Unlocking the Secrets Behind the Untold Story: What You Didn’t Know Will Shock You!
Week 15 of the NFL season once again delivered a wild cocktail of jaw-dropping performances, heart-wrenching injuries, and outcomes that left us scratching our heads. No, it wasn’t just another Sunday – it was a rollercoaster packed with drama, from the bitter fall of the Kansas City Chiefs’ dominance to MVP-caliber heroics by Trevor Lawrence. As Mahomes’ devastating ACL injury sends shockwaves across the league, you can’t help but wonder: is this truly the end of an era, or just a temporary road bump for the Chiefs? Meanwhile, battles for playoff glory are heating up with the Bills refusing to fold and the Jaguars surging ahead. So grab your coffee—or maybe something stronger—and buckle up as we break down the highs, lows, and downright perplexing moments you need to know. LEARN MORE
Like every weekend on the slate, Week 15 of the NFL season had some incredible performances, bad injuries and perplexing outcomes. We take a look at some of the highlights, lowlights, news and stats.
The Fall of Chiefs’ Kingdom
Is this the end of an era in Kansas City or merely a one-year blip during the Chiefs’ dynasty?
The severity of Patrick Mahomes’ left knee injury will probably have something to say about the answer.
The Chiefs’ reign came crashing down on Sunday when their superstar quarterback suffered a torn ACL when he was hit on the final drive with the season on the line. It was the second high-profile ACL injury of Week 15, as the Green Bay Packers believe star edge rusher Micah Parsons also tore his ACL in Sunday’s road loss to the Denver Broncos.
So a one-year blip could turn into two with Mahomes likely to miss a good portion of the 2026 season. Mahomes had to be helped to the locker room before veteran backup Gardner Minshew II got KC into field goal range but threw an interception in a 16-13 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Coupled with wins by the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, the Chiefs’ loss sealed the end of the franchise’s run of 10 straight playoff appearances. At 6-8, they also have their worst record through 14 games since finishing 2-14 in 2012.
For the Chargers, the win was only their fourth in the past 23 games against the Chiefs and marked their first sweep of the season series since 2013.
More importantly, the Chargers kept pace with the division-leading Denver Broncos, who passed a big test with a 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers, and raised their chances of making the playoffs to 88.3% at the moment, per the Opta supercomputer.
Los Angeles (10-4) has played well defensively during its current 5-1 stretch, holding opponents to 20 or fewer points in all five of those victories. The Chargers have totaled 10 interceptions and 23 sacks during this stretch.
The Chargers travel to Denver in Week 18 for what could be a de facto division title game.
MVP-Level T-Law
After dropping three of four, the Jacksonville Jaguars got back on track with back-to-back wins in November.
Still, Trevor Lawrence wasn’t happy.
The 2021 No. 1 overall pick had just thrown for three touchdowns in a 27-24 overtime road win over the Arizona Cardinals, but he’d also tossed a season-high three interceptions.
“People can watch the tape and make their own judgements, and I’ll watch it and do the same,” Lawrence told reporters. “Had some tough plays out there and those guys made good plays as well. I’ve got to be smart with the ball. We had four turnovers and they’re all on me.”
Clearly, Lawrence took that to heart.
Since making those comments, he’s thrown for nine touchdowns and no picks while extending the AFC South-leading Jaguars’ win streak to five. And on Sunday, he put together a historic effort with 330 yards passing to go along with five TDs through the air and one rushing score in a 48-20 rout of the New York Jets.
Lawrence became the first player to throw for at least five touchdowns while also running for a TD since Drew Brees in 2019.
