The fifteenth weekend of the 2020 NFL season is in the books so here are the different thoughts and opinions I have on various things I witnessed this past weekend. The playoff races are heating up and many contenders kept their foot on the gas. And a few screwed the pooch. I'm looking at you L.A. Rams. You too Pittsburgh.

The Christmas season is here and I received an early present with a Cowboys victory. Why not, I was good all year. Thanks Santa! And an extra-special thanks to Nick Mullens!

Just remember I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and I'm extremely biased. Feel free to agree or disagree about anything mentioned here. All comments are welcome.

Season of Giving

_{Tony Pollard punches through the Niners line into the endone
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Christmas time is known as the season of giving. The San Francisco 49ers took that message to heart on Sunday by committing four turnovers in a 41-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. I’m not sure the Cowboys deserved that many presents, they haven’t been good all year!

This game was all about the turnovers. Dallas turned the Niners four turnovers into 24 points. That’s what good teams do, so I have no idea how Dallas pulled it off. Even more amazing the Cowboys didn’t turn the ball over once. It was a Christmas miracle!

Both of these teams are suffering from a plethora of injuries on both sides of the ball so it isn’t surprising turnovers were the deciding factor. Dallas RB Zeke Elliott missed the game with a leg injury. With as bad as he has played all season it wasn’t a big loss. His backup Tony Pollard was solid on the ground (12 carries, 69 yards, 2 TDs) and in the air (6 receptions, 63 yards). Better than Zeke usually plays.

QB Andy Dalton (19/33, 209 yards, 2 TDs) wasn’t great, but he did take advantage of the short fields he was given. WR CeeDee Lamb (5 receptions, 85 yards) helped with some big plays. The offense didn’t pile up a ton of yards, but with all of the turnovers creating a distinct field position advantage it didn’t matter. The Cowboys improved to 5-9 and are still in the hunt for the NFC East division title. That’s really sad.

The 49ers have been awful lately, but getting their ass kicked by a weak Dallas squad really shows how bad this team has been decimated by injuries. QB Nick Mullens (21/36, 219 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 1 fumble) has the arm to make plays yet his decision making skills are terrible. For the second week in a row his turnovers took San Francisco out of the game. The Niners fell to 5-9 and were eliminated from playoff contention. Tough year for the team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last season.

Upset of the Year!

_{SHAME!
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Up is down, left is right and black is white. Everything you thought you knew is wrong as the New York Jets, the biggest dumpster fire in the NFL, actually won a game! How? Why? Who knows? The L.A. Rams brought themselves everlasting shame by losing to the Jets 23-20.

Seriously, how did this happen? Last week the Jets flew to Seattle and were destroyed 40-3 by the Seahawks. They had to fly back to New Jersey and later fly to Los Angeles to face the Rams, who had extra rest coming off of a Thursday night game. With all that travel, and the fact that they have stunk all season, the Jets were a massive 17 point underdog.

No matter, the Jets came ready to play while the Rams figured all they had to do was show up to win. They figured wrong. The Jets took their first possession right down the field for a TD and turned two Rams turnovers into two FGs to take a 13-0 lead that they never surrendered. The Rams made a 4th quarter comeback to make the final score close, but the truth is they were thoroughly outplayed by the worst team in the league. At home to boot.

Jets QB Sam Darnold (22/31, 207 yards, 1 TD) wasn’t spectacular, but he didn’t turn the ball over either. He led two TD drives and helped turn the Rams miscues into extra points. The Jets defense did the rest by holding down the Rams offense. It was a total team effort, by far the Jets best performance of the year. The Jets improved to 1-13, but it might have been a costly victory. The win knocks the Jets out of the lead for next year’s #1 pick, whoever that may be. Cough, Trevor Lawrence, cough.

A home game against the Jets is supposed to be a gift for a team fighting for a division title and the Rams blew it. A 17 point underdog hadn’t won a game since 1978. This was simply an unbelievably shameful loss for the Rams, who fell to 9-5 and out of first place in the NFC West.

