After a wild Saturday that gave us the biggest comeback win in NFL history, the action on Sunday might have actually topped that.
In Las Vegas, the Raiders beat the Patriots with one of the wildest walk-off plays ever: Chandler Jones snared a lateral on the game's final play and then proceeded to return it for a touchdown to give the Raiders an improbable 30-24 win over the Patriots.
In Tampa Bay, Tom Brady blew the biggest lead of his career in a home game. The Buccaneers led the Bengals 17-0 in the first half, before suffering a total second-half meltdown in a 34-23 loss.
In New York, the Lions won the game after being down to their final play. On a fourth-and-1 with under two minutes left to play, the Lions needed a first down to keep the game alive and instead, they did themselves one better: They got a 51-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Brock Wright. The Lions have now taken one step closer to becoming just the second team in NFL history to make the playoffs after starting the season 1-6.
Made the Wright play on 4th down!#DETvsNYJ | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/RkLdogmS3S
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 18, 2022
In Jacksonville, the Jaguars looked hopelessly out of the game when they were trailing the Cowboys 27-10 with just four minutes left in the third quarter, but they ended up rebounding to pull off a wild win in overtime. The victory over the Cowboys ended a 20-game losing streak to NFC teams for the Jags.
So what kind of grade do you get for blowing a 17-point lead to the Jaguars? Let's get to the Week 15 grades and find out. If you want to know what kind of grades we handed out for Saturday's games, including Minnesota's historical 33-point comeback win, be sure to click here. If you're looking for a deeper dive on the 49ers' win over the Seahawks that was played Thursday, you can check that out here.
Green Bay 24-12 over L.A. Rams
| C- |  |
| Not only was Baker Mayfield making his first start for the Rams, but he had to do it in 15-degree weather at Lambeau Field, which isn't ideal. With Mayfield running the show, the offense sputtered for most of the night. The offense did show sparks of life at times, but the Rams simply got overwhelmed by a Packers defense that sacked Mayfield five times while limiting the Rams to just 156 yards of total offense, which is the lowest total ever under Sean McVay. The reigning Super Bowl champs definitely won't be defending their title this year, as this loss officially eliminated them from playoff contention. | |
| B |  |
| The Packers let the Rams hang around for one half, but then they kicked the door open with a dominant second half where they outscored Los Angeles, 21-0. The Packers offense simply wore down the Rams with a constant barrage of runs and short passes. Aaron Jones (16 carries for 87 yards) led a rushing attack that totaled 138 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries. Aaron Rodgers was also sharp in the second half, completing 12 of 15 passes. Rodgers took advantage of the return of Romeo Doubs, who caught a team-hight five passes for 55 yards. Before Monday, Doubs hadn't played since Week 9 due to injury. The Packers defense beat up on Baker Mayfield to the tune of five sacks, with two of those coming from Preston Smith. If the Packers wanted to have any shot at the playoffs, they had to win this game, and that's exactly what they did. | |
Rams-Packers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Jacksonville 40-34 in OT over Dallas
| C |  |
| The Cowboys (10-4) had the Jaguars right where they wanted them, down three scores. Dallas took a 27-10 lead, but quarterback Dak Prescott's interception inside his own 20 late in the third quarter helped spark Trevor Lawrence's three consecutive passing touchdowns. The Cowboys defense made enough plays, forcing a Lawrence interception and fumble. However, Prescott and the offense went three-and-out when a couple first downs could have iced a three-point win in regulation. Dak's second interception, the game-losing 52-yard pick-six, came after the Cowboys defense forced a Jaguars punt to open overtime. The offense needs to pick up the slack if they hope to avoid a first-round exit in the playoffs. | |
| A |  |
| The Jaguars (6-8) could have tapped out down 17 against the Cowboys, the NFC's top wild-card team. No one would have blamed them. They're a team that has had the first overall draft pick in each of the last two drafts, very much still building toward the team they hope to be. However, Trevor Lawrence turned it on, continuing his top-five quarterback level of play that he has brought to the field in each game since Week 9. Lawrence stared down a three-possession deficit and proceeded to throw three consecutive touchdowns. Between Lawrence willing the Jaguars back into the game, and safety Rayshawn Jenkins sealing the game with a pick-six, it was a textbook example of complementary football. Most importantly for the Jags, they managed to keep their division title hopes alive with the win. | |
