In Week 15, the Los Angeles Rams clinched a playoff berth following the 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions, the Los Angeles Chargers eliminated the Kansas City Chiefs from playoff contention after sneaking out with a 16-13 win, and the Las Vegas Raiders were dominated from start to finish by the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 31-0.
LOS ANGELES -- In Week 15, the Los Angeles Rams clinched a playoff berth following the 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions, the Los Angeles Chargers eliminated the Kansas City Chiefs from playoff contention after sneaking out with a 16-13 win, and the Las Vegas Raiders were dominated from start to finish by the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 31-0.
The Rams' offense played a great game on Sunday with 360 passing yards and two scores from Matthew Stafford. Puka Nacua had another great game with nine catches for 181 yards, as did Colby Parkinson, catching both touchdowns with a total of five catches for 75 yards. Davante Adams also added four catches for 71 yards; however, there is some concern about his health as he exited with a non-contact hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.
The rushing attack for LA was very balanced, with Kyren Williams having 15 carries for 78 yards and a 5.2-yard per carry average while also punching in two carries for touchdowns. Blake Corum added 11 carries for 71 yards with a 6.5-yard average and one touchdown. This balance on the offense has made it quite difficult to consistently stop this offense.
The defense in the first half struggled to get off the field, giving up 24 points, but in the second half, it held the Lions to 10 points. Jared Goff did play well against a great LA defense, where he threw for 326 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and was sacked once. Also, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams both went over 130 yards, causing havoc for the Rams’ secondary.
However, the Rams did a great job stopping the run, holding the Detroit rushing attack to 20 carries for 70 yards, a 3.5-yard per carry average, and one score. Jahmyr Gibbs was limited to 13 carries for 38 yards, averaging 2.9 yards per carry, and David Montgomery had seven carries for 32 yards, a 4.6-yard average, and the lone rushing score.
This kept the Lions in third and long in the second half, and on the two stops in the second half, it made all the difference. This continued the trend that when Gibbs is held out of the end zone, the Lions are winless now at 0-6 in those cases.
The Seattle Seahawks are coming in off a nailbiter win, 18-16, against the Indianapolis Colts. Sam Darnold and the offense were able to move the ball through the air for 264 yards. Mainly through Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had seven catches for 113 yards, and Rashid Shaheed, bringing in five catches for 74 yards.
The run game never got going, having only 50 yards and 2.3 yards per carry from their running back combination of Zach Charbonnet (eight attempts for 31 yards, and a 3.9-yard average) and Kenneth Walker (nine carries for 17 yards, averaging 1.9 yards per rush). Even through all the struggles to get touchdowns, their reliable kicker, Jason Myers, went 6/6 on field goals, including a 56-yard game-winner.
The defense played very well against a Colts team that started 44-year-old Philip Rivers for his first game in five years. Rivers had 118 yards, one touchdown, and threw the game-ending interception. Additionally, Jonathan Taylor again struggled to get over 100 yards and finished with 25 carries for 87 yards for an average of 3.5 yards per attempt. Seattle did just enough to win and continue their second-half trend of elite performance.
The Rams versus Seahawks on Thursday will be a massive game in determining the division and potentially the number one overall seed. In the first matchup, Darnold threw four interceptions, which brought up questions about whether he could perform in high-stakes situations. This is his opportunity.
The Seattle pass offense ranks eighth in the NFL, averaging 237.6 yards per game, going against an LA defense allowing 219.7 yards through the air per game, putting them at 19th. The main players to watch for are Smith-Njigba and Shaheed, who have been playing very well lately. The Rams play the fifth most zone at 79.7% as well as favoring the one high coverage at a rate of 52.8% while still playing the two high coverages at a 43.3% clip.
It will be interesting to see if LA stays with this trend and finds what coverages they like and disguises them to mess with Darnold, or if they try their playoff formula from last year. This would include them breaking tendencies and playing tight-man coverage with simulated pressures to force Darnold into mistakes he has a history of making.
