Week 15 lived up to the hype. Leading up to the slate, it was poised to be one of, if not the, defining weekend of the 2025 regular season. As the action unfolded, we started to see the playoff picture come into focus, particularly with teams that will not be vying for a Lombardi Trophy this winter.
Most notably, the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals were officially eliminated from playoff contention, meaning neither Patrick Mahomes nor Joe Burrow will be a factor in the AFC. That’s good news for Josh Allen, who helped the Buffalo Bills rally from a 21-point deficit against the New England Patriots to keep his team’s hopes of leaping into first place in the AFC East alive.
Naturally, there are numerous takeaways from the pandemonium that Week 15 produced. But which of those takeaways are something that will have legs for the final three weeks, and which are merely an overreaction? Below, we’ll determine just that by taking a look at some of the notable storylines from Week 15 and figure out which we should take seriously and which we should chalk up as a mere overreaction.
Josh Allen has played himself into the MVP conversation
Overreaction vs. reality: Reality
Josh Allen was sensational in Week 15. The Bills QB kept his team’s hopes of winning the division alive by rallying from a 21-point deficit over the New England Patriots in Foxborough. Allen led a second-half rally that saw Buffalo outscore New England 28-7, and the defending NFL MVP led five straight touchdown drives in the process. Allen finished the day throwing for three touchdowns to go with his 193 yards through the air and a 123.1 passer rating.
This was the third time this season that the Bills rallied from a deficit of 10 or more points, and the second in as many weeks. Not only does this latest comeback win keep Buffalo in range of the AFC East crown, but it should also thrust him into the MVP conversation with Drake Maye (who he just defeated) and Matthew Stafford. Allen just notched his third season with at least 25 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns, which is the most in NFL history. If he gets Buffalo back atop the division, there’s a strong case for a back-to-back MVP.
2025 NFL playoff picture, standings: Bills alive in AFC East, Chiefs eliminated, Broncos and Rams clinch
Tyler Sullivan
Eagles have fixed their issues on offense
Overreaction vs. reality: Overreaction
Philadelphia looked like a well-oiled machine during Sunday’s 31-0 win over the Raiders. Jalen Hurts completed 12 of his 15 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 39 yards on the ground. This was Hurts’ first game with three or more passing touchdowns since Week 8, and he had just four passing touchdowns over his last five games combined. Meanwhile, the Eagles averaged 5.9 yards per play and converted 10 of their 13 third-down situations in the win.
While this was encouraging for the offense, I wouldn’t exhale fully if I were Philly. The Las Vegas Raiders are arguably the worst team in the NFL, and have struggled mightily in the secondary. Had the Eagles not had their way with them through the air in Week 15, it would’ve been a five-alarm fire. Simply put, they did what they were supposed to do and snapped a three-game losing skid in the process. Lucky for them, they get another easy matchup next week against a poor Commanders pass defense, so the good times should continue to roll. Have they actually fixed their issues, though? That remains to be seen.
Zac Taylor coached his last meaningful game for Bengals
Overreaction vs. reality: Reality
Joe Burrow made headlines this week when he made ominous comments about his playing future. However, I think more eyes should be on his coach. After a shutout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati is officially eliminated from playoff contention, which should make the seat under Zac Taylor hotter than the surface of the sun.
While he may not get the boot in the immediate aftermath of this contest, I believe he coached his last meaningful game for Cincinnati in Week 15, with the club potentially looking for new leadership once the regular season officially concludes. When you pair Burrow’s comments with the lackluster effort we saw unfold in Week 15, this feels like an organization that has no one to inspire, which falls on the shoulders of Taylor.
Jaguars are the best team in the AFC South
Overreaction vs. reality: Overreaction
The Jaguars just notched their fifth straight win and is 10-4 on the season, which keeps them in first place in the AFC South. While the Jags are the No. 3 seed in the conference, I still have a hard time thinking they are the best in their own division, let alone one of the top clubs in the AFC. Trevor Lawrence was spectacular in Week 15, throwing for five touchdowns and adding a rushing score.
As impressive as it was, we have to point out that it came against the lowly New York Jets, and this current winning streak hasn’t seen them beat a ton of powerbrokers in the NFL (Chargers, Cardinals, Titans, Colts, Jets). Next week’s game at Denver will be a better barometer as to who this team actually is, and how we should view it in the overall playoff picture in the AFC. I think if you gave every playoff team in the AFC some truth serum, each would confess rather playing Jacksonville than Houston at the moment.
Overreaction vs. reality: Reality
It was a memorable day for Shedeur Sanders for all the wrong reasons. The Browns quarterback struggled mightily in a 31-3 loss to the Chicago Bears, completing just 51.4% of his passes for 177 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. Those turnovers should be Cleveland’s biggest concern as the Browns continue to evaluate the rookie as a potential franchise quarterback.
Sanders had just two interceptions over his first three career starts, so to see the floor fall out from under him here may be the first domino that takes him out of consideration as the QB of the future. Certainly, Sanders didn’t do himself any favors in convincing the Browns to steer clear of drafting a young signal-caller.
Seattle is fools’ gold after nearly losing to Philip Rivers
Overreaction vs. reality: Overreaction
The Seahawks were nearly the butt of the joke throughout the NFL, had they not pulled off a last-minute comeback to avoid being upset by the Colts. Specifically, it would’ve been a horrendous look for a team earmarked for the playoffs to lose to a 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who hadn’t played an NFL game for 1,800 days. Naturally, allowing Rivers to run somewhat efficiently has folks wondering if we’re viewing Seattle all wrong. Are they really as big a threat as their 11-3 record indicates? Or are they merely fools’ gold, and this outing against Rivers was a glimmer of their fraudulence?
With a massive showdown with the Rams on deck for Thursday, I think Seattle was simply caught sleeping a bit in this game and looking ahead to that matchup. Its strong play defensively and an offense centered around Jaxson Smith-Njigba is enough to make them dangerous in the playoffs, even if it didn’t quite look like it on Sunday.
Overreaction vs. reality: Reality
Week 15 couldn’t have gone worse for the Packers. Coming into the day, they were the No. 2 seed in the conference and in first place in the NFC North. However, after losing to the Broncos, they’ve fallen all the way to the No. 7 seed, with the Bears leaping back ahead of them. To make matters even more dire, star pass rusher Micah Parsons left Sunday’s loss with what is reportedly feared to be a torn ACL.
If/when that injury is confirmed, Parsons’ absence this season could also result in the end of Green Bay’s Super Bowl hopes. Parsons was the straw that stirred the drink of their defense and led the unit with 12.5 sacks on the season. With him out of the picture, it completely changes how opposing teams game plan against them and dramatically lowers the ceiling of the defense. With a pivotal game against the Bears next week, his absence will be felt almost instantly.
