Week 15’s Sunday action showed us even struggling teams still have fight in them — the Saints took the Commanders down to the wire, the Cowboys apparently took offense to their underdog status in Carolina and blasted the Panthers, and the Jets won a back-and-forth battle in Jacksonville with some throwback heroics:
TAE 👏 ADAMS 👏#NYJvsJAX on FOX pic.twitter.com/9FqFL48Tbm
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 15, 2024
The Athletic NFL writers Nick Baumgardner, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on all of these storylines and more.
The Chiefs won a game that didn’t come down to the last play in Cleveland. They also had Patrick Mahomes limp off the field, but if Mahomes is healthy: Do you feel better about their three-peat chances after watching a convincing road win?
Pompei: Beating the three-win Browns by 14 points shouldn’t change any opinions of the Chiefs, but they were always positioned to start playing their best football now. They have been really good all season, despite the worries over close margins of victory. We will get a better feel for whether they are peaking in the next three weeks when they play three teams in the playoff hunt — the Texans, Steelers, and Broncos. They aren’t going to be going against Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson in those games.
Baumgardner: It didn’t make me feel especially better about the Chiefs. Even before going down, Mahomes was 19-of-38 for 158 yards in this game. The Chiefs ran the ball O.K., but still wound up below four yards per carry while giving up better than six per attempt on the ground to Cleveland. Credit Kansas City’s defense (and Cleveland QB Jameis Winston) for the four interceptions, but if the Browns get a cleaner game from the QB it likely would’ve been the type of down-to-the wire game we’re often talking about with K.C. Travis Kelce is still Travis Kelce, but not the guy of five years ago. Xavier Worthy has juice, but I’m not sure it’s enough. In general, I’m not sure the Chiefs have enough. They do have Mahomes, though, and if he’s healthy they simply can’t be counted out.
Nguyen: After some lackluster performances the defense has looked better, but they don’t look like the elite unit that they were early this season. Losing Jaylen Watson has hurt their ability to play man coverage and blitz. The offense has to be much better for me to feel confident about their ability to compete for another Super Bowl. They did just enough today in Cleveland, but they had some rough stretches during which they couldn’t move the ball. The tackles are a huge problem and D.J. Humphries, who started last week before hurting his hamstring, didn’t look good in his first game with the Chiefs. Maybe Marquise Brown could provide a spark for this offense. Their skill players have the punch to get it done, but life will continue to be hard on this offense as long as Mahomes is under pressure. With all that in mind, doubting this Chiefs team isn’t wise, but their margin of error is very small and they’ll need Mahomes to be superhuman again in the postseason.
The Commanders have back-to-back wins after a three-game losing streak, though they did not exactly look impressive holding on in New Orleans. Is this team capable of winning a road playoff game (or two)?
Nguyen: The Saints had no business almost winning this game, but the Commanders offense is fractured. Losing center Tyler Biadasz before the game due to sickness, and Zack Ertz because of a concussion, impacted this unit. Still, they had plenty of chances to cement this game and couldn’t capitalize. They struggled to run the ball against the Saints, who have one of the worst run defenses in the league. Terry McLaurin is by far their best weapon but Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t move his receivers around, making it too easy to take him out of the game. Their best plays on Sunday were Jayden Daniels scrambles — it’s hard to live that way in the playoffs. They’ll have a puncher’s chance because of Daniels’ talent, but the rookie has a lot of weight on his shoulders right now.
Pompei: If the Commanders start playing the way they did earlier in the season when they beat the Bengals and Cardinals on the road, then they can be a threat to win away from home in the postseason. They are playing better now than they did in November, but there is room for improvement. They almost lost to Spencer Rattler Sunday. They won’t be seeing Rattler in the playoffs. Their game against the Eagles next week will be a measuring stick. One month ago, the Commanders lost to the Eagles by eight points. Now they get them at home in a game that could have big repercussions for Washington.
Baumgardner: It all depends on the matchup and how much they can keep Jayden Daniels and the offense on schedule and out of danger-zone scenarios. Honestly, I’ve been waiting to see Daniels run into a wall or hit a funk around this part of the schedule — particularly after teams have had time to study Kliff Kingsbury again. But outside of a recent three-game, four-INT stretch, that really hasn’t happened. I think C.J. Stroud was a better player as a rookie, but Daniels’ first year doesn’t feel completely unlike that. Or like a younger Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. I think Daniels is a gamer, and tough enough to deliver in the postseason — so long as he’s protected.
Vegas, the Titans, the Giants, the Jets… understanding that we could have staffing and roster changes at each spot, what do you see as the best landing spot for a highly drafted quarterback in 2025?
Baumgardner: As dysfunctional as they are, the Jets do have some solid young offensive linemen even if it hasn’t always looked that way this year. The Raiders could make similar arguments, though both teams (and really every team on this list) has to invest in a veteran bridge quarterback ahead of selecting one of these 2025 draft quarterbacks in the top 10. Be it Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, the quarterbacks in this class are going to need a little time to adjust. If you throw the weight of your franchise at them without any type of buffer you’re running the risk of falling down the hole Bryce Young is only just now trying to climb out of. The Giants and Titans have a lot of OL work ahead before they can expect a rookie QB to thrive.
Nguyen: I wouldn’t say that there is an ideal situation among that group, especially with potential coaching changes coming up for three of the four teams (Titans might be the only team that keeps their head coach). However, if we are just looking at building blocks, the Raiders may have the best situation. They have a young offensive line that has played better in recent weeks, Brock Bowers is already a top-three tight end, and Jakobi Meyers is a very quarterback-friendly target. The Raiders also have some talent on defense with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins. Out of the four teams, the Raiders have the best chance of turning things around with another good draft and a capable quarterback.
Pompei: Based on current coaching staffs, you’d say the Titans or Giants. Brian Daboll couldn’t make it work with Daniel Jones, but he had success with Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama, and with Josh Allen in Buffalo. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was part of Patrick Mahomes’ development. Titans coach Brian Callahan hasn’t made Will Levis into a Pro Bowler, but he did good work with Joe Burrow, Derek Carr, Matthew Stafford and Peyton Manning. The Titans have the nucleus of a really good offensive line, but they need another piece. If they can find a right tackle and add another wide receiver, Tennessee could be an inviting spot for a young QB.
(Top photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)