For McVay’s offense, the first main concern for the Rams is Adams' health and if he can go on a short week, which could influence game planning quite a bit. The Rams on the road will look to establish their run game, which has been elite the last three games, averaging 186.7 yards per game (fourth in the league over that span), going against a Seattle team that allows 94.3 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL over the last three games. This matchup will dictate if Sean McVay can get into his bag of play-action calls, where Stafford can get Nacua and Parkinson, who are some of his favorite targets in space, and get them involved early, or if it will become a dropback pass kind of game.
Ultimately, this comes down to McVay versus Mike Macdonald, who are two of the more intelligent coaches in the NFL. Does Seattle have the answers for the Rams' diverse set of personnel formations and motions, or will the experience of LA be too much for a young Seahawks team? Thursday night will make a massive statement in who wins the NFC West. Be sure to tune in during prime time!
Keeping all this in mind, my prediction is the Rams win a close game by a score of 24-16. I believe the experience for LA will be too much, and Matthew Stafford’s MVP-level play will continue another week.
The Chargers have now swept the Chiefs for the first time since 2013 and ended the Chiefs' playoff hopes, getting the Chargers one step closer to the playoffs.
Justin Herbert and the LA offense did just enough to get the job done, with their defense having an elite performance. Herbert had 201 passing yards, one touchdown (right before half that changed the complexion of the game), one interception, and was sacked four times. The passing attack was very timely and answered the bell when it absolutely had to.
The rushing attack struggled to pop again, but was able to move the chains six times for first downs, which is really what the game called for. Omarion Hampton had 15 carries for 61 yards and a 4.1-yard average. Kimani Vidal also contributed 12 carries for 33 yards and averaged 2.8 yards per rush. Moving the chains against the Chiefs is something that has been very difficult to do, but the Chargers reset their identity and got it done.
The Dallas Cowboys now have their backs against the wall after a frustrating 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Dak Prescott threw the ball well in the air for 285 yards, no scores, no picks, and was sacked once. CeeDee Lamb was the standout receiver with six receptions for 111 yards, and unfortunately, for the offense, George Pickens was again limited to only bringing in three passes for 33 yards.
The ground attack is where things got going for Dallas as they ended with 138 yards on 29 carries and an average of 4.8 yards per rush, and two scores from Javonte Williams, who added 91 yards, and Malik Davis, who had 21 yards. Brandon Aubrey had one of his worst games as a pro, missing two field goals, leaving six points on the board.
The Cowboys' defense struggled to get pressure on JJ McCarthy as he had a great game. McCarthy passed for 250 yards, two touchdowns, and had one interception, but also added one score on the ground. The Cowboys' defense held the Vikings’ run game to 77 yards and a 2.8-yard average. The lack of pressure and letting McCarthy get into a rhythm was the key difference in the game.
In a massive game for standings, the trenches will play a huge role. With the injuries to their offensive line, the Chargers have looked to establish their run game, which they have, as they have averaged 151.7 rush yards per game over their last three, putting them at seventh. Contrarily, the Cowboys have done a decent job of stopping the run, allowing 101.7 rush yards over their last three, ranking them 11th. If Dallas can stop the run, it will get LA in third and long, which, with Dallas’s ability to rush the passer, could be very rough for LA to overcome, but they have done it before, as Hebert is 4-0 when sacked five or more times.
On the other side, Dallas will want to get in a track meet with their explosive pass offense. Dallas is the best in the NFL, averaging 276.1 yards per game through the air. The Cowboys are going against a Chargers unit that is an elite pass defense, allowing 174.4 yards per game, ranking third. If the Chargers can limit the Dallas passing attack and run the ball well, it will shorten the game, which puts the Cowboys in a spot they do not like being in, which is a limited possession game and on the brink of elimination.
In my opinion, all signs point toward a Charger’s win as Dallas’s chances to get in are so slim, and the Chargers' ability to play the game at their pace creates lots of issues for the Cowboys. The Chargers will pick up another crucial win, 24-17, in AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Raiders had another disappointing week, basically doing nothing offensively with 75 total yards. The passing game with Kenny Pickett was completely shut down as he threw for 64 yards, no scores, one interception, and was sacked four times. Brock Bowers had six catches for 28 yards, but there was not much he could do to generate any explosiveness for the offense as a whole on Sunday.
