NFL Week 15: Everything You Need to Know for Sunday's Games
We're heading down the final stretch of the 2015 NFL season. Week 15 has already begun, and plenty of questions are going to be answered as Sunday's action unfolds.
For starters, we should have a better idea of the playoff landscape by the end of the day. The Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers can secure playoff spots by winning. The Arizona Cardinals can lock up the NFC West by doing the same.
We also might have a couple of quarterback questions answered. We should at least have a better grasp on whether AJ McCarron can lead the Bengals in Andy Dalton's absence. We'll also learn just how far Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has come in his development when he faces the vaunted Seahawks defense in Seattle.
Case Keenum made the quarterbacking look easy Thursday night, as he led his St. Louis Rams to a 31-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Sunday, 26 other teams will try to achieve victory. We'll have 13 games in total, and here's everything you need to know about them.
Biggest Questions
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Can AJ McCarron Carry the Bengals Down the Stretch?
The Cincinnati Bengals have three games between them and a first-round playoff bye. If they can win all three, they can remain ahead of the Denver Broncos in the standings and spend the first week of the postseason on the couch.
Of course, that Broncos team is good and is also Cincinnati's Week 16 opponent.
This is why there is a lot of pressure on the shoulders of backup quarterback AJ McCarron, who takes the reins from an injured Andy Dalton. The Alabama product has never made an NFL start and remains an unknown factor.
NFL Media Analyst Bucky Brooks, however, believes that the Cincinnati offense will remain the same despite the quarterback change:
"Given McCarron's skills as a disciplined dropback passer with a high football IQ, I believe the Bengals' offense will continue to operate as it has during the first 13 weeks of the season. [Offensive coordinator Hue] Jackson will continue to attack opponents with pre-snap shifts, motions and unbalanced formations to test their ability to adjust on the fly. He will likely eliminate some of the zone-read plays with quarterback options due to McCarron's athletic limitations, but he will continue to mix in some RPO (run-pass option) concepts.
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If the Bengals can operate the same with McCarron under center, there's no reason to think they can't finish the season strong. The trick for McCarron will be handling the pressure. If he can, he might just get an opportunity to win a playoff game before Dalton does.
Are the Patriots Back to Being the Best Team in the AFC?
For the vast majority of the season, the New England Patriots continued to look like an untamable beast. The Patriots cut through opponents despite a mounting list of injury casualties and looked like a well-oiled machine capable of cruising to another Super Bowl.
Then New England lost in overtime to the Broncos. Then the Philadelphia Eagles embarrassed the Patriots. Then they stopped being the best team in their conference.
Of course, they got back on track with a convincing Week 14 win over the Houston Texans. The Bengals and Broncos both lost, which put the Patriots right back in the No. 1 seed position.
Not so coincidentally, Week 14 also marked the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who makes the New England offense run almost as much as Tom Brady does. The team lost another offensive weapon for the year (running back LeGarrette Blount), but having an increasingly healthy Gronkowski is going to help the Patriots get back to doing what they do on offense—namely, create mismatches and exploit them.
Unfortunately, a win over the lowly Tennessee Titans isn't going to tell us if the Patriots are again functioning like the team to beat. This will be told in how the Patriots win and what the offense looks like on the field.
If Brady is able to carve up the underrated Titans pass defense (ranked ninth with 232.5 yards per game allowed) with ease, it probably means the Patriots are right back on track and in control of the conference.
Is Johnny Manziel Ready to Take the Next Step as an NFL Quarterback?
There's a good chance that Johnny Manziel's future beyond this season isn't with the Cleveland Browns. However, this doesn't mean he doesn't have a promising career ahead of him.
Manziel is coming off the best game of his NFL career, albeit against a terrible San Francisco 49ers team. He passed for 270 yards with a touchdown and an interception. More importantly, he showed a greater command of the offense, made several pre-snap reads and flashed both accuracy (completed 67.7 percent of his passes) and arm strength on his throws.
For perhaps the first time in his pro career, Manziel looked like a legitimate NFL quarterback.
Lost amid his off-field escapades and the general Browns dysfunction is the fact that Manziel has made just six NFL starts. Rookie Jameis Winston has more than twice as many starts under his belt.
Manziel has an opportunity down the stretch to audition for his future—be it in Cleveland or elsewhere. He can show a lot with his handling of this week's game against the Seahawks.
