2024 NFL Week 15: Sunday’s standout games and what to look out for
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season sees four games between teams currently in the playoff positions, with all four taking place on Sunday.
The week’s action began on Thursday with the Los Angeles Rams keeping their playoff hopes alive through their narrow victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
The postseason picture is coming into focus as the end of the regular season approaches, with job security and future roster positions on the line in the final few weeks.
Here’s a look at three of Sunday’s standout matchups.
Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions – 4:25 p.m. ET
Could Sunday’s game at Ford Field be a Super Bowl preview? The way the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions are playing, it very well might be.
And that’s quite the change for two “down on their luck” franchises. The Lions have never been to a Super Bowl – agonizingly missing out last year – and the Bills lost in four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s.
Both have already wrapped up their tickets to the postseason and have battles on their hands for the No. 1 seed in their respective conference.
The Bills are two games behind the 12-1 Kansas City Chiefs but hold the tiebreak over the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Buffalo is coming off a thrilling defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in the season’s highest scoring contest so far, a game in which quarterback Josh Allen made history with six touchdowns to his name: three passing and three rushing.
Despite the loss, the Bills are one of the in-form teams in the NFL as Allen stakes his claim for his first MVP award and, perhaps more importantly, a run to the Super Bowl.
Looking over at the Motor City, the Lions are arguably the best team in football at the moment as they enjoy a historic season in Michigan.
Their star-studded offensive lineup, under the stewardship of coordinator Ben Johnson, has become an unstoppable juggernaut, in particular the running back combination of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
After a stellar rookie season, Gibbs is enjoying an even better sophomore campaign with his speed and evasiveness proving to be a weapon out of the backfield. The 22-year-old has 1,016 rushing yards and 312 receiving yards as well as 10 touchdowns on the ground and two through the air.
Ahead of the game against the Bills, Johnson spoke about the effect that head coach Dan Campbell has had on the team in 2024.
“What I’ve seen this year as opposed to prior years is (Campbell) has not shied away from the high expectations, and for a guy that really hasn’t been in this position before, I cringe a little bit just looking at it and seeing it all take place,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday.
“But now, as I’m watching it unfold, I’m like: ‘Man, it was a beautiful thing,’ because our guys, he knows who they are, what they’re made of, and they’ve really risen to the challenge up to this point of the season, and they love having the target on their backs. We know we’re getting everybody’s best shot right now, and I think Coach Campbell’s a big reason why we are so prepared each week.”
And although a slew of defensive injuries have taken a toll – starters Aidan Hutchinson, Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez and Marcus Davenport are all on injured reserve with serious ailments – Detroit remains atop the NFC conference and on pace for a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles – 4:25 p.m. ET
The 82nd edition of the “Battle for Pennsylvania” could be a measuring stick game for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles.
The 10-3 Steelers are almost certainly guaranteed a playoff berth as they currently lead the AFC North while the 11-2 Eagles booked their spot following their Week 14 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
With Russell Wilson quarterbacking the team, the Steelers are 6-1 and looking like serious playoff contenders in what is head coach Mike Tomlin’s 18th season in Pittsburgh.
They hold a two-game advantage atop the AFC North over the Baltimore Ravens and look certain to host a playoff game at Acrisure Stadium should they finish the season strongly.
Although there are plenty of reasons to be positive, the Steelers are likely to be without star receiver George Pickens for the second-straight game as Wilson looks for production from his other skill position players.
The Eagles, on the other hand, are riding a nine-game winning streak after their bye, tying the franchise record for consecutive victories.
Not all is sunny in Philadelphia, though, with issues around the team’s passing game popping up after the win over Carolina; wide receiver AJ Brown did attempt to calm those concerns, saying his relationship with QB Jalen Hurts was “good.”
But even if Hurts and his receivers aren’t clicking, the Eagles rushing attack has been dominant this season, led by running back Saquon Barkley. Philly has the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL – but the 31st passing attack.
Barkley leads the NFL with 1,623 rushing yards in 13 games this season and, in a season filled with historic milestones for the 27-year-old, he could set yet another against the Steelers.
If Barkley gets 77 rushing yards on Sunday, he would become the fourth player since 2000 with at least 1,700 rushing yards in his first 14 games of a season and the first since Adrian Peterson in 2012.
It will be a tough challenge for Barkley and the rest of the Eagles offense, though, against a Steelers defense which has allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards all season and which welcomed back star pass rusher Alex Highsmith from injury in last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
But Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said his team is focused on the job at hand.
“What I’ve noticed about this football team is they’re so locked in and determined to get better each day. Again, we don’t really want anyone else talking to us about anything other than the Pittsburgh Steelers,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“‘But what about this scenario for the NFC East? What about the one seed? What about this?’ We’re not focused on that.
“These guys are so locked in and determined. How do I know that, how do I see that? I see them every day here. I see them in moments like the week of Thanksgiving, where nobody really blinked, and the day after Thanksgiving, where it was just so locked in.”
Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks – 8:20 p.m. ET
Sunday Night Football offers a clash between two likely playoff teams looking to cement their positions in the postseason.
In a down year for the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks lead the pack at 8-5 and, with the four division rivals playing one another down the stretch, could prove kingmakers.
The 9-4 Packers, meanwhile, have the third-best record in the NFC North but sit sixth in the NFC playoff standings and are coming off a narrow loss to the Lions last time out.
Fans could be treated to a classic at Lumen Field under the lights as two of the more dynamic offenses go head-to-head; the Seahawks have the third-best passing attack while the Packers have the fifth-best rushing offense.
For the Packers, the arrival of running back Josh Jacobs raised eyebrows, but he has more than lived up to the hype with his physical style of running suiting what head coach Matt LaFleur wants from his offensive scheme.
He is third in the league in rushing yards and has 11 rushing touchdowns this season. Paired with the recent hot stretch of Jordan Love – the QB is third in passer rating over the last four weeks – it has made for a potent offense.
But they will face a stiff challenge to keep up with Seattle’s offense, led by coordinator Ryan Grubb in his first year in charge.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is second in the NFL in passing yards and has a plethora of options at his disposal in the form of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
The explosion of Smith-Njigba in his second year in the NFL has been a real bright spot for the Seahawks with the 22-year-old’s elusiveness from the slot receiver position complimenting the outside threat of Metcalf.
Smith-Njigba is sixth in the league in receiving yards and has four touchdowns over his last five games.
With both offenses firing on all cylinders, Sunday’s action could prove to be a high-scoring affair.
Full Week 15 schedule
Away @ home
Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers – 1 p.m. ET
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cleveland Browns – 1 p.m. ET
Miami Dolphins vs. Houston Texans – 1 p.m. ET
New York Jets vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – 1 p.m. ET
Washington Commanders vs. New Orleans Saints – 1 p.m. ET
Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants – 1 p.m. ET
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans – 1 p.m. ET
New England Patriots vs. Arizona Cardinals – 4:25 p.m. ET
Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos – 4:25 p.m. ET
Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions – 4:25 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Los Angeles Chargers – 4:25 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles – 4:25 p.m. ET
Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks – 8:20 p.m. ET
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