We are now into the last few weeks of the NFL regular season. This week, teams have opportunities to secure their playoff spots. But, as some make their plans for January, for one team, their dynasty is over.
Let’s look back at Week 15 in the 2025 NFL season.
The Bills stay in contention!
The Battle for the AFC North is heating up between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills. This week, these two teams met in an important clash for both their playoff hopes and the potential division winners. Could New England win this game and seal a playoff spot?
The Patriots had the first drive of the game and were able to take the lead on it. The Drake Maye offense quickly made it down to the Bills’ eight-yard line. Here, Maye would find the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give his team the early lead. A few drives later, the lead would be extended through another rushing touchdown from the quarterback.
New England furthered their lead near the end of the second quarter when TreVeyon Henderson found the endzone with a 52-yard rushing touchdown. This made it a three-possession game. The Bills responded with a five-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to James Cook, slightly bringing themselves back into the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, this work was slightly made redundant just before halftime when Patriots kicker Andy Borregales kicked a 36-yard field goal on the stroke of halftime, slightly widening the lead. This meant that as the teams returned to the locker rooms, the Patriots had a 24-7 lead over the Bills.
Buffalo needed to open the second half with a touchdown to keep the game alive. Luckily, this is what they were able to do. On a drive that started on the Patriots’ 44-yard line, Allen and company made their way down to the Pats’ four-yard line. Here, Allen found Dawson Knox for the touchdown pass.
This score made it a 10-point game. This became three points after Cook found the endzone for a three-yard rushing touchdown on the Bills’ next drive. Their luck continued soon after, as Maye threw an interception (which was caught on the Bills’ nine-yard line). This meant that going into the final quarter, it would be a three-point game that could go either way.
Buffalo would open the final quarter with the momentum and use it to take their first lead of the game. Starting from their nine-yard line, the Bills’ offense made its way down to the Pats’ 14-yard line. Here, Allen (who had a rushing touchdown on the previous play taken off the board due to a penalty) found Knox for the score to give Buffalo a slight lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis lead lasted for one play. On the first play of the Patriots’ next drive, Henderson would score a 65-yard rushing touchdown to give the Patriots their three-point advantage back with 10 minutes left to play.
But this advantage would be short-lived, as Cook would score an 11-yard rushing touchdown on the Bills’ next drive to give Buffalo the lead again with under seven minutes left to play.
Unfortunately, for the remaining seven minutes, both offenses struggled to get the ball far down the field and challenge the endzone. This would mean that the Buffalo Bills had defeated the New England Patriots 35-31.
This is the win the Bills needed. They improved to 10-4 for the season and have put themselves back into the race for the AFC East title. As for the Patriots, this is their first loss since Week 3, and ends a 10-game winning streak. They fall to 11-3, but still control the division with three games left to play.
Next week, the Bills face the Cleveland Browns, while the Patriots face the Baltimore Ravens.
Playoff Broncos
The Denver Broncos are in the driver’s seat for the AFC West title. But, despite their 11-win seasons coming into this week, most of these have been needlessly close wins. This week, they faced the Green Bay Packers, a team battling the Chicago Bears for the NFC North title. These two teams could easily meet in the Super Bowl this year, but who will win this encounter?
The Broncos had the first possession of the game, but it did not go their way. On the Packers’ 47-yard line, running back RJ Harvey fumbled the ball and lost possession. This mistake would prove costly for Denver, as the Packers’ offense was able to get the ball into field goal territory. Then, kicker Brandon McManus would find the uprights from 53 yards out to give Green Bay the early lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis lead would be doubled on their next drive. Jordan Love and company would take the ball down nearly the entire field before stalling on the Broncos’ eight-yard line. McManus’ field goal from 26 yards out gave the Packers something from what could have been a promising drive.
