NFL Nation, ESPND16. December 2023, 11:40 p.m. ET
Week 15 of the NFL season began on Thursday night when the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 63-21 in Chargers coach Brandon Staley's final game with the team (he was fired along with general manager Tom Telesco the following day). . ).
On Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals kept their playoff hopes alive with a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Indianapolis Colts then scored 30 unanswered points in a 30-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Detroit Lions made it easy for the Denver Broncos with a 42:17 win.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions from every game and picking out who – or what – is rising and falling for each team. Let us begin.
Jump to a matchup:
LAC-LV | MIN-CIN | PIT IND | DEN-DET
Saturday
Lions
Has the Lions offense regained its glory? After a 13-point performance that Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown called “disappointing” and “frustrating” in last week's loss to the Chicago Bears, the Lions responded with a strong home win over Denver and a solid performance in both areas sides of the ball. St. Brown had a season-low 21 receiving yards while veteran QB Jared Goff had nine turnovers over a four-game stretch before facing the Broncos. Both improved as St. Brown recorded 102 receiving yards with a TD, while Goff threw five touchdowns without a turnover.
Replenish supplies after victory: Sam LaPorta. The rookie tight end rebounded from a two-catch game in Chicago to set the new franchise record for rookie tight ends with nine touchdowns on the season and three on the night.
Inventory dropped after victory: Third quarter. The Lions continue to try to find ways to improve their third quarter woes as they were outscored 10-7 in the third quarter for the third straight season. Throughout the week, Goff said they needed to show better execution and focus after halftime, and while it didn't hurt them in this game, there is still something to fix. –Eric Woodyard
Next game: on Vikings (Sunday, December 24, 1 p.m. ET)
Broncos
Can a gassed Broncos team rally – once again – for a final playoff push? The Broncos were playing their third away game in 13 days and looked completely travel-weary. The offense piled up three-pointers early in a sluggish start, while the defense, after holding the Lions scoreless in the first quarter, couldn't maintain the momentum, leading to a flurry of missed tackles and poor run adjustments. It's an NFC loss, so it's not too damaging to the Wild Card hunt, but the Broncos need to find the winning edge with back-to-back home games and can't lose again if they want a Wild Card.
Stock up after the loss: CB Pat Surtain II Surtain continues to influence almost everything the opponent does in the passing game. Wherever the Broncos put him in the formation, the ball is usually pushed elsewhere, and elsewhere there were five touchdown passes for Jared Goff on Saturday night, three of them to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta.
Inventory decreased after loss: Run the defense. The Broncos didn't allow a rushing touchdown until the fourth quarter, but the pace of the game had long since escaped them as Detroit carried away against a Broncos charge for much of the second half. The Lions became the seventh team to reach 130 yards rushing against the Broncos this season and the fourth to reach 180 yards. –Jeff Legwold
Next game: vs. Patriots (Sunday, December 24, 8:15 p.m. ET)
Colts
Can the Colts offense do its job despite mounting injuries? The Colts lost receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to a concussion and running back Zack Moss to an arm injury in that game, but their capable backups turned in performances that suggested they could overcome those losses. The Colts received some unexpected contributions from players like DJ Montgomery (three career catches before Saturday) and Tyler Goodson (who had no carries in the game). Even the absence of right tackle Braden Smith wasn't enough to hold back the Colts, although his backup – rookie Blake Freeland – had to contend with Steelers star edge rusher TJ Watt.
Replenish supplies after victory: Quarterback Gardner Minshew. Minshew had seven completions of 10 yards or more, a good sign for a passer who has been somewhat on the low end in yards per attempt this season. He surpassed his 6.7-yard average earlier in the game with a 7.7-yard attempt against the Steelers. He also avoided losing the ball.
Inventory dropped after victory: Kicker Matt Gay. Gay has had an uncharacteristically uneven performance in the last two games. He has now missed a total of four kicks in two weeks, including an extra point against the Bengals and a 43-yard attempt that hit the right upright on Saturday. –Stephen Holder
Next game: at Falcons (Sunday, December 24, 1 p.m. ET)
Steelers
Can the Steelers win another game this season? The Steelers have lost three games in a row, and those performances don't give much indication that this team can win another game this season – let alone make the playoffs. In the loss to the Colts, an undermanned Steelers defense was outplayed by an equally undermanned Colts offense that was unable to prevent players called up from the practice squad from getting into the end zone. With a three-game stretch until the end of the season against a surging Bengals team, a strong Seattle team and an AFC-leading Ravens group, the Steelers will have to do more than put up 216 yards of offense while also putting up 372 yards of offense Allowing offense — including 157 yards to third- and fourth-string running backs.
