Around The ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøbreaks down what you need to know from all of Saturday's action in Week 15 of the 2022 ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøseason. Catch up on each game's biggest takeaways using the links below:
¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøNetwork Saturday tripleheader
2022
·
11-3-0
2022
·
8-6-0
Coral Smith's takeaways
- Snow not a problem for the Bills. It was getting late in the game, and the Bills were trailing the Dolphins, 29-21, after a series of miscues. But as the snow started to fall, the Bills offense seemed to come alive once more. First it was a 44-yard run from quarterback Josh Allen to put Buffalo in the red zone, and a touchdown pass to Dawson Knox a couple plays later that put the Bills in position to tie it up with a successful two-point conversion. And for that play, they again turned to their star QB, who took the ball himself and leapt over the pile to reach the football over the goal line. While it took a video review, eventually it was confirmed that Allen's attempt had been successful. And from there, the Bills got a quick stop on defense and gave it back to the offense, which strung together 15 plays as the clock wound down to set up the game-winning field goal with seconds left. Despite the slippery powder on the ground, kicker Tyler Bass' aim was true, and the Bills completed their fourth game-winning drive of the season amidst a blizzard, clinching their spot in the playoffs.
- History almost repeats itself for Buffalo. The Bills were able to win Saturday's game in the end, but there was a stretch in the middle where it looked like they might end up in the same position as they did in their first matchup with the Dolphins this year. Back in September when the teams faced off, Buffalo appeared to be the better team based on the final numbers, but some late mistakes led to Miami taking the W in the end. And almost like deja vu, there were a few key miscues in the middle of the second half of this game that allowed Miami to go on top after Buffalo led at halftime. First, Jaylen Waddle sprinted to a 67-yard touchdown in the third quarter when a miscommunication in coverage left him wide open in the secondary. And then a few drives later the Bills defense got a stop, but roughed the kicker on the punt, extending the Dolphins' drive and leading to an eventual touchdown to Tyreek Hill. And then there was the strip sack of Allen, which was resulted in a Miami field goal -- 16 straight points to turn an eight-point lead for the Bills at halftime into an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter. While Allen and the offense managed to turn things around and all was well in the final score, that stretch of the game was concerning, and not something the Bills will want to happen again as they look toward the postseason.
- Dolphins' offense looks good despite loss. While the Dolphins will be heading back to Miami without the win, there was still some good to take away from their performance. After two games in which the unit looked stagnant for the most part, the Dolphins jumpstarted their offense, collecting over 400 yards and looking much more like the team that had been dominating competition over a previous five-game winning streak. And in addition to the resurgence of the pass game, there was also the emergence of a powerful run game led by Raheem Mostert. Mostert had an incredible first quarter, collecting 101 rushing yards in those first 15 minutes. 67 of those came on a single run in which Mostert broke through the initial scrum and sprinted along the sideline, pushing away or dragging along defenders while managing to keep his feet within the lines. Mostert finished the game with 136 rushing yards, and the team had 188 overall, a significant improvement on their season-average 89.8 yards per game, ranked 29th in the league coming into Saturday's matchup. There are no moral victories in football, especially this late in the season, but this offensive performance has to be encouraging heading into this last stretch of the season with the Dolphins' playoff hopes hanging in the balance.
Next Gen stat of the day: With Saturday's win, Josh Allen became just the second quarterback in ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøhistory with 50+ wins and 130+ pass touchdowns over their first five seasons, following Patrick Mahomes.
¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøResearch: Jaylen Waddle reached a maximum speed of 21.11 miles per hour on his 67-yard TD reception, his fastest as a ball-carrier since Week 12 of 2021, when he hit 21.80.
2022
·
6-8-0
2022
·
9-5-0
Coral Smith's takeaways
- Watson gets first home win with Browns. Deshaun Watson came into Saturday's divisional matchup still looking for a strong performance after having some struggles in his first two games. And he got the win behind a solid, if not stellar, showing in his first home game in Cleveland. Watson finished 18-for-28 passing for 161 yards, collecting a 91.5 passer rating. Watson's night started off a bit streaky, with his first four drives alternating between three-and-outs and field goals. When Watson found a rhythm, however, he made great throws and moved in the pocket. But there were still some issues, and he was unable to get into the end zone in the first half. Watson finally got there in the third quarter, taking advantage of an interception by Denzel Ward to put together a 76-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion and ended with a 3-yard pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones for Watson's first touchdown in Cleveland. That would be the only touchdown of the game. Watson's numbers weren't astounding, but this nevertheless marked a significant improvement on his play as he continues to get more comfortable in the Browns' offense.
- Tucker has uncharacteristic struggles. There were a couple reasons the Ravens couldn't take home the win on Saturday, but what was truly surprising was the issues with Baltimore's kicker. Veteran Justin Tucker, who has made a name for himself as one of the most powerful and consistent placekickers in the game, missed not one but two field goals in the loss. For context, the last time that Tucker missed two FGs in a game was in Week 16 of 2018, almost exactly four years ago. Tucker started the game strong with a 53-yard kick in the first quarter. But things went wrong from that point on. His first miss came with seconds left before halftime and a chance to go into the break tied up at 6. Instead, Tucker hooked the 48-yarder just a bit left of the upright, his first miss under 50 yards since Week 10 of last season. Then in the second half, Tucker again came out to try and put points on the board and failed. This time Tucker's 50-yard attempt was blocked by Browns defender Jordan Elliott. Tucker finished his night 1-for-3. Lots of kickers have bad days, but that's rarely the case for the Ravens with their usually automatic kicker. That wasn't the story on Saturday.
