Tag: NFL Week 15

Saints’ final drive showed a glimpse of what could be a future dynamic duo

The Saints got a potential look into the future on their final drive versus the Commanders, led by Spencer Rattler and Kendre Miller:

The New Orleans Saints’ final drive felt like a look into a potential future of the offense. With 1:55 remaining on the clock, it was youngsters Spencer Rattler and Kendre Miller leading the charge down the field.

Injuries to Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara provided an opportunity to see two young building blocks in a critical situation. Together, Miller and Rattler gave the Saints the opportunity to pull off the upset.

The interesting thing about where the Saints currently are as a franchise is it’s difficult to properly assess the future. If the Saints don’t go with Darren Rizzi full-time, the next head coach will step in with a new philosophy and attitude on players.

Because of that, it’s hard to predict how impactful these type of performances are. For Miller, he can continue being a part of the rotation. His runs early in the drive caught Washington off guard and set the tone. As long as he stays healthy, Miller has shown he deserves a role with the new regime.

For Rattler, he’s either your quarterback or he isn’t. With where the Saints are going to pick in the draft this year, a new coach could decide to see what Rattler has for a year. That brings up more questions about Derek Carr’s contract.

Before we start evaluating questions that won’t be answered in the near future, Rattler has to show he can play well for an entire game. Once we’ve seen that over a couple of games, we can talk about what’s next.

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Should Spencer Rattler start the Saints’ final three games?

The Saints managed to nearly pull off a win behind Spencer Rattler in Week 15’s second half, but should he get the remaining three starts of the season?

The New Orleans Saints had a very interesting quarterback scenario unfold in their Week 15 loss to the Washington Commanders. Jake Haener started things off, getting his first career start in the NFL, and he looked pretty rough for the 21 snaps he got on offense.

He went 4-for-10 on completions for 49 yards with an interception and picked up 7 yards on a scramble, but was sacked 3 times for a loss of 29 yards. This resulted in a 2.3 QB rating and a 16.2 passer efficiency rating. For context, a PER for not completing a single pass would be 39.6.

On the other hand, Spencer Rattler came in at halftime and got 34 snaps, going 10-of-21 for 135 yards and a touchdown, with an 81.0 QBR and an 84.4 passer efficiency rating. On top of that, when looking at the final drive where the Saints scored a touchdown and had a chance to win the game, he was 5-for-6 for 26 yards and a touchdown, 5-for-7 if you want to include the two-point conversion (though that was a strong throw regardless).

So, now the Saints have a decision to make. Do they stick with the guy they went into the game with, and see if he can improve enough to keep the job, or should they give it to the metaphorical hot hand and see if he has improved from his three starts earlier this season. Obviously this is presuming Derek Carr is out for the year, which seems likely as the Saints would prefer to let him heal and be ready for his spring medical evaluation which will determine his guarantees on his contract. If he fails, he would receive the $30 million guaranteed no matter what, which is less than optimal even if they want to stick with him next season.

In my opinion, you have nothing to lose at this point if you are the Saints, so letting Rattler get some more NFL experience is not a bad thing at all. Giving him a chance to prepare over the course of the week to start this game would likely result in an even better outcome. The difficulty is Rattler would be playing an away game at the Green Bay Packers, and if current weather projections are anything to go off of, it will be somewhere between 16 and 23 degrees out with a 6% chance of snow.

That’s asking a lot of anyone, but especially so with Rattler and Haener. But Rattler proved to be the safer option in this game, not taking a sack after it was an issue earlier in the season with him, and not turning the ball over at all. So I would say you go with Rattler this week and just see what he can do with this matchup.

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Lions postgame medical report following the Bills game

Lions postgame medical report following the Bills game, with updates on McNeill, Davis, Dorsey and more injured Detroit players

The playoffs can’t come soon enough for the Lions as the defense is running low on players to even limp to the finish line. Multiple defenders went down vs the Bills including two key starters in Alim McNeill and Carlton Davis.

Postgame, Dan Campbell delivered pessimistic outlooks on those two: “We’ll know more [Monday], I don’t feel good about either one of those guys… for the rest of the year.”

