The Houston Texans held off the Tennessee Titans and took a giant leap forward in securing the AFC South title. The loss for the Titans kept them on the AFC wild-card bubble. Meanwhile, bad beats prevailed in NFL Week 15, with bettors getting stiff-armed by last-second gaffes from the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins.
(Image: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports)
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles both won in Week 15 as the two teams are fighting tooth and nail to secure a postseason berth by winning the lackluster NFC East. The Los Angeles Rams needed to win out the rest of their games if the Super Bowl runner ups expected to return to the playoffs. The loss to the Cowboys derailed their postseason aspirations.
The Buffalo Bills, yes the Bills, secured a playoff spot with their 10th win of the season.
Bettors suffered two of the worst bad beats of the season. Two teams desperate to make last gasp plays at the end of the game resulted in scores for their opponents, which in turn resulted in bad beats for bettors.
In the 49ers – Falcons game, a last-second touchdown pushed the game over 50, thereby screwing under bettors.
The Washington Redskins blew a lead in the fourth quarter to lose to the Eagles, but they squandered a chance to cover against the spread. Eagles backers backdoored a cover in a game they really had no chance of winning, let alone covering.
Texan and Titans Tectonic Shift
Houston Texans 24, Tennessee Titans 21… The Titans (8-6) needed to win this decisive game against the Texans if they wanted a shot at the postseason. The Titans rallied back from a 14-0 halftime deficit, but fell short. The Texans (9-5) put themselves in an advantageous spot to win the AFC South by winning the first of two meetings against the Titans in the final three weeks of the season. The Titans must now beat the Saints next week, and beat the Texans in Week 17 if they want to secure an AFC wild-card berth.
Ugly Loss, Uglier Bad Beat
Atlanta Falcons 29, San Francisco Niners 22… Not only did the Niners (11-3) lose a game they should have won by double-digits, the game ended with the Falcons (5-9) scoring two touchdowns in the closing seconds to issue a wicked bad beat to under bettors. The total was anywhere from 49.5 to 50 in this one. This is easily one of the worst NFL bad beats for Week 15, but it might qualify for worst beat of the season.
West Coast Skol
Minnesota Vikings 39, LA Chargers 10… The Vikes (10-4) are undefeated at home, but struggle on the road (4-4). Once again, however, a Chargers (5-9) home game felt more like a road game, with more than half the stadium filled with Vikings fans.
Pack Sweep Da Bears
Green Bay Packers 31, Chicago Bears 13… Aaron Jones scored twice for the Packers (11-3), who have won three straight since getting their butts kicked by the Niners in Week 12. Da Bears (7-7) are now 5-19 against the Packers with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.
Bills Secure Playoff Spot
Buffalo Bills 17, Pittsburgh 10… The Bills (10-4) won the battle of two wild-card teams, and secured themselves a spot in the postseason. The Steelers (8-6) took a huge step backwards. They still retain the second AFC wild-card spot, but the home loss in Week15 puts them in a vulnerable spot.
Another 5-TD Day for L-Jax
Baltimore Ravens 42, NY Jets 21… In a Thursday Night Football game where Lamar Jackson broke Michael Vick’s QB single-season rushing record, he also threw five touchdowns. The Ravens (12-2) have now won 10 in a row. The LOLJets (5-9) put up a decent fight for a quarter.
Cowboys Save Garrett’s Job?
Dallas Cowboys 44, LA Rams 21… The Cowboys got payback after losing to the Rams in the playoffs last season. Jason Garrett’s job is safe … for now. Tony Pollard (131 yards, 1 TD) and Zeke Elliot (117 yards, 2 TDs) ran down the Rams’ throats. The Rams (8-6) needed to win this game to keep their wild-card hopes alive, but the Cowboys just burst their bubble.
Pats End Skid
New England Patriots 34, Cincinnati Bengals 13… Another day, another Patriots (11-3) cheating scandal. Didn’t matter. The Bengals (1-13) still bungled the game, and the Pats snapped a rare losing streak.
KC Beats Donkeys in Snow Game
Kansas City Chiefs 23, Denver Broncos 3… The Chiefs (10-4) held the Broncos (5-9) to only a field goal during snowy conditions in KC. Despite the bad weather in Week 15, Patrick Mahomes tossed for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
Carson Ground and Pound Show
Seattle Seahawks 30, Carolina Panthers 24… It wasn’t pretty, but the Seahawks (11-3) bounced back with a win against the listless Panthers (5-9). The Seahawks pounded the ball all game, and Chris Carson rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey posted 175-combined yards, including two rushing scores in the loss. Seattle is now in first place in the NFC West, while the Niners occupy one of the NFC wild-card spots.
Another Over for Bucs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38, Detroit Lions 17… The over is now 11-1 in the last dozen games for the Bucs (7-7). Jameis Winston (4 TD, 1 INT) became the first player in NFL history to throw for 450-plus yards in consecutive games. Two Bucs’ WRs had at least 113 receiving yards, and Breshad Perriman scored thrice.
Eli NJ Finale?
New York Giants 36, Miami Dolphins 20… Eli Manning (2 TD, 3 INT) might have played and won his last game in the old Meadowlands with the Giants (3-11). The Dolphins (3-11) were unable to conjure up FitzMagic in the NFL Degen Game of the Week for Week 15.
Stayin’ Alive in Philly
Philadelphia Eagles 37, Washington Redskins 27… The Eagles (7-7) kept their playoff hopes alive. Carson Wentz spearheaded a sensational comeback victory with 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Skins handed the Eagles a late-game victory, but they also screwed bettors with an ugly backdoor cover.
Drake Beastmode, Emo OBJ
Arizona Cardinals 38, Cleveland Browns 24… Kenyan Drake rushed for 137 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns to help the Cardinals (4-9-1) snap their six-game losing streak. The Browns (6-8) lost another game they should have won. Odell Beckham has been full-blown emo heading into Week 15, and this game didn’t help cheer up his cloudy disposition. Mayfield tried to feed him the ball (8 receptions, 66 yards), but OBJ failed to get into the end zone… again. OBJ has scored one touchdown since Week 2.
Jags Spoil Oakland’s Swan Song
Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Oakland Raiders 16… Gardner Minshew worked his second-half magic to engineer a comeback victory for the Jags (5-9). The Jags ruined the Raiders (6-8) final home game in Oakland before they relocate to Las Vegas next season.