Here are 32 insights gathered from Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season:

0. New York Giants are still searching for their first home victory of the season after they suffered a 35-14 defeat against the Baltimore Ravens. This also marks their count of wins since Week 5.

0. An unusual occurrence took place during Thursday night’s matchup when the Los Angeles Rams edged past the San Francisco 49ers 12-6 without a single touchdown scored. Additionally, Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp ended with no receptions, while the 49ers recorded zero sacks and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell faced criticism for shying away from playing.

0. Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride is yet to catch a touchdown this season, despite racking up 89 receptions.

0. In the Kansas City Chiefs’ 21-7 win over the Cleveland Browns, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was not sacked, a notable feat given he was sacked 13 times over the previous three games and 23 times in the six games leading up to this one. Nonetheless

1. This week’s top story is undoubtedly the injury status of Mahomes. He sprained his ankle after being taken down by three Cleveland defenders while throwing a pass. According to NFL Network, the three-time Super Bowl MVP is now considered week-to-week, impacting the Chiefs as they face a challenging three-game stretch in 11 days culminating on Christmas. They are set to play the Houston Texans on Saturday. “It’s not broken, that’s all I can confirm,” head coach Andy Reid stated post-game. “We’ll evaluate as things progress.”

2. This week saw two teams—Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears—officially eliminated from playoff contention.

3. On a different note, Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson was suspended for Sunday’s game as he opted not to play during Week 14’s confrontation against the Philadelphia Eagles. Surprisingly, Baltimore managed fine without him but more on that shortly.

4. In a performance that crushed the Miami Dolphins’ playoff hopes, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa turned the ball over a career-high four times (three interceptions and one fumble) in a loss against the Texans.

4a.Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young also set a career high with four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumbles) in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, officially shutting down any of the Panthers’ faint playoff hopes.

4b.Meanwhile, Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis had his own struggles, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble in a defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals. Fortunately for them, the Titans were already out of playoff contention and could only hope for a better draft position.

5. In contrast, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had a stellar performance, throwing five touchdown passes, showcasing how impactful even without Johnson in the lineup.

6. This marks the sixth time in Jackson’s career he has thrown for five TDs in a single game, achieving this feat twice in the 2024 season. He remains a legitimate MVP contender.

6(001):On Sunday, Jackson surpassed the 6,000-yard mark in career rushing yards and now needs just 109 more yards to surpass Michael Vick’s all-time record for quarterbacks.

7. Switching gears to MVP discussions, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen likely solidified his case for the award after a thrilling 48-42 victory over the Detroit Lions, outplaying Jared Goff at Ford Field. Though the game was close score-wise, it felt less competitive. Allen contributed four total touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) and amassed 430 yards of total offense, pushing him ahead of Goff, one of his closest competitors.

7a. Interestingly, Allen made NFL history by becoming the first player to achieve multiple passing and rushing touchdowns in consecutive games in a single season.

8. The New Orleans Saints had a fierce defense against Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, sacking him eight times. The pressure took its toll, as the Commanders managed only six points in the second half, almost squandering a 17-0 lead before managing to win 20-19 with a last-minute defensive effort against a two-point conversion attempt.

8a. Additionally, there were questionable time management practices that enhanced the Saints’ performance at home in the Superdome.

9. During the game, Saints running back Alvin Kamara joined an elite group, becoming the fourth player in NFL history to have at least 50 career rushing touchdowns and 25 receiving touchdowns. Alongside him on this prestigious list are Christian McCaffrey, Marshall Faulk, and Lenny Moore, both Hall of Famers.

10. The titanic matchup between the Bengals and Titans saw a total of 10 turnovers (four by Levis, three by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow), marking the most turnovers in a single game in 17 years.

11. The most ridiculous moment of the game belonged to Bengals safety Jordan Battle, whose early celebration while scoring a 60-yard fumble return resulted in him fumbling the ball as well.

11a. A similar event transpired later in the day with a more prominent player involved—Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor—leading to significant effects for both fantasy and NFL playoff scenarios.

12. The Bengals’ 37-27 victory featured numerous highlights, although the score failed to capture the game’s lack of competitiveness. The two teams combined for 49 first downs, 129 total plays, 744 yards, and a staggering 26 penalties that collectively tallied 223 yards.