Upset of the Year Part II

_{The Steelers couldn't stop a 3rd string QB
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On Monday Night the Cincinnati Bengals had to start their 3rd string QB and host a Pittsburgh Steelers team who were desperate for a win after dropping two straight contests. Uh oh. An ass kicking looked inevitable and Las Vegas agreed by making the Bengals 14 point home underdogs.

Well an ass kicking took place but it was the Steelers who ran home with their tails between their legs as they lost 27-17 to the Bengals. I would have been shocked, but after the Jets win I’m starting to believe anything is possible.

The Bengals knew they wouldn’t be able to pass the ball so they didn’t even try. QB Ryan Finley (7/13, 89 yards, 1 TD) didn’t even hit 100 yards passing as the Bengals ran the rock 41 times for 152 yards. Not great numbers, but the defense bailed them out with a number of short field opportunities off of turnovers. The Bengals converted two fumbles and an INT into 17 points while not turning the ball over themselves even once. The win was the first by the Bengals over the Steelers since 2015 and improved their record to 3-10-1.

Remember when the Steelers were 11-0 and people were starting to think they might go undefeated? That seems like a lifetime ago as the Steelers fell to 11-3 and people are starting to think they might not win another game this year. Hell they might not win the division, which was nearly mathematically impossible just two weeks ago.

Ben Roethlisberger (20/38, 170 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) looked horrible, his numbers should have been even worse but the Bengals dropped a few easy INTs. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (3 receptions, 15 yards) has become a target after his logo dancing antics. The Bengals were ready for his first reception, S Vonn Bell unloaded on Schuster and forced a fumble.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin now says he will talk to JuJu about his pre-game logo dances. Why didn’t he talk to him weeks ago when it became public? Nobody likes being disrespected in their own house and teams are now setting up Schuster to get blasted. When you are entering Week 16 and you have to talk to your team about respect you have serious leadership problems. With two games left against the Colts and Browns, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Steelers did end up 11-5.

Super Bowl Preview?

_{The Saints pressured Mahomes all afternoon, but they couldn't stop him
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In a matchup between two of the leading Super Bowl contenders in the NFC and AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs held on to beat the New Orleans Saints 32-29.

QB Drew Brees returned for the Saints after missing three games with multiple broken ribs. That was the good news for New Orleans. The bad news was #1 WR Michael Thomas was placed on injured reserve. That hurt, literally and figuratively for the Saints. Trying to shake off the rust and missing his top target, Brees struggled mightily in the first half. He picked his game up in the second half, but by then the Saints were trailing and trying to compete with Kansas City in a shootout is a tall task.

The Saints defense concentrated their efforts on putting pressure on KC QB Patrick Mahomes. They were partly successful, as Mahomes (26/47, 254 yards, 3 TDs) missed a lot of passes. However when he connected it was for big plays. He was aided by head coach Andy Reid, who for once didn’t abandon the running game. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (14 carries, 79 yards) and Le’Veon Bell (15 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD) helped moved the ball and bleed the clock until Mahomes found the time to make a play. It was a balanced attack by the KC offense. The defense fell apart a little after a strong first half showing, but by then KC had the lead as the offense kept rolling. Big win over a tough team on the road. The Chiefs improved to 13-1 and barring a disaster should be the #1 seed in the AFC.

The Saints held their own over the defending Super Bowl champs, but in the end were unable to overcome a slow start. The defense prevented KC from running away with the game early when the offense couldn’t get moving. Drew Brees (15/34, 234 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) wasn’t sharp in his return. He heated up in the 4th quarter to make the game close, but it was too late. Maybe the Saints would have been in a better position to make a comeback if they ran the ball more. RB Alvin Kamara (11 carries, 54 yards) found holes when given opportunities. Yet head coach Sean Payton kept dialing up pass plays. That led to a lot of short series and the Saints defense spent a lot of time on the field, wearing out later in the game. Poor game plan by a smart coach. The Saints fell to 10-4.