Then, the game truly got into gear. Bo Nix and the Broncos offense would wake up and quickly get themselves down to the Packers’ 20-yard line. Here, Nix found Michael Bandy for the touchdown pass to give Denver the lead. This lead did not last long, as on the next drive, Love found Josh Jacobs for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Nix would respond with a five-yard touchdown pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey to give the Broncos a one-point lead.
On the next drive, the Packers were again challenging the Broncos’ endzone and had made their way down to the 16-yard line. But, they would get no further, allowing McManus to kick another field goal, this time from 35 yards out to end the half.
At halftime, the Packers led the Broncos 16-14.
Green Bay had the first drive of the second half and was able to extend its lead from it. Jacobs would find the endzone from 40 yards out to make it a nine-point lead for the Packers early in the second half.
But the Packers’ good luck soon ran out. On their next touch of the ball, Love threw a deep pass that was intercepted by the Broncos defnese. This would prove costly as on the next drive, Nix would be able to move his offense down to the Packers’ 14-yard line. Here, he found Courtland Sutton for the touchdown pass to bring the Broncos back into the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesOn Denver’s next drive, they would be able to take the lead they lost earlier in the game. Nix found Troy Franklin for a 23-yard touchdown pass to end the third quarter. The subsequent two-point conversion was missed, leaving them with a four-point lead going into the final quarter.
The Packers were able to cut into this lead to begin the quarter with a 37-yard field goal from McManus. But the Broncos quickly responded to this with a four-yard rushing touchdown from Harvey to make it an eight-point game.
Green Bay needed to score on its next drive if it was going to have a shot at victory later in the quarter. However, Love would throw an interception on their next drive. While the Broncos would not do anything with the ball on the subsequent possession, both offenses struggled to convert fourth-down attempts and make any inroads down the field for the rest of the game.
This meant that the Denver Broncos had defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-26.
This win gives the Broncos a playoff spot, making them the first team to do so. They improved to 12-2 on the season and will now have their sights set on the number one seed in the AFC. A win next week will give them the division. As for the Packers, they fall to 9-4-1 for the season and stay in contention for the NFC North title. However, they are going to have to do it without Micah Parsons, who left the game with an injury.
Next week, the Broncos face the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Packers face the Chicago Bears (so it is likely that these teams will get an in-depth review of their games again)
The Rams: Super Bowl Winners?
Last season, the Detroit Lions were one of the teams to beat and had a serious chance of making the Super Bowl. This season, the hopes of repeating this have nearly been extinguished. They faced the Los Angeles Rams this week, one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl, allowing Matthew Stafford to face his former team. Would he get the win to help the Rams get into the postseason?
The Lions had the first possession of the game and came close to scoring. Led by former Rams QB Jared Goff, the offense made its way down to the Rams’ 25-yard line before stalling. This set up a 43-yard field goal attempt from Jake Bates, which missed
The Lions were not without possession for long, as on the Rams’ first drive, they intercepted Stafford’s pass in their red zone and returned the ball near the Rams’ end zone. One play later, Goff found Amon-Ra St Brown for a 17-yard touchdown pass to take the lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Rams would finally get themselves on the board near the end of the first quarter. Stafford led his offense down to the Lions’ four-yard line. Here, Kyren Williams found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to level the scores. This did not last long, as Bates successfully made a 24-yard field goal on the next drive to give the lead back to the Lions.
In response to this, the Rams found the endzone again through Williams, scoring a one-yard rushing touchdown. Goff then found St Brown for an eight-yard touchdown on the next drive, and following this up with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams to further their lead.
Los Angeles was able to keep themselves in the game just before halftime, when kicker Harrison Mevis successfully made a 37-yard field goal to close the half.
This meant that at halftime, the Lions had a 24-17 lead over the Rams.