Ashton Jeanty and the run attack were not much better. Jeanty had nine attempts for 35 yards and a 3.9-yard average. The inability of Las Vegas to run the ball has created so much predictability in game planning against them. At this point, Vegas must find an offensive line combination that could provide any protection or rushing lanes; otherwise, the same story will play out over the last three weeks of the season.
Defensively, the Raiders were manhandled, and nothing worked. The Eagles' passing game was very efficient with 204 yards on 15 completions and three scores total. Dallas Goedert was the main matchup that exploited Vegas with six catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Clearly, after this year, there will need to be some changes in the secondary, especially to find someone who can cover the mismatches, such as tight ends.
On the ground, the Raiders once again gave up over 150 rushing yards as Philadelphia rushed for 183 yards on 47 carries, averaging 3.9 yards per rush, and Saquon Barkley (22 rushes for 78 yards and a 3.5-yard average) scored one touchdown. Philadelphia used this game as a get-right game for them and established the physicality against a team and a coach who should have that as their identity, which will bring up a lot of questions for the team, and if Pete Carroll is the right guy for this Raiders job.
The Houston Texans will host Las Vegas, coming off a dominant 40-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The offense finally put some pieces together as CJ Stroud threw for 256 yards, three scores, and was only sacked once. Stroud let the game come to him, which allowed for his connections with Nico Collins (three catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns) and Dalton Schultz (8 catches for 76 yards and one score) to flow so easily within the offense.
The ground game was also fluid, with a total of 33 carries for 143 yards and 4.3 yards per carry. Jawhar Jordan led the way with 101 yards, and Woody Marks added 30 yards and scored a touchdown off a bad snap in the red zone, which appeared to be an inside zone design had the play been executed correctly.
The defense, however, did give up their most passing yards all season to Jacoby Brissett, who had 235 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and was sacked twice. The main reason was Trey McBride, who had 12 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, creating problems for the secondary all day long. This could be something teams look at as a potential weak spot for the Houston defense.
The Texan run defense was stout once again, holding Arizona to 72 yards on 21 carries for a 3.4-yard average, which created a game where the Cardinals had to throw the ball a lot more than they would have liked against the vaunted Texans’ pass rush.
Going into Sunday, one of the keys will be can the Texans keep Stroud clean and allow him to distribute in a flow. The Texans' offensive line has allowed a pressure rate of 35.3% which is the 11th least, going against a Raider defense that gets to the QB at a 33.9% clip, which ranks 22nd. If Las Vegas cannot generate pressure. Houston will be living in manageable third downs and able to run the ball against a Raiders rush defense that has been suspect at best the last three weeks, allowing 175.7 yards per game on the ground, which is the second most in the league.
On the other side, after another offensive letdown, Brock Bowers could be the key to potentially moving the ball against the Texans; however, it will be very difficult, especially with the offensive line not giving their quarterback much time.
Houston allows 45.2 yards per game to tight ends, ranking seventh in the NFL. Bowers is a player who can and will dictate how teams cover the Vegas passing attack. With the Texans ranking at 10th most one high coverage in the NFL, it does open up that door because that would mean Cover 1 and Cover 3, which are susceptible to seams (Cover 3 weakness), over the ball sit routes (Cover 3 weakness), flats (Cover 3 weakness), drags (Cover 1 weakness) which are all routes and concepts Bowers runs well and can exploit.
While the Raiders have struggled so much to sustain any kind of offense, if they can scheme up Bowers to get into these scenarios, they can get Houston out of these coverages they like, which would help get them in 2-high coverages to get favorable run looks for their nonexistent run game to have a chance at moving the chains. This game will be on the shoulders of Bowers. If he wins his matchups and the Raiders can get pressure on Stroud, there is a good chance Las Vegas can keep this at least competitive.
However, in this matchup, the Houston defense will be too much, and they will game plan for Bowers to be the primary method of attack. Even if Bowers does have a great game, the rest of the offense will not be able to generate enough explosiveness to get the job done, and the defense will get exposed once again with holes in the secondary and up front. This will be a Texans win 34-10.
Week 16 has many key matchups in store, which could turn the tide of divisions, homefield advantage, and draft positioning. So on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday this week, go ahead and enjoy the madness.
Category: General Sports
