What we learned in NFL Week 15: MVP is Josh Allen’s to lose, Packers stay hot

If Sunday’s game in Detroit was a Super Bowl preview, New Orleans is in for a heck of a show — and Josh Allen will be front and center.

The Buffalo quarterback continued his tear on Sunday, leading the Bills past the Lions in the Motor City with another electric performance. It was the latest snapshot into just how dominant Allen’s been this season: on the home field of the NFC leaders, he led an offense that piled up 559 yards and six touchdowns. Allen had a hand in four, throwing for two and running for two in the 48-42 victory. At this point, the MVP award is his to lose.

“The best I’ve seen him play,” Bills coach Sean McDermott gushed. “He’s hard to stop. People have tried. They’ll keep trying.”

No one’s had all that much success this season. Detroit, remember, hadn’t lost a game since Week 2. One visit from Allen and the 11-game win streak is history.

Sunday began with four teams — Kansas City, Buffalo, Detroit and Philadelphia — having already clinched a playoff spot. Now we can add three more. The Steelers are in. The Texans clinched a second straight AFC South title after a win over the Dolphins and a Colts’ loss in Denver. And throw in the Vikings, who secured their spot Sunday night after Green Bay’s win in Seattle.

Kansas City’s top concern at the moment isn’t its seed in the AFC but the ankle of its star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, who exited Sunday’s 21-7 win in Cleveland in the fourth quarter. The good news? Per coach Andy Reid, x-rays revealed no break. The bad news? “It’s sore,” Reid said, and Mahomes will be “day-to-day.” Reid added that the two-time MVP could have re-entered the game, but there “was no need for that.”

The Chiefs, 13-1 and in front of the AFC, have two games across the next 10 days: at home against Houston on Saturday, then on the road the following Wednesday in Pittsburgh, on Christmas Day. They proved last year they don’t need the playoffs to run through Arrowhead, but if Mahomes’ ankle injury lingers, an extra week of rest might be what the champs need before they chase a third straight Super Bowl.

If Mahomes can’t go Saturday, Carson Wentz will step in. The Chiefs will be facing a Texans team coming off a 20-12 win over the Dolphins thanks in part to two touchdowns from Nico Collins. While Houston has been uneven at times this season, give DeMeco Ryans his due: he’s now the sixth head coach since 2000 to win two straight division titles to open his career, joining Matt LeFleur (Packers), Sean McVay (Rams), Jim Harbaugh (49ers), Jim Caldwell (Colts) and Mike Tomlin (Steelers).

The Dolphins and Colts watched their playoff hopes dim considerably on Sunday. Now 6-8, both are likely to watch the postseason from home in January.

In New Orleans, the Commanders outlasted the Saints on the game’s final play — stopping a two-point conversion attempt that would’ve won it for New Orleans. Spencer Rattler replaced Jake Haener at quarterback and nearly pulled the home team to a fourth victory under interim coach Darren Rizzi, hitting Foster Moreau for a 1-yard touchdown as time expired to cut the Commanders’ lead to 20-19. Rizzi went for two — why not? —but Rattler’s throw to Juwan Johnson was broken up. The Commanders (9-5) remain in the seventh and final NFC playoff spot.

In New York, Giants fans made another plea to owner John Mara. A plane flew over MetLife Stadium before the game with a banner reading, “Mr. Mara Enough – We won’t stop until you fire everyone.” (There was a similar banner in the skies before last week’s loss.) This week’s result — Ravens 35, Giants 14 — was more of the same. One of the league’s worst teams inched a little closer to earning the first overall pick in April’s draft.

At this rate, the Giants (2-12) should be rooting for the Raiders (2-11) Monday night. A Las Vegas win would give New York a clear path to the top pick. Three more losses to close the season and it’s theirs.

In Tennessee, the Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive by beating the Titans 37-27. And in Jacksonville, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams offered a peek at what could’ve been for the Jets — if not for the nightmare of the previous three months. The longtime teammates connected for 198 yards and two scores in a 32-25 win over the Jaguars, who are now 3-11. It’s New York’s first win since Halloween.

In Carolina, Cooper Rush threw for a career-high three touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 30-14 win over the Panthers. Bryce Young — undeniably better in recent weeks — turned it over four times and was sacked six times. He’s now 4-21 as a starter, dating to last season.

In the late afternoon slate, the Bucs increased their lead in the NFC South with a 40-17 rout of the Chargers. Tampa Bay, now 8-6, has won four straight to earn some breathing room ahead of the reeling Falcons. Atlanta (6-7) faces the Raiders on Monday night, looking to snap a four-game skid.

In Arizona, the Cardinals beat the Patriots 30-17 to remain a game back in the NFC West. With Seattle’s loss Sunday night, the Seahawks and Rams — both 8-6 — are tied atop the division. Los Angeles currently owns the tiebreaker by virtue of a Week 9 win, but the two will meet again in Week 18.

Here’s what we learned across Week 15 in the NFL:

Bills can beat anyone

Dan Campbell knew this week the Bills would bounce back. He knew they were too talented, too well-coached and too resilient not to put up a better effort than they did in last week’s 44-42 loss to the Rams.

He was right. And suddenly, Detroit’s lead in the race for the NFC’s top seed has vanished.

This was the Bills at their best, at least on offense, scoring early and often and in any way they wanted. This was Allen doing a little bit of everything: forcing the pile forward for an early touchdown run, scrambling in the pocket and rifling throws while piling up four touchdowns in another ridiculous performance. It’s just a shame his chest pass for a score was called back due to holding.

And don’t forget about James Cook (14 carries, 105 yards), who continues to show how lethal this Buffalo attack can be when the run game is rolling.

