Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
I'll be honest, we should probably be sending out 11 different NFL newsletters today, because that's the only way we could possibly do justice to everything that happened in Week 15. In what might go down as the craziest weekend in NFL history: We saw the Patriots lose in the most stunning way possible (you can see that here), we saw the Colts blow the biggest lead in NFL history, we saw Tom Brady blow the biggest lead he's ever blown in a home game and the Texans somehow took the Chiefs to overtime.
With one game left to go, Week 15 has given us 12 games decided by one score, which is the most all-time for a single-week. Plus, there were FIVE different games decided by a game-winning score on the FINAL play, which is tied for the most all-time.
Although we will not be sending out 11 extra newsletters today, you can check out our story on the five wildest moments from Week 15 by clicking here, and I highly recommend that you do. For everyone else, let's get to the rundown.
As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get your friends to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them. If you sign them up as a Christmas present, they'll probably be your friend forever.
1. Today's show: Week 15 winners and losers, plus full recap
It's Monday, which can only mean one thing: I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night recording a podcast with Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson that touched on everything you need to know about Week 15, and let me just say, it's probably for the best that you listen. We covered all 14 games from the weekend which means we likely spent some time talking about your favorite team.
One thing we do every week is hand out our weekly winners and losers from Sunday's action. Here's a look at who made our list.
Ryan Wilson
- Winner: Daniel Jones. The Giants quarterback didn't necessarily play a huge role in New York's 20-12 win on Sunday, but he did get a huge monkey off his back by finally winning his FIRST primetime game. Going into Week 15, Jones was a brutal 0-9 in night games. He should probably make sure to send a few Christmas gifts to the Giants defense for making sure his winless streak came to an end. The defense forced two turnovers and even scored a TD in the win over Washington.
- Loser: Every team in the NFC South. If you look at the NFC South standings, you'll see why every team is a loser: They all literally have losing records right now. Three of the four teams lost in Week 15 and the only reason the division even picked up one win is because two NFC South teams were playing each other on Sunday (Saints beat the Falcons). That being said, you could argue that fans of teams in the NFC South are a winner this week because as bad as all four teams have been, they're all alive for a playoff berth with just three weeks to play in the season.
Will Brinson
- Winner: Trevor Lawrence. The former No. 1 overall pick is finally playing like a former No. 1 overall pick. One reason the Jags were able to upset the Cowboys 40-34 in OT is because Lawrence out-dueled Dak Prescott, throwing for 318 yards and four touchdowns. In his past six games, Lawrence has now thrown 14 touchdowns compared to just one interception. If you're wondering how Trevor Lawrence has been able to turn things around so quickly, CBSSports.com draft guru Chris Trapasso broke it down here.
- Loser: Bill Belichick. The award for most boneheaded play of the day goes to the Patriots, who lost in the most shocking way possible to the Raiders when Chandler Jones stole a lateral out of the air and then returned it 48 yards for a touchdown on the final play that gave Las Vegas a 30-24 win. Why were the Patriots lateraling the ball on the final play of a tie game? No one has any idea. Although it's easy to blame Rhamondre Stevenson or Jakobi Meyers here for lateraling the ball, the ultimate blame falls on Belichick. If he didn't want his players lateraling, he should have made that crystal clear before the final play was called. This was an epic failure on the part of the Patriots caused by horrible decision-making that you don't usually see from Belichick-coached teams.
John Breech
- Winner: Teams in Ohio. The Bengals got an early Christmas gift from the Browns on Saturday when Cleveland went out and beat the Ravens 13-3. Not only was it a big win for Cincinnati, but it was also pretty huge for the Browns, considering it came in Deshaun Watson's first home game. The Browns' win gave the Bengals a chance to steal the AFC North lead from Baltimore and Cincinnati jumped all over the opportunity. Actually, they tripped over their own feet in the first half against the Bucs befored jumping all over the opportunity in the second half of a 34-23 win.
- Loser: Jeff Saturday. For three quarters, it was starting to look like "Saturday on a Saturday" was the greatest thing to ever happen in the NFL, but then the meltdown started. It's going to be hard for Saturday to make a strong case that he deserves the full-time job when he's been on the losing side of two history-making runs over the past three weeks. In Week 13, the Colts surrendered 33 points in the fourth quarter in a 54-19 loss to the Cowboys (That's the second-most points that any team has ever given up in a fourth quarter in NFL history). In Week 15, the Colts lost after holding a 33-0 lead, which is the largest blown lead in NFL history. I'm not sure what it is about 33, but it's definitely the opposite of a magic number for Saturday.