UPDATE: On Monday, reports confirmed that McNeill is out for the season with an ACL, and Davis is out for six weeks with a fractured jaw.

Dan Campbell on Monday stated that David Montgomery is having surgery and is out for the season.

Definitively lost for the season also is Khalil Dorsey who is a valuable backup CB and special teams player.

Here are the injuries seen on initial look including suspected diagnoses:

Carlton Davis – jaw 1q 12:30 & 2q 13:29

UPDATED: Davis confirmed to have a fractured jaw and is out six weeks. If accurate, he has a chance to be back for the NFC championship game which is in six weeks. 

In the 1st quarter, Davis took a shot to the left side of the helmet during a tackle and was out for one play. In the 2nd quarter, video is obscured but you can presume that he took a blow to the left side of his head again. Afterwards, trainers are seen checking out his left jaw area, and he did not return to the game.

This wouldn’t be the first time this year that Davis has taken trauma to the left side of his head. Back in Week 6, a cleat hit the left side of his helmetless head. It’s uncertain if all these injuries are related.

David Montgomery – right MCL 2q 7:39

UPDATE: Dan Campbell reports that Montgomery is having knee surgery and is out for the year. 

It’s not clear when the injury happened. The suspicious play is when he got his right leg tangled up at the end of a run. The next carry after that, it appeared his right leg gave out on him. He stayed in another play before leaving for the rest of the half.

Montgomery returned to start the 3rd quarter with a visible right knee wrap. He was able to play into the 4th quarter and looked fine doing so. After the game, Dan Campbell stated he’s “a little banged up”. Hopefully, this is just a mild knee sprain or contusion and nothing unexpected shows up on MRI.

Khalil Dorsey – right tibia and fibula fracture near the ankle 2q 1:47

Dorsey will be out for the season. His fracture is similar to Aidan Hutchinson’s except Dorsey’s appears to be lower down the leg and closer to the ankle joint. It was officially listed as an ankle. Thus, there is concern for joint damage here which potentially makes it a more complicated injury than Hutchinson’s which spared the joint. Dorsey will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Interestingly, Dorsey was at high risk for the same injury last year when he made a tripping tackle on kick coverage. The impact force on that play last year looked much greater than the one that broke his leg this year. This epitomizes the fluky nature of many NFL injuries.

Alim McNeill – right ACL 3q 7:20

UPDATED: McNeill confirmed to have an ACL tear. Full recovery is generally very reliable but lengthy. Expected return would be around October-November 2025, thus the injury affects next season also. Hopefully, there is no associated meniscus damage along with the ACL. 

Video was not obvious here. It’s not clear exactly which step he hurt his knee but suspecting it was the final step when he comes down hard on a straight leg. Best case scenario would be a mild bone bruise or knee sprain. Meniscus damage is a possibility. Worst cases are an ACL or a fracture. We should know the prognosis very soon.

Terrion Arnold – passed concussion evaluation 4q 14:00

Arnold went up high to defend a pass and landed hard on his back causing his head to whiplash onto the turf. This easily could have caused a concussion, but he presumably passed the evaluation and finished out the game. Delayed symptoms are unlikely but possible, and we should know that by the first practice on Wednesday.

Brian Branch – right upper leg strain 4q 4:12

This is the second time in two games that Branch has reached for his right upper lateral leg area after a tackle. He did this last week vs the Packers also. In each instance, he was awkwardly bent over to the side while making the tackle.

He was able to stay in the game both times, but there may be a mild underlying injury that he has been battling through. A muscle/tendon or iliotibial band strain are possible.

Amon-Ra St. Brown gets Lions back in game with a 66-yard TD strike

Detroit highlight: Amon-Ra St. Brown gets Lions back in game with a 66-yard TD strike

The Lions aren’t out of it yet. Down three scores in the third quarter, the Lions got the big play they needed to the and gain a spark after quarterback Jared Goff hit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 66-yard score.

The touchdown got the Lions back within 35-21 against the Bills.

St. Brown is up to 155 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. Goff has 278 passing yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing.