Around the League

_{Josh Allen has developed into one of the most dangerous passers in the NFL
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The Buffalo Bills crushed the Denver Broncos 48-19 to clinch their first AFC East title in 25 years. Congrats Bills Mafia!

The Bills have morphed into serious Super Bowl contenders with the continued improvement of QB Josh Allen. Allen bombed the Broncos in the air (28/40, 359 yards, 2 TDs) and ran for two TDs as well. WR Stefon Diggs (11 receptions, 147 yards) and WR Cole Beasley (8 receptions, 112 yards) couldn’t be covered. The Bills ran over the Broncos on the ground by gaining 182 yards on 24 carries. Dominant performance by the offense and defense. The Bills improved to 11-3.

The Broncos competed in the first half, but were bowled over the rest of the game. QB Drew Lock (20/32, 132 yards, 1 TD) isn’t doing a lot to convince the front office he should keep his spot. The Broncos fell to 5-9.

On Saturday night the Green Bay Packers raced out to a 21-3 lead at the half and held on to defeat the Carolina Panthers 24-16.

The Packers offense couldn’t be stopped in the first half and couldn’t get anything going in the second. No matter, the Panthers didn’t have enough fire power to come back. QB Aaron Rodgers (20/29, 143 yards, 1 TD, 1 rushing TD) had an unusually quiet game. RB Aaron Jones (20 carries, 145 yards, 1 TD) picked up the slack. The Packers improved to 11-3 and clinched the NFC North division crown. They are also in an excellent position to win the #1 seed in the NFC.

The Panthers showed some life in the second half, but a slow start doomed them. The offense is suffering without RB Christian McCaffrey. WR D.J. Moore (6 receptions, 131 yards) had a big game. The Panthers fell to 4-10.

Halfway through the 3rd quarter, the Atlanta Falcons held a 24-7 lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Could Atlanta do it, actually not blow a big lead? Haha, of course not. It was déjà vu all over again as Tom Brady led the Bucs to a big 31-27 comeback win.

The Bucs started the game lifeless, not even scoring a single point in the first half while the Falcons scored 17. Tom Brady flipped the switch after halftime and put up a full game’s worth of stats in the second half. Tampa had to abandon the run after falling behind big and Brady delivered: 31/45, 390 yards, 2 TDs. WR Antonio Brown (5 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD) caught his first TD pass of the season. The defense sacked Matt Ryan 3 times in the 4th quarter to ensure the win. The Bucs improved to 9-5.

Dammit Atlanta, is there any lead you guys can’t blow? Sunday marked the third time this season the Falcons lost a game that they held a 16-point lead or more in the second half. Unbelievable how the Falcons can play so good for 3 quarters and then completely shit the bed in the fourth. Strong efforts by Matt Ryan (34/49, 356 yards, 3 TDs) and WR Calvin Ridley (10 receptions, 163 yards, 1 TD) were wasted yet again. The Falcons dropped to 4-10.

Let me try to sum up the Tennessee Titans/Detroit Lions game with some simple math. Derrick Henry + Ryan Tannehill > awful Lions defense. Yup the math checked out as the Titans destroyed the Lions 46-25.

QB Ryan Tannehill (21/27, 273 yards, 3 TDs) bombed the Lions in the air and RB Derrick Henry (24 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD) ran over them on the ground. In other words there was nothing the Titans couldn’t do against Detroit. It was a massacre. The Titans improved to 10-4 and remain tied for 1st place in the AFC South.

QB Mathew Stafford (22/32, 252 yards, 1 TD) wasn’t expected to play but he did and he played well. It wasn’t nearly enough as the defense was manhandled. Stafford should have taken a day off and saved himself the misery. The Lions fell to 5-9.

For the second time in the last three weeks, the Houston Texans had a chance to beat the Indianapolis Colts with a possession near the goal-line with less than a minute remaining in the game. And for the second time in the last three weeks, the Texans blew the opportunity by fumbling the ball away. Double ouch. The Colts held on to beat the Texans 27-20.

