Two teams have clinched spots in the playoffs and that number could start going up on Thursday night.
If the Seahawks beat the Rams at home, they will join the Rams in the NFC bracket. They would also take over first place in the NFC West and the top spot in the conference with two games left to play.
The Seahawks will also get into the dance if the Lions lose to the Steelers on Sunday. A Lions loss would also punch the ticket for the winner of Saturday’s game between the Packers and Bears in Chicago and it would give the 49ers a spot regardless of how they fare against the Colts on Monday night. Both the Packers and Bears will get in if they tie and the Lions lose.
The 49ers won’t need any help from the Lions if they beat the Colts.
The Eagles will clinch the NFC East with a win over the Commanders on Saturday or a Cowboys loss to the Chargers on Sunday.
The Broncos are the only other team with the ability to wrap up a division title this weekend. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot and will take the AFC West if they beat the Jaguars while the Chargers lose. Getting those results as well as a Bills loss and a Patriots loss will make the Broncos the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The Patriots will clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Ravens. They also get in with a Colts loss to the 49ers or a Texans loss to the Raiders.
The Bills, Chargers, and Jaguars can all book their spots in the postseason by winning and getting a loss by either of those AFC South teams. The Bills will be in Cleveland on Sunday.
The Packers sustained a severe blow on Sunday when Micah Parsons suffered what is believed to be a torn ACL during their 34-26 loss to the Broncos, but it appears they avoided another one on the other side of the ball.
Wide receiver Christian Watson left the game after landing hard on his left side while trying to catch a deep pass from Jordan Love in the third quarter and he was ruled out with a chest injury a short time later. Watson was able to travel back to Green Bay with the team after being evaluated at a Denver hospital.
The specifics of that evaluation haven’t been shared, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Watson avoided a major injury. It’s not clear if that means Watson will be available for Saturday’s road game against the Bears and more information on that front should come from the team on Monday.
Watson had three catches for 29 yards on Sunday and he has 28 catches for 481 yards and five touchdowns on the season.
Bears wide receiver DJ Moore was a much bigger factor in Week 15 than he was in Week 14.
Moore had one catch that lost four yards in the Bears’ loss to the Packers in Week 14 and head coach Ben Johnson said after the game that the intent was for Moore to have more of an impact on the proceedings. Moore accomplished that against the Browns this Sunday.
Quarterback Caleb Williams hit Moore for a short touchdown in the first quarter and then drilled a 22-yard score to the wideout while scrambling in the third quarter of what ended as a 31-3 Bears win. Moore finished the day with four catches for 69 yards and said it was “about damn time” that he had that kind of performance.
“He’s been playing this way every week,” Johnson said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. “It’s just we haven’t been able to get the ball in his hands. We were able to target him a few more times, and he came through with some big plays for us. Sometimes these things come in bunches. You kind of have a dry spell, and then all of a sudden, he could come on hot here over the next three games and just really take off. That’s the way it tends to happen, which would be a good thing for us.”
Rome Odunze aggravated a foot injury working out before the game and Luther Burden injured his ankle during the contest, so Moore’s contributions were even more significant to the Bears’ cause. That will remain the case in Week 16 when Moore tries for a bigger day in a home game against the Packers that will go a long way toward determining who wins the NFC North.
The Bears entered Week 15 with a record of 9-4.
The Browns were 3-10.
In a performance fit for both teams’ records, Chicago had little trouble taking care of Cleveland for a 31-3 victory.
The Bears’ defense made it particularly tough for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, picking him off three times. With little run game to speak of, the Browns did not reach 200 yards of offense until there was a minute left in the fourth quarter. And then they lost that mark when Sanders took two late sacks, finishing with 192 total yards.
Offensively, Chicago took an early 14-0 lead that seemed insurmountable — because it was. D’Andre Swift rushed for a 6-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. Caleb Williams followed that with a 3-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore late in the period.
With frigid conditions in Chicago, Bears kicker Cairo Santos missed a 35-yard field goal wide right to keep the score 14-0 at halftime.
While Andre Szmyt connected on a 50-yard field goal to make the score 14-3 early in the third quarter, the Browns weren’t able to do much else.
Moore’s 22-yard touchdown after a Sanders pick made the score 21-3. Swift added a 17-yard TD late in the third quarter and Santos nailed a 41-yard field goal to close out the scoring.
Williams finished the contest 17-of-28 for 242 yards with two touchdowns. Swift had 18 carries for 98 yards with a pair of TDs.
Sanders ended the game 18-of-35 for 177 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Notably, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett got even closer to the single-season sack record. He brought down Williams 1.5 times in the game, giving him 21.5 sacks on the season — 1.0 sacks off of the record shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
The Bears now have 10 wins for the first time since 2018 — Matt Nagy’s first year as the club’s head coach. Chicago will host Green Bay next Saturday night for a game with huge postseason implications.
At 3-11, the Browns are playing out the string. They will host Buffalo next Sunday afternoon for a battle of Lake Erie.
Chicago’s defense put on a clinic in the first half of Sunday’s matchup with Cleveland, as the Bears hold a 14-0 lead over the Browns at halftime.
Cleveland managed just one first down in the half with 57 total yards. Most of Cleveland’s offense came from just one play, as Shedeur Sanders connected with receiver Isaiah Bond for a 42-yard deep shot in the second quarter.
Sanders finished the first half 4-of-10 for 54 yards.
The Bears scored touchdowns on their second and third possessions. D’Andre Swift ran one in from 6-yards out while Caleb Williams tossed a 3-yard touchdown to DJ Moore later in the first quarter to put the Bears up by a pair of touchdowns.
Williams finished the first half 12-of-18 for 190 yards with a touchdown. Williams did appear to limp off the field at the end of the second quarter.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett got a step closer to setting the single-season sack record, bringing down Williams on third-and-goal in the second quarter. He now has 21.0 sacks this season, 1.5 off the record shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
The Browns will receive the second-half kickoff.
