Week 15 was a positive one for the Seattle Seahawks, as they defeated the Washington Football Team and took sole possession of first place in the NFC West.
Their biggest rival at the moment, the Los Angeles Rams, suffered an unfathomable loss to the previously winless New York Jets.
The Arizona Cardinals won to keep themselves in the postseason hunt, while the San Francisco 49ers lost and are out of playoff contention.
Let’s dive into the specifics.
Arizona Cardinals 33, Philadelphia Eagles 26
The Cardinals obtained a much-needed win over the Eagles to improve to 8-6. Arizona scored 16 unanswered points in the first quarter with two touchdowns and a forced intentional grounding penalty on Jalen Hurts in his own end zone for a safety. The Eagles would admirably stay in the game, but Arizona kept pushing ahead and took a 26-20 lead into halftime.
However, after reaching the red zone on a promising drive in the third quarter, Kyler Murray threw an interception to Marcus Epps in the end zone, and Hurts would drive his team down the field for a rushing touchdown, capping a drive that featured him converting a 4th and 6 with his legs following a 3rd and 29. However, the extra point attempt went awry due to a low snap, so the game stayed tied at 26.
In the fourth quarter, Deandre Hopkins would make an impressive contested catch for a touchdown, scoring what would be the final points of the game. Hurts attempted a desperation Hail Mary as time expired, but Byron Murphy batted it down, securing the victory.
Murray showed out, throwing for 406 yards and three touchdowns despite tacking on an ugly interception, and Hopkins had nine receptions for 169 yards and the aforementioned TD. The Cardinals are still in the playoff race and will play the San Francisco 49ers next week.
San Francisco 49ers 33, Dallas Cowboys 41
The 49ers lost to the Cowboys and have been eliminated from postseason contention with the Cardinals’ victory over the Eagles. Dallas accumulated 14 points in the first nine minutes of play by recovering two fumbles from San Francisco in Cowboys territory and capitalizing by scoring both times. Undeterred, the 49ers proceeded to close the gap, going into halftime trailing 17-14 and subsequently tying it up with a field goal early in the third quarter.
The two teams would trade blows throughout the half, but with the Cowboys leading 27-24, Anthony Brown intercepted Nick Mullens and Tony Pollard capitalized with a rushing touchdown with under three minutes to go for a 34-24 lead, which San Francisco would answer with a field goal before CeeDee Lamb put the game away with another touchdown on the onside kick return. Turnovers were the main issue for San Francisco, as Dallas scored 24 of their 41 points off of them.
The 49ers will face the Arizona Cardinals on the road on Saturday with nothing to play for.
Los Angeles Rams 20, New York Jets 23
In one of the most stunning upsets of the season, the Rams lost to the Jets to drop to 9-5 and lose first place in the NFC West to the Seahawks. The Jets pulled out to a 20-3 lead like the Seahawks did against Washington, and like Seattle, their opponent came back and nearly took victory from the jaws of defeat. The Rams’ first-ranked defense couldn’t contain the Jets’ 32nd-ranked offense enough, and couldn’t get a single turnover.
Meanwhile, the Rams’ high-flying offense couldn’t produce one of the worst defenses in the league. Frank Gore was the key factor in the game’s outcome, making several crucial plays including the game-clinching 3rd and 6 conversion.
The Rams will face the Seahawks in Week 16 in what is all but a must-win game for both teams.