Cowboys-Jaguars grades by Garrett Podell (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
New Orleans 21-18 over Atlanta
| C |  |
| This game went like almost every other Falcons game this season: Their QB play wasn't great, but their nearly unstoppable rushing attack kept them in the game. The Falcons (5-9) totaled 231 yards on the ground with 139 of those coming from Tyler Allgeier, who bulldozed his way through the Saints defense. The problem for the Falcons is that their offense got off to a slow start behind Desmond Ridder, who led them to just three points in the first half in his first career start. Although Ridder wasn't great, he did come up with a clutch throw on fourth-and-5 late in the game, only to watch Drake London fumble the ball away. The Falcons had a chance to make a statement in the race for the NFC South title, but they let it slip away. | |
| C+ |  |
| The Saints offense got off to a fast start with two touchdowns in the first seven minutes of the game and then New Orleans (5-9) let its defense do the rest. The Saints turned Desmond Ridder's first start into a nightmare: Not only did they hold the rookie to just 97 yards, but they also sacked him four times. The Falcons couldn't figure out how to stop Taysom Hill, who rushed for 30 yards while throwing for another 80 yards and a TD. The Saints kept their faint NFC South title hopes alive with this win and they proved they might be good enough to steal this division. | |
Falcons-Saints grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Pittsburgh 24-16 over Carolina
| B |  |
| The Steelers' defensive game plan here was to shut down the run and make Sam Darnold beat them, and that game plan worked like a charm. The defense limited the Panthers to just 21 yards on the ground and that opened the door for T.J. Watt and friends to tee off on Darnold. The Steelers sacked him four times, with 1.5 of those coming from Watt and 1.5 coming from Cameron Heyward. The Steelers offense wasn't flashy, but it was efficient with Mitchell Trubisky under center. The offense was able wear down the Panthers defense by converting 75% of their third downs, which was impressive for a team that went into the game converting just 40% of their third downs. The Steelers are now 6-8 and thanks to this win, they still have an outside chance at the playoffs and keeping alive Mike Tomlin's 15-year streak of consecutive seasons at .500 or better. | |
| C- |  |
| The Panthers have been horrible this season when they haven't been able to run the ball, and they couldn't run the ball against the Steelers. Going into this game, the Panthers were 0-6 on the season when rushing for under 100 yards, and they only hit 21 on Sunday, and not surprisingly, things didn't go well. The defense also struggled to come up with any big stops, which didn't help things. The Panthers (5-9) had a chance to make a move in the NFC South, but instead, they're now tied with the Falcons and Saints for second/last place. | |
Steelers-Panthers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Kansas City 30-24 in OT over Houston
| C |  |
| Kansas City (11-3) made some ugly mistakes in this game, but fortunately for the Chiefs, they were playing the one team in the NFL where you can afford to make ugly mistakes and still win. The Chiefs lost two fumbles, which both led to Houston touchdowns and that was a big reason why the Texans were able to stay in this game. As close as this game was, Patrick Mahomes seemed hellbent on making sure it wasn't going to turn into an upset. The QB completed 87.8% of his passes (36 of 41), which is the NFL record in a game where the QB threw 40 or more passes. Mahomes also threw two TD passes to go along with a rushing score. The Chiefs won't be bragging about this win at the end of the season, but they will probably be bragging about the fact that they just won their seventh straight division title. | |
| B- |  |
| For the second straight week, the Texans (1-12-1) were on the cusp of a huge upset, and for the second straight week, they had their heart ripped out. The Texans didn't even total 220 yards, but they were able to stay in this game, thanks to a defense that forced two crucial turnovers. The Texans had a chance to win this game in OT, but Davis Mills fumbled that chance away on Houston's first offensive play in overtime. If moral victories counted in the standings, the Texans would almost certainly be a Super Bowl contender, but they don't count, and Houston has now taken one step closer to clinching the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. | |
Chiefs-Texans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 25-20 over Chicago
| B- |  |
| Shane Steichen's play calling wasn't great on this day, as Philadelphia was too pass-happy early on -- leading to an uncharacteristic two Jalen Hurts interceptions. Hurts eventually settled in thanks to his legs (three rushing touchdowns), but the Eagles defense played a huge role in keeping Philadelphia in the game. Chicago was held to just 248 yards as Justin Fields was sacked six times and fumbled the ball on three different occasions. Hurts eventually got his stroke back, finding A.J. Brown seven times in the second half for 156 yards. The win wasn't pretty for the Eagles (13-1), but Philadelphia is one win away from wrapping up the NFC East and home-field advantage thanks to Dallas losing. | |
