Week 15 is here and the race for the playoffs is coming to a head as we reach the stretch run of the National Football League’s regular season.
TSN will carry a total of six games this week, including two crucial contests in the AFC North, two of the league’s top passers squaring off on the west coast, and important playoff implications in almost every game on the slate.
Here is a game-by-game look at all of the action on the network this week.
Thursday Night Football - Falcons vs. Buccaneers
The Week 15 slate begins with an NFC clash as Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play host to Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons.
Tampa Bay (7-6) lost for the fourth time in five games since their Week 9 bye last time out, and have now fallen into a tie with the Carolina Panthers atop the NFC South.
Mayfield struggled to the tune of just 122 passing yards and a 46.7 completion percentage in the team’s 24-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 14, marking the fourth straight game he has failed to throw multiple touchdown passes.
“We should be frustrated about this loss,” Mayfield said on Sunday. “We should take it out [against the Falcons] on Thursday night.”
While the Buccaneers offence has stalled of late, reinforcements could be on the way with both Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan being “in play” for Thursday’s game, according to head coach Todd Bowles.
Despite their recent skid, Tampa Bay can improve their playoffs odds to 79 per cent with a win over the Falcons, but a loss would drop that figure down to 53 per cent.
Atlanta (4-9) lost for the seventh time in eight games on Sunday after a 37-9 drubbing at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.
The loss ensured an eighth consecutive losing season for the Falcons, tying the franchise stretch in franchise history.
“Our fan base deserves a winner,” head coach Raheem Morris said after another disappointing showing from his team on Sunday. “You can’t make any promises you can’t keep at this moment. All you can do is give them the best effort you can give them.”
Robinson failed to record more than 100 scrimmage yards for the first time since the team’s Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and could be hard pressed to reach the milestone once again against the eighth-ranked rushing defence in the league.
Ravens vs. Bengals
Sunday’s slate kicks off with a pivotal AFC North matchup as Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens fight for their playoff lives in a meeting against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Ravens fell to 6-7 on the year last time out with a 27-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and now sit at just 30 per cent to make the playoffs.
After winning five straight games, Baltimore has now dropped two straight with another divisional battle on tap in Week 15.
Jackson’s play has not been at the usual MVP-level it has been in years prior, but the eighth-year passer showed signs of improvement in the loss to the Pittsburgh.
The Louisville product recorded his first passing touchdown since Week 10 and found the end zone on the ground for his first rushing score since Week 1.
Jackson struggled mightily the last time he faced the Bengals with three turnovers and just a 53.1 completion percentage, but could be in for a bounce back against a Cincinnati defence allowing 410.5 total yards and 31.8 points per game on the year.
Cincinnati (4-9) also fell in Week 14, a 39-34 heartbreaker against the Buffalo Bills, essentially ending their hopes for a late-season push with Burrow back under centre.
The Bengals now hold just a three per cent chance for a playoff berth, but will have the chance to play spoiler against their division rivals on Sunday.
Burrow has eclipsed the 250-yard mark and thrown at least two touchdowns in both games since returning from surgery to repair turf toe, and will look to beat the Ravens for the second time in three weeks after pulling off the upset on U.S. Thanksgiving.
Browns vs. Bears on TSN+
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears continue their push for the top spot in the NFC in a matchup against Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns.
Subscribe to TSN+ to watch the Bears host the Browns LIVE Sunday at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.
The Bears (9-4) lost to the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, also dropping out of the NFC’s top seed all the way to seventh in the conference.
Williams threw for 186 yards with two touchdowns against Green Bay, but was hamstrung by a late pick in the end zone that would have put Chicago in position to tie the game with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
The loss marked the end of a five-game winning streak, but the Bears will be looking to get back in the win column against the lowly Browns on Sunday.
Sanders will once again be under centre for Cleveland in Week 15 after head coach Kevin Stefanski named him the starter for the rest of the season.
The Browns (3-10) lost to the Tennessee Titans last week, but Sanders recorded career-best marks with 364 passing yards and three touchdowns.
While the playoffs are already out of the question for the Browns this season, star pass rusher Myles Garrett needs just 3.0 sacks to set the all-time single season record held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
NFL Redzone on TSN+
Keep up with all of the biggest plays and scoring drives from around the league with seven hours of coverage on NFL RedZone.