The Colts took a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter and never looked back. QB Philip Rivers (22/28, 228 yards, 2 TDs) was efficient with plenty of help from RB Jonathan Taylor (16 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD). When the Colts have balance on offense and avoid turnovers they can put some points. Indy improved to 10-4 and remained tied with the Titans atop the AFC South.

Turnovers killed the Texans again. One fumble in the 1st quarter set up the Colts for an easy TD and the second one in the 4th quarter ended their comeback at the one yard line. Hold on to the damn ball! Deshaun Watson (33/41, 373 yards, 2 TDs) is having the best season ever by a Texans QB. Too bad for him the rest of the team sucks. Houston fell to 4-10.

In the NFL really good teams are supposed to thump really bad teams. The Rams and Steelers forgot that, the Baltimore Ravens didn’t. The Ravens cruised to an easy 40-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Ravens came out firing and never stopped. QB Lamar Jackson (17/22, 243 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) had no problems passing and didn’t need to run much: 10 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD. His teammates chipped in with another 124 yards and a TD rushing on 27 carries. The Ravens improved to 9-5, but still aren’t in the clear for a playoff spot in the strong AFC. They don’t even hold their own destiny, it is possible they win their last two games and still miss the playoffs. That would be brutal.

The Jaguars are a train wreck, but there is hope on the horizon. The loss dropped them to 1-13 and the Jets shocking win moved them into the lead for next year’s #1 draft pick by way of tiebreaker. The Jags will get the pick if they drop their final two games. C’mon Jags, I know you can do it!

When you have a rookie QB, you are going to struggle to pass the ball against a Bill Belichick defense. That is a fact. The Miami Dolphins know this as well as anyone so they used the ground attack to run over the Patriots 22-12.

Give Miami head coach Brian Flores credit for sticking to his game plan even when things were looking rough. The Dolphins were shut out in the first half, but continued pounding the rock and broke through in the second half for 22 points. The Dolphins rushed for 250 yards and 3 TDs on 42 carries. That took the pressure off of QB Tua Tagovailoa (20/26, 145 yards, 1 INT), who wasn’t asked to win the game on his own. The Dolphins improved to 9-5 and control their own playoff destiny. If they win out they are in.

The loss dropped the Patriots to 6-8 and officially eliminated them from the playoffs. Gee, I’ll sure miss them. Hehe. The Pats realized they aren’t going anywhere this year and have started to play without hope. The offense and defense have been regressing. QB Cam Newton (17/27, 209 yards) wasn’t the answer New England hoped he would be. Time for the rebuild to begin.

In a NFC North battle between two teams trying to keep faint playoff dreams alive, the Chicago Bears defeated the Minnesota Vikings 33-27.

I think the Bears might have learned a lesson they should have been employing all season. With their strong defense, if they make a concentrated effort to run the ball and keep it out of their shaky QB’s turnover prone hands they will probably win more games. Why they didn’t figure that out earlier I have no clue.

Bears RB David Montgomery (32 carries, 146 yards, 2 TDs) was the focus of the offense and it worked for Chicago. QB Mitch Trubisky (15/21, 201 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was solid and added 34 rushing yards on 8 carries. If Chicago sticks with this game plan they might get lucky and sneak into the playoffs. If they go back to letting Trubisky chuck the ball they might as well just give up now. The Bears improved to 7-7 and need help to make the playoffs.

The Vikings moved the ball up and down the field, but struggled in the red zone by only scoring 2 TDs on four trips. Those points left on the field cost them this game. QB Kirk Cousins (24/35, 271 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was fine between the 20’s and RB Dalvin Cook (24 carries, 132 yards, 1 TD) had his normal big game. The defense couldn’t stop the run, everyone knows the best way to beat Trubisky is to make him throw. The Vikings fell to 6-8 and while mathematically still alive, realistically their playoff hopes are dead.

