Every weekend in the NFL, elements attract our attention regarding the forces present, the records that are within reach or certain historical notes. Here, for the 15th week of activities, are five elements to watch out for.
• Also read: Our Week 15 predictions: Can the Eagles’ old-school approach hold up?
• Also read: Once Upon a Time in the West: Rams Trying to Do What Only 6% of Teams Have Succeeded
1. The scenarios of the series
The Houston Texans are one of the teams that can formalize their place in the playoffs this week.
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So far, only the Chiefs, Bills, Lions and Eagles have officially secured their playoff spots. This week, the Texans can join them and, at the same time, win the South division title in the event of a victory against the Dolphins, in addition to a defeat of the Colts against the Broncos. The Steelers can also clinch their ticket by beating the Eagles or in the event of a defeat of the Dolphins and Colts. The Vikings are also in good shape and will qualify with a victory at the expense of the Bears. They can also get there if the Rams or Seahawks lose. The Eagles, already qualified, can confirm their division championship with a victory against the Steelers in addition to a defeat for the Commanders.
2. Great end to the day
Accompanied by ace blocker Penei Sewell, Jared Goff will try to carve up the Bills defense.
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It’s quite a program that the NFL is offering at the end of the day on Sunday. Better to make sure you finish household chores in the morning or at worst early in the afternoon. The matches in the 1 p.m. window never pit two winning teams against each other. At 4:25 p.m., on the other hand, we have the choice of gifts! No less than three duels between clubs which would be series if they started now. Starting with a fascinating clash between Bills (10-3) and Lions (12-1), as well as another opposition Steelers (10-3) and Eagles (11-2). This will be the first time since 1985 that there will be two matchups between teams with at least 10 wins in Week 15 or earlier. For the record, know that the Steelers have not won in their last 10 games in Philadelphia, since 1965! The Lions (32.1 points per game) and Bills (30.5 points per game), meanwhile, feature the two best offenses in the league.
3. The Iron Man
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby never leaves the field.
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There truly is one iron man in the NFL and it’s Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. Even if his team isn’t going anywhere, he clearly never gives up, having participated in the club’s last 446 defensive games. In fact, he hasn’t missed a single play since Week 6, the longest streak in history for a defensive lineman. In fact, three of the four longest consecutive games played among defensive linemen belong to Crosby. It’s phenomenal! However, all good things must come to an end as Crosby aggravated a season-ending ankle injury last week that required surgery. We bet he will come back next year ready to tackle another record.
4. Darnold’s bombs
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is having great success on deep passes.
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According to ESPN, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has completed 57.8% of his passes that have traveled 20 yards or more this season. Since 2000, only four other quarterbacks have done better across the NFL, including Jimmy Garoppolo (2019), Nick Mullens (2020), Brock Purdy (2023) and Matthew Stafford (2023). This is quite special, because Garoppolo, Mullens and Purdy played for the 49ers, all three under the command of Kyle Shanahan. As for Stafford, he plays for head coach Sean McVay. Vikings and Darnold driver Kevin O’Connell was McVay’s disciple with the Rams before heading to Minnesota.
5. Barkley and the 2000 yards
Saquon Barkley is on pace to reach 2,000 yards from the line of scrimmage.
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We often talk about the exploits of running back Saquon Barkley with the Eagles, but the subject has become inevitable. Currently, Barkley has accumulated 1890 yards from the line of scrimmage (rushing and receiving). This means that with 110 total yards against the Steelers, he would reach the 2000 mark. Whether on Sunday or later, he will likely become the fourth player in history to reach the 2000 mark twice. yards from the line of scrimmage with two different teams. He did it for the first time in 2018 with the Giants. The others in this select club are Eric Dickerson (Rams and Colts), Marshall Faulk (Colts and Rams) as well as Christian McCaffrey (Panthers and 49ers).