Subscribe to TSN+ to watch NFL RedZone LIVE Sunday at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.
Lions vs. Rams
A pair of star quarterbacks face off against their former teams as Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams welcome Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions to town.
Both Stafford and Goff are pacing the league in passing touchdowns with 35 and 26 scores, respectively, and will now face each other for the fourth time since being traded for one another in a 2021 blockbuster deal.
Stafford’s MVP candidacy took a hit in a loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 13, but the veteran signal-caller rebounded nicely with 281 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 45-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals in their last contest.
With the win, Los Angeles moved to 10-3 on the year and reclaimed the NFC’s No. 1 seed. They are now near-locks for the playoffs, holding odds at 97 per cent, but will look to lock up a a first-round bye in the coming weeks.
The Lions defeated the Dallas Cowboys to improve to 8-5, but remain on the outside of the playoff picture with just four games to go.
Detroit holds a 55 per cent chance of making the playoffs, and finish the season against three opponents currently in a playoff spot.
The Lions were also dealt a blow this week after it was announced that All-Pro safety Brian Branch would miss the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles.
Branch, a second-round pick of the Lions in 2023, has totaled 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, five QB hits, and nine passes defended in 12 games played this year.
Detroit signed veteran safety Damontae Kazee to their practice squad, and are reportedly intending to fast track him to the active roster in time for Sunday’s game.
Sunday Night Football - Vikings vs. Cowboys
Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys will look to resuscitate their dwindling playoff hopes in a Sunday Night Football matchup against J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings.
Dallas (6-6-1) rattled off three consecutive wins to play their way back into the NFC’s playoff picture, but that momentum was snuffed out against the Lions in Week 14.
Prescott threw for 376 yards and a touchdown in the loss, but also had two interceptions for the first time since Week 8.
Star receiver CeeDee Lamb suffered a concussion against Detroit, leaving the contest in the third quarter, but is “progressing nicely” in his recovery ahead of Sunday’s crucial matchup, according to head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
George Pickens, the other half of Dallas’ star wide receiver duo, struggled to carry the load without Lamb on the field, posting five catches on nine targets for just 37 yards, his lowest total since Week 1.
The Vikings (5-8) are not yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but a late-season push seems unlikely at this point in time.
Still, the team will be looking for a strong end to the year from McCarthy, who returned from a concussion to deliver a 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders last week.
The second-year pro played the first interception-free game of his career, also throwing for 163 yards and three touchdowns.
McCarthy had struggled mightily to begin his first season under centre for Minnesota, and despite the strong showing last week, is still the only qualified quarterback with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) this season.
Monday Night Football - Dolphins vs. Steelers
Week 15 comes to a close with Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins taking on Aaron Rodgers and the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
The Dolphins (6-7) have overcome a disastrous start to the year and have quietly pieced together a four-game winning streak behind the stellar play of star running back De’Von Achane.
Achane has gone over 100 yards from scrimmage in each game during the win streak, also finding the end zone four times.
He left last week’s game in the second quarter with a rib injury, with head coach Mike McDaniel revealing that his absence was precautionary.
“He was hurting, but he was available to come back in the game in an emergency,” McDaniel said after the 34-10 win against the New York Jets. “You worry about breaks -- that takes time. Didn’t see that, but he will be getting treatment. He was available to come back in the game. I just chose not to put him in.”
McDaniel did not guarantee that Achane would be available to go on Monday, but the extra day of rest puts him in a good position to be back out on the field this week.
The Steelers (7-6) put an end to a two-game slide with a win over the Ravens last time out, and took the top spot in the division in the process.
Pittsburgh now holds a 64 per cent chance to win the division as they chase their first AFC North title since 2020.
Rodgers threw for 284 yards and touchdown to beat the Ravens last week and will look to keep things rolling in a matchup against the Dolphins’ 12th-ranked secondary in the league.
Pittsburgh will need to win two of their last four games to clinch an 18th straight season with a .500 or better record under head coach Mike Tomlin, the longest streak to start a career in NFL history.
