Week 15 of the NFL had everything a fan could have asked for, there was late drama, wild plays, controversy and all sorts of things that just left you in awe of what was unfolding.
Five teams are officially out of contention for the Lombardi Trophy and with 16 games to review, there was no shortage of highlights to sift through.
Check out our recap of Week 15 here!
1 – Everyone Came to Play This Weekend
It’s hard to remember a weekend of NFL action that had as many close games as we have seen in these past few days.
Heading into the Monday Night Football game in Green Bay, 13 of the 15 games had been decided by a single digit margin and the biggest win of the weekend was the Bengals 11 point victory in Tampa Bay.
Even more impressive was the fact they won that game staging a massive comeback over Tampa Bay.
What made the weekend even more impressive was the sheer number of dramatic comebacks that took place.
Five games finished with a field goal margin of victory, and it felt like no matter where you looked, there was a game being decided on the final play.
In terms of drama it doesn’t get better than that.
2 – Matt Ryan is Cursed
At some point it stopped becoming funny and you couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Matt Ryan.
He’s been a good quarterback throughout his career and for the most part, lived up to his draft status out of Boston College in 2008.
In 2012 he took his team to the NFC Championship before falling 28-24 to the San Francisco 49ers, then four years later he enjoyed the best season of his career, winning the MVP and taking the Falcons to the Super Bowl.
We all know how that ended for him.
Plenty of fans were hoping this move to Indianapolis would provide one last show at a Super Bowl ring for one of the more likeable guys in the league.
It has been a disaster and now Ryan has to be wondering how many ladders he walked under over the years.
His latest collapse came in Minnesota with the Colts surging to a stunning 33-0 lead over the Vikings, there was no way they could blow it from there, after all, teams were 1548-1-1 in NFL history when leading by 30.
But lo and behold they found a way.
Even with Jonathan Taylor out injured, the Colts should have been able to hold on to their advantage just by being smart and running out the clock.
You cannot pin the collapse entirely on Ryan, it was a full team effort from the Colts to make NFL history the way they did, especially when playing defence like this.
But at some point, it stops being a coincidence and starts being a pattern.
When he does decide to hang it up, possibly in the next three weeks, Ryan will without a doubt go down as one of the NFL’s “almost great” quarterbacks who played so well but could never get over the line.
3 – The Jaguars have Something in Trevor Lawrence
Many were justifiably concerned that starting his career under the guidance of Urban Meyer would turn the first overall draft pick into a cowering, nervous wreck who would never live up to his alleged potential.
However as we are learning now, Trevor Lawrence has the skills to be one of the best quarterbacks in the game and as long as Doug Pederson is coaching him, he’ll keep progressing.
The Jaguars overtime win over the Cowboys might have come on a defensive touchdown but it was the four touchdown effort of Lawrence that was a big reason they got to overtime in the first place.
All of a sudden, the Jaguars are now at 6-8 and are in position to steal the AFC South from the flailing Titans.
Even if they miss the playoffs in 2022, there is reason to believe that the Jaguars will start the 2023 season as favourites for the AFC South title thanks to their quarterback looking like he’s the guy for them long term.
But for now, defeating the Jets next week and the Titans in Week 18 might just get them over the line.
4 – Bill Belichick’s Job is in Jeopardy
Two weeks ago we said that the Patriots were facing a big problem and at the time, the stagnated development of Mac Jones seemed like the biggest problem the team was facing.
But after their horrendous capitulation in Las Vegas, bigger questions need to be asked about why this team is in the position it is in.
Losing a game that was essentially a pick in the betting markets is one thing, but losing on the back of one of the most spectacular brain fade’s in NFL history points to a poorly coached team.
There are two outcomes here and neither of them are flattering, the first is that the coaches panicked and thought they were trailing, or that the players have tuned them out and decided to go rogue.
Very rarely over the last two decades could you say coaching was the primary issue in New England but there is a reason some fans are thinking the 2020 season with Cam Newton “wasn’t that bad” anymore.
While de facto offensive coordinator Matt Patricia has drawn a lot of the ire from fans and media for the dumpster fire offence the Patriots have rolled out, the criticism needs to go higher up the food chain.
Take a look at the guy who put Patricia in a position where he was destined to fail, and that is Bill Belichick.
One of his core tenents over the last 23 seasons was that he was always going to do what was in the best interests of the team, but there is no way he can say this was really in the team’s best interest.
Belichick handed over the development of a second year quarterback and the play calling responsibilities to a guy who had spent the last 15 years coaching defence and systematically destroying the Detroit Lions.
Most will agree the jury is out on Mac Jones and his dreadful play this season can mostly be attributed to the poorly run offence, but it sure looks like there is a fracture in the locker room.
The play calling has been shocking, looking like it was randomly chosen from a menu on Madden rather than operating with any thought and it sure seems like they have all had enough.
That loss to the Lions dropped New England to 7-7 and it’s tough to see them winning two of their remaining three to get into the playoffs from here considering they are playing Cincinnati, Miami and Buffalo in that stretch.
Bottom line for Belichick, if he is planning on persisting with this Patricia experiment, Patriots owner Robert Kraft would be well advised to tap him on the shoulder and make sure they don’t have to sit through another disasterclass like this season has been for the offence.
At least on defence they have made some plays.
5 – Joe Burrow is the MVP Dark Horse
Patrick Mahomes is the presumptive favourite to win MVP right now, especially with the news that Jalen Hurts is going to miss time with a shoulder injury.
But let’s not discount the candidacy of Joe Burrow as he continues his ascent up the rankings of NFL quarterbacks.
Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen are the sole occupants on the top level but Burrow is one of those guys who will find their way up the ladder in very short order.
Especially if the Bengals keep their impressive run going and find a way to pinch home field advantage off the conference’s elite.
Punters looking for value in the MVP Market might find some with Joey B, even coming off one of his lowest yardage outputs of the season.
The stats don’t tell the full story as he and the Bengals came from 17-0 down to defeat the Buccaneers 34-23 on the back of four Burrow touchdown passes.
The sky is the limit for Burrow as long as he can stay healthy and with his sack numbers going way down from the start of the year, his confidence is only going to take them to good places.