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Football is so much fun, and Week 15 was a perfect example of that. Contenders turned into pretenders, and several top teams showed why they belong in the NFL playoffs.

The postseason is the name of the game right now, with plenty of teams having a little extra to fight for in these last few weeks of the regular season.

Some teams answered the bell. Others cracked under the pressure, and the playoff picture shifted because of it.

With Week 15 now come and gone, let’s dive in and see how the league is shaping up with our biggest takeaways from the slate of games.

Chiefs were kicked out of playoff contention in the loss

Perhaps the biggest news from the Week 15 slate of games is the downfall of the Kansas City Chiefs. To make matters worse, quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered an ACL injury and has been ruled out for the season.

During a promising fourth-quarter drive, Mahomes threw an interception intended for Kareem Hunt. Later in the quarter, the Chiefs were given the ball again with a chance to tie the game and keep the playoff hopes alive, but that’s when Mahomes’ injury happened. Gardner Minshew came in as a replacement but couldn’t get the job done.

It’s the first time since 2014 that the NFL playoffs will not include the Chiefs. Additionally, their hopes of breaking the record for most consecutive Super Bowl appearances were also shattered in the loss.

For the Chargers, it wasn’t smooth sailing for quarterback Justin Herbert and the offense, who were blitzed all game. According to Next Gen Stats, Herbert faced the blitz on 19 of his 34 dropbacks, which was the second-highest blitz rate he faced all season. Herbert finished the day going 19-for-29 with 210 yards and a touchdown, all while playing with a surgically repaired fractured left hand, leading the team to two wins in six days.

Playoff implications: The Chiefs have been eliminated in the loss, and the Chargers are sitting at around a 90-95% chance of making the postseason with the win.

For the Chargers, if they win or tie their next game and one of either Indianapolis or Houston loses or ties their game, the Chargers will clinch a spot in the postseason.

Josh Allen helps mount a valiant comeback against the Patriots

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills mounted one of the most impressive comebacks of the season against the New England Patriots. Quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense had the Bills’ number in the first half. Allen, at one point early on, had negative passing yards, and it looked like New England was going to blow out Buffalo en route to winning the AFC East for the first time in five years.

Unfortunately for Pats fans, with No. 17, no game is out of reach. The reigning MVP went 19-of-28 passing for 193 yards and three touchdowns while adding 11 rushes for 48 yards. The performance threw him back into the MVP race.

Allen led Buffalo’s dominant second-half performance, but also featured running back James Cook. Cook has been a dominant force in 2025, shattering expectations and proving to be one of the very best backs in all of football.

Maye and the Patriots offense got off to a hot start, with Maye finding the end zone twice as a rusher and having people talking MVP in the early stages of the game. Buffalo’s defense settled down, and Maye didn’t have the best day at the office outside of a brilliant first half of football.

With the win, Buffalo keeps its slim hopes alive of winning the AFC East for a sixth time, but will require some help, needing the Patriots dropping a game to the Dolphins or Jets to steal it.

Playoff implications: The Patriots and Bills have a 99% chance of making the postseason.

For Buffalo, if they win or tie and either Indianapolis or Houston loses, they’ll clinch a playoff berth on Sunday. For the Patriots, they need to win or tie or have a loss by Indianapolis or Houston, and they’ll be in the dance.

Denver Broncos take care of business against Green Bay

Say what you want about the Denver Broncos, they just keep finding ways to win football games. The best record in the NFL and one of the best defenses in the league, the matchup against the Green Bay Packers had all the makings of an instant classic.

Unfortunately, injuries to the Packers made this contest less than appealing. Micah Parsons went down with a scary knee injury and has since been confirmed to have torn his ACL, losing him for the season and perhaps the hopes and dreams of the Packers hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. It wasn’t just Parsons, though, as the team went down wide receiver Christian Watson, right tackle Zach Tom, tight end Josh Whyle, and safety Evan Williams.

Outside of injuries, ultimately, what turned the tide for the Broncos in this game was Pat Surtain’s interception in the early stages of the second half. The Packers had taken a 23-14 lead and were driving down the field. Surtain leapt into action (no pun intended) and pulled off one of the most insane interceptions of the season. From that point on, the Broncos outscored Green Bay 20-3 and walked away with their 11th straight win.

The sophomore slump isn’t a thing for quarterback Bo Nix, who was terrific in the contest. He had four passing touchdowns on the day, evading pressure and making something out of nothing at times. The Green Bay defense is no joke, but neither is Nix. Green Bay’s defense put up a solid fight against the Broncos quarterback; he was just better.

Playoff implications: Denver has already clinched a playoff spot, but can win the AFC West division title with a win and a Chargers loss, or a tie and a Chargers loss.

They can win the 1 seed with a win and a Chargers loss or tie, plus a loss from New England and a loss or tie from Buffalo.

For Green Bay, they can clinch a playoff berth with a win and a Detroit loss or tie, or with a tie and a Detroit loss.

The Rams look like the team to beat in the NFC

Matthew Stafford is looking like an MVP, and perhaps the Rams are the team to beat in the NFL. The NFC West is shaping up for a heck of a finish as the 11-3 Rams will face off against the 11-3 Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. It was a celebration in Los Angeles, though it could mean that the Detroit Lions’ playoff hopes have all been erased.

The first half of this contest was a shootout, a back-and-forth, explosive first half of football that had all the makings to be one of the all-time great games. A brilliant third quarter from Matthew Stafford saw the team outgain the Lions 179 yards to five, scoring 17 points to take control of the contest. For Jared Goff and the Lions, the Rams’ defense smothered him in the third quarter, making life miserable for the franchise quarterback.

Leading up to the contest, it was clear that if the Rams wanted to be successful, they were going to have to limit Goff, all while stopping the running attack that Detroit possesses. They did exactly that, limiting Gibbs to 58 scrimmage yards, and while the score may have seemed close, there were some garbage time touchdowns from Detroit late in the game.

What makes this Rams team so dangerous is how complete it looks when things click. Obviously, the worry now is whether Davante Adams will be available for the Seahawks game, but they are a solid organization. The defense is peaking at the right time, and Sean McVay has this group humming as December football will quickly turn into January.

Playoff implications: The Rams have already clinched a playoff spot; there’s still some work to do to win the division, and that starts with beating the Seahawks.

For the Lions, they’ll need to win out the remainder of the games and get some help along the way if they want to make the postseason. They’re sitting at around a 40% chance currently.

NFL Newsletter

Wild Week 14 TAKEAWAYS: What we learned | A to Z Sports All-NFL newsletter

Our All-NFL newsletter from December 9, 2025.

Adam Zientek