Stock up after the loss: Diontae Johnson. For the first time in his career, Johnson scored touchdowns in three consecutive games. Against the Colts, he finished the game with four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Inventory decreased after loss: George Pickens. The wide receiver lamented the lack of targets and lack of shallow routes before the Colts game, and yet on his first deep target, a Colts cornerback managed to wrestle a 50/50 ball away from him. Afterward, quarterback Mitch Trubisky said Pickens took a different stance than he expected. On another play, Pickens made no move to block Jaylen Warren, which resulted in the running back being tackled near the goal line instead of scoring a touchdown. — Brooke Pryor
Next game: vs. Bengals (Saturday, December 23, 4:30 p.m. ET)
Bengal
Are the Bengals too banged up to keep the magic going? Cincinnati suffered two serious injuries in Sunday's win. Defensive tackle DJ Reader left the game with a lower body injury and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase also left the game with a right shoulder injury. The Bengals were able to cope with the loss of quarterback Joe Burrow, but the loss of a top defender and one of the league's best wide receivers will further complicate matters.
Replenish supplies after victory: Defensive tackle BJ Hill. Hill now has one of the more unlikely stats of the NFL season: He has recorded an interception in consecutive games.
Inventory dropped after victory: Cornerback DJ Turner. The promising rookie cornerback allowed five catches on his first six targets as the next defender, plays that yielded 100 yards and a touchdown. — Ben Baby
Next game: at Steelers (Saturday, December 23, 4:30 p.m. ET)
Vikings
Why does an otherwise great defense keep giving up late leads? On Saturday, the Vikings lost for the third time in four games after giving up the game-winning goal with less than two minutes to play. They led 17-3 early in the fourth quarter and 24-17 with 3:48 left. Bengals receiver Tee Higgins deserves credit for his acrobatic attempt to score with 39 seconds left, but the Vikings have proven vulnerable to deep dig routes. Bengals quarterback Jake Browning actually completed 10 of 14 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver on his last six drives.
Stock up after the loss: Running back Ty Chandler. In his first NFL start, Chandler rushed for 132 yards, the Vikings' first 100-yard game of the season.
Inventory decreased after loss: The Vikings “Tush Push”. Minnesota reconsidered its personnel on two failed quarterback sneaks in overtime and used receiver Brandon Powell as a pusher in hopes of keeping the Bengals out of their goal-line defense. – Kevin Seifert
Next game: vs. Lions (Sunday, December 24, 1 p.m. ET)
Thursday
robber
How much did Raiders Antonio Pierce help his case getting the full-time job? Probably just as much as the 3-0 loss to the Vikings had hurt his chances four days earlier. Each game is a season in itself, but as more than one player in the locker room said after the win over the Chargers, they are playing for Pierce and interim general manager Champ Kelly. “Because we love them both,” right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said. Eight players scored touchdowns and scored one touchdown after all five helped takeaways. They next face the Chiefs on Christmas Day.
Replenish supplies after victory: Interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree. Hardegree was moved from the sideline up to the press box and appeared to have a better feel for the game with his play instruction. At least he seemed more willing to call deeper passes for Aidan O'Connell, and the rookie quarterback responded with aplomb, posting a career-best 120.7 passer rating while Hardegree racked up a season-high 378 yards on offense .
Inventory dropped after victory: Passport cover. Okay, we're really going to the point here, but if we have to find something negative about a blowout win, it's that two blown coverages led to two touchdowns for the Chargers, from 79 yards to the end of the third quarter and from 13 yards midway through the fourth quarter. – Paul Gutierrez
Next game: at Chiefs (Monday, December 25, 1 p.m. ET)
Charger
Will Dean and John Spanos finally find the right people to kill this franchise? Disappointments and mediocrity are synonymous with this team. This tradition persisted in part because of the owner's failed new hires. Despite only two playoff wins, they retained general manager Tom Telesco for eleven seasons; hired coach Brandon Staley after one year as coordinator and retained him despite a historic playoff run this season. This seems like the perfect scenario to finally turn this franchise around, but there is no perfect scenario for these Chargers.
Stock up after the loss: The Chargers' draft pick. The Chargers are now projected to have the No. 5 pick in the draft. With a roster projected to be $34.8 million over the salary cap next season, according to ESPN's Roster Management System, taking advantage of talented rookies on favorable terms will be paramount.
Inventory decreased after loss: The entire organization. Thursday night's loss was one of the most embarrassing in NFL history. It reflected dysfunction at every level, from an ownership group that had waited too long to move on from coach and general manager to the players who seemed to have given up. Now that Staley and Tedesco have been released, the franchise can enter a new era. – Kris Rhim
Next game: vs. Bills (Saturday, December 23, 8 p.m. ET)