Fantasy football inactives, injuries and weather: NFL Week 15

Week 15 weather, injury updates and gameday inactives for the fantasy football lineup decisions.

Sunday updates will begin when teams start releasing official pregame inactives and starter information to the league. This is typically around 90 minutes prior to the kickoff of their game.

Weather forecasts are courtesy of The Football Database.

Week 15 gameday inactives, weather and notes

KEY GAME-TIME DECISIONS

Early games: TE David Njoku (inactive), RB Breece Hall (active), RB Tony Pollard (active)
Afternoon games: WR Ladd McConkey (active), RB Bucky Irving (active)
Sunday night: RB Kenneth Walker III (inactive)
Monday night: RB D’Andre Swift, QB Aidan O’Connell

Early games

Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 42°F, cloudy, SSE 15 mph

Chiefs

Inactives: OT D.J. Humphries, DL Malik Herring, DT Marlon Tuipulotu, OG C.J. Hanson, OT Ethan Driskell, LB Josh Uche and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Lineup notes: WR Marquise Brown (shoulder) is out but saw his 21-day open this week. LT D.J. Humphries (hamstring) was downgraded to out. PK Harrison Butker (knee) was activated from IR and will be on the field, and PK Matthew Wright was released.

Browns

Inactives: QB Bailey Zappe, DL James Houston, PK Dustin Hopkins, WR Cedric Tillman, CB Chigozie Anusiem, RB D’Onta Foreman and TE David Njoku

Lineup notes: WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) is out. TE David Njoku (knee) isn’t able to get on the field, but OG Joel Bitonio (back) will give it a whirl. WR Jerry Jeudy (knee) and DE Myles Garrett (personal) practiced Thursday and Friday and will play. PK Riley Patterson will handle the kicking duties.

Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 55°F, cloudy, SSW 11 mph

Bengals

Inactives: OT Cody Ford, QB Logan Woodside, DL Sheldon Rankins, TE Tanner McLachlan, OT Orlando Brown and WR Charlie Jones

Lineup notes: LT Orlando Brown (leg) is out. QB Joe Burrow (wrist, knee) was limited up until a full session Friday, and he’s good to go. PK Cade York was elevated from the practice squad and will handle the kicking chores.

Titans

Inactives: CB Roger McCreary, LB Jerome Baker, WR Jha’Quan Jackson, RB Joshua Kelley, CB Tre Avery and LB Otis Reese

Lineup notes: RB Tony Pollard (ankle) will gut it out after being deemed questionable to play. WR Tyler Boyd (foot) and LB Kenneth Murray (hamstring) practiced Friday and will go.

Washington Commanders at New Orleans Saints (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: Dome stadium

Commanders

Inactives: QB Jeff Driskel, CB Michael Davis, S Dominique Hampton, C Tyler Biadasz, WR K.J. Osborn, PK Zane Gonzalez and DT Phidarian Mathis

Lineup notes: RB Austin Ekeler (concussion) remains on IR. WR Noah Brown (kidney) joined him on Saturday. WR Jamison Crowder (calf) was activated from IR. PK Zane Gonzalez (foot) couldn’t get right, so PK Greg Joseph will kick after being elevated from the practice squad on Saturday. TE Zach Ertz (hamstring) and CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) will play.

Saints

Inactives: RB Jordan Mims, QB Derek Carr, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, DT Khristian Boyd and WR Mason Tipton

Lineup notes: WR Chris Olave (concussion) and TE Taysom Hill (knee) remain on IR. QB Derek Carr (hand, concussion) didn’t practice all week and won’t be available. RB Alvin Kamara (illness) was out Wednesday and Thursday but had a full practice Friday. He and TE Juwan Johnson (foot) will play after Johnson came back fully Friday from limited work.

Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 39°F, cloudy

Ravens

Inactives: DE Adisa Isaac, S Sanoussi Kane, C Nick Samac, RB Keaton Mitchell and S Marcus Williams

Lineup notes: WR Rashod Bateman (knee) has practiced fully all week and is good to go coming off the bye.

