To say the Detroit Lions’ season has been a disappointment is an understatement.
Dan Campbell’s squad entered the season as one of the favourites to win the Super Bowl and hungry after falling short last season in the NFC Divisional game.
After witnessing the absurd amount of injuries they encountered last year, Detroit seemed primed to bounce back and make a run for the Lombardi Trophy.
Yet this season has been more of the same. The 8-5 Lions head to Los Angeles for a pivotal matchup against the NFC-leading Rams with a plethora of injuries to key players and on the outside of the playoff picture.
Detroit enters the matchup with a 39 per cent chance of making the post-season, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator. A win bumps the Lions up to 60 per cent, but a loss down to 30 per cent.
If anyone wants to win this game, it might be quarterback Jared Goff. He heads back to his old home for the second time in the regular season since the 2021 blockbuster trade that sent Matt Stafford the other way, but this one marks the first real, meaningful road game.
We saw what happened the last time Goff faced his old squad in such a high-magnitude game — a Lions 24-23 wild-card victory at home in 2024 for their first playoff win in 32 years.
But regardless of what fans think, Goff said he doesn’t view the Rams matchup differently than any other game.
“No, not so much anymore,” he told reporters on Friday when asked if there’s any extra emotion. “And really, we played them in that playoff game, and it was such a big deal, and the next year we played them again, and that felt like even less, and so now it’s even further removed.”
So while Goff may not bear added emotion from the trade, the reality of the situation is that a loss to the Rams would have a huge say on whether the Lions make or miss the post-season.
Here are some other Week 15 storylines to key in on:
What a roller-coaster of a season it’s been for Indianapolis Colts fans.
The Colts came out of the gates flying with a 7-1 record, and Daniel Jones was thought to have had a legitimate MVP case (never thought I’d utter that sentence).
But now it’s Week 15, the Colts are 8-5 and outside the playoff picture, Jones suffered a season-ending injury, and 44-year-old Phillip Rivers is out of retirement to potentially start at QB on Sunday.
It’s Rivers’ second stint in Indianapolis after joining the team in 2020 following 16 seasons with the Chargers. Thus, the phrase Nunc Coepi — Latin for “Now I begin” — which helped the QB start a new chapter with the Colts the first go-round.
Does Rivers still have the goods? We’ll see. It’s been five years since he last threw a pass in the NFL, but the (likely) future Hall of Famer has been keeping in touch with head coach Shane Steichen and even modelled his high-school offence after Steichen’s.
Does Rivers even start? Well… maybe. Riley Leonard, who replaced the injured Jones in Week 14 but has been dealing with a knee injury, is good to go for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.
So whether it’s Rivers’ return or Leonard’s first career start remains to be seen. But the people want to see Rivers.
Maye vs. Allen for AFC East crown
In what might be the best matchup in a loaded Week 15 slate, Drake Maye and the New England Patriots host Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills for AFC East supremacy.
Allen and the Bills have dominated the division in the five seasons since Tom Brady’s departure. But in comes Maye, the second-year QB who has his squad tied for the top record in football at 11-2.
The Pats are firmly in the driver’s seat for the division, owning an 89 per cent chance to take the title. It’s theirs to lose. Even if the Bills win out, they would have just a 40 per cent chance of overtaking New England.
What better way for the Patriots to clinch the crown than to do it by beating the reigning kings? A win on Sunday guarantees them top spot and their first post-season appearance since 2021.
Standing in their way is the reigning MVP Allen and a Bills team looking to split the season series. Buffalo is coming off an emotional victory over Cincinnati and trying to build on that momentum.
A Pats win might also put an end to the “easy schedule” allegations, but at the end of the day, who cares? Winning is hard, a W is a W, and you’re at the top of the standings (CC: Denver Broncos).
Panthers can take control of NFC South
Who would’ve thought that in Week 15, we’d be here saying the Carolina Panthers lead the NFC South? It’s not a slight against Dave Canales’ team; it’s more so in awe of the Tampa Buccaneers’ recent collapse.
After Tampa Bay’s disastrous Thursday night game that marked its fifth loss in the last six games, the Panthers (7-6) now sit half a game above the Bucs (7-7).
A Carolina win over New Orleans would put Bryce Young and Co. a full game up on their rivals with a 66 per cent chance at winning the division.
The Saints are no cakewalk, especially after taking the first matchup 17-7. And the reality is that the Panthers are like a mystery box — you have no clue what you’re going to get.
Wins over the Rams, Packers and Cowboys prove they can hang with the big boys (OK, Cowboys might not fit here), but losses to the Saints and Cardinals stand in the way of them owning a commanding lead in the South.
Young continues to display flashes of brilliance that made him the first overall pick just a few years ago, and the Panthers’ talent on both sides of the ball is finally showing with the likes of Tetairoa McMillan and Derrick Brown.
Carolina will also get star cornerback Jaycee Horn back on Sunday.
The only problem for Carolina is that the division can’t be locked up on Sunday. It has a tough finishing schedule, including two games against Tampa that will likely determine the NFC South champion. So while a win doesn’t get the Panthers in the clear, it does provide a little cushion.
For the first time this season, playoff spots are up for grabs.
We’ve already talked a bit about the Pats being in a win-and-in situation, and we’ve touched on the Rams, whose only clinching scenario is with a win.
But there’s also the team in orange and blue from the Mile High City.
Head coach Sean Payton and QB Bo Nix have the Denver Broncos rocking and rolling to the tune of a 10-game win streak and atop the AFC as they get set to host the Green Bay Packers.
To keep things simple, a win over Green Bay gets Denver into the post-season for the second consecutive season. But a tie is where things get complicated, and the same goes for the Patriots.
Here are the other scenarios where both teams can get in:
Tie + Chargers loss OR
Tie + Jaguars loss OR
Tie + Texans loss or tie OR
Tie + Colts loss or tie OR
Texans loss or tie + Colts loss or tie (as long as both teams don’t tie)
Regardless of how complicated it may look or seem, let’s just be thankful that the playoffs are finally around the corner.
Davidson’s favourites (All odds courtesy of BetMGM)
Panthers @ Saints — Pick: Panthers -2.5: The Panthers are well rested, fresh off a bye week and looking to take control of the South. Young has been hot of late and has all his weapons to work with against a mediocre Saints defence.
Chargers @ Chiefs — Pick: Over 41: A rematch of a Week 1 game with 48 points scored, expect Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to pull out all the stops with their season on the line.
Lions @ Rams — Pick: Lions +6: Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams. Doesn’t matter the opponent, the league’s top scoring offence will always keep them in the game.
Full Week 15 schedule (All times ET)
Thursday, Dec. 11
Atlanta Falcons 29, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28
Sunday, Dec. 14
Washington at NY Giants, 1 p.m.
Las Vegas at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Cleveland at Chicago, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Arizona at Houston, 1 p.m.
Buffalo at New England, 1 p.m.
NY Jets at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
LA Chargers at Kansas City, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
Tennessee at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.
Green Bay at Denver, 4:25 p.m.
Carolina at New Orleans, 4:25 p.m.
Detroit at LA Rams, 4:25 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8:20 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 15
Miami at Pittsburgh, 8:15 p.m.