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USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Barry Werner

NFL Week 15: 32 elite performances

The 15th week of the NFL season saw Drew Brees continue to break records and plenty of stat sheets filled up.

Arizona Cardinals: Kenyan Drake

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Kenyan Drake has had a couple of big games for Arizona. The one Sunday against Cleveland was enormous. The running back acquired from Miami during the season had 137 yards rushing and scored 4 touchdowns as the Cardinals broke a losing streak.

Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Falcons have had a sad season. However, that doesn’t mean Julio Jones is anything but his wondrous self. In the thrilling victory over the 49ers, Jones caught 13 passes for 134 yards and a pair of TDs, including the game-winner.

Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Just another ho-hum game for Lamar Jackson, who torched the Jets for a handful of TDs and broke the single-season mark for rushing yards by a quarterback in the Ravens’ romp.

Buffalo Bills: Tre’Davious White

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

It was an all-around solid effort for the Bills, who clinched a playoff spot by downing the Steelers. Give a special nod to Tre’Davious White, who had a pair of picks and 49 return yards. Buffalo won for the fourth time in five games and recorded its first 10-win season since 1999

Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The consistent factors in Carolina this season have been the Panthers losing and Christian McCaffrey lighting up the stats sheet. The RB from Stanford accounted for 175 yards on 25 touches in the loss to Seattle. He is a fantasy football player dream and a defense’s nightmare.

Chicago Bears: Robinson/Miller

Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears went down to the Packers in Green Bay. The wide receiver tandem of Allen Robinson II and Anthony Miller did have something to show for the loss, combining for 16 catches, 243 yards and a TD.

Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Mixon

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Bengals went back to losing. Joe Mixon, however, continues to show the signs of being a top back for the team. Cincinnati fell to New England as Mixon rushed for 136 yards and caught passes for another 20.

Cleveland Browns: Nick Chubb

Mitchell Layton-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns continue to show they did not deserve the hype and love heaped upon them in the preason. They fell to the Cardinals in Arizona. Nick Chubb continued to chug along. The running back from Georgia rushed for 127 yards and a score and caught a trio of passes for 21 yards.

Dallas Cowboys: Sean Lee

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Lee is the leader of the Dallas defense and arguably the team. The veteran linebacker had a pick and a sack as the Cowboys crushed the Rams.

Denver Broncos: None

David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

Vic Fangio has to be burning tapes of both games his Broncos played against the Chiefs in 2019.

Detroit Lions: Danny Amendola

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Nothing much has gone right in Detroit. However, veteran WR Danny Amendola did have a nice game in the loss to the Buccaneers. Amendola caught 8 passes for 102 yards, including a 42-yarder.

Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The elite Packers wideout Davante Adams caught 7 passes for 103 yards and a TD as he continues to overcome a turf toe injury that hampered much of his season.

Houston Texans: Carlos Hyde

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Texans needed a victory in the AFC South matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Deshaun Watson did his thing and it was helped by Carlos Hyde’s ground game. The former Buckeye had 104 yards rushing and a TD.

Indianapolis Colts: None

AP Photo/Butch Dill

Simply a no-show performance on MNF. Long drop from 5-2 to 6-8.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Gardner Minshew

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Gardner Minshew helped the Jaguars shake off doldrums after trailing 16-3 in the final game at Oakland Coliseum. The rookie from Washington State led a second-half charge that saw Jacksonville score 17 unanswered points.

Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end are a great accomplishment. Travis Kelce reached the plateau in the snowy win over Denver by catching 11 passes for 142 yards.

Los Angeles Chargers: None

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Seven turnovers in the loss to Minnesota. Shameful.

Los Angeles Rams: None

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Crushed by the Cowboys. Bad day for LA football teams.

Miami Dolphins: Jerome Baker

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

A third-round pick out of Ohio State in 2018, Jerome Baker had a solid game against the Giants with 12 tackles, including 6 solo.

Minnesota Vikings: Defense

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings feasted on Philip Rivers and the Bolts, causing 7 turnovers in an absolute rout.

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Who else?

New York Giants

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Eli Manning led the Giants to a victory that ended their franchise-worst 9-game losing streak. Would be nice if this is how the two-time Super Bowl winner goes out as a starter for Big Blue

New York Jets

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

On a bad night, Jamison Crowder had a pair of TD receptions among his 6 catches for 90 yards.

New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore

AP Photo/Frank Victores

Stephon Gilmore had a pair of picks, including one that became a Pick-Six as the Patriots got back on the winning track.

Oakland Raiders: The Black Hole

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The loss was awful so let’s give props to the Black Hole for being there all these years for a team that has been relatively awful for many of them recently.

Philadelphia Eagles: Miles Sanders

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Miles Sanders broke out with a huge game in the close win over Washington. The rookie from Penn State accounted for a pair of TDs and 172 yards of total offense.

Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Watt

Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

On a quiet night against the Bills, T.J. Watt became the first Steeler with multiple 13-sack seasons.

San Francisco 49ers: George Kittle

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

George Kittle is an absolute force. The tight end was at it again against the Falcons, catching 13 passes for 134 yards. Those were the same stats Atlanta’s Julio Jones put up in the game!

Seattle Seahawks: Chris Carson

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Carson had 24 carries for 133 yards and a pair of scores as the Seahawks picked up a key victory on the road at Carolina.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Breshad Perriman

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Breshad Perriman had a career day for Tampa Bay against the Lions. The former first-round pick of the Ravens caught 5 passes in 6 targets for 113 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Tennessee Titans: A.J. Brown

 Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

A.J. Brown has become Ryan Tannehill’s favorite receiver. The WR had 8 catches for 114 yards and a TD in the loss to Houston.

Washington Redskins: Terry McLaurin

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles bring out the best in Terry McLaurin. The rookie wideout had 5 catches for 130 yards and a TD in the rematch after grabbing 5 passes for 125 yards and a score in the first game of the season.

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