Giants

Inactives: CB Cor’Dale Flott, DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches, LB Bobby Okereke, CB Deonte Banks, QB Drew Lock and CB Dru Phillips

Lineup notes: LB Bobby Okereke (back) and OG Jon Runyan (ankle) are out. WR Malik Nabers (hip) was limited all week, but he’ll play. QB Drew Lock (heel, elbow) is inactive, and QB Tommy DeVito will start.

Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 45°F, cloudy

Cowboys

Inactives: WR Ryan Flournoy, OG Cooper Beebe, CB Trevon Diggs, LB Tyrus Wheat, RB Deuce Vaughn and S Juanyeh Thomas

Lineup notes: RG Zack Martin (ankle) was placed on IR. CB Trevon Diggs (knee) was questionable but has been downgraded to out. WR CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) was limited Wednesday and Thursday but had a full session Friday. He’s good to go. RB Rico Dowdle (knee) practiced all week and will play.

Panthers

Inactives: DT Sam Roberts, CB Akayleb Evans, CB Shemar Bartholomew, OT Jarrett Kingston, S Nick Scott, LB Trevin Wallace and RB Raheem Blackshear

Lineup notes: RB Jonathon Brooks (knee) went on IR after retearing his ACL. LB Josey Jewell (hamstring) and CB Jaycee Horn (groin) are both available. WR Jalen Coker (quadriceps) practiced all week and is good to go.

New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 73°F, partly cloudy, E 10 mph

Jets

Inactives: CB D.J. Reed, CB Jaylin Simpson, TE Tyler Conklin, LB Braiden McGregor, CB Brandin Echols, OG Xavier Newman and WR Malachi Corley

Lineup notes: RB Breece Hall (knee) is active after being considered a game-time decision. CB Sauce Gardner (hamstring) was a full participant all week and will play.

Jaguars

Inactives: RB D’Ernest Johnson, OT Javon Foster, DT Jordan Jefferson, LB Myles Cole and DE Esezi Otomewo

Lineup notes: QB Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) is out for the season on IR. TE Evan Engram (shoulder) joined him on IR.

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 79°F, mostly clear, S 10 mph (retractable-roof dome)

Dolphins

Inactives: TE Jack Stoll, OL Kendall Lamm, WR Dee Eskridge, OT Terron Armstead, RB Jeff Wilson Jr., DT Neil Farrell and DB Ethan Bonner

Lineup notes: LB Bradley Chubb (knee) was downgraded to out. LT Terron Armstead (knee) didn’t practice all week and is inactive. WR Tyreek Hill (wrist) was limited Wednesday and practiced fully the rest of the week. He’ll play, as will WR Jaylen Waddle (hamstring) and RB Raheem Mostert (hip). Waddle was limited all week, and Mostert was until a full practice Friday.

Texans

Inactives: WR Steven Sims, DL Jerry Hughes, DL Kurt Hinish, TE Cade Stover and C Juice Scruggs

Lineup notes: OG Juice Scruggs (foot) is out. LB Christian Harris was activated from IR.

Late-afternoon window

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 50°F, clear, WNW 13 mph

Colts

Inactives: WR Ashton Dulin, OG Atonio Mafi, LB Isaiah Land, QB Sam Ehlinger and CB Darren Hall

Lineup notes: RT Braden Smith (personal) was placed on the Reserve/Non-football Injury list, and C Ryan Kelly (knee) was downgraded to out. WR Josh Downs (shoulder) will play through a questionable tag. WR Michael Pittman Jr. (back) practiced all week and will play.

Broncos

Inactives: CB Riley Moss, C Nick Gargiulo, DT Eyioma Uwazurike, OT Frank Crum, LB Levelle Bailey, CB Levi Wallace and QB Zach Wilson

Lineup notes: No injuries of fantasy relevance.

Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: Dome stadium

Bills

Inactives: QB Mike White, S Taylor Rapp, LB Edefuan Ulofoshio, DL Quinton Jefferson, CB Rasul Douglas, LB Casey Toohill and S Damar Hamlin

Lineup notes: TE Dalton Kincaid (knee) will make his return. WR Keon Coleman (wrist), LB Matt Milano (biceps), WR Amari Cooper (wrist) and WR Curtis Samuel (pectoral) all practiced all week and also will play.

