In Week 14, all five broadcast windows featured high-stakes games — with three of them happening simultaneously at 1:00 p.m. ET.
In Week 15, that’s not the case.
Still, even with nine teams (nearly a third of the entire league) eliminated from playoff contention, only one game will be truly meaningless: Commanders at Giants. The other 15, starting with Thursday night’s Falcons-Bucs game, have at least one team that has postseason aspirations.
The fact that the Falcons, who are out, upended the Bucs, who are desperately trying to get in, underscores the reality that the teams playing for nothing won’t necessarily be checking one of the few remaining boxes before it’s time to get a much-deserved break from football.
The biggest games mean something for both teams. In Bills-Patriots (1:00 p.m. ET), it’s Buffalo’s last-ditch effort to stay in the division race. And a loss will impact their ability to secure one of the three AFC wild-card berths. The Patriots, in turn, hope to clinch their first AFC East title since 2019 while also continuing to push for the lone AFC first-round bye.
For the 9-4 Chargers and the 6-7 Chiefs, L.A.'s opportunity for its first sweep of the Chiefs since 2013 also includes a chance to ensure that the AFC playoff tree will omit the team that has climbed to the top of it five times in six seasons. A loss by the Chargers will make it harder for them to get a seat at the playoff table.
Packers-Broncos at 4:25 p.m. ET could be a Super Bowl preview. Both teams have been consistently winning of late, and both are trying to hold leads in their respective divisions. The winner will have a much better chance at getting the top seed in their respective conferences.
Lions-Rams (4:25 p.m. ET) has the obvious storyline featuring the quarterbacks who were traded for each other (with the Lions also getting two first-round picks and a third-round pick) nearly five years ago. But the 8-5 Lions are currently on the outside looking in, and the 10-3 Rams have very realistic No. 1 seed aspirations.
In the Sunday night window, it’s a literal elimination game for the 5-8 Vikings — and a de facto go-home proposition for the 6-6-1 Cowboys.
All of the other games have some degree of drama. The 6-7 Ravens, who have lost three in a row, can’t afford to slip two games behind the Steelers with three to play. And the 4-9 Bengals’ thin playoff hopes will evaporate with a loss.
The 8-5 Texans, winners of five in a row, can’t afford a letdown against the 3-10 Cardinals.
The 9-4 Jaguars, who quietly have surged to the top of the AFC South, need to stay focused against the Jets and (checks roster) undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook.
The 8-5 Eagles need to prove to the world that they aren’t slipping and sliding out of the NFC East lead against a 3-10 Raiders team with nothing to lose (except their eighth game in a row).
The 8-5 Colts have literally dusted off 44-year-old Philip Rivers in a desperate effort to avoid becoming the sixth team since the merger to start 7-1 or better and miss the playoffs. Good luck with that against the 10-3 Seahawks, who have become dominant in recent weeks.
The 7-6 Panthers, who were upset at home by the 3-10 Saints, have a chance to seize a one-game lead in the NFC South.
The 9-4 49ers, who are emerging from a bye, can’t let themselves get caught flat-footed against the 2-11 Titans, who stunned the Browns with a 31-point outburst in Week 14.
And on Monday night, the 7-6 Steelers won’t have T.J. Watt due to a freak dry-needling incident (words I never would have excepted to type in that order), will be facing a red-hot Dolphins team that has won five in a row — and that has a chance to win another game in the kind of temperatures during which they typically, and literally, freeze.
So, yes, every Week 15 game will be worth watching. Except one. Enjoy it, because that definitely won’t be the case in Weeks 16, 17, and 18.
The Commanders won’t have quarterback Jayden Daniels, who they ruled out earlier this week. Daniels aggravated his left elbow injury in last week’s shutout loss to the Vikings.
Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota might not have running back Chris Rodriguez or wide receiver Deebo Samuel for Sunday’s game against the Giants. Both players are questionable.
Rodriguez (groin) missed Wednesday’s practice before limited work on Thursday and Friday. He has led the team in rushing yards (253) and rushing touchdowns (three) over the past five games.
Jeremy McNichols, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Chase Edmonds are the options behind Rodriguez.
The Commanders added Samuel to the injury report on Friday with an illness that kept him out of practice.
Besides Daniels, the Commanders ruled out cornerback Jonathan Jones (rib) and defensive end Drake Jackson (groin/knee).
Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence popped up on the injury report on Friday with a hamstring injury. The team lists him as questionable to play in Sunday’s game against the Commanders.
Lawrence has 24 tackles, half a sack, an interception and three passes defensed in 13 games this season.
Defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (illness), outside linebacker Joshua Ezeudu (calf), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (illness/neck/knee), cornerback Art Green (hamstring), linebacker Darius Muasau (ankle) and wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (concussion) also are questionable.
The Giants ruled out wide receiver Beaux Collins (neck/concussion), outside linebacker Victor Dimukeje (knee), cornerback Nic Jones (shoulder), defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr. (ankle) and outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder).
Punter Jamie Gillan (left knee) is doubtful.
The Giants signed veteran punter Cameron Johnston earlier this week, and he will handle Gillan’s duties if Gillan can’t play.
Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux missed the team’s final three games before their Week 14 bye with a shoulder injury and he wasn’t ready to get back on the field Wednesday.
Thibodeaux remained out of practice as the team began their on-field work ahead of Sunday’s game against the Commanders. Head coach Mike Kafka said at his press conference that Thibodeaux “looks good,” but didn’t indicate when he might be back in the lineup.
Punter Jamie Gillan (left knee), defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (illness), linebacker Victor Dimukeje (knee), cornerback Nic Jones (shoulder), defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (concussion), and guard Greg Van Roten (shoulder) were also out of practice.
Tight end Theo Johnson (toe) was a limited participant. Cornerback Korie Black (biceps), wide receiver Beaux Collins (neck), offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu (calf), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (neck, knee), cornerback Art Green (hamstring), linebacker Darius Muasau (ankle), and running back Tyrone Tracy (hip) were listed as full participants.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is sidelined once again.
After aggravating the same elbow he dislocated earlier this season in his return to action against the Vikings, head coach Dan Quinn announced in his Wednesday press conference that the quarterback has been ruled out for the Week 15 game against the Giants.
That means veteran backup Marcus Mariota is set to start another game.
Quinn noted that Daniels did not suffer structural damage to the elbow.
As for the rest of the season, Quinn noted that the team is not yet talking about shutting Daniels down.
“As far as what decisions are ahead, we haven’t gone down that road,” Quinn said, via JP Finlay of NBC 4 Washington. “He’s working really hard to get back with the guys.”
After winning AP offensive rookie of the year in 2024, Daniels’ 2025 has been marred by injury. He missed a pair of games earlier in the season with a knee injury before missing one game with a hamstring injury. He then came back to play the Week 9 game against Seattle, suffering his dislocated elbow.
That means Daniels has been able to play, at most, three consecutive games this season. He has had to miss time after making each of his last three starts.
In seven games this season, Daniels has completed 60.6 passes for 1,262 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
Mariota has completed 62.9 percent of his throws for 1,389 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2025.