Players With 5+ Pass TD & 1+ Rush TD
- Trevor Lawrence, 12/14/2025, Jaguars vs. Jets, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Drew Brees, 12/08/2019, Saints vs. 49ers, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Aaron Rodgers, 10/20/2019, Packers vs. Raiders, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Mark Rypien, 11/10/1991, Redskins vs. Falcons, 6 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Mark Malone, 09/08/1985, Steelers vs. Colts, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Roman Gabriel, 12/12/1965, Rams vs. Browns, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Frank Ryan, 12/12/1964, Browns at Giants, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Charley Johnson, 12/09/1962, Cardinals vs. Cowboys, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Norm Van Brocklin, 09/28/1951, Rams vs. Yanks, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
- Norm Van Brocklin, 10/29/1950, Rams vs. Lions, 5 Pass TD, 1 Rush TD
Through Week 12, Lawrence had thrown 16 pickable passes (passes that could’ve been, should’ve been, or were intercepted) in 360 adjusted attempts (no spikes or throwaways) for a 4.44 pickable pass percentage that was the 14th highest (or worst).
Heading into Week 15, he had not thrown one pickable pass in 55 adjusted attempts since the sloppy victory over the Cardinals.
The Jaguars (10-4) were able to maintain their one-game lead over the surging Texans (9-5) and bumped their probability of winning the division from 43.6% after Week 14 to 50.8% on Sunday.
Jacksonville, which visits the AFC-West-leading Broncos in Week 16, has a 94.0% chance of reaching the playoffs for only the third time since 2008.
Bills Not Ready to Yield
We would have loved to have heard what the visitors’ locker room sounded like at halftime.
With the New England Patriots leading the Buffalo Bills 24-7, there appeared to be a changing of the guard in the AFC East happening before our very eyes. All the Pats needed was a victory to win their first division crown since Tom Brady’s final year with the team in 2019.
Then the Bills responded.
James Cook III had two touchdown runs and Dawson Knox caught a pair of TD passes from Josh Allen as the Bills rallied in the second half to win a 35-31 thriller at New England.
After throwing for six touchdowns and six interceptions over a four-game stretch, Allen has thrown for six TDs and no picks while leading the Bills to 74 points in their last two wins.
Cook continued his breakout season with his third 100-yard effort in four games. He’s rushed for a league-high 447 yards since Week 12 and has already set a career high with 1,415 on the season.
Buffalo (10-4), which has won the last five AFC East titles, closed to within one game of New England (11-3).
The Patriots had their 10-game winning streak come to an end, but they all but put to rest the idea of being a team that’s just padded its record with an easy schedule by nearly sweeping the Bills.
They still have a 78.7% probability of winning the division after the loss, while the Bills lifted their chances from 12.3% after Week 14 to 21.3% on Sunday.
New England’s TreVeyon Henderson is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous backs in the league. He had 148 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries against the Bills.
Since Week 10, he’s second in the NFL with six rushing touchdowns, third with 6.45 yards per carry and fourth with 98.0 yards per game.
Is This the Rams’ Best Offense?
Seahawks Deny Rivers
Everyone was having fun on social media after the Indianapolis Colts announced they were signing and starting 44-year-old Philip Rivers on Sunday.
Rivers, who hadn’t played in the league since 2020, certainly showed some rust while completing 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. But he had the Colts in position to win up 16-15 with 47 seconds left after Blake Grupe’s 60-yard field goal.
The Seattle Seahawks, though, weren’t interested in any kind of Hollywood ending. Sam Darnold found Rashid Shaheed on 17- and 8-yard completions to set up Jason Myers for his 56-yard field goal that gave the Seahawks a dramatic 18-16 win.
The Seahawks kept pace with the Los Angeles Rams atop the AFC West, though the Rams own the tiebreaker. The two 11-3 teams are set to meet in Seattle on Thursday Night Football.
The Colts (8-6), who once looked like a sure thing for a playoff berth, have lost four of their last five, as well as starting quarterback Daniel Jones, to see their playoff probability drop to 19.5%.
For more coverage, follow along on social media on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.
The post NFL Week 15 Recap: Reacting to Some of Sunday’s Biggest News and Numbers appeared first on Opta Analyst.
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