Not only did we list our winners and losers, but we also recapped every game from Sunday. To listen to today's episode, be sure to click here. You can also watch the entire episode on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Week 15 grades: Buccaneers get a 'D' after double-digit loss, Chiefs earn a 'C' for barely beating Houston
Every week I team up with six of my colleagues here at CBSSports.com to hand out grades, and this week, we almost failed the Buccaneers and we weren't overly impressed with the Chiefs, who almost lost to the Texans.
Here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:
Chiefs 30-24 (OT) over Texans (Click here for full recap)
- Chiefs grade: C. Kansas City (11-3) made some ugly mistakes in this game, but fortunately for the Chiefs, they were playing the one team in the NFL where you can afford to make ugly mistakes and still win. The Chiefs lost two fumbles, which both led to Houston touchdowns and that was a big reason why the Texans were able to stay in this game. As close as this game was, Patrick Mahomes seemed hellbent on making sure it wasn't going to turn into an upset. The QB completed 87.8% of his passes (36 of 41), which is the NFL record in a game where the QB threw 40 or more passes. Mahomes also threw two TD passes to go along with a rushing score. The Chiefs won't be bragging about this win at the end of the season, but they will probably be bragging about the fact that they just won their seventh straight division title
- Texans grade: B-. For the second straight week, the Texans (1-12-1) were on the cusp of a huge upset, and for the second straight week, they had their heart ripped out. The Texans didn't even total 220 yards, but they were able to stay in this game, thanks to a defense that forced two crucial turnovers. The Texans had a chance to win this game in OT, but Davis Mills fumbled that chance away on Houston's first offensive play in overtime. If moral victories counted in the standings, the Texans would almost certainly be a Super Bowl contender, but they don't count, and Houston has now taken one step closer to clinching the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Bengals 34-23 over Buccaneers (Click here for full recap)
- Bengals grade: A-. If the Bengals didn't sleepwalk through the first half of this game, they would have gotten a perfect grade, but someone apparently forgot to tell them what time this thing was kicking off on Sunday. After falling behind 17-3 at the half, the Bengals exploded in the second half with a masterful performance on both sides of the ball. Joe Burrow threw four touchdowns during a second half where the defense forced four turnovers and that's why the Bengals were able to come back. The fact that the Bengals could play horrible football for two quarters and still win by double digits says a lot about how good this team is. This win gives the Bengals the upper hand in the AFC North and there's still a very real possibility that they could steal the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
- Buccaneers grade: D. This one of the worst meltdowns of Tom Brady's career. The Buccaneers took a 17-3 lead into the second half, but then completely fell apart during a second half where they turned the ball over on their first FIVE possessions with a failed fake punt (turnover on downs), an interception, two lost fumbles and another interception. After dicing up the Bengals in the first half, it was shocking to see Brady turn the ball over three times himself in the second half. The only upside for the Buccaneers (6-8) is that every other team in the NFC South is so bad that Tampa Bay still holds a one-game lead over the other three teams, who are all tied at 5-9.
As for the other 18 grades we handed out on Sunday, you can check those out by clicking here.
3. NFL playoff picture heading into Monday night
With the NFL season coming down to the home stretch, now seems like a good time to take an extensive look at the playoff picture heading into Monday's game.
Here's a look at the top seven teams from each conference:
AFC
1. Bills (11-3)*
2. Chiefs (11-3)*
3. Bengals (10-4)
4. Titans (7-7)
5. Ravens (9-5)
6. Chargers (8-6)
7. Dolphins (8-6)
First teams out: Patriots (7-7), Jets (7-7)
One game out in AFC South: Jaguars (6-8)
The biggest loser of Week 15 was definitely the Patriots. If they had beaten the Raiders on Sunday, they'd currently be the sixth-seed, but after the shocking loss they're now in the eighth-spot, which makes them the first team out. The Patriots' three remaining games are against the Bengals, Dolphins and Bills, which makes New England feel like a long shot for the postseason. The other interesting development in Week 15 is that the AFC South suddenly feels wide open. The Titans and Jaguars play each other in Week 18 and there's a chance that the division title could be on the line in that game.
