01-09-2025, 02:32 AM
The 49ers kicked off Week 15 Thursday night with a 21-13 road sway the Seahawks, San Francisco's 7th straight success, clinching the NFC West title at the same time. In just his 2nd career start, Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy was 17-of-26 masquerading 217 backyards as well as 2 touchdowns, an outstanding efficiency as the 49ers 10-4) plan for what they really hope is a lengthy postseason , the Seahawks 7-7) are on the outside looking in at the playoffs. With three games continuing to be as well as three groups in advance of them in the wild-card race, there's a great deal of work to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. For extra on the playoff chase and each team's opportunities of reaching that hallowed ground, do not miss out on Aaron Reiss as well as Austin Mock's evaluation DEEPERNFL playoff photo at Week 15: As 49ers win NFC West, where does that leave Seahawks?But wait-- there's a lot more of Week 15 still ahead. Can the Dolphins reinforce their playoff return to with a win in snowy Buffalo? That has the side as Joe Burrow as well as Tom Brady contest in Tampa bay? What should we expect from Josh McDaniels and the Raiders as he faces his old employer, Costs Belichick, as well as the Patriots? The Athletic's Zac Jackson, Mike Jones and Mike Sando dish on what they'll be enjoying Saturday, Sunday and highlight of Saturday's activity is the night tilt in between the Costs, 10-3 and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and the stammering Dolphins, 8-5 and also losers of two directly. Can Tua Tagovailoa recuperate from 2 off video games and get Miami back right into playoff setting, or is this component of the group's continued descending spiral?Jackson: I will not entirely bury Tagovailoa or the Dolphins, yet I can not see this as the game in which they transform things around. The Expenses have actually had this circled since September, and with anticipated weather issues and the Dolphins having played last Sunday evening in Los Angeles, this seems like an avalanche. Maybe the Dolphins can get the round out quickly to Tyreek Hill as well as Jaylen Waddle and also allow them create, however Miami's current challengers have eliminated the center of the area, and Expenses linebacker Matt Milano leads an awful defense that will be : It's mosting likely to be testing both for Tua as well as Dolphins train Mike McDaniel because they are the ones that'll have to get this crime back on track. The weather will present obstacles, so McDaniel needs to figure out exactly how to bring back balance to the offense, which has actually balanced simply 63.7 rushing lawns per game given that the Dolphins returned from their bye three weeks back 1-2 throughout that stretch). Miami averaged 97.7 lawns per game on the ground during its 7-3 beginning to the period and also a durable 122.5 per game from Weeks 7 through 10. A reliable run game translates into much less stress on Tua because it opens the play-action strike and keeps the defense from embarking on on him. Yet having said that, coming back on course against a fierce Costs defense will be a really tough task. We may see some enhancement from Tagovailoa as well as his offense, yet I think the Dolphins' losing touch will certainly : The spiral proceeds in this game. The Expenses are fast and also great on protection. The weather is mosting likely to be cold. There will certainly be wind. There could be snow. There will certainly be noise. I'll be so amazed if this is where the Dolphins find their infraction. However I'm not convinced they have the running game to consistent points in a game such as this DEEPERDolphins at Costs: Chances, expert picks https://www.buffalobillsoutfit.com/colle...son-jersey, conversation for Saturday's gameA number of groups are in must-win setting if they wish to keep their playoff hopes alive. Along those lines, which team are you most positive in looking in advance to this weekend? Jackson: This is the Super Dish for Josh McDaniels and the Raiders. An extremely beatable Patriots group check outs Las Las vega, and also though the Raiders clearly aren't trustworthy, they possibly are the much better and also much more hopeless group in this area. I simply assume Josh Jacobs as well as Davante Adams can making sufficient huge plays to keep the Raiders' season : I believe Washington will certainly get a much-needed gain the visiting Giants to maintain hope active and also enhance to 8-5-1. The Commanders played the Giants to an incorporate New York two weeks earlier, but after the Giants' loss Sunday, Washington now holds the 6th playoff place in the NFC. Ron Rivera's group will certainly try to reinforce its setting and ought to have the edge when it involves protection as well as offensive : Tennessee is reeling as well as needs to