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NFL Week 15: Top 5 games to watch this weekend

The NFL season is getting down to the wire and several games happening in Week 15 have strong playoff implications. Here’s five you won’t want to miss.

Jennifer BubelEnglish_AS

Week 15 of the NFL brings us the first week with three Saturday games. Now that college football has ended, the NFL can spread the games out a bit. Not only that, but this week, there are several games with strong playoff implications. With just four weeks left in the regular season, things are getting down to the wire with divisional battles and desperate teams hoping to stay in playoff contention.

The week has already started off with an interesting Thursday night game - the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-13 to clinch the top spot in the NFC West. The Seahawks, now at 7-7, will try to get a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

Week 15 Saturday NFL games for December 17, 2022:

  • Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET
  • Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns, 4:30 p.m. ET
  • Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m. ET

Week 15 NFL games you can’t miss

5. Detroit Lions at New York Jets, Sunday 1 p.m. ET

That’s right. The Lions and Jets game is on a must-watch list. Just when you thought 2022 couldn’t get any weirder than the last two seasons. This matchup has huge playoff implications as both teams are still in playoff contention. The Lions have won five of their last six games and Jared Goff has made his case for being a franchise quarterback. He’s thrown for seven touchdowns and no interceptions in the last three weeks. However, playing on the road is where he and the Lions struggle. Goff has thrown four interceptions to just two touchdowns on the road this season and the Lions average just over 18 points per game at away games. Despite Detroit’s recent offensive success, the Jets will give them a run for their money, with the sixth-ranked scoring defense.

4. Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET

With both teams sitting at 7-6, either one could potentially make it to the playoffs, technically, but whichever loses will struggle to get there after this week. The Chargers are coming off of a huge win over the Dolphins, but the Titans are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Jaguars. The Titans defense will be put to the test again when they face Justin Herbert, who threw for 367 yards last week, on the road.

3. New York Giants at Washington Commanders, Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET

These two teams are sitting at the bottom of the NFC East standings. They tied in their last game earlier in the season and now have the exact same record, 7-5-1. That means the stakes are still high if either team hopes to make the playoffs. It’s not likely, but it is possible that every team in the NFC East could actually make the playoffs this year, considering they’re all above .500. In fact, this game won’t necessarily keep either of them out of the playoff discussion completely, but it will break the tie.

2. Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET

This game will be the first time Tom Brady and Joe Burrow have ever met. The NFC South continues to be terrible. The fact that the Bucs, at 6-7, are sitting at the top of the division, should tell you all you need to know about that. Tom Brady looked as terrible as ever last week against the Niners and their backup quarterback Brock Purdy. The Bengals, on the other hand, are the best team in the AFC and have won five straight games.

1. Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, Saturday 8:15 p.m.

The last time these two AFC East teams met earlier in the season, it was a Dolphins upset over the Bills. This time could be very different though, as the two will meet in Buffalo in the cold, brutal winter. The Bills have moved to the top of the division at 10-3 while the Dolphins sit at second with an 8-5 record. Miami is in need of a win after two losses in a row to the Niners and Chargers. The Bills will clinch the AFC East if they win one more or Miami lose one more.

Divisional standings headed into the weekend of NFL Week 15:

AFC East

  1. Buffalo Bills, 10-3
  2. Miami Dolphins, 8-5
  3. New York Jets, 7-6
  4. New England Patriots, 7-6

AFC South

  1. Tennessee Titans, 7-6
  2. JacksonvilleJaguars, 5-8
  3. Indianapolis Colts, 4-8-1
  4. Houston Texans, 1-11-1

AFC North

  1. Baltimore Ravens, 9-4
  2. Cincinnati Bengals, 9-4
  3. Cleveland Browns, 5-8
  4. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5-8

AFC West

  1. Kansas City Chiefs, 10-3
  2. Los Angeles Chargers, 7-6
  3. Las Vegas Raiders, 5-8
  4. Denver Broncos, 3-10

NFC East

  1. Philadelphia Eagles, 12-1
  2. Dallas Cowboys, 10-3
  3. New York Giants, 7-5-1
  4. Washington Commanders, 7-5-1

NFC South

  1. Tampa Bay Buccaneer, 6-7
  2. Atlanta Falcons, 5-8
  3. Carolina Panthers, 5-8
  4. New Orleans Saints, 4-9

NFC North

  1. Minnesota Vikings, 10-3
  2. Detroit Lions, 6-7
  3. Green Bay Packers, 5-8
  4. Chicago Bears, 3-10

NFC West

  1. San Francisco 49ers, 10-4
  2. Seattle Seahawks, 7-7
  3. Arizona Cardinals, 4-9
  4. Los Angeles Rams, 4-9