NFC
1. Eagles (13-1)*
2. Vikings (11-3)*
3. 49ers (10-4)*
4. Buccaneers (6-8)
5. Cowboys (10-4)
6. Giants (8-5-1)
7. Commanders (7-6-1)
First teams out: Seahawks (7-7), Lions (7-7)
One game out in NFC South: Panthers (5-9), Saints (5-9), Falcons (5-9)
With just three weeks left to play in the season, the door is still open for the NFC East to send all of its teams to the playoffs. If that happens, it will mark the first time since realignment in 2002 that a division has sent all four of its teams to the postseason. It would also mark the first time since 1998 that a division has sent four of its teams to the postseason (The AFC East sent four of its five teams that year). The 1994 NFC Central and 1997 NFC Central also sent four teams to the postseason back when it was a five-team division.
Also, every NFC South team is listed above because they're all very much alive to win the division. It's very likely that a team with a losing record is going to win the division, which has only happened three times over the past 40 years.
If your favorite team is currently out of the playoff race, then you probably don't care about the playoff picture, and if you're in that camp we have something else for you: A mock draft! You can check out Ryan Wilson's latest one by clicking here.
4. 12 crazy facts from Week 15
Every Sunday night I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played.
With that in mind, here are 12 crazy facts about Week 15:
- Comeback kings. The Vikings beat the Colts 39-36 on Saturday after trailing 33-0 at one point. The 33-point comeback was the largest in NFL history, topping the 32-point comeback that the Bills had against the Oilers in the 1992 playoffs.
- Matt Ryan has mastered the art of the blown lead. Following the Colts' loss to the Vikings on Saturday, Ryan has now been on the losing side of the largest blown lead in NFL history, the largest blown Super Bowl lead in NFL history, the largest blown lead in an NFC title game and the largest blown lead in an international game. If that sounds too crazy to be true, you can read the full details of every game here.
- Comeback kings, Part II: Week 15 marked the first-time in NFL history that at least three teams came back from a deficit of 17 points or more in the same week. Besides the Vikings, we also saw the Jaguars (trailed 27-10) and Bengals (trailed 17-0) win after trailing by at least 17 points.
- Bengals do the impossible. Going into Sunday's game, Tom Brady had never lost any home game where his team was leading by at least 17 points -- he was 89-0 -- but he now has one loss after the Buccaneers blew a 17-0 lead to the Bengals on Sunday. Also, Brady's four turnovers against the Bengals matched his career high for a single game.
- Joe Burrow makes NFL history. Burrow had four TD passes against Tampa Bay, giving him 77 for his career, which is notable, because it makes him the first player in NFL history to record at least 75 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns through their first 40 career games.
- Raiders miracle win. Chandler Jones' wild game-winning touchdown against the Patriots went into the scorebook as a fumble recovery, marking the first time since 1978 that a team won a game with a fumble recovery TD on the final play. In a crazy coincidence, the last time it happened also involved the Raiders and that win is an iconic one in NFL history: It's known as the Holy Roller game (You can see that here).
- Chiefs are streaking. With their win over the Texans, the Chiefs clinched their seventh-straight division title, which is the second-longest streak since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The only team with a longer streak is the Patriots, who won the AFC East in 11 consecutive seasons (2009-19).
- Jaguars end long losing streak to NFC teams. Going into Sunday, the Jaguars had lost TWENTY straight games to NFC teams, but that streak is now over after their wild 40-34 win over the Cowboys. Before this week, their last win against an NFC team came against Eli Manning's Giants in Week 1 of 2018.
- Fields Day. With 95 yards rushing against the Eagles, Justin Fields now has 1,000 yards for the season, making him just the third QB in NFL history to reach that number in a single season, joining Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. Fields has also reached at least 70 rushing yards in five consecutive games, which is the longest streak by a QB over the past 72 years.
- Taysom Hill in rare company: With one TD pass on Sunday against the Falcons, Taysom Hill now has 10 passing touchdowns in his career. He also has 21 rushing touchdowns and 11 receiving touchdowns, which makes him the first player since Frank Gifford to reach double-digit passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns, according to NFL research (Gifford played from 1952-1964).
- Hurts so good. With 315 passing yards and three rushing touchdowns, Hurts just became the third QB in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards with three rushing TDs in a single game, joining Dak Prescott (2020) and Jack Kemp (1963). With those three rushing touchdowns, Hurts now has 13 this year, which is the second-most in NFL history for a QB, trailing only Cam Newton, who rushed for 14 in 2011. Not only could Hurts end up breaking Newton's record, but he could also top LeSean McCoy's franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a season (17).