beat the Chargers when driving to quit a three-game losing streak and also declare its status as the clear AFC South leader. I'll select Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry as well as Mike Vrabel today, but my confidence in the Titans is DEEPERVic's Picks, Week 15: Stay tranquility like the bearded Sam DarnoldIn the late-afternoon time port Sunday, Joe Burrow as well as the Bengals 9-4) traveling to Tampa florida to face Tom Brady and also the Buccaneers 6-7). Exactly how do you see this one playing out? Jackson: The Bengals are official. The Bucs are not. The Bengals have some injury problems, however Burrow is smart sufficient to function around them, as well as the Bucs merely aren't unleashing the type of mayhem on protection they were the last pair of years. I don't believe the sluggish, uninspiring Bucs offense can maintain unless Burrow presents them numerous : Look for the Bengals to maintain rolling. I assume they'll prolong their win touch to 6 video games. Burrow as well as company are just too powerful offensively for Brady and also his offense to maintain : The Bengals should cover the 3.5-point spread. Tampa bay Bay simply does not have the personnel it needed to power playoff runs over the past pair of seasons. The Bengals are solid on both sides of the sphere, have actually been playing well lately and ought to see this as an opportunity to beat a formerly good team when it's DEEPERSeeing Tom Brady in Joe Burrow: Via eyes of those that've known bothSunday night brings us a large rivalry video game between the Giants 7-5-1) as well as Leaders 7-5-1) in Washington. Who has the side, as well as which of these teams has the much better shot of getting to the postseason?Jackson: I such as the Commanders in this game, as well as I like them as the better wager to make the postseason. The Leaders have a top-10 defense according to Football Outsiders' overall DVOA, and they have sufficient offending tools to fracture the code and also the Giants) in an essential but odd matchup of groups that played to a 20-20 tie 2 weeks : See my answer over. Washington is your best : It's difficult to violate Washington in this matchup, despite the fact that I did believe earlier in the season that the Giants were mosting likely to reach the playoffs. Washington has been playing much better recently, is coming off its bye as well as is dipping into residence. There's no tangible factor to pick the Giants in this DEEPERNFC East Roundtable: Giants-Commanders face-off, playoff predictions with 4 weeks to goIf you needed to select one dismayed this week, that would you take? Jackson: Challenging week on that front, however I can not think the Steelers are three-point underdogs in Carolina. The Steelers plainly have flaws and also quarterback concerns, yet they suffice defensively to transform Sam Darnold over multiple times and win what could be a first-to-17 type of : I'll take the Lions defeating the Jets in Jersey. Dan Campbell's gang has won five of the last 6 and two straight. Their momentum is : I already selected Tennessee previously. It would not surprise me if Jacksonville managed a triumph over Dallas as a six-point underdog. Allow's see if Dak Prescott can restrict the turnovers after tossing a league-high eight picks since Week 8. What is the most fascinating storyline of Week 15 that we haven't yet reviewed? What are you personally most thrilled to see?Jackson: Might the Packers still have playoff life by the time they play Monday night? Is there enough left in the tank to make a real run at the playoffs if the Packers do what I expect and take care of the Rams? It's not the week's most amazing video game, yet Aaron Rodgers is still excellent TV-- and Packers-Dolphins on Xmas can end up being really DEEPER' An actually challenging change': In Aaron Rodgers' infraction 'it's difficult for the young people' Jones: I intend to see if interim coach Steve Wilks can keep this improbable quest opting for the 5-8 Panthers, that have actually won 2 straight and also are just one game behind struggling Tampa florida Bay. Pittsburgh definitely is beatable https://www.buffalobillsoutfit.com/colle...ton-jersey, and also the Panthers have actually enhanced : Josh McDaniels leading the Raiders against Expense Belichick and also the Patriots is worth stating with a lot attention focused on what New England did and did refrain) in replacing McDaniels as its offensive coordinator. Can the Patriots violation get anything going versus an unimpressive Raiders defense? Will Belichick address McDaniels? There's so much familiarity, and these groups are mirror pictures the Raiders are better on infraction than defense, while the Patriots are much better on defense than infraction). Image: John Bradford/ The Athletic; images: Greg Fiume, Chris Unger, Dylan Buell / Getty Images).