Week 15 of the NFL season is officially over. There are just three weeks separating us from the start of the playoffs, which is insane, considering I vividly remember waiting for this season to start.

This week delivered on all fronts. We saw the reigning Super Bowl runner-ups eliminated from the playoffs, one of the most thrilling games of the season between two AFC East teams, and a player approach NFL history. There’s a lot to talk about this week, so here are my 10 biggest takeaways from NFL Week 15.

The AFC is WIDE open after the Chiefs’ playoff elimination

The AFC is widdddeeeeeee open. With the Kansas City Chiefs officially eliminated from playoff contention, there are five, maybe six, teams that I think have a legitimate shot at winning the conference and representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.

The Buffalo Bills’ comeback win over the New England Patriots showed that they are still a major threat in the AFC. However, the Pats’ offense showed that they can compete with anyone in the AFC. The Denver Broncos are another team that, obviously, could win the AFC. Their offense has been a bit shaky, but with that elite defense, they will always have the upper hand.

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Speaking of elite defenses, the Houston Texans are as hot as anyone in the league, and if they don’t fall off, that defense can carry them to a Super Bowl appearance. All they need to do is score 21+, and they’re probably going to win.

The Jacksonville Jaguars also have a realistic shot at winning the AFC. Their offense is really coming around, and Trevor Lawrence is playing some of the best ball of his career. You could even throw the Los Angeles Chargers in there, but I think they’re a tier down from the rest of these teams, mainly because of their offensive issues.

I don’t remember the last time a conference has been this wide open. Obviously, the Bills, Patriots, and Broncos are the favorites, but if Houston, LA, or Jacksonville get hot at the right time, they could easily win the AFC. The AFC playoff bracket should be thrilling.

The Cowboys made a great investment in Quinnen Williams

Ever since the Dallas Cowboys added Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, their run defense has improved tenfold. I’ve been waiting for them to resort to the mean, but they just haven’t. I don’t care that they gave up a first-rounder; they got back a superstar who will help them make a playoff push next year.

In the four games before acquiring Williams, the Cowboys gave up 5.3 yards per carry. In the five games since they’ve acquired him, that number has dropped to 3.9 yards per carry, including holding the Minnesota Vikings to 2.9 yards per carry on Sunday night.

I know it didn’t really help them tonight because their secondary gave up far too many plays through the air, but if they can add a corner through the draft with one of their two first-rounders and then sign a safety or another corner in free agency, this defense could be pretty dang good in 2026.

My dad is a huge Cowboys fan, so I’ve always been hesitant to trust them because I’ve seen how often they’ve let him down, but I think they’re building something good in Dallas.

TreVeyon Henderson is the best rookie RB

I won’t say TreVeyon Henderson was my RB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft; that was Ashton Jeanty, but he was my favorite RB in the draft, for sure. He’s so explosive, and I knew if he landed in the right situation, he’d be great. I thought New England was a good landing spot for him, but through the first 10 or so weeks, I was very disappointed with how he was being used. Now, though, he’s showing the staff why he should’ve been the starter from Week 1.

On Sunday, Henderson exploded for 148 rushing yards on just 14 carries against the Bills. He scored two touchdowns, both of which were 50+ yards, while adding two receptions. Drake Maye didn’t look his best today, but Henderson was able to help keep the Patriots in this game, even though they fell a bit short in the end.

I know Jeanty has been limited by the offense that he’s in, but I think Henderson might be the best rookie running back. He’s just so explosive and reminds me of Jahmyr Gibbs. I am waiting for them to use him as a receiver a bit more, but for now, I’m just excited to see him playing well.

Shedeur, what happened?

After last week’s 300+ yard, four-touchdown performance, I was really hoping Shedeur Sanders would do it again and prove to the Cleveland Browns that he is THE ONE for their future. But instead, he fell flat on his face against a pretty average Chicago defense, and now it looks like the Browns will be looking for a new quarterback this offseason.

On Sunday, Sanders completed 18 of his 35 pass attempts for 177 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions while taking five sacks. I know his offensive line and receivers didn’t do him many favors, but this was one of the worst quarterbacking performances of the entire season. He looked like a college quarterback, which is crazy considering how he played last week.

Now, it appears the Browns will either have to draft or sign a new quarterback. Dillon Gabriel didn’t show much of anything, and while Sanders has that one good game under his belt, the rest of his tape is questionable at best. It was a disappointing performance, and the next two weeks aren’t much easier with the Bills and Steelers coming to town.

Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville are legit

I have been super impressed by Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars in recent weeks, but their performance on Sunday was absolutely ridiculous. They dropped 48 points on the New York Jets. Lawrence threw for 303 yards and scored five total touchdowns, and they had five different receivers total over 50 receiving yards.