- Cleveland D holds strong. The Browns' defense and special teams came up big in Saturday's win, taking away opportunities for the Ravens throughout the game, starting with the opening drive of the game. The Ravens made it all the way to the Browns' 7-yard line before Cleveland got the stop on fourth down. Baltimore never got that close to the end zone again. The Browns also made big defensive plays on three straight drives in the second half. Baltimore was marching down the field to open the third quarter, advancing to Cleveland's 15-yard line before Ward picked off Tyler Huntley. The Browns' ensuing possession resulted in the night's only touchdown. And on the Ravens' first play after that TD, the Browns got another takeaway when John Johnson punched out the ball for the forced fumble and recovery. For the trifecta, the next Ravens' drive ended in the blocked Tucker FG attempt. Because of the Cleveland defense's efforts, Baltimore finished the game 0-for-2 in red zone trips and 0-for-3 on fourth down.
Next Gen stat of the day: Myles Garrett had four QB pressures and 1.5 sacks on 28 pass rushes versus the Ravens. Garrett leads the ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøwith 63 QB pressures this season.
¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøResearch: Justin Tucker had only been under 50% on FG attempts in a game three times in his career before Saturday, with the last time being in Week 10, 2015 (went 0-1). Tucker has had only one previous game in his career where he finished under 50% with at least two FG attempts (Week 2, 2013 when he went 0-2).
2022
·
11-3-0
2022
·
4-9-1
Michael Baca's takeaways:
- Vikings clinch NFC North with biggest comeback in ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøhistory. Minnesota orchestrated another miracle on Saturday, overcoming a 33-point deficit and winning in overtime for what now stands as the largest comeback in ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøhistory. Entering the second half down 33-0, all hope seemed lost for a Vikings team that handed the Colts opportunities with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, a lost fumble near the red zone, a botched fake punt that led to another score, and a pick-six. With Minnesota's defense holding the Colts to three points and 102 total yards in the second half, the offense was given a spark by K.J. Osborn (10 recpetions, 157 yards, TD) and rattled off three consecutive touchdown drives starting with 8:26 left in the third quarter, clawing their way back into the game despite turning the ball over twice (interception, downs) in the fourth quarter and putting the game into OT thanks to Dalvin Cook's incredible 64-yard touchdown and T.J. Hockenson's two-point conversion. The Vikings scored 22 points in the final frame to get into OT, but even there the craziness continued as the Vikings got the ball first only to punt it away at midfield. After stopping the Colts a final time, Kirk Cousins drove down the field and found Justin Jefferson on a crucial 13-yard gain to get Greg Joseph into field goal range. Joseph booted the 40-yard FG to complete the epic comeback and clinch the NFC North title in the most dramatic way possible for a Week 15 intraconference game.
- A Saturday to forget for Indianapolis. Everything was going swimmingly for the Colts as they took advantage of every early mistake made by the Vikings. Indy's 33-0 drubbing in the first half included scores on five of their six offensive possessions in the first half with kicker Chase McLaughlin (5 of 5 FGs) ensuring positive results. His last make, a 52-yarder, came with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter and it would be the Colts' final score of the game. A defense that held the Vikings in check for the majority of three quarters was continuously gashed with splash plays, allowing 31 unanswered points following McLaughlin's final kick. The Matt Ryan-led offense didn't do them any favors either, as the Colts were held to just four plays in five of six fourth-quarter possessions, which included a late-game fumble by Deon Jackson that was lucky not to have ended in a TD return by the Vikings. The Colts still had a chance in OT despite allowing an already embarrassing comeback, but the lack of a run game (Johnathan Taylor exited the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury) pitted the Colts into precarious third-and-longs all game. Ryan couldn't muster a big play on the Colts' lone OT drive, going eight plays for 31 yards and a punt from their own 44-yard line. Forcing a tie was soon the desired result as the Vikings took over at their own 18 with one timeout and 1:41 to play, but even then a loss seemed inevitable and so does the fate of interim head coach Jeff Saturday.
- Jefferson continues record-setting pace despite slow start. The Vikings star wide receiver was held to just three receptions for 17 yards amid the hellish first half, which included a brief exit after getting slammed to the turf on a tackle, but Jefferson was instrumental in the comeback win, adding eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Jefferson, per usual, flashed his tremendous route-running skills against respected Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore for most of the game, and had the veteran on skates at the end of his 8-yard TD catch to start the fourth quarter. Of course, Jefferson's number was called in the most crucial moment of OT, hauling in a screen pass and gaining the necessary yardage to get into FG range. Totaling 12 receptions for 123 yards and one score, Jefferson maintains his pace toward Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving record of 1,964 yards. With three games remaining (vs. NYG, at GB, at CHI), Jefferson's spectacular 2022 season goes forward with 1,623 total receiving yards, which currently leads the NFL.
Next Gen stat of the day: The Vikings had a minimum win probability of 0.4% when trailing 33-0 in third quarter (second-lowest in eventual win for any team in NGS era, including playoffs).
¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøResearch: The Vikings' 33-point comeback is the largest in ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøhistory, edging out the Buffalo Bills' 32-point comeback win over the Houston Oilers in the 1992 AFC wild-card game. The last team to come back from a 23-point deficit was Washington in Kirk Cousins' "You Like That" game for in Week 7, 2015 against the Buccaneers.
