One thing we learned about each team in Week 15: Cowboys can’t win on road, Commanders may have QB battle

Week 15 of the NFL season proved the league will have some huge matchups between its top teams over the final weeks of the season. The Baltimore Ravens are the No. 1 seed in the AFC and are on a collision course with the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins over the next two weeks.

The Dallas Cowboys still can’t beat good teams consistently, but can prove the doubters wrong with upcoming matchups against the Dolphins and Detroit Lions. The Lions are still in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, while the wild card races in both conferences are getting even better as the league heads into Christmas. 

What did we learn from each team after the Week 15 slate of games? These are trends to look out for as the regular season starts to wrap up. 

Pass rush just isn’t there: For the third consecutive game, the Cardinals failed to record a sack. They had just one quarterback hit in Sunday’s blowout loss to the 49ers, along with just 11 pressures. Arizona has only 29 pressures in the last three games with no sacks. There’s a reason why opposing quarterbacks have completed 69.3% of passes against the Cardinals with nine touchdowns to one interception and a 121.3 passer rating over the last three games. The pass rush was also flagged Sunday for a roughing the passer penalty. 

Offense is inconsistent because of quarterback and head coach: The offensive woes are as much on Arthur Smith as Desmond Ridder, but Ridder missing the easy throws and not being able to get the ball to his playmakers are a real problem. Now the Falcons are reportedly starting Taylor Heinicke in Week 16. There should be no reason Bijan Robinson should get seven carries (that’s on Smith) and Kyle Pitts and Drake London should get a combined five targets (that’s on both Smith and Ridder). Sunday’s red zone interception in the fourth quarter cost Atlanta the game, which can’t happen. The Falcons are mediocre thanks to…

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Author : Jeff Kerr

Publish date : 2023-12-19 15:18:15

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