Best and Worst: Week 15
Dec 19, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:38 am
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
by Andrew Pasquini – Sports 1140 KHTK
There are only two weeks remaining the season and we are now down to just 19 teams left in playoff contention. Five of the 12 spots are clinched already which means 14 teams are fighting for seven available spots.
Here’s the best and worst from Week 15:
Best: The Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears clinched their first NFC North title since 2010 with their 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The win was the first win at Soldier Field against the Packers for the Bears since September 27, 2010 when Chicago beat Green Bay 20-17. After a 5-11 record in 2017, the Bears are currently 10-4 in their first season under head coach Matt Nagy and still has a chance to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Worst: The Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants have had completely opposite season and are on opposite sides of the standings in the NFC East with the Cowboys in first place and the Giants in last. However, the two teams weren’t too different during Week 15. The two rivals lost their games by a combined score of 40-0 with the Cowboys losing to the Colts 23-0 and the Giants losing to the Titans 17-0. The Cowboys obviously have more to lose in this situation especially with the Eagles and Washington winning on Sunday.
Best: The Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were able to hold the New England Patriots to just 10 points, winning 17-10 in what was the biggest game of the season for Pittsburgh. Had the Steelers lost on Sunday, they would have dropped to second place in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens and would have fallen out of the playoffs altogether behind the Colts and Titans. The win on Sunday was the first win against New England for the Steelers since October 30, 2011.
Worst: Hue Jackson
The Cleveland Browns are 4-2 since firing Hue Jackson and are in the thick of the AFC playoff race with Gregg Williams as the head coach. Jackson was 2-5-1 this season with the Browns, 0-16 last season, and 1-15 in his first season with Cleveland back in 2016. That is 3-36-1 in 40 games as the Browns head coach. In six games, Williams has four wins with the Browns. It took the interim head coach six games to win more than Jackson won in 40.