NFL The Final Word: Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills back in Super Bowl race but concern for Philadelphia Eagles
Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds has the final word on Week 15 in the NFL, picking out his five big takeaways, player of the week and more; the Philadelphia Eagles endure yet another setback as they are beaten by the Seattle Seahawks for their third straight loss
Tuesday 19 December 2023 12:37, UK
Week 15 was really revealing, really intriguing and told us a lot about some teams as we head towards the NFL postseason, no more so than in Buffalo...
1) The Bills are back!
The Buffalo Bills continue to really impress. They could still go from not making the playoffs at all, all the way to winning the Super Bowl - they look that good.
They look like one of the top five teams in football and they will scare the pants off some of the teams in the AFC if they can get into the playoffs.
They won a different way against the Dallas Cowboys: they bullied them, they rushed for 266 yards, James Cook was explosive, excellent, powerful. It was a game when Josh Allen completed just seven passes for 94 yards, if you had seen that you would think it was a terrible day at the office and he had got injured or Buffalo had lost badly. They were in total control and Allen was safely on the sideline with 10-and-a-half minutes to go.
The Bills are red-hot with back-to-back wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys to re-establish themselves as a power in the NFL.
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2) Cowboys get bullied
On the other side of the result, this was a worrying one for the Dallas Cowboys, who now drop to 3-4 on the road.
They are a perfect 7-0 at home this year, but on the road they have really struggled and don't have an answer for it.
What's worrying in terms of their playoff picture and positioning is they have been pushed around a couple of times now: the San Francisco 49ers in a big loss and now the Bills. They are quick, they are aggressive on defense, but they are not big and can get pushed. Buffalo smacked them in the mouth, and Dallas did not respond. That has to be a worry for Mike McCarthy.
3) Browning's Bengals
I would always love to watch star quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, like Aaron Rodgers, but when they aren't playing it gives you these wonderful storylines. Burrow's Bengals have now won three straight thanks to the efforts of Jake Browning, who had another big day against the Minnesota Vikings.
It was a struggle early, but he came alive in the fourth quarter, when you want to see a quarterback lead a team. He ends up over 300 yards passing, they get the overtime win and he is a fun watch. He knows he is not going to be starter next year, he is just taking advantage of this situation.
Even though the Bengals have had serious injuries - they lost DJ Reader at defensive tackle and now Ja'Marr Chase is going to miss time with a shoulder injury - they are very much alive in the playoff race because of the efforts of Browning.
Those stories only get served up when the stars go down. We don't want to see the stars go down, but it does offer that 'next man up' chance for somebody who is maybe not normally in the spotlight.
4) Late Browns drama
They are probably providing great stress for their fans, but the Cleveland Browns do keep finding ways to win.
Their 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears was finally clinched when Justin Fields' Hail Mary pass into the end zone fell into the lap of Darnell Mooney, who couldn't hang onto the football, which popped back up into the air and was intercepted by D'Anthony Bell.
It was the latest cardiac win for the Browns, who are an up and down team. Joe Flacco had two touchdowns, three interceptions and 374 yards, he has brought life to an offense that was going nowhere with Dorian Thompson-Robinson or PJ Walker at the helm.
Flacco is proving his worth, David Njoku has stepped up, Amari Cooper is making play. An incredible story given Joe Flacco was on his sofa watching for much of this season. He and the Browns are on course for the playoffs.
5) Quarterback reset needed in Pittsburgh
One team heading in the other direction in the AFC is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have now lost three in a row.
They are miserable on the offensive side of the ball, scoring just 13 points against the Colts based off some great field position from defense and special teams before Mitch Trubisky is unable to get the job done.
He heads to the bench and Mason Rudolph is coming in at quarterback. Kenny Pickett is not the long-term answer either I don't think. I believe this team needs a complete reset at the quarterback position, they have played 14 games this year and Steelers quarterbacks have played 10 touchdown passes - you cannot survive in today's NFL with that kind of production.
Player of the Week - Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I'm going to go with Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a nod to James Cook of the Bills. Baker was perfect at Lambeau Field, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns in Tampa Bay's 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay had no answer for Mayfield or his receivers, particularly over the middle of the field, where they really identified a weak spot.
Baker had a perfect 158.3 passer rating, that's as good as it gets in the NFL. And how about this for a statistic? In all the years of the Green Bay Packers and Lambeau Field, that's the first time an opposing quarterback has marched into Wisconsin and produced a perfect game there.
The Bucs have now won three in a row and are the most watchable of the NFC South teams at the top of that division.
Play of the Week - Tee Higgins' TD catch vs Vikings
I'm going with Tee Higgins' touchdown catch to tie the game for the Bengals against the Vikings in the final minute before Cincinnati went on to win in overtime.
The situation was big, Jake Browning just throws it up for his guy and Higgins not only Moss'd the defender to make an incredible catch, but has a grown man laying on his back and is suddenly able to lean back over himself, extend his body and break the goalline for one of the most incredible touchdowns you will see in this or any season. It was a reminder of how remarkably special NFL athletes are, and it kept the Bengals alive in that race for the playoffs.
Coach of the Week - Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
Not for the first time Dan Campbell has inspired his team to great levels in this season. Detroit had been wobbling, they had lost two of their previous three with turnovers creeping into the game of Jared Goff and questions being asked.
Are they are nice story but just not good enough yet? Dan Campbell and his players believe they can go all the way to the Super Bowl, I can guarantee you that.
Jared Goff through for five touchdowns and no interceptions against the Denver Broncos and this defense came alive.
This was a wonderful response led by their head coach.
On my radar... The Eagles slip up again
It had been a worrying couple of weeks anyway for the Philadelphia Eagles when they lost to San Francisco and Dallas, and on Monday they let the Seattle Seahawks, led by Drew Lock, defeat them 20-17.
That is concerning enough. They could not stop Drew Lock on the final drive as he goes 92 yards against what was one of the best defenses in football last year.
Jalen Hurts is making mistakes, he's running for touchdowns and throwing for touchdowns but turnovers are an issue in his game this year.
He said afterwards the Eagles are not committed enough, that spoke volumes and is a real concern. The Eagles have fallen off the pace when you compare them to the San Francisco 49ers, there are in a real fight to take their division down the stretch.
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