The Bills have scored 90 points in their last two games and have put up 30 or more in eight straight, tied for the longest streak in NFL history. The four previous teams to do it — the 2013 Broncos, 2007 and 2010 Patriots and 2000 Rams — each had the eventual MVP on the roster. Allen is now the first player in NFL history with at least two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in consecutive games, and the first ever to do it three times in the same season.

McDermott is right: Allen has never played better. And the Bills have never looked more dangerous. No team in the AFC has a higher ceiling, and that includes Kansas City. At their best, the Bills can beat anyone, and they’ve proven it over the last month with convincing wins over the Chiefs and Lions.

Detroit, meanwhile, falls to 12-2 and into a tie with Philadelphia for the NFC’s top seed. Minnesota, a half-game back at 11-2, will face Chicago Monday night.

Most troubling for the Lions are the injuries, which keep coming. After the loss, Campbell said the fear is defensive tackle Alim McNeil and cornerback Carlton Davis could be lost for the season. And that’s after the team entered Sunday’s game with more than a dozen players on injured reserve.

As for the No. 1 seed, the Lions remain in the driver’s seat. If Detroit wins its final three — at Chicago, at San Francisco and home against Minnesota — it will secure the top seed.

Eagles let it fly

Broken finger? Alleged beef with his star receiver? No room for error in the race for the NFC’s top seed? Say this much for Jalen Hurts: he just keeps winning.

Make it 10 straight after the Eagles’ star quarterback pushed his team to 12-2 Sunday with a 27-13 victory over the Steelers in the Pennsylvania state championship. Hurts finished with just seven incompletions on 32 attempts for 290 yards and two scores, then added another on the ground.

He’s dealing with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, and speculation swirled last week about his relationship with wideout A.J. Brown after Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham hinted on a radio show that the two weren’t as close as they once were. The pair collectively dismissed the story, both in their words last week and their play Sunday.

Brown finished with eight catches for a team-best 110 yards and a touchdown. DeVonta Smith added 109 of his own.

After Brown’s score, he danced with Hurts on the field in celebration. Asked later about it, Brown said, “That was our moment to tell everybody to shut up.”

“The scrutiny is never-ending,” Hurts said. “It’s nothing new. It’s something I find the thrill in. I appreciate being told that ‘I can’t’ and that ‘We can’t.’ I know that I lead this team, and it demands a lot out of you. I just wanna be the best I can be for the guys on this team.”

A passing game that had stalled in recent weeks looked pretty sound on Sunday. Add in an Eagles’ defense that held the Steelers to just 2 fourth-quarter yards, and this was another convincing victory for a team that has the makings of a Super Bowl contender. This roster is deep and battle-tested. This team’s going to be a tough out in January.

Broncos pass test; Colts flunk it

This is the part of the season where teams reveal themselves. The Broncos and Colts did so Sunday.

Denver, chasing its first playoff berth in nine years, overcame three interceptions from Bo Nix to bury Indianapolis 31-13. Sean Payton’s team ripped off 21 straight to close the game, Denver’s fourth win in a row. Coupled with the Chargers’ loss, the Broncos are currently the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs.

But this one said far more about Indy. This was the Colts’ biggest game of the season, against the team one spot ahead of them in the playoff race. They’d looked revitalized since Anthony Richardson returned to the starting lineup, winning two of three. Here was their chance.

And not only did they blow that chance, but also they blew it in inexplicable fashion. Two plays cost the Colts a golden opportunity to climb the ladder in the AFC playoff standings. One was careless. The other was reckless.

In the second quarter, with the Colts leading 13-7, running back Jonathan Taylor found a hole behind the right side of his offensive line and took off. Forty-one yards later he was in the end zone untouched — but not before dropping the football inches before he reached the goal line. The Broncos took over by virtue of a fumble out of the end zone.

A game that should’ve been 20-7 suddenly tightened.

“That can’t happen,” Taylor said later. “Can’t happen.”

Then, trailing 17-13 early in the fourth quarter, the Colts dialed up a trick play that went horrifically wrong. Richardson lobbed it to rookie wideout Adonai Mitchell, who then tried to throw it back to Richardson. Problem was, the Broncos sniffed it out. Easily. Mitchell’s throw was late, and Denver linebacker Nik Bonitto swiped the pass and returned it for a touchdown.

The rout was on from there, and the Colts had no one to blame but themselves.

“We repped that play all week, and it was great,” coach Shane Steichen said. “In practice, (Mitchell) threw it great … that one didn’t work out. Maybe he didn’t see the guy, to be completely honest.”

The loss sinks Indianapolis’ playoff chances to just 7 percent. The Colts have now gone 10 straight seasons without winning the AFC South.

Green Bay could be a problem

The Packers currently sit in third place in the NFC North. They’ve lost twice to the Lions. They’ve beaten just three teams currently in the playoffs.

And yet, they might be the NFC team no one wants to see in January.

Matt LeFleur’s team is now 10-4 after beating the Seahawks 30-13 in Seattle on Sunday night.

The offense has shown it can score in a hurry, putting up 30 points or more five times since Halloween. Jordan Love has cut down on his interceptions, an early-season problem. And Jeff Hafley’s proven to be an excellent defensive coordinator hire.

This was a team that last year won its final three regular season games to make the postseason at 9-8. Then the Packers embarrassed the Cowboys in Dallas in the wild-card round and nearly upset the top-seeded 49ers in San Francisco in the divisional round.

Could they be dangerous again come the postseason? It’s not all that hard to envision. This will be LeFleur’s fifth trip to the playoffs in six seasons in Green Bay. His team can get hot when it counts.

(Photo of Jordan Love: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)