name for himself with a career-high 11 catches for 73 yards. Strange got more playing time than usual due to the injury to Evan Engram. The Jags' defense did a good job of keeping the Jets in check during a first half where New York totaled just 104 yards, but Jacksonville imploded in the second half, which is why the Jets were able to steal the game. | |
L.A. Rams 12-6 over San Francisco (Thursday)
| C+ |  |
| One week after the offense carried the Rams to a win over the Bills, the defense returned the favor Thursday night by leading the team to a win over the 49ers. The defense had its most dominant performance of the season and a lot of that had to to with a pass rush led by Kobie Turner that flustered Brock Purdy. Turner tallied two of the Rams' three sacks. The defense played exceptionally well in the second half: Not only did they hold the 49ers to just 83 yards over the final two quarters, but Darious Williams came up with a fourth-quarter interception that essentially iced the game. With rain falling for most of the game, the Rams' offensive strategy was simple: They gave a heavy workload to Kyren Williams, who had an impressive night with 29 carries for 108 yards. Puka Nacua also came up big for the offense with seven catches for 97 yards. The unsung hero of the game was Joshua Karty, who had four field goals, which wasn't easy to do, considering the weather. This is a Rams team that's looking more dangerous every week and it won't be surprising at all if L.A. ends up stealing the NFC West | |
| D |  |
| With their season on the line, the 49ers offense laid an egg. With an constant downpour falling for most of the game, Brock Purdy was never able to get the offense going. Purdy completed just 14 of 31 passes for 142 yards on a night where the 49ers were plagued by drops by their receivers and erratic throws from their QB. Purdy killed any chance the 49ers had of winning the game when he threw an interception deep in Rams territory late in the fourth quarter. The 49ers totaled just 191 yards, which is the lowest in any regular-season game ever under Kyle Shanahan. One problem for the 49ers is that Purdy kept trying to force-feed Deebo Samuel, who caught just three passes for 16 yards. The 49ers defense looked sharp for most of the game before melting down during a fourth quarter where the Rams were able to score every time they touched the ball. The defense also dropped at least two interceptions in the first quarter that could have changed the game. The 49ers had a chance to keep their season alive, but instead, it feels like the season is all but over for the reigning NFC champions | |
