NFL Week 15
There was a time the Miami Dolphins were the class of the NFL. However, Don Shula’s magic faded in the early 1980s and the franchise has been searching for its mojo ever since. Being able to overcome the Buffalo Bills in one of the interesting Week 15 NFL matchups would be a big boost of confidence for Miami.
While the Dolphins lead the all-time series against their AFC East rival 61-54-1, Buffalo has won the last seven games in the series. More embarrassingly, Miami hasn’t been competitive in the past three meetings, losing by a combined 80 points.
NFL Games of the Week
Thursday, Dec. 15
San Francisco 49ers
vs
Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, Dec. 18
Miami Dolphins
vs
Buffalo Bills
Baltimore Ravens
vs
Cleveland Browns
Indianapolis Colts
vs
Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta Falcons
vs
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
vs
Washington Commanders
Philadelphia Eagles
vs
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
vs
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
vs
Carolina Panthers
Dallas Cowboys
vs
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
vs
Houston Texans
Arizona Cardinals
vs
Denver Broncos
Tennessee Titans
vs
Los Angeles Chargers
Cincinnati Bengals
vs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New England Patriots
vs
Las Vegas Raiders
Monday, Dec. 19
Los Angeles Rams
vs
Green Bay Packers
Here’s a look at some interesting facts about NFL Week 15 matchups.
What LA’s learned
The Chargers faded during the back half of 2021 despite having one of the most promising young quarterbacks in the league in Justin Herbert. Taking on Tennessee at home in Week 15 will be a good test for how far the Chargers’ defense has come. The Tennessee Titans feature a beastly running attack led by Derrick Henry.
Los Angeles Chargers allowed 138.9 rushing yards per game last season, including seven games where they allowed opponents to rush for 170 or more yards. If the Chargers are going to be serious contenders in 2022, they will have to stop the run better.
Other important matchups
- Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have been among the NFC’s best teams over the past 10 seasons, but their postseason success hasn’t matched their regular-season excellence. Scoring a win over the defending Super Bowl champions could be a big boost for the Packers. Green Bay beat the Rams in their regular-season meeting last November and also won the last playoff matchup between the two teams in 2018.
- The Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings will be set for a tense battle in Minneapolis. Both Indianapolis and Minnesota will feature strong running games paired with competent veteran quarterbacks. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor led the league in rushing, while Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is capable of putting up big numbers.
- For anyone looking for a matchup between off-the-beaten path teams, the Detroit Lions played solid defensive under Dan Campbell in Year 1 and may be able to cause the New York Jets problems on the road.