Lions

Inactives: DT Myles Adams, OG Kayode Awosika, CB Emmanuel Moseley, DL Brodric Martin, LB Trevor Nowaske, OT Giovanni Manu and OT Colby Sorsdal

Lineup notes: LT Taylor Decker (knee) practiced all week and is fit to return.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 43°F, cloudy

Steelers

Inactives: CB Cory Trice, SS DeShon Elliott, QB Kyle Allen, WR George Pickens and DT Larry Ogunjobi

Lineup notes: WR George Pickens (hamstring) and SS DeShon Elliott (hamstring) have been ruled out.

Eagles

Inactives: OG Darian Kinnard, QB Tanner McKee, CB Eli Ricks, OL Nick Gates, OG Trevor Keegan and WR Britain Covey

Lineup notes: TE Dallas Goedert (knee) went on IR and is out until at least Week 18. QB Jalen Hurts (finger) practiced all week and will be in there.

New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 68°F, cloudy (retractable-roof dome)

Patriots

Inactives: WR Javon Baker, QB Joe Milton III, OG Tyrese Robinson, LB Marte Mapu and OG Cole Strange

Lineup notes: LT Vederian Lowe (shoulder) and S Kyle Dugger (ankle) will play, but OG Cole Strange (knee) is inactive.

Cardinals

Inactives: TE Travis Vokolek, WR Xavier Weaver, DT Khyiris Tonga and OT Christian Jones

Lineup notes: TE Trey McBride (knee) was limited early in the week, but he had a full practice Friday and is good to go. QB Kyler Murray (illness) popped up on the report Friday but had a full session and will go.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Chargers (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 62°F, clear (open-air dome)

Buccaneers

Inactives: S Antoine Winfield Jr., S Mike Edwards, DE Jose Ramirez, TE Devin Culp, LB K.J. Britt, DE Earnest Brown and OG Royce Newman

Lineup notes: S Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee), LB K.J Britt (ankle) and SS Mike Edwards (hamstring) are out. RB Bucky Irving (hip, back) and WR Sterling Shepard (foot) will play through questionable designations. WR Mike Evans (hamstring) sat out the first two practices and had limited work Friday, but he’s good to go. S Tykee Smith (knee) and LT Tristan Wirfs (foot, knee) missed some practice time in the week but will play.

Chargers

Inactives: LB Denzel Perryman, OT Brenden Jaimes, QB Easton Stick, OG Jordan McFadden, TE Will Dissly and DE Justin Eboigbe

Lineup notes: RB J.K. Dobbins (knee) remains on IR. TE Will Dissly (shoulder) is out. WR Ladd McConkey (knee, shoulder) will give it a go, but LB Denzel Perryman (groin) is inactive. QB Justin Herbert (ankle, thigh) sat Wednesday, was limited Thursday and had a full practice Friday. He’ll play.

Sunday Night Football

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks (8:20 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 42°F, cloudy

Packers

Inactives: CB Jaire Alexander, S Javon Bullard, WR Malik Heath and C Jacob Monk

Lineup notes: CB Jaire Alexander (knee) is out again. LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) and WR Romeo Doubs (concussion) practiced fully Friday and will return.

Seahawks

Inactives: QB Jaren Hall, CB Artie Burns, CB Tre Brown, LB Trevis Gipson, TE Brady Russell, RB Kenneth Walker III and WR Cody White

Lineup notes: RB Kenneth Walker III (calf) didn’t practice all week and is inactive. WR DK Metcalf (shoulder) worked Friday and will go.

Monday Night Football

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (8:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: Dome stadium

Bears

Lineup notes: RB Roschon Johnson (concussion) has been downgraded to out. RB D’Andre Swift (groin) earned himself a questionable tag, but Swift has been grinding through his maladies.

Vikings

Lineup notes: CB Stephon Gilmore (hamstring) was out last week and is questionable to return. RB Aaron Jones (back) fully practiced the last two days and is not on the report.

Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders (8:15 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: Dome stadium

Falcons

Lineup notes: WR Darnell Mooney (foot) was limited Thursday but had a full practice Friday.