Seattle, which is rated sixth in overall defense by Pro Football Focus, will likely present the stiffest challenge of Manziel's pro career. There's virtually no chance the Browns pull off the upset here, but Manziel can come out of the contest a winner by putting together a strong performance.
Game of the Day
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What: Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where: CBS
The NFL is only giving us a couple of matchups between potential playoff teams this week. The best of the bunch has to be the late-afternoon tilt between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This game has a lot at stake for both teams. The Broncos desperately need a win in order to remain alive for a first-round playoff bye. The Steelers need a win just to stay alive in the wild-card chase.
We also have an intriguing matchup of contrasting styles. The Broncos have evolved into a physical, defensive-minded team with the talent to match. Denver is ranked first overall in scoring defense (17.3 points per game allowed) and first in total defense (272.5 yards per game allowed) and is rated first in overall defense by Pro Football Focus.
The Steelers, once the embodiment of physical defensive football, have become more of a finesse team—one that typically relies on its explosive offense to win games. Pittsburgh is ranked second in total offense (404.8 yards per game) and fifth in scoring offense (26.5 points per game) and is rated fifth in overall offense by Pro Football Focus.
There's probably some cliched statement about immovable objects and unstoppable forces that would be appropriate for this game, but nothing comes to mind at the moment. Let's just say this is going to be an impressive battle between two teams that are among the best in the league at what they do well.
Throw in some playoff implications and a rowdy Pittsburgh crowd and you have the makings of some must-watch football.
Honorable Mention: Carolina Panthers at New York Giants
In reality, this shouldn't be an important game. On one side you have the 13-0 Panthers. On the other, the stumbling 6-7 Giants, who only remain in the playoff race because of the shoddy state of the NFC East.
Yet, this game is going to be an important one to watch, because the Giants have an opportunity to ruin a historic run—and plenty of folks think they are going to.
Don Banks of SI.com recently wrote the following:
"The law of averages say the Panthers are eventually going to endure a bad day where the breaks go against them, and the Giants are due one of those rare home games where they play like a Super Bowl contender. New York under Tom Coughlin has repeatedly displayed a knack for getting up for its biggest challenges, and they don’t come much larger than facing the 13–0 Panthers, who have earned their juggernaut status in recent weeks. Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. will put on a show that even Cam Newton and Ted Ginn Jr. can’t match.
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This game will be fun to watch just because the historic upset feels possible. This one kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.
Stats of the Week
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Touchdowns thrown by Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in his last four games, to go with zero interceptions. The season-ending injury to Thomas Rawls may hurt Seattle's running game, but the passing game is humming along.
Rushing yards averaged per game by Rawls as a starter. This is why his injury will likely hurt the running game.
NFL snaps taken by Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron, according to Pro Football Focus. The second-year quarterback isn't bringing a lot of experience into the final stretch of the season.
Points scored by the Jacksonville Jaguars over the past two weeks. That's only six points fewer than the Atlanta Falcons have scored in their past seven games.
Yards receiving this season by Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. He is one of the reasons why New York has a legitimate chance to upset the undefeated Panthers.
Cumulative passer rating by opposing quarterbacks who target Panthers cornerback Josh Norman this season, per Pro Football Focus. If the Giants want Beckham to be a difference-maker Sunday, they're going to have to keep him away from Carolina's shutdown corner.
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Who's Favored?
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Here are the odds for Sunday's games, via Odds Shark:
| Game Time (ET) | Away Team | Home Team | Favorite |
| 1 p.m. | Kansas City | Baltimore | Kansas City -7 |
| 1 p.m. | Houston | Indianapolis | Indianapolis -1 |
| 1 p.m. | Atlanta | Jacksonville | Jacksonville -2.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Chicago | Minnesota | Minnesota -5.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Tennessee | New England | New England -15.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Carolina | NY Giants | Carolina -4 |
| 1 p.m. | Buffalo | Washington | Even |
| 4:05 p.m. | Green Bay | Oakland | Green Bay -3 |
| 4:05 p.m. | Cleveland | Seattle | Seattle -16.5 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Denver | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh -7 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Miami | San Diego | Even |
| 4:25 p.m. | Cincinnati | San Francisco | Cincinnati -5.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Arizona | Philadelphia | Arizona -3.5 |
Matchups to Watch
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Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Josh Norman
We touched on this one a little bit earlier, but the matchup between Beckham and Norman might just be the best individual battle of the entire week.