13. The astounding statistics were just a warm-up to The matchup between the Bills and Lions was quite a spectacle, with both teams collectively scoring 90 points, achieving 58 first downs, executing 145 plays, and amassing 1,080 yards – each team surpassing the 500-yard mark.

14. This was the Chiefs’ biggest win margin of the season that occurred on Sunday.

15. This reflects the total margin of victory for the Chiefs over their last five games.

16. Who would have guessed that the New York Jets’ 32-25 victory against Jacksonville would turn out to be the most thrilling game of the weekend, especially considering both teams came into Sunday with a record of 3-10?

17. The jersey number of Jets wide receiver Davante Adams, who achieved his 100th and 101st career touchdowns in this game. He also racked up 198 receiving yards, just 8 yards short of his personal record.

18. Despite the Jets’ struggles in 2024, Rodgers has been performing well recently although in games that matter little. Over the last four contests, he has thrown eight touchdown passes (with just one interception) and achieved a passer rating of at least 100.0 in three of those. He also led the team with 45 rushing yards against the Jaguars. However, Sunday’s win marked the Jets’ only victory during that time.

19. The Jets scored a season-high of 32 points, which is significant because Rodgers has been emphasizing the importance of reaching at least 30 points in every game this season. Many have doubted his sanity for saying this.

20. The connection between Rodgers and Adams has started to mirror the successful days they had in Green Bay, although for the Jets, it seems their peak performance comes too late in the season to make a real difference.

21. The Jets managed to sack Jacksonville quarterback Mac Jones twice, which is not enough, especially two days after ESPN showcased the famous/infamous “New York Sack Exchange” in a special segment.

22. Interestingly, the standout moment of the game might have been a backflip performed by Jacksonville defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter, who is 6-3 and weighs 299 pounds, right after he sacked Rodgers.

23. How impressive is Denver’s defense? They made five takeaways and scored a touchdown even though the Broncos’ offense couldn’t muster 200 yards against Indianapolis. This was adequate to dominate the Colts and nearly secure the franchise’s first playoff appearance since QB Peyton Manning and the team won Super Bowl 50 nine years ago.

24. Don’t overlook Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto as a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. This season, he has reached 11½ sacks and returned a lateral for 50 yards, scoring his second touchdown of the year although he did receive a penalty for the latest “Marshawn” style play.

25. Nonetheless, Taylor’s blunder could ultimately be seen as the point that derailed the Colts’ season, which has been plagued with challenges.

26. What about the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense? Well, we could debate that. For those who thought this team was overrated – or at least untested given their previous schedule – the uninspiring Tampa Bay Buccaneers served as a harsh wake-up call for Chargers fans this past Sunday. The Chargers started Week 15 as the league’s best scoring defense, allowing only 15.9 points on average each week, before the Bucs put up almost three times that amount in a 40-17 drubbing. Tampa Bay’s offense generated 506 yards, the highest figure given up by first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh’s squad this season.

27. Offensively, things weren’t much better either, as quarterback Justin Herbert’s streak of 11 games without an interception came to an end, falling just one shy of a league record over 357 attempts.

28. On the flip side, Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans had a standout game, gaining 159 receiving yards with two touchdowns. He needs to maintain an average of 84 yards over the next three games to stretch his streak of 1,000-yard seasons to 11.

29. In Houston, Derek Stingley intercepted Tua Tagovailoa twice in the fourth quarter and effectively silenced Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill, further solidifying his status as one of the premier cornerbacks in the league in his third season.

30. On a fun note, here’s how many yards Titans rookie nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat, who stands at 6-4 and weighs 366 pounds, returned a fumble during Sunday’s game. According to NFL Media, it’s the longest return by a player weighing at least 350 pounds since 1991.

31. Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey’s frustrating second season presses on after he missed his sixth attempt at a field goal this year – failing a 70-yarder just before halftime. Seriously, what was that? We’re just joking but the fact that Dallas is attempting field goals of such length is a bit wild. He may not replicate his rookie success of 36-for-38, but we would still want him on our roster – if we were assembling a team.

32. A huge congratulations to Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter from the University of Colorado, who is likely to be a top-five pick in next year’s NFL draft as either a cornerback or wide receiver. Having such versatile talent in one player will be intriguing to watch – particularly where he ends up and how many plays he makes on each side of the field.

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