- Patrick Mahomes works his magic. The Chiefs quarterback completed 36 of 41 passes, which gave him a completion percentage of 87.8% against the Texans. That number is the highest in NFL history in a game where a QB attempted at least 40 passes.
If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me.
5. Monday preview: Prepping you for Rams at Packers
If tonight's game is just half as exciting as the rest of Week 15, then it will have a chance to go down as the best Monday night game of the season. The Packers will be fighting to keep their faint playoff hopes alive while Baker Mayfield will be making his first official start for the Rams, which are two reasons you might want to watch.
My good buddy Jared Dubin wrote our deep-dive preview for this game here at CBSSports.com, and here's how he sees the game playing out:
- Why the Rams can win: The Packers are surrendering 154.8 rushing yards per game this year, which is the third-most in the NFL, and if the Rams can take advantage of that, it could pave the way to an upset win. For that to happen, the Rams will need a big game from Cam Akers and if Akers can make that happen, it could open things up for Baker Mayfield, because it would make the Packers focus on stopping the run.
- Why the Packers can win: Yes, the Packers have Aaron Rodgers, but for the 2022 season, one thing has been evident: They need to run if they're going to win. Heading into Week 15, the Packers are 4-1 this season when they get 125 yards or more on the ground, but just 1-8 when they finish with under 125 yards. It seems pretty obvious that Green Bay is going to need to get Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon going if they want to win.
You can get a full preview of the game from DeArdo by clicking here.
If you're thinking about betting on the game, Tyler Sullivan put together a full gambling preview (odds via Caesars Sportsbook). You can check out Sullivan's full gambling preview by clicking here, but if you don't feel like clicking over, here's one prop from both of us for tonight's game.
- ONE PROP TYLER LIKES: Aaron Rodgers OVER 1.5 touchdown passes (-106): "Rodgers has been much better at Lambeau Field than he's been on the road this season. His 103.5 passer rating at home is far superior to his 82.4 passer rating on the road, and he has 12 passing touchdowns in Green Bay with just one interception. He's thrown for multiple touchdowns in five of his six home games this season, so this over is definitely worth a look at -106."
- ONE PROP I LIKE: Mason Crosby OVER 1.5 field goals (-129): Not only has Crosby gone over this number in two straight games, but the Packers are facing a Rams defense that has the second-best red zone percentage in the NFL this year. The Rams have done a decent job of stopping touchdowns, which has led to more field goals for their opponents. Opposing teams are averaging 2.4 field goal attempts per game against the Rams, which is tied for the fourth-highest number in the NFL.
Finally, if you're wondering who we're picking, here's who we have tonight in a game where the Packers are currently favored by seven points:
Dubin's pick: Packers 23-13 over Rams
Sullivan's pick: Packers 27-17 over Rams
My pick: Packers 23-16 over Rams
Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, seven of our eight experts are taking the Rams to win.
6. Rapid-fire roundup: Cards expected to part ways with Steve Keim, Jonathan Taylor likely done for the season
It's been a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Steve Keim could be done in Arizona. Keim took a leave of absence last week, and now, it's looking like he won't be returning to the team. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones has reported that the Cards are "preparing to have a new general manager starting with next season." You can check out the full details of the story here.
- Jonathan Taylor out for the year. Not only did the Colts blow a 33-point lead in Week 15, but they also lost their best offensive player to injury. According to NFL.com, Taylor will likely miss the rest of the season after suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Vikings.
- Falcons defensive coordinator taken to hospital. Dean Pees had to be taken to the hospital on Sunday after a Saints player accidentally ran into him during pregame warmups. The good news for the 73-year-old is that he was eventually cleared and released later in the day.
- Sunday ticket won't be heading to Apple. DirecTV's Sunday Ticket contract will be expiring in just three weeks, and right now, the product doesn't have a home for the 2023 season. Although there was a lot of speculation that Apple might take over, the tech company has apparently bowed out of negotiations, according to Puck News. The dealbreaker was that Apple wanted to include the package in its $6.99 monthly plan for Apple TV+, but the NFL wasn't on board with that. With Apple out of the way, the package will now likely go to Amazon or Google.
