NFL Week 15: Five things we learnt

Only two more weeks until the play-offs, and the NFL saw a number of teams secure their place in the post-season. Zander Swinburne examines which Super Bowl hopeful could miss out on the play-offs, which star wide receiver showed his greatest weakness, and which team may be have played in their hometown for the last time

(Getty Images)

The Broncos are in danger of missing out

In what is turning out to be one of the most unpredictable finishes to an NFL season, one pre-season favourite is now in serious danger of missing out on a play-off spot. The Super Bowl hopeful Denver Broncos have all of a sudden found their position in the AFC bracket looking a bit insecure.

After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27 on Sunday night, the Broncos have no doubt awoken to the terrifying prospect that they could very well miss out on the opportunity to play in the post-season. Their loss, coupled with Kansas City’s win over Baltimore, has thrown the AFC West up in the air. With the Broncos on 10-4 and the Chiefs a game behind on 9-4, the West could still be taken by Kansas City should they finish on the same record. The Chiefs hold the tiebreaker over their division rivals.

One would assume that Denver would simply drop into a wildcard spot? Well, if the Jets and Steelers win their last two games and finish on the same record as the Broncos, the Colorado club would find itself watching the play-offs rather than playing in them - both the Jets and Steelers hold the better tiebreakers over the Broncos and thus would send them crashing out of the play-offs before they even got there.

Ironically, the Broncos could also secure the number one seed in the AFC should they win out and the Patriots falter at both their remaining games, showing just how strange their situation is. It’s clear to see that their next game against the Bengals is absolutely crucial if they want to control their own destiny and make it into the play-offs. This NFL season shows just how competitive the play-off race is, and that even the seemingly secure teams can be knocked off their perch at any stage.

Weeden may lead a team to the play-offs

In what has to be one of the NFL’s most unlikely turnarounds, the Houston Texans are now in control of their own destiny to make the play-offs for the first time since 2012. Their 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts saw them leapfrog their rivals into first position in the AFC South. The win saw the team recover from a two game losing streak that had it continued would have seen them end their season early.

Now leading the AFC West, the Texans will be relying on their quarterback who has got them to this position, and somewhat sadly, it won’t be TJ Yates. The Houston starter was ruled out for the rest of the season when he suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s battle with the Colts. This has resulted in backup QB Brandon Weeden being named the team’s starter, their fourth of the season. The much criticised quarterback was unceremoniously dumped by another Texas team, the Dallas Cowboys, earlier in the season and was subsequently picked up by Houston.

Whilst Weeden’s performances have not all been terrible, especially his showing against the Colts, his inability to win games has led to the demise of his reputation. He has not started and won a game since 2012. Weeden has now been given another opportunity to redeem himself. The next two games will no doubt be the making or breaking of this man’s NFL career.

The NFL may have played its final game in San Diego

There is change coming in the NFL, and whilst it is not yet known who the change will most likely affect, some fans are preparing for the worst. In January, the NFL is to vote on whether the Chargers, Rams, or Raiders will relocate their franchise to Los Angeles. With San Diego tipped to be one of the teams moving, Sunday’s game was treated by everyone involved with the Chargers organisation as a final farewell.

The San Diego Chargers celebrated/mourned what could be their last home game with a 30-14 win over the Miami Dolphins. As the game had no impact on any play-off scenario, with both teams out of the running, San Diego went about saying goodbye to their home fans in style. The convincing win was a fitting send off for a franchise that has been an NFL team for 45 years. The fans gave a standing ovation to their players as they walked off the field.

Philip Rivers gave a highly emotional post-game news conference, expressing his admiration for the city of San Diego. As he fought back the tears, it became obvious that Rivers played Sunday’s match against the Dolphins as though it was the last he will ever play in San Diego.

Whilst no decision has yet been made on whether the Chargers will relocate, Sunday’s game was the first indicator that San Diego is a city preparing to say goodbye.

Beckham showed his inexperience on Sunday

In what was a terrific game between the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants, star receiver Odell Beckham stole the show for all the wrong reasons. Despite being hailed as the NFL’s superstar of not only today but also the future, the Giants wide receiver showed his greatest weakness on Sunday and it cost him a one-game suspension - regarded as too lenient by many.

The Carolina Panthers were fortunate to maintain their unbeaten run as they survived a ferocious comeback to beat the Giants 38-35 at MetLife stadium. Whilst the game’s scoreline should have been the main talking point, Odell Beckham made the headlines after a pointless and detrimental engagement with Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. The two players were locking horns throughout the game and Beckham was clearly at fault on a number of occasions. The two scuffled after the whistle over and over again, with Beckham needlessly tackling Norman after a few plays as well as shoving his hands into the cornerback's face. The worst incident came when Beckham charged 15 yards down the field, connecting with the side of Norman’s head, an action that could have had far more serious repercussions than a penalty flag and suspension.

Beckham was penalised so many times on Sunday that head coach Tom Coughlin admitted that he was considering benching the wide receiver. Whilst Beckham was unlikely to have been entirely at fault, with the officials partly to blame for not penalising the behaviour early, the star wide receiver showed his inexperience against the Panthers. His inability to control his temper clearly hurt his team, something NFL coaches can’t tolerate on a regular basis no matter how talented a player might be.

The long off-season has begun for a number of teams

This time of year can be difficult for NFL teams. Whilst the Christmas season brings lots of comfort and joy for some franchises, for others December signifies the start of a very long off-season.

This Sunday saw a number of NFL teams join the ever growing list of franchises eliminated from playoff contention. The number of teams now looking at the NFL Draft as their next big calendar event stands at 14. Eleven teams in total so far are missing the play-offs for at least the second consecutive time. Whilst some teams have experienced the familiar pain of failing to make the playoffs, a number of others have gone from post-season players last season to this year’s January exiles. The Lions, Cowboys, and Ravens all enjoyed playing in the playoffs last season but are now forced to miss out this year.

As the last two weeks of the season grow ever closer, the list of teams failing to make the post-season will continue to grow. Only time will tell just who will experience the joy of playing knockout football and who will have to wait until September to return to the field.