Head coach Liam Coen’s first season has been very up and down. They started 4-1 before falling to 5-4. Since then, they’ve rattled off five straight wins. Their offense has looked like one of the best in the league over that span, averaging 34.2 points per game. It feels like Coen and Lawrence are really starting to understand each other, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

I am a bit worried that they may be peaking too early, but if they can keep this up throughout the playoffs, an AFC Championship – or possibly even Super Bowl? – appearance is not out of the question.

The Philip Rivers experiment almost worked…

Everyone was criticizing the Indianapolis Colts for bringing in Philip Rivers and starting him this week, but you know, it could’ve been a whole lot worse. Rivers went 18-for-27 for 120 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. We don’t have the exact numbers yet, but his average depth of target was probably like two yards, and he was basically there to hand the ball off and throw screens, and yet, the Colts almost won.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend that Rivers was the reason this game was close, because he wasn’t; it was their defense. But he did orchestrate a seven-play, 26-yard drive to put them in field goal range (barely), which gave them the lead with under a minute to go. He completed two passes for 19 yards on that drive, including a huge 16-yard pickup on third down to keep the drive alive.

Was he great? Absolutely not. But it really wasn’t as bad as most expected.

If Denver’s offense can keep playing like this, they’ll win the SB

I’ve been very critical of Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense, and rightfully so. They have been very inconsistent this season, but I have always given them their flowers for showing up in the fourth quarter when their defense needed them. I’ll tell you what, though. If this offense can find a way to consistently play as they did on Sunday, they will win the Super Bowl.

Sunday was Nix’s best performance of his entire career. He carved up the Green Bay Packers’ defense, throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He looked calm, cool, and collected, and made a ton of big-time throws to lead the Broncos past the Packers.

I would’ve liked to see more from Denver’s run game, which averaged 2.9 yards per carry, but I can’t complain because Nix was excellent. This is what we expected him to look like after his rookie season. He just needs to find a way to unlock it more often, because if he does, this is a Super Bowl team.

Todd Bowles’ days should be numbered

Todd Bowles’ days need to be numbered in Tampa Bay. What has he really done? He’s had a pretty dang good roster, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never won more than 10 wins under him. Sure, he’s won the NFC South every year, but that division has been horrible ever since he arrived. They’ve won one playoff game in three appearances, and it looks like they’re going to let the NFC South slip through their fingers and miss the playoffs this year. And even if they do make it, they’re not going to win a game.

Bowles is supposed to be a great defensive mind, but ever since he’s arrived at Tampa Bay, his defenses have been lackluster. In four seasons, they’ve ranked 15th in 2022, 5th in 2023, 17th in 2024, and 23rd in 2025. Even when they had a top-five defense, they were only able to win one playoff game before giving up 31 points to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round.

Thursday’s loss to Atlanta was the Buccaneers’ fifth in their last six games. They blew a 14-point lead in the final 10 minutes because Bowles’ defense gave up two touchdowns and a game-winning field goal on their final three drives.

Want to be mediocre? Then keep Bowles. If they want to actually compete in the NFC, which they can do with the roster they have, they need to make a change at head coach.

Myles Garrett is going to make history

Myles Garrett is on the verge of history. With 16.5 sacks in his last seven games, including 1.5 on Sunday, Garrett now has 21.5 sacks on the season. He is 1.0 away from tying the NFL record for most sacks in a single season, and 1.5 away from breaking it. Considering how he’s been playing recently and the fact that there are still three games to go, this record is as good as broken.

Nowadays, whenever a player breaks a record, everyone yaps about how there are 17 games, and it shouldn’t count. Well, this should be done in 16, maybe even 15, games. Unless he suddenly falls off a cliff, he should break this record within the next two weeks, if not next week. No one can complain that this is a “Mickey Mouse” record. This is as legit as they come, and I can’t think of a player who deserves it as much as Garrett.

We could see NFL history made as early as next week. Enjoy it, because this is one of the most dominant seasons we’ve ever seen from a defensive player.

Tyler Shough is awesome

Tyler Shough is so much fun to watch, and if you haven’t peeped him on the New Orleans Saints yet, you should do yourself a favor and go watch some of his highlights. The guy everyone was making fun of at the NFL Combine for one bad throw has quietly been the best rookie quarterback in the NFL this season, and no, I’m not just saying that because I’m a Saints fan.

Through six starts, Shough is averaging 226 passing yards, 21 rushing yards, and has eight total touchdowns. He has dragged this Saints team, which was 1-7 before he took over, to a 3-3 record. For reference, Spencer Rattler, who many were ready to dub New Orleans’ next quarterback, is 1-13 as a starter on the same team.

It’s not just the stats, either. It’s the tape. He makes so many elite throws, and he does it in crucial situations. Whether that be on third down or in the red zone, it doesn’t matter. He just makes plays.

The tape speaks for itself. This kid is a baller.

My boss hates it when I write about the Saints, because supposedly nobody cares, but for those of you who bleed black and gold, this is for you.