What to know from NFL Week 15: Eagles can pass after all, and Patrick Mahomes is limping

Also in Week 15: The Dolphins are toast, the Lions need some help on defense, and Mike McCarthy might really return to the Cowboys.

Updated December 15, 2024
https://archive.ph/qcJV9

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The Eagles passed their chemistry test
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The Chiefs suffered through another win

Analysis by Adam Kilgore
Week 15 shaped the NFL playoff picture more than any other Sunday this season. In a loaded late-afternoon slate, the Detroit Lions’ grip on a top seed loosened and the Buffalo Bills’ quest for one remained alive. The Philadelphia Eagles’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers had the opposite effect. The Denver Broncos’ win over the Indianapolis Colts nearly finalized the AFC postseason field. The playoffs are less than a month away, and some teams’ hopes may have just ended. Here is what to know:

Patrick Mahomes left Sunday's win over the Browns. (Kirk Irwin/AP)
The Chiefs suffered through another win
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With their 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns, the Kansas City Chiefs improved to 13-1 and enjoyed a rare fourth quarter devoid of competitive drama. The defending Super Bowl champions still had more to agonize over than to celebrate, starting with the sight of Patrick Mahomes limping off the field with help from teammates and finishing a two-score game on the bench.

Mahomes’s ankle injury was Kansas City’s biggest source of consternation. Midway through the fourth quarter, Mahomes jumped in the pocket to make a pass. Dalvin Tomlinson hit him from behind, and Mahomes’s left leg was trapped under Tomlinson as another pass rusher hit him in the chest. On the sideline, a trainer taped his ankle. On the Chiefs’ next possession, with Kansas City ahead 21-7 and 5:23 left, Carson Wentz took over at quarterback. He engineered a first down that helped seal the win. Mahomes stood on the sideline as he watched. He later said he believed he could have finished the game under “different circumstances” but that ceding to Wentz was the “smart” decision. Coach Andy Reid called him day-to-day.

Even before Mahomes’s injury, the Chiefs’ offense had submitted another performance that raised questions about their Super Bowl bona fides. The Chiefs were propped up by their defense’s six takeaways, five of which came while Mahomes was still in the game. Two of their touchdown drives were 21 and 34 yards. They gained 4.1 yards per play — fewer than the Browns. Mahomes led three three-and-outs in a span of four second-half drives.

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