- Copyright 2024 © CollegeFootballPoll.com
- About CFP / Contact
- Legal Statements
This week, with Buffalo (10-3) at Detroit (12-1) and Pittsburgh (10-3) at Philadelphia (11-2), it marks the second time since 1970 and first in 39 years (Week 15, 1985) that there were two games in the same week between 10-win teams in Week 15 or earlier of a season.
Five teams that missed the postseason last year – Denver (8-5) and the Los Angeles Chargers (8-5) in the AFC, and Minnesota (11-2), Seattle (8-5) and Washington (8-5) in the NFC – are in playoff positions entering Week 15. Since 1990 – a streak of 34 consecutive seasons – at least four teams every season have qualified for the playoffs after failing to make the postseason the year before.
Last week, the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles became the first two NFC teams to clinch a playoff berth and joined the Buffalo Bills (AFC East) and Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West) as teams to secure a spot in the postseason this year.
Those games could post some points so check out the Red Zone specials on FanDuel.com. The Bills-Lions game has an over/under of 54.5 and with weather not an issue indoors in Detroit, that number seems low.
The O/U on the Steelers-Eagles game is just 42.5 in a game where the home team is favored by 5.5 points. If Pittsburgh is going to challenge in this game, the total is likely to go over 45.
There are a lot of good things about these two teams but, but at the end of the day, Buffalo at Detroit is a battle of QB's.
The Lions have won a franchise-record 11 consecutive games and lead the NFL with 32.1 points per game this season. The Bills rank second in scoring offense (30.5 points per game) and have scored at least 30 points in seven consecutive games. It marks the second consecutive season in which the top two scoring offenses have met in Week 15 or later (Week 16, 2023 – Dallas at Miami).
Detroit clinched a postseason berth in Week 14 and has clinched a playoff spot in consecutive seasons for the first time since securing three in-a-row from 1993-95.
Buffalo can become the fifth team all-time to score 30 points in eight consecutive games within a single season, joining the 2013 Denver Broncos, the 2007 and 2010 New England Patriots, and the 2000 St. Louis Rams.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, in Week 14, became the first player in NFL history to record three touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns in a regular-season game (Pro Football Hall of Famer Otto Graham accomplished the feat in the 1954 NFL Championship game). He has 73 career regular-season wins, the third-most regular-season wins by a quarterback in his first seven seasons in NFL history. Only Russell Wilson (75) and Patrick Mahomes (74) have more.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff ranks second in the league with a 72.4 completion percentage (276 of 381) this season and can become the second quarterback ever with a completion percentage of 75-or-higher in eight games in a season (min. 15 attempts per game), joining Tom Brady (eight games in 2007).
Detroit is favored (-2.5) over Buffalo, at last check on Friday afternoon, and the NFL picks based on the Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com push that margin to 6.57 in this battle between the computer's No. 1 Lions and No. 5 Bills.
The Eagles have won nine consecutive games and lead the NFL with 190.5 rushing yards per game this season, becoming the first team since Washington in 1983 to record at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in 12 of their first 13 games of a season. The Steelers have won 10 games for the 11th time under head coach Mike Tomlin (since 2007) and rank fourth in rushing defense this season, allowing 91.5 rushing yards per game.
Philadelphia clinched a playoff berth last week and have qualified for the postseason in each of their four seasons under head coach Nick Sirianni, their longest streak since securing five straight playoff appearances from 2000-04.
Since his first start of the season in Week 7, Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson is 6-1 with 13 touchdowns (12 passing, one rushing) and a 103.9 passer rating. Wilson has 121 regular-season wins since entering the NFL in 2012, the fifth-most by a quarterback in his first 13 seasons in NFL history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (141 wins) and Brett Favre (125) as well as Tom Brady (136) and Ben Roethlisberger (123).
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts recorded three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in the team’s Week 14 victory and has 36 career games with a rushing touchdown, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young (36 games) for the third-most by a quarterback in NFL history.
Hurts, who recorded two separate winning streaks of 11 games from 2021-22 and 2022-23, can become the fifth quarterback since 1950 with at least three career winning streaks of 10-or-more games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers John Elway and Peyton Manning as well as Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.
Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley leads the NFL with a franchise-record 1,623 rushing yards and 1,890 scrimmage yards this season. This week, he can become the fourth player in the past 25 seasons (2000-24) with 1,700 rushing yards in his first 14 games of a season, joining Chris Johnson (1,730 rushing yards in 2009), Jamal Lewis (1,747 in 2003) and Adrian Peterson (1,812 in 2012).
Barkley can become the fourth non-rookie in NFL history to record 2,000 scrimmage yards in his first season with a team, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (2,429 scrimmage yards in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams), Priest Holmes (2,169 in 2001 with Kansas City) and Ricky Williams (2,216 in 2002 with Miami).
Barkley, who had 2,028 scrimmage yards as a rookie with the New York Giants in 2018, can become the fourth player in NFL history to record 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season with two franchises, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson (L.A. Rams and Indianapolis Colts) and Marshall Faulk (St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts) as well as Christian McCaffrey (Carolina and San Francisco).