Beckham has quickly emerged as one of the top big-play threats in the NFL. He is tied for the league lead with 12 touchdown receptions, and he's averaging an impressive 15.5 yards per reception. According to Pro Football Focus, Beckham is also fourth in the NFL with 2.61 yards per route run.
Likely shadowing Beckham throughout Sunday's contest will be Josh Norman, who is one of the few true shutdown cornerbacks in the league. Pro Football Focus rates him second overall among all cornerbacks this season.
Not only will this be a fun individual matchup to watch, but it's going to be interesting to see how Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo tries to shake things up in order to get Beckham a more favorable matchup.
Ben Roethlisberger vs. Broncos Pass Rush
Over the years, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has earned a reputation as one of the more difficult passers to bring down. Not only does he possess the size (6'5", 241 lbs) to shake off glancing hits, but he has enough athleticism to escape tackles and buy time in the pocket.
Roethlisberger will put all of his skills to use Sunday against the Broncos and their fearsome pass rush.
Denver has several defenders on its roster capable of getting to the quarterback—like DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller and Shaquil Barrett. Together they form a defensive unit that has produced 44 sacks on the season and is rated second overall in pass rush by Pro Football Focus.
The best way for the Broncos to contain Big Ben will be to pressure him and to prevent him from getting off passes. There are countless defenders around the league who can tell you that's easier said than done.
Kirk Cousins vs. Buffalo Pass Defense
The Washington Redskins are in control of the NFC East, and a big part of the reason has been the steady presence under center provided by Kirk Cousins.
Cousins hasn't been on an elite level this season, but he has been good enough most weeks (18 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 93.2 passer rating this season) to give Washington a chance to win. However, he will face a challenge this week against the Buffalo Bills.
In terms of yardage, the Bills don't appear to be a tough order. They are ranked just 22nd in pass defense, with 253.8 passing yards per game allowed. Led by emerging corner Ronald Darby, the Bills secondary is more talented than yards alone might indicate.
The Bills are rated seventh overall in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus and have come away with 13 interceptions this season.
Cousins cannot afford to make many mistakes in this game if the Redskins are going to stay atop the division.
Injury Report
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Each week, we'll take a look at the most significant injuries from around the league.
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers (out)
Stewart (foot) has been ruled out for Sunday, along with linebacker David Mayo (hamstring). Fozzy Whittaker will get the start at running back, though head coach Ron Rivera made it clear that rookie Cameron Artis-Payne will also have an expanded role.
"I expect to see Cameron in there early," Rivera said, per Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com.
Anthony Barr, LB, Minnesota Vikings (out)
The Vikings will be without Barr (groin), safety Harrison Smith (knee) and defensive end Scott Crichton (concussion) this week against the Bears.
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (doubtful)
The Jaguars will likely be without running back Yeldon (knee) and defensive end Ryan Davis (knee). Both are listed as doubtful.
Brian Hoyer, QB, Houston Texans (out)
Hoyer suffered his second concussion of the season last week against the Patriots. He has been ruled out for the week. T.J. Yates will start in his place.
Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Indianapolis Colts (probable)
That was some speculation earlier in the week that Hasselbeck might miss Sunday's game against Houston because of a rib injury. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, however, Hasselbeck is in line to start.
Justin Houston, LB, Kansas City Chiefs (out)
Houston (knee) and safety Husain Abdullah (concussion) are both out for the Chiefs.
Charles Clay, TE, Buffalo Bills (out)
The Bills will be without tight end Clay (back), offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson (illness) and linebacker Nigel Bradham (ankle).
T.J. Ward, S, Denver Broncos (out)
The Broncos will be without Ward (ankle) again this week. Quarterback Peyton Manning (foot) was on the practice field this week but has been ruled out for Sunday's game.
Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals (out)
Cincinnati has officially ruled out Eifert and offensive tackle Jake Fisher because of concussions. Safety George Iloka is out with a groin injury. Quarterback Andy Dalton is out with a thumb fracture that could cause him to miss an extended period.
Expert Picks and Predictions
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Each week, we take a look at picks and predictions from Bleacher Report's top NFL writers. We also spotlight the experts' results on a week-to-week basis.
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