The Rams would continue to eat into the Lions’ lead on their first drive of the second half. This drive stalled at the Lions’ 26-yard line, partly thanks to a fumble from Stafford on the play before. Luckily, Mevis would make a 44-yard field goal to make it a four-point game.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe four-point deficit entirely disappeared on the Rams’ next drive, when Stafford found Colby Parkinson for a 26-yard touchdown pass, giving them a three-point lead. This lead grew further on their next drive when Blake Corum found the endzone for an 11-yard rushing touchdown. This gave Los Angeles a 10-point lead going into the final quarter.
The Lions got some ground back in the fourth quarter when Bates found the uprights from 48 yards out. But the Rams would reply to this field goal with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Parkinson. This put the game out of reach for the Lions, but they still scored a consolation touchdown to end the game.
This meant that the Los Angeles Rams had defeated the Detroit Lions 41-34.
With this win, the Rams clinch a playoff spot and improve to 11-3 for the season. They are still in a close race with the Seattle Seahawks (and the 49ers) for the NFC West title, and the division winner is likely to be the NFC’s number one seed. As for the Lions, they fall to 8-6 with the loss, but are still in the hunt for the playoffs.
Next week, the Rams face the Seahawks, while the Lions play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
What Happened in the Other Games?
The Atlanta Falcons faced the free-falling Tampa Bay Buccaneers to open the week’s action. Coming into the fourth quarter, the Buccs had a 14-point lead and looked like comfortable winners. But Kirk Cousins led the Falcons to a quick comeback, and a 43-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez was enough to give the Falcons a 29-28 win.
The Chicago Bears’ quest to win the NFC North took another jump in the right direction this week with an easy win over the Cleveland Browns. Caleb Williams threw for two touchdowns in a 31-3 victory.
The Baltimore Ravens kept themselves in contention for the AFC North title as they faced the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow had a game to forget, throwing two interceptions, as the Bengals struggled to get going, and they were defeated 24-0.
In a pivotal game for the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers faced the Kansas City Chiefs. If the Chiefs lost this game, they would be eliminated from the playoffs. A late torn ACL for Patrick Mahomes cemented the Chiefs’ defeat. The Chargers recorded a 16-13 win, ending Kansas City’s playoff streak and its recent dynasty.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Philadelphia Eagles came into their game with the Las Vegas Raiders on a losing streak. Luckily, they were playing the Raiders, so that streak came to an end. Jalen Hurts threw for three touchdowns in the Eagles’ 31-0 win.
The Jacksonville Jaguars cemented their position at the top of the AFC South with a dominant win over the New York Jets. Trevor Lawrence scored six touchdowns in the Jags’ 48-20 victory.
Staying in the AFC South, the Jags’ closest competitor is the Houston Texans. They faced the Arizona Cardinals, and like the Jags, had an easy win. A strong performance from C.J Stroud and Nico Collins was enough to give the Texans a 40-20 win, keeping them one game away from the Jags.
The New Orleans Saints got another win this season to shake up the race for the NFC South title against the Carolina Panthers. A last-second field goal from Charlie Smyth gave the Saints a 20-17 win. The Panthers’ defeat puts the Buccaneers back in the division race.
The San Francisco 49ers kept themselves in contention for the NFC West with a win over the Tennessee Titans. Three touchdowns from Brock Purdy were enough to record a 37-24 victory.
Phillip Rivers made his return to professional football after five years out as the Indianapolis Colts faced the Seattle Seahawks. He threw for 120 yards and one touchdown as the Colts stayed in the game throughout. A late field goal from Jason Myers gave the Seahawks an 18-16 win, keeping them in the race for the NFC West.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Minnesota Vikings faced the Dallas Cowboys in a near-meaningless game. J.J. McCarthy had another good game, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings’ 34-26 win.
The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their lead in the AFC North with a 28-15 win over the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.
The New York Giants met the Washington Commanders in a meaningless game with both teams eliminated from postseason contention. The Commanders won this game 29-21.
That was a look back at Week 15 in the 2025 NFL regular season. Next week, the Rams face the Seahawks in a pivotal NFC West game, the Buccs face the Panthers, and the Jags play the Broncos.