Like I mentioned earlier, Christmas is the giving season. So with Christmas spirit in the air I am going to offer this advice to the No-Names of Washington D.C.: If you have to rely on Dwayne Haskins throwing 55 passes a game you can go home and enjoy the holidays because you aren’t winning any more games this year.

The Seattle Seahawks certainly weren’t impressed as they beat the No-Names 20-15. Don’t be fooled by the final score, Washington scored two TDs in garbage time when Seattle was already halfway home.

While the No-Names offense is bad, their defense is very good. Seattle struggled to move the ball in the air, but found a way to score 20 points. Russell Wilson (18/27, 121 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) had a hard time completing anything but short passes. The running game was better as the committee racked up 181 yards and a TD on 26 carries. Not an exciting day, but good enough to outdo Washington’s putrid offense. The Seahawks improved to 10-4 and took sole possession of 1st place in the NFC West.

The Washington defense did their best to contain Seattle, but the offense couldn’t do diddly squat until the Seahawks went into prevent defense to burn up the clock. Dwayne Haskins (38/55, 295 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) didn’t get much production from all those pass attempts. There is a reason he is #3 on the QB depth chart. Washington dropped to 6-8, yet still lead the NFC East. However the other three teams are still breathing right down their necks. If Alex Smith doesn’t come back soon they could be in trouble.

In a thriller in the desert Philadelphia fought back from a 16-0 deficit to tie the game at 26-26, but Arizona had one more TD left in them as the Cardinals beat the Eagles 33-26.

The Cardinals kick started their season by trading for WR DeAndre Hopkins and that move continues to pay big dividends each week. Hopkins (9 receptions, 169 yards, 1 TD) has made the Arizona offense legit and QB Kyler Murray (27/36, 406 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) has used his presence to take a giant leap forward in his sophomore season. The Cardinals improved to 8-6 and are in a good spot to make the playoffs.

Eagles rookie QB Jalen Hurts (24/44, 338 yards, 3 TDs, 11 carries, 63 yards, 1 rushing TD) was a one-man gang on offense and nearly singlehandedly brought the Eagles back in this game after falling into a large hole early. On Monday Eagles head coach Doug Pederson announced Hurts would start again next week. No shit Sherlock! What else are you going to do, bench him for Wentz? The Eagles fell to 4-9-1 and are unbelievably still alive in the NFC East.

On Sunday Night the Cleveland Browns beat the New York Giants 20-6 in New Jersey. Don’t look know, but the Browns can still win the AFC North.

The Giants defense took a smart approach, loading up the box and daring Cleveland to beat them through the air. On paper that looked good. In reality QB Baker Mayfield (27/32, 297 yards, 2 TDs) ripped them up. Cleveland is a team built to run the ball, but lately when teams dare them to throw Mayfield is delivering. With good support from the running game and the defense, Mayfield can take this team places if he plays within his talents and avoids turnovers. The Browns improved to 10-4.

The Giants weren’t expected to score much without QB Daniel Jones and they didn’t. They tried running the ball early (21 carries, 74 yards), but didn’t find much success. Two weeks ago the Giants had a firm grasp on the NFC East, but back-to-back losses have them in trouble. I doubt things will get much better next week with a trip to Baltimore. The Giants fell to 5-9.

_{NFL Hall of Famer LB Kevin Greene
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In sad news NFL Hall of Fame LB Kevin Greene died unexpectedly on Monday at the age of 58. In a 15 year career Greene registered 160 sacks, third place on the all-time list. And as he was quick to let everyone know, 1st all-time among linebackers.

Greene was a late bloomer, a walk-on at Auburn university and later a 5th round draft pick by the Los Angeles Rams. Even though he never suited up for my Cowboys, he was always one of my favorite players to watch. With his long blond hair flying all over the place, Greene was a monster on defense who created havoc all over the field.

Whew, what a week. I doubt we'll see so many crazy upsets again this year, but who knows? As always thanks for taking the time to check this post out and feel free to leave your thoughts on Week 15 in the comments below.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you get the chance to enjoy the holiday.