NFL Week 15 Overreaction
USA TODAY’s Prince Grimes breaks down the best stories from Week 15 in the NFL.
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- Week 15 in the NFL was a tough one for teams that lost superstars to injury, with Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons injured.
- The Chiefs, Bengals and Vikings also join the list of teams eliminated from playoff contention.
- The Rams and Broncos were the first two teams to qualify for the postseason, each earning a berth in the conference playoffs.
32 things we learned from Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season:
0. Number of points scored by the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. In a game they had to win to stay in the postseason. Remarkably, the Stripes got the bagel against the Baltimore Ravens despite running 71 plays and holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes. This is a virtually impossible situation. It was the first shutout loss for the Bengals since 2017. That’s why they spent so much money on QB Joe Burrow and WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the latter of whom was unable to play after returning to concussion protocol for the second time in three weeks.
1. Number of times the Kansas City Chiefs have missed the playoffs in the last 10 years. Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers confirmed that disappointing result. KC’s last failure was in 2014, coach Andy Reid’s second season with the club.
2. The number of teams that clinched playoff berths on Sunday was the first this season to be secured, with the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos both clinching their tickets to the 60th Super Bowl tournament. Neither team has won their division yet, but both are in position to earn the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences.
2a. The New England Patriots lost a come-from-behind loss to the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium, missing out on a chance to clinch the AFC East championship.
3. The number of teams officially eliminated Sunday fell by the wayside long before the Minnesota Vikings took the field Sunday night, along with the Chiefs and Bengals.
4. But Sunday was an extremely painful game that goes beyond the league’s shifting playoff implications. Several superstars suffered injuries that could have long-term effects.
5. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in the closing minutes of the loss to Kansas City, an injury that was certain to keep him out of the AFC Championship Game for the first time since becoming the team’s starter in 2018…though the KC loss also served as a testament to that. One of the most remarkable runs in league history ended on that front.
6. Green Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons may have suffered a similar fate to Mahomes, but his loss would be far more damaging in the context of this season, given that the Packers looked like a team capable of winning a Super Bowl.
7. When Parsons went down in Denver, the Pack led 23-21 at the end of the third quarter. Not only did they ultimately succumb 34-26, but the loss also dropped them from second place overall in the conference (and first place in the NFC North) to seventh place, 1.5 games behind the still-dangerous Detroit Lions.
8. The Washington Commanders’ losing streak lasted until Sunday when they defeated the New York Giants 29-21.
8a. The length of the Giants’ losing streak since Sunday’s loss to Cmdr.
9. Hey there, NFC East… After the Philadelphia Eagles plundered the Las Vegas Raiders 31-0, we’re almost certain to have our first repeat division champion since 2004. But even the reigning champions currently look like the least bad team in a largely uninspiring quartet.
10. When it comes to injuries, the Rams have their own relative concerns despite clinching a playoff berth. However, WR Davante Adams’ hamstring injury could be a major setback for LA, especially with a game against Seattle scheduled for Thursday night.
11. Currently 11-3, the Rams defeated the Seahawks in Week 11, but Thursday night’s winner will not only move to the top of the NFC West, but will also clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference. Seattle certainly looks like a healthy team, albeit a little more unstable than LA.
12. Coach LB Von Miller recorded 136 1/2 Sunday, putting him on the NFL’s all-time sack list (this statistic was officially recognized in 1982). Miller had more half sacks than Hall of Famer Jared Allen.
13. What a day for Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, who threw a career-high five TD passes in a 48-20 win over the AFC South-leading New York Jets. Lawrence also rushed for 51 yards and an additional score. I feel like this guy should have been drafted No. 1 overall. hang on.
14. If the season ended today, which it actually doesn’t, the New York Giants would own the 2026 No. 1 draft pick.
15. However, it seems certain that the Raiders, who fell from No. 1 to No. 2 this weekend, may have to make an offer to the G-Men. Las Vegas gained 75 yards against Philadelphia, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
16. Here are some wild stats about Patriots rookie running back Trevellon Henderson. On Sunday, he joined Chris Johnson as the only players to appear in multiple games and record multiple rushing TDs of at least 50 yards in those games in the same season.
17. Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers will wear his long-time uniform number against Seattle on Sunday, with the permission of his predecessor Daniel Jones and the league.
18. Number of seasons Rivers has now He played in the league by virtue of being on the Colts’ active roster, not to mention playing every game at Lumen Field. And with only a few days of preparation and five years of rust and extra weight, the 44-year-old Rivers put on a valiant effort, passing for 120 yards and a TD in an 18-16 loss to powerhouse Seattle…even if the whole uproar will keep him from becoming a Hall of Famer until at least 2031.
19. But while Indy may be pumping adrenaline and hoping to bounce back this season, the reality is that the Colts (8-6) continue to improve after a 7-1 start and are starting to settle into eighth place in the AFC — not a place any team wants to be, especially one trying to reach for a brass ring.
20. Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward has thrown a TD pass in consecutive weeks, having never thrown one all season until December. The team couldn’t avoid losing 37-24 to the San Francisco 49ers, but they advanced!
21 1/2. Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett’s sack total increased from what was already a career-high in an hour and a half Sunday in Chicago.
22 1/2. Garrett needs one more QB takedown to match the single-season record shared by TJ Watt and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.
twenty three. Rams running back Kyren Williams (88 total yards, 2 TDs) had a much better day than Lions counterpart Jahmil Gibbs. This was a big key to LA’s victory. Gibbs gained 58 yards but was unable to score as Detroit continued to lose touch with the NFC playoff field.
twenty four. But Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown had a day (13 catches, 164 yards, 2 TDs), and even if it wasn’t enough to produce a win, the USC product shined near his old haunt.
twenty five. However, it created ARSB’s spot in the record books, making the Detroit star the first player in history to record at least 90 receptions in his first five NFL seasons.
26. Houston Texans RB Jauhar Jordan’s uniform number. The second-year player made his regular season debut on Sunday after being promoted from the practice squad 24 hours earlier, rushing for 101 yards on 15 carries.
27. Who do you think will be the No. 1 pick on your fantasy waiver wire this week?
28. More importantly, if Jordan can really contribute to a Houston offense that grabbed three TD passes from quarterback CJ Stroud in Sunday’s 40-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, this team could legitimately be the AFC’s best team when the playoffs begin.
29. Despite starting 0-3, the Texans (9-5) remain on track to become just the fifth team since 1990 to qualify for the postseason.
30. It’s been a tough year for the Cards, but it will be a big one for tight end Trey McBride, who had 12 catches for 134 yards and two TDs in Sunday’s loss. The receptions and TD matched McBride’s personal best in an NFL game, and the total yards exceeded his previous career high by one yard.
31. McBride currently has a league-high 105 receptions, making him the first tight end in league history to reach the century mark in consecutive seasons. McBride and Travis Kelce are the only tight ends in the NFL to record 100 catches in multiple seasons, with Kelce doing it three times. With 12 catches over the last three games, McBride will break Zach Ertz’s single-season record for tight end catches.
32. And McBride has had 16 consecutive games with at least five receptions, tying him with Kelce for a new position record.
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