Raiders

Lineup notes: RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) will be available in reserve. WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle) was limited Thursday and Friday but fully practiced Saturday and is good to go. QB Aidan O’Connell (knee) is questionable and will be a flimsy game-time call after not practicing all week. DE Maxx Crosby (ankle) has been ruled out.

Lions fans are not happy with the CBS broadcast or Tony Romo

Lions fans are not happy with the CBS broadcast or Tony Romo during Sunday’s matchup with the Bills

The Lions aren’t on CBS very often. During Sunday’s much-hype showdown with the Buffalo Bills, most Detroit fans found out that’s probably a good thing.

The CBS broadcast, led by Jim Nantz and Tony Romo, did not have a good first half in Ford Field.

Whether it’s cutting to an ad without identifying injured players–twice!– or Romo rambling on with non sequitur blather while plays are going on, it was a very amateurish feel to CBS’s alleged top team.

Romo’s smarter-than-you delivery and seeming inattention to offering anything substantive to the conversation was a particular thorny point. Many Lions fans and pundits took issue with both Romo and the CBS overall broadcast in this one.

A small but representative sampling:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darren Rizzi agitated with how officials managed end of third quarter

Darren Rizzi had a lot to say after the Washington Commanders were allowed to attempt a kick after the clock hit zero:

The New Orleans Saints-Washington Commanders game had a few calls made by officials that ultimately impacted the final score, and one such play was at the end of the third quarter. The Commanders were allowed to kick a field goal as the time on the clock was run out to zero seconds, this kick was missed, and then the officials called the quarter off and the play dead, allowing for a retry at the start of the fourth quarter.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi had a lot to say about this decision and what he was told by the officials.

“Yeah it got totally mismanaged, so, y’know (Washington) had the diving catch, I didn’t agree with it at all, the way it was done,” Rizzi began. “So we had the diving catch, I wasn’t sure, I had the challenge flag in my hand, and I was talking to the sideline official and I’m looking at the clock and we’re discussing on the headset about, y’know, ‘Hey the quarter’s gonna end here, they’re gonna take the quarter.'”

Rizzi continued: “And I got the challenge flag in my hand trying to figure out and communicate with up top whether or not we’re gonna challenge the catch or not. And I’m talking to the official and I’m saying to him, ‘Hey I might challenge this, I might challenge this, hey the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over,’ for about four or five seconds. They let they play go, he misses the field goal.”

What happened next shocked him. Rizzi could only protest the do-over and watch as referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew let the Commanders try another kick after missing the first try.

“So whoever’s in charge of shutting the play down, they obviously let the play go on. And so the explanation I got is it’s a replay-assist situation, the play shouldn’t have been run because the clocks were at zero, the clocks were at zero, their clocks were definitely at zero, the quarter was over. But the officials missed that, and that’s why the play was allowed to go on. That’s where my gripe is: The play should not have been allowed to go on, they gave the field goal kicker basically a freebie, they gave him the mis-hit, and so …” Rizzi trailed off.

It was something he’d never seen before in decades of coaching. And that led Rizzi to level some strong criticism at the officiating crew for how they handled the situation.

“I’ve been coaching kickers for 30 years. You give a guy a warmup shot, he’s got a pretty good shot of making the second one. The success rate goes through the roof when the guy gets a second chance, so that’s where my gripe was, is that it was a management,” Rizzi said, pausing for breath, “Game management from the officials, operations, I’ll let the league handle it, but I hope that everybody else gets held accountable in this league. I hope that the people that mismanaged that get held accountable too because it was completely mishandled.”

Ultimately the Saints would go on to lose 20-19, and this was a critical point in the game as neither team particularly scored well at one point or another, so any points were hard to come by for both sides. Rizzi clearly was upset with the decision, and we will see what happens when the review comes in regarding what calls could have been made or not made.

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Jayden Daniels enjoyed his return to the Caesars Superdome in Week 15 win

Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels drew a pointed comparison between his first game at the Caesars Superdome and his return in Week 15:

It doesn’t matter if you spend just one year in Louisiana or twenty four — the Caesars Superdome is one of the most storied venues in the history of American football, and anyone who’s worn cleats and a helmet knows the arena has a different atmosphere. And that goes for former LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels, too.

