Week 15 provided some drama, but not a whole lot. Most of the complaining seemed to center on bad calls, whether or not the games mattered.
There were a couple of elite QB's who failed to show up. In one case it didn't hurt the team. The other, of course, was Green Bay, who let Buffalo complete a 4-0 record against the NFC North.
I personally haven't seen many people say anything about it, but I think it's a heck of an accomplishment. Especially when you consider how poor the offense is, even with Orton in at QB instead of Manuel. I don't think anyone expected it to happen, especially with Green Bay playing as well as they had been prior to meeting the Bills.
Also, the Cowboys won and the Monday Night game was terrible. Big surprise.
Here are the Rankings for Week 15:
1.) New England (11-3) [+1]
The AFC East is off the table, as New England clinched it in Week 15. A torrid second half did the trick, as Brady and Gronkowski exposed Miami for the pretenders they are. Just imagine if it hadn't taken Brady a full month to get going.
Next opponent: at NY Jets (12/21)
2.) Denver (11-3) [+1]
The AFC West is off the table, as Denver clinched it in Week 15. It's surprising to me, since Peyton Manning hasn't played well in about a month now. At least this week he threw a TD pass, but his play has regressed pretty severely in addition to being hamstrung by the calls. I'm still not willing to give much credit to the so-called offensive coordinator. I think this is coming from the mind of Peyton himself. Whatever the source, he looks pretty bad even when they win.
Next opponent: at Cincinnati (12/22)
3.) Arizona (11-3) [+1]
I'm still not sure how they did it, really. Winning a game without scoring a touchdown is something...but I'm not sure it's anything worth celebrating. And with the backup QB down, Bruce Arians will be turning to Ryan Lindley (and maybe Logan Thomas). Ouch.
Next opponent: vs. Seattle (12/21)
4.) Green Bay (10-4) [-3]
The play everyone will remember (for as long as they remember the loss to Buffalo, which likely won't be more than a week or two) is the one Nelson failed to make on a ball that hit his hands. So much for the "dominance" Green Bay was supposedly expressing.
Next opponent: at Tampa Bay (12/21)
5.) Indianapolis (10-4) [no change]
The AFC South is off the table, as Indy clinched it in Week 15. And while they don't look quite as good as they did last season, perhaps the adversity faced in 2014 will help them in the playoffs. Getting a higher seed may not be possible, though. That would certainly be helpful, but maybe having to play in the first weekend will yield greater dividends.
Next opponent: at Dallas (12/21)
6.) Detroit (10-4) [no change]
Taking care of business seems a bit unusual when applied to Detroit, a team I'm sure many thought would eventually bottom out at the worst time (read: now). They had easy wins on the schedule and picked them up. Now they get to go on the road to Chicago, and I'm not convinced they'll have any difficulty picking up a win there, either.
Next opponent: at Chicago (12/21)
7.) Dallas (10-4) [+1]
7-0 on the road. It's just one of many surprises about the Cowboys' 2014 season. I hesitate to call it a miracle, because they haven't accomplished anything noteworthy yet. For now, they hold the top of the division. The last home game isn't an especially easy one, though.
Next opponent: vs. Indianapolis (12/21)
8.) Seattle (10-4) [+1]
Losing to KC just seems more and more like an aberration. For the second time in three weeks, the Seahawks buried the 49ers (this time knocking them out of playoff contention to boot) and look generally dominant. Unlike a certain other team that lost in Week 15 whom people were saying was dominant, Seattle is actually the real deal. I'm still not 100% sold on Russell Wilson, but at some point even I have to concede that winning > gaudy numbers.
Next opponent: at Arizona (12/21)
9.) Pittsburgh (9-5) [+1]
No surprise, it was close near the end. The defense is hardly stout, especially the secondary. But Roethlisberger has played better since cratering against the Jets and despite Bell being up-and-down the Steelers are looking sharp.
Next opponent: vs. Kansas City (12/21)
10.) Philadelphia (9-5) [-3]
It might look like the season is sliding away from the Eagles, but they have two winnable games left on the schedule, so an 11-5 finish is fairly likely. Even with the comeback, it's hard to say they played well, though.
Next opponent: at Washington (12/20)