| B- |  |
| Justin Fields is an excellent player, and the Bears (3-11) did give Philadelphia all it can handle. At the end of the day, the Bears' poor pass defense couldn't stop A.J. Brown from taking over the game and had no answer to contain Jalen Hurts in the second half. The Bears' offensive line allowed six sacks as Alex Leatherwood was bullied by Haason Reddick when Tevan Jenkins had to leave the game on a cart early. If the Bears had more playmakers on offense, perhaps they could have defeated the Eagles in a shootout. Still a valiant effort. | |
Eagles-Bears grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Detroit 20-17 over N.Y. Jets
| C+ |  |
| It wasn't a pretty Sunday for the Lions, who several times threatened to let Zach Wilson redeem himself with improbable clutch throws. Jared Goff was mostly forgettable in his own right under center, struggling to push the ball downfield as he has in previous weeks. But their defensive front absolutely swallowed up Zonovan Knight and the Jets' ground game, Goff delivered on a timely fourth-down TD to put Detroit ahead late, and the pass rush stayed busy, hitting Wilson 10 different times on the afternoon. They may still be a year away from making an actual playoff run, but they fought until the finish here. | |
| C |  |
| Zach Wilson was both better and worse than expected in his return to the lineup, showing some incredible zip on key tight-window throws and also gifting the Lions a takeaway with an inexplicable pick. Considering he had no ground support, we'd say he was mostly encouraging. Defensively, the Jets were even better, dominating Detroit in the red zone and limiting Ben Johnson's attack to 5.4 yards per play. Situationally, though, their coaching was an abject failure, particularly in the final minutes as Wilson tried to engineer a comeback. Clock management doomed their chances, and probably their playoff hopes, too. | |
Lions-Jets grades by Cody Benjamin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
L.A. Chargers 17-14 over Tennessee
| C- |  |
| The Titans aren't playing good football right now, there's no doubt about it. Still, you have to appreciate the grit this team plays with even though they are down to backups at virtually every spot on defense, and the offensive tackles are struggling to stop pass rushers. It didn't help that Ryan Tannehill injured his ankle on Tennessee's first drive of the game either. Derrick Henry racked up 163 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown, but someone else needs to step up and help him. Tennessee went just 3 of 11 on third downs as well. The Jaguars are a much more legitimate threat than they were last week. At 7-7, the Titans now have to worry about holding off the 6-8 Jaguars in the AFC South. | |
| B |  |
| Justin Herbert shook off two interceptions to lead a game-winning drive with just 48 seconds remaining. It wasn't the prettiest game, but the Chargers got the win, and that's what matters. The defense kept pressure on Tannehill all afternoon, and the team as a whole committed just three penalties. By winning this game, the Chargers moved up to the No. 6 spot in the AFC and at this point in the season, that's all that matters. | |
Titans-Chargers grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Las Vegas 30-24 over New England
| D |  |
| The Patriots were sloppy at various points on Sunday, especially in the final moments of regulation where they surrendered the game-winning touchdown for the Raiders after a botched lateral. With the game tied at 24, the plan should have been emphasized by Bill Belichick and the rest of the coaching staff to simply run the ball and go into overtime. Instead, Rhamondre Stevenson and Jakobi Meyers freelanced a lateral, which now has their playoff hopes on life support. Even before that gaffe, the Patriots had poor execution throughout other points in this game. They squandered a double-score opportunity around halftime thanks to a blocked punt, and a quick three-and-out in the fourth quarter by the offense opened the door for Las Vegas to tie the game at 24 just before the game-winner. What we saw on Sunday was very uncharacteristic for a Bill Belichick-led club. The only reason they are outside of the "F" category is thanks to the continued strong play of the defense. | |
| B- |  |
| Gotta give credit to Las Vegas for simply taking advantage of the Patriots' mistakes. Chandler Jones showed great awareness getting under that lateral thrown by Meyers and was able to shed Mac Jones before galloping into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. The Raiders did allow New England to get back into this game in the second half after building a 14-point lead over the first two quarters. However, Derek Carr orchestrated an 81-yard touchdown drive with just over two minutes left in regulation to tie the game at 24, which included a fourth-and-10 conversion and a 30-yard touchdown to Keelan Cole. While it wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination (13 penalties!), Las Vegas did just enough to survive and pounced on various blunders by New England. | |