Daniels returned to the Superdome on Sunday and led the Washington Commanders to a win over the New Orleans Saints on their home turf. It was a close one, too, at 20-19. And that tight margin meant something special to Daniels.

“My first game in the Dome, we lost by one point,” Daniels told reporters after the game, recalling his Tigers’ 24-23 loss to Florida State back in the 2022 season opener. “So it feels good to win by one point.”

It didn’t seem to matter how many times the Saints sacked Daniels (five times in the first half, and eight in total); he just kept bouncing back up and threading passes into tight windows while scrambling to make plays with his legs. The Commanders got their quarterback in this year’s NFL draft.

Maybe the Saints can find theirs next year. Spencer Rattler had some nice flashes in a second-half rally, but he isn’t on the same level as Daniels just yet. Neither is Jake Haener. Derek Carr’s best days are behind him at this point too. We’ll see if the Saints can finally draft a quarterback who can lead them to success next April, but in the meantime they’ve got to find a way to get some positivity going through the last three weeks of their season.

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Bengals injury updates immediately after Week 15 vs. Titans

Bengals injury updates after the team’s Week 15 game.

The Cincinnati Bengals entered the Week 15 game against the Tennessee Titans with a host of injury concerns and left with a few more, too.

Here’s a quick rundown of the injury outlook from right after the 37-27 win.

 

DE Sam Hubbard

Hubbard caught a touchdown pass from Joe Burrow — not a typo — and was then on the sidelines getting looked at by trainers. The team quickly ruled him out for the game with a knee injury.

 

OL Alex Cappa

Cappa got his hand looked at and wrapped near or during halftime, but didn’t leave the game.

 

OLs Orlando Brown Jr. and Cody Ford

As a reminder, Brown was out with a knee injury. Ford, his replacement, was a last-second addition to the injury report due to illness and didn’t play.

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Instant analysis after Burrow sets record, Bengals smash Titans

Instant analysis after Bengals vs. Titans in Week 15.

The Cincinnati Bengals ran the Tennessee Titans out of the building in Week 15 to a 37-27 result.

There, Joe Burrow broke his own franchise record by reaching 36 passing touchdowns on the season in the rout. The win moved the Bengals to 6-8 and kept their super-slim playoff hopes alive.

Here’s a look at some quick notes, numbers to know and takeaways from the game.

 

Quick thoughts

  • Hyped undrafted rookie linebacker Maema Njongmeta got a start with Logan Wilson out. Good developmental snaps to see if the team has something there over the long-term.
  • Worst possible four minutes to open the game. Joe Burrow threw an ugly interception under pressure, then the defense got steamrolled for an easy touchdown.
  • Burrow made up for it with some pocket magic before throwing a strike to even things up. Impressive, considering the Bengals were down to their third-string left tackle.
  • Not long after, though, a sack fumble. It felt inevitable the injured line would let up enough pressure to produce turnovers — they just needed to hope multiple wouldn’t happen in the first half.
  • Fun news: Sam Hubbard caught a touchdown from Burrow on a little trickery. Bad news: Hubbard was ruled out quickly with a knee injury.
  • That Tee Higgins touchdown while getting hit is just another good example of why Burrow put pressure on the front office to get him an extension.
  • Jordan Battle was going to score a touchdown…until he dropped the ball. An all-timer of a gaffe.

 

Key stat

10: The shocking number of turnovers in this sloppy game — the most in a game since 2007.

 

Game balls

QB Joe Burrow: The turnovers were brutal, but Burrow usually made up for them with relative ease. A record-breaking day for a guy who should probably be near the top of the MVP race.

WR Ja’Marr Chase: Another ridiculous day at the office for the Triple Crown threat — nine catches for 94 yards.

 

Top takeaway

Fun stuff: The Bengals are having fun with the season all but lost, at least. Stuff like the Sam Hubbard touchdown and all of the turnovers showed signs of life. But they still need to win out and get a bunch of help to sneak in the postseason.

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