Touchdown Bonanza landed in Week 15 this year, with points being racked up at frenzied pace. Ten teams scored 30 points or more, and only the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts didn’t score at least 10. There were nine 100 yard-plus rushing performances, and 17 receivers who eclipsed the century mark.
And yes, a stable-legged Ryan Fitzpatrick now leads the Miami Dolphins in rushing.
Playoff spots were also clinched in Week 15, with the overall picture coming into focus…as long as you don’t mention the NFC East. In fact, the only acceptable mentioning of the NFC East this week should be explicitly reserved to this video of one the finest lineman in history, Larry Allen.
Please enjoy this viewing of @dallascowboys 11x Pro Bowl G @larryallen73 absolutely DOMINATING defensive linemen. 😤
Find out tonight if he will make the #NFL100 All-time Team!
📺: #NFL100 All-Time Team | TONIGHT 8pm ET on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/ePISW8pSsZ
— NFL (@NFL) December 13, 2019
Speaking of serving pancakes…here were the five best offensive line performances that I saw from Week 15.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
So, it’s always odd when you’re watching Tampa Bay–and maybe this an outsider thing—and suddenly, it’s the third quarter, and you’re still watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jameis Winston and the Bucs had me locked in with their impressive (at times) attack against the Detroit Lions, causing verbal murmuring of, “Huh” or “Hey.” Other times, I wondered about Matt Patricia and pictured and “adjustments” notebook underneath a towel in the locker room. Lost and now forgotten.
Winston did adjust and had moments of brilliance, mixed in with his now-expected moments of questionable reads and attempts. But still, the team built momentum. The offensive line started sloppy, with a holding and blocking below the waist penalties, but held their own when they absolutely need to—like this gem:
Jameis to Breshad the sequel.
That's three scores for 3️⃣, two for 1️⃣9️⃣. pic.twitter.com/YKkOT3v43U
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 15, 2019
Notice that Josh Wells (72) got beat off the edge, but didn’t give up on the block? Yep, me neither (again, I was invested in this one).
Ryan Jensen, Alex Cappa, Ali Marpet, Demar Dotson, Josh Wells, with cameos by Earl Watford and Jerald Hawkins: Showed up for the Marshall University connection with Byron Leftwich, stayed for the decent line play!