Patriots-Raiders grades by Tyler Sullivan (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Denver 24-15 over Arizona
| C- |  |
| When you get outgained by the Broncos offense, you're almost always going to lose and that's what happened here. The Cardinals offense was no match for the Broncos' defense and that's something that became pretty evident early in this game. Arizona only had one drive during the entire first half that went for more than 20 yards. The defense looked a little bit better than the offense and came up with several huge plays -- including seven sacks -- but Arizona simply couldn't stop Denver's ground game. The Cardinals' nightmare season continues to get worse by the week. | |
| B+ |  |
| The Broncos offense actually looked somewhat functional on Sunday, which isn't something anyone has been able to say about this team very often this season. With Russell Wilson out, Brett Rypien put up decent numbers (21 of 26 for 197 yards) even though he got beat up in this game (He was sacked seven times). Of course, Denver's offensive success was mostly thanks to Latavius Murray, who carried the ball 24 times for 130 yards and a TD. The Broncos ground game kept things rolling and the defense did the rest with three turnovers and two sacks. The Broncos can't salvage their season, but this win probably felt good, considering it was their first one since October. | |
Cardinals-Broncos grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Cincinnati 34-23 over Tampa Bay
| A- |  |
| If the Bengals didn't sleepwalk through the first half of this game, they would have gotten a perfect grade, but someone apparently forgot to tell them what time this thing was kicking off on Sunday. After falling behind 17-3 at the half, the Bengals exploded in the second half with a masterful performance on both sides of the ball. Joe Burrow threw four touchdowns during a second half where the defense forced four turnovers and that's why the Bengals were able to come back. The fact that the Bengals could play horrible football for two quarters and still win by double digits says a lot about how good this team is. This win gives the Bengals the upper hand in the AFC North and there's still a very real possibility that they could steal the No. 1 seed in the AFC. | |
| D |  |
| This one of the worst meltdowns of Tom Brady's career. The Buccaneers took a 17-3 lead into the second half, but then completely fell apart during a second half where they turned the ball over on their first FIVE possessions with a failed fake punt (turnover on downs), an interception, two lost fumbles and another interception. After dicing up the Bengals in the first half, it was shocking to see Brady turn the ball over three times himself in the second half. The only upside for the Buccaneers (6-8) is that every other team in the NFC South is so bad that Tampa Bay still holds a one-game lead over the other three teams, which are all tied at 5-9. | |
Bengals-Buccaneers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
N.Y. Giants 20-12 over Washington
| B |  |
| The Giants needed a win in the worst kind of way on Sunday night and the defense made sure that it happened. The defense put together one of its most impressive performances of the season. The unit put constant pressure on Taylor Heinicke, who was sacked three times in the game. Kayvon Thibodeaux came up with arguably the biggest play of the night when he strip-sacked Heinicke in the second quarter and returned it for a TD. Whenever the Giants needed a big play, the defense came through with it. The offense wasn't overly impressive, but Saquon Barkley did do a good job of chewing up the clock on a night where he average 4.83 yards per carry. The Giants defense looks playoff ready and thanks to this win, New York took one GIANT step closer to getting back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. | |
| C |  |
| If the Commanders miss the playoffs, Taylor Heinicke might end up pointing to this loss as the one he personally regrets the most. The Commanders QB was good in short spurts, but he lost two fumbles in the game and those proved to be the difference. One fumble got returned for a TD in the first half and the other fumble came in the fourth quarter after Washington had driven down inside of New York's 5-yard line. With Heinicke running the show, the Commanders also converted just one of their 10 third down attempts. On a night where the Commanders defense limited the Giants to under 300 yards of total offense, this should have been a winnable game, but the two fumbles proved to be too costly. If the Commanders make the playoffs, they're going to need better QB play than what they got on Sunday night. | |
Giants-Commanders grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