Seattle enters Week 15 on a four-game winning streak and in first place in the NFC West after missing the postseason last year. In each of the past 46 seasons (1977-2023, excluding 1982 when divisional play did not occur), at least one team has won its division the season after missing the playoffs.
Since Week 11, the Seahawks have allowed the third-fewest points per game (15.5) and fourth-fewest yards per game (297.3) in the NFL.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs rushed for three touchdowns in Week 14 and became the first player since 2021 (Derrick Henry) with multiple games of three-or-more rushing touchdowns in a season.
In his only career game at Seattle (Nov. 27, 2022, with Las Vegas), Jacobs set career highs in scrimmage yards (303) and rushing yards (229), including the game-winning 86-yard rushing touchdown in overtime, the second-longest overtime rushing touchdown and fourth-longest overtime scrimmage touchdown since 1974.
The Vikings have won six consecutive games, including a 42-21 victory over Atlanta last week in which quarterback Sam Darnold became the first Minnesota quarterback since Daunte Culpepper in Week 6, 2004, with five touchdown passes in a game.
Darnold is one of four players in the past 15 seasons (2010-24) with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in 10 of his first 13 games of a season, along with Patrick Mahomes (10 games in 2018), Philip Rivers (10 in 2018) and Aaron Rodgers (12 games in 2011 and 12 in 2020).
Minnesota wide receiver Jordan Addison, who is 22 years old, had a career-high three touchdown receptions last week and has 17 touchdown receptions since entering the NFL in 2023. Only five players under the age of 23 have more touchdown receptions in NFL history: Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (28 touchdowns), Rob Gronkowski (27), Ja’Marr Chase (22), Odell Beckham Jr. (19) and Larry Fitzgerald (18).
Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, from Weeks 6-14, has an active streak of 255 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the longest such streak by a rookie in NFL history.
Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen appeared in his 150th career game last week and has 951 receptions, the most receptions by a player in his first 150 career games all-time. In his last game at Minnesota (Sept. 24, 2023, with the Los Angeles Chargers), he set career highs with 18 receptions and 215 receiving yards, tied for the third-most receptions in a game in NFL history.
The Broncos have won three consecutive games and enter Week 15 with a +28-sack differential, having recorded the most sacks (47) and tied for the third-fewest sacks allowed (19) in the NFL this season. Only two teams in the past 15 seasons (2010-24) had a higher sack differential in their first 13 games of a season: the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers (+34) and 2022 Dallas Cowboys (+32).
Denver linebacker Nik Bonitto ranks tied for second in the NFL with a career-high 11 sacks this season and has a tackle for loss in each of his past 10 games. Only three players since 2000 have had a longer such streak in a season: Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs (12 consecutive games with a tackle for loss in 2010), Philadelphia’s Connor Barwin (11 in 2014) and Houston’s J.J. Watt (11 in 2014).
Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has 14 touchdowns (12 passing, two rushing) in six home games this season and over his past three home starts (Weeks 8, 11 and 13), joined Justin Herbert (2020) and C.J. Stroud (2023) as the only rookie quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 275 passing yards in three consecutive home games.
Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson has six touchdowns (three passing, three rushing) in his past two road games (Weeks 11 and 13) as the Colts became the first team since the 2022 New York Jets to win consecutive road games with a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
The Chargers enter Week 15 with the league’s top ranked scoring defense (15.9 points per game allowed), having allowed 20-or-fewer points in 11 of 13 games this season. The Buccaneers have won three consecutive games following their Week 11 bye and rank fifth in the NFL with 27.9 points per game.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has 335 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the fifth-longest such streak in NFL history. The only streaks longer: Aaron Rodgers (402 consecutive pass attempts without an interception in 2018), Tom Brady (399 in 2022 and 358 from 2010-11) and Jared Goff (383 from 2022-23).
Herbert can become the first player in NFL history without an interception in 12 consecutive games (minimum 15 pass attempts in each game) within a single season, surpassing Tom Brady (11 consecutive games in 2010). Herbert has 19,987 career passing yards and can join Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (20,618 passing yards) as the only players with at least 20,000 passing yards in their first five seasons in NFL history.
Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield ranks tied for third with 28 touchdown passes this season and has 155 touchdown passes in 99 career starts. He is one of six quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall with at least 150 touchdown passes in his first 100 career starts, along with Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (178 touchdown passes), Matthew Stafford (178), Andrew Luck (171 in 86 starts), Carson Palmer (160) and Jared Goff (155).
Joseph Santoliquito can be followed on "X" (formerly Twitter) @JSantoliquito.
The Maxwell Football Club has honored excellence at all levels of football since 1935 and the Club's outreach programs provide educational opportunities for student-athletes and coaches. With members in over 40 states the Maxwell Football Club is one of the largest football organizations in America. Become a member by visiting maxwellfootballclub.org.
CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is member of the Maxwell Football Club.