Sunday Rundown: