Week 15 Thoughts

The Minnesota Vikings took a big step toward their first playoff appearance since 2012 with their 38-17 win over the Chicago Bears.

Prior to this game I was a little stumped as to why the Atlanta Falcons factored into any Vikings playoff clinching scenario. I realize now that tiebreakers are a little different if a three-way tie has to be broken. The Falcons are still alive due to the possibility of a three-way tie between them, the Vikings, and the Seattle Seahawks. In that unlikely scenario the Vikings would be on the outside of the playoffs.

The only playoff scenarios that matter to the Vikings are the ones that they control. They win and they are in the playoffs. Nothing else matters. They do what they need to do and they will be playing football on the second weekend of January.

The Vikings took care of their business against the Bears.

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater doesn't have much of a sample size but he seems to play his best football in December. That's good. He was terrific at the end of his rookie season last season. He played well in a tough loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week. Some talking heads called that game the best game of his career. His performance yesterday might have been even better. His stats showed 17 completions in 20 attempts and 231 yards. Four of those completions went for touchdowns. He added 17 yards running the ball including a nice, tough 12-yard touchdown run. The statistics don't reveal the steady manner in which he controlled the game. The Vikings scored on all but three possessions. Even when the score was close at 10-7 it never really felt like the Bears were going to threaten for the lead. Let alone the game.

This was an efficient win.

The Vikings moved the ball consistently. They had 129 yards rushing. 221 yards passing. They might have had more yards rushing if Adrian Peterson hadn't suffered an ankle injury in the first half. He returned to the game in the second half for a few carries so the injury doesn't look serious.

The Vikings defense played well. They contained a Bears offense that can be explosive. And they did it without their three best defensive players. Defensive tackle Linval Joseph, linebacker Anthony Barr, and safety Harrison Smith were all inactive for a second consecutive game. Hopefully for the last time. Every team is dealing with injuries at this time of the year but the Vikings need those players on the field.

The Vikings sacked Bears quarterback Jay Cutler five times and collected an interception and a fumble from him. Not bad.

The Bears highlights mostly came on special teams. The Vikings had a helluva time corralling kick returner Deonte Thompson. He returned five kicks for 152 yards. He opened the game with a 49-yard return. Unfortunately for the Bears, the excellent field position that Thompson gave his team didn't always turn into points. The Bears surprised everyone with an onside kick to open the second half. They recovered that onside kick. Unfortunately for the Bears that bold play got them no points. Vikings defensive end Brian Robison got the ball back three plays later when he stripped Cutler of the ball for a sack and recovered it. The Vikings turned that into a touchdown and a 24-7 lead.

The Bears responded with a touchdown but the game was never in doubt after that.

The Bears first possession was a perfect example of the day that it was going to be for them. Thompson's big return gave them excellent field position at midfield. Their first play from scrimmage was a 35-yard run by Matt Forte. A holding penalty on center Hroniss Grasu negated that great run. Instead of first-and-10 on the Vikings 15 the Bears had first-and-20 on their own 40. A 45-yard change in field position and an even greater change in momentum. Three plays later the Vikings defense forced a Bears punt. And the Vikings offense started their first touchdown drive.

The Bears have a real nice pair of pass rushers in Pernell McPhee and Willie Young. McPhee has been solid in his first year with the Bears. Young finally looks like he's in the swing of head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's defense. He's been a tough task for every offensive lineman in his way over the past several weeks. He had a sack of Bridgewater yesterday. Although it would have been nice if running back Matt Asiata had helped tackle Matt Kalil a bit by giving Young  a little chip as he ran right by him.

The Bears haven't had a great season but they should be an interesting team to watch in the offseason. John Fox has had success at every one of his head coaching stops. Vic Fangio and Adam Gase are excellent, proven coodinators. So excellent and proven that they could be coaching their own teams in about a month. The Bears have several talented football players in place and may be only a couple away from contending. They have to keep receiver Alshon Jeffery in Chicago. That's probably priority #1. Maybe priority #1 and #2. Matt Forte might not be back. That's due more to age than talent and the fact that rookie Jeremy Langford proved this year that he can be the main guy in the backfield. Jay Cutler is an extremely talented quarterback and his first season with Gase may have been the best of his career.

One Vikings player that has contributed more and more each week is fullback Zach Line. Some questioned his spot on the roster at the start of the season seeing as the position is fading from the game. The Vikings are one of the few teams that still employs a fullback and even they use one on much less than half the time. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner wants a fullback because he wants the versatility that the position provides when he's on the field. And Line's play has improved greatly each week of the season. He's beginning to have highlight blocks in front of Peterson on a weekly basis. He's also making plays with the ball in his hands. Against the Bears, he converted a big first down on a run up the middle and he had a touchdown reception. His role is growing and he's taking advantage of his snaps.

Bridgewater had a career-high four touchdown passes. He added another on the ground. A Vikings quarterback throwing for four TDs and running for another hadn't been done since 9/17/61. That was the first game in franchise history. Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton did it then. Bridgewater did it yesterday. Both times came against the Bears.

The Vikings are now 9-5 and host the New York Giants next week. Every game is a playoff game now.

Due to the end of the college football regular season the NFL had a game on Saturday. The Dallas Cowboys offense looked better with Kellen Moore running show. That's not saying much. Matt Cassel hasn't been good. The New York Jets still beat the Cowboys 19-16 on Saturday night because Ryan Fitzpatrick was much better than Moore or Cassel.

The New York Giants threw a scare into the Carolina Panthers yesterday. With 5:32 to play in the third quarter the Panthers had a 35-7 lead. Just over a quarter later it was all tied up at 35. 28 unanswered points. Giants quarterback Eli Manning even threw an interception in the end zone during the rally. It helped the Giants rally greatly when the Panthers gave the ball right back a few plays later. Crazy game.

Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. scored the tying touchdown for his team but he can hardly be proud of his game. He had three personal foul penalties to go with his six catches. Panthers cornerback Josh Norman responded in kind with a couple penalties of his own. These are two of the most talented players in the league. It would have been a blast to watch them compete against each other. Instead we got stuck with a pathetic pissing match.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the hottest NFL team not based in the Charlotte area. They thumped the injury-depleted Baltimore Ravens 34-14 for their eighth-consecutive win. It's incredible that the 9-5 Chiefs were once 1-5. They had to do all of that winning without running back Jamaal Charles and their last few wins have come without linebacker Justin Houston. Those two are among the best players in the league. The Chiefs are playing great team football right now.

The Houston Texans took a one-game lead in the sad AFC South with their 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans are 7-7. The Texans play @Tennessee and Jacksonville. The Colts are 6-8. The Colts play @Miami and Tennessee. Either team one can take the title if they want it.

The Colts really need to get Andrew Luck back on the field. It's so hard to believe that some people thought that there could possibly be a quarterback controversy in Indianapolis. Matthew Hasselbeck vs. Andrew Luck!? Are you kidding me? It was an insane thought even when Hasselbeck was winning a few games.

The Atlanta Falcons finally showed some life in a 23-17 win over the sometimes explosive Jacksonville Jaguars. The Falcons were up 17-3 at the half. The Jaguars kinda woke up in the third quarter with 14 points but this was a team that had averaged over 38 points over the last three games. They could have used some of those points yesterday. The Falcons are still on playoff life support but there's still a chance.

The New England Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans!

If only the Washington Redskins could play on the road even a little like they play at home. They are 6-2 at home. 1-5 on the road. They looked good at home again in their 35-25 win over the Buffalo Bills yesterday. They unfortunate thing for the now NFC East-leading Redskins is that their final two games of the season are on the road. @Philadelphia and @Dallas.

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Cleveland Browns!

The San Diego Chargers have had a tough season. Few wins. Lots of losses. Lots of injuries. They also might have played their last game in San Diego. If the NFL can settle this Los Angeles thing. The Chargers did play what was probably their best game of the season. A 30-14 win over the Miami Dolphins. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has been great all season despite all the losses.

The Green Bay Packers scored more points than the Oakland Raiders. 30-20 was the score. The Packers maintain their one game lead over the Vikings in the NFC North.

The Cincinnati Bengals managed to win their first full game without starting quarterback Andy Dalton. Backup A.J. McCarron did enough in the 24-14 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The game of the day was probably the game between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers rallied from a 27-10 deficit to win 34-27.

Steelers receiver Antonio Brown had a monster game with 16 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns. The second touchdown was the game-winner with 3:24 to play. There are times when Brown simply can't be defended. I tend to tap Falcons receiver Julio Jones as the best in the league at his position. That title might really belong to Brown.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave the Broncos some life with a late interception. It was a stunning mistake. His defense kept that mistake being anything more than a little bump in the win.

I like this Broncos team better with Peyton Manning leading it.

This Steelers team could do a lot of damage in the playoffs.

In the Sunday Night game the Arizona Cardinals clinched the NFC West title with their 40-17 thrashing of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Cardinals rookie running back David Johnson introduced himself to the nation with 187 yards rushing on 29 carries and three touchdowns. He added another 42 yards on four catches. It took injuries to Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington for David Johnson to get his opportunity and he's really run with it. He had a nice game against the Vikings last week and now this outstanding game. The Cardinals are a much more versatile offense with this Johnson in the backfield. In many respects he's a combination of Chris Johnson and Ellington. He more of a threat in the passing game than Johnson and more of a running threat than Ellington. Former Colts and Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy compared David Johnson to Edgerrin James. I can see that comparison.

Cardinals defensive whiz Tyrann Mathieu injured his knee after an interception near the end of the game. He was able to limp off of the field. The Cardinals need Mathieu back and they need him back completely healthy. Even if he's ready for the next game it might be worth sitting him for two weeks to insure his health for the playoffs. He does so much for the Cardinals defense.

The NFC playoff picture is nearly complete. The Panthers, Cardinals, Packers, and Seahawks are in. The Vikings are damn near in. The only scenario in which the Vikings aren't in is if they lose both of their remaining games, the Seahawks lose both of their remaining games, and the Falcons win both of their remaining games. Then there's whichever team crawls out of the NFC East. The Redskins at 7-7 are leading at the moment. The Giants and Eagles are a game back.

The AFC is more wide open than the NFC. The Patriots and Bengals are the only teams to have clinched a playoff spot. Denver currently leads the AFC West but the surging Chiefs are only a game back. The Steelers and Jets are both 9-5. With some struggling team with a mediocre record taking the AFC South (Colts or Texans) there are three available playoff spots. A solid team with a strong record is going to be left out of the playoffs. The Chiefs and the Steelers, two teams that were outside the playoff picture a couple of weeks ago, are the hottest of the four. This should make for a wild last two weeks in the AFC.

The New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions play tonight to close Week 15. Despite both teams having zero playoff hopes this year this could be a very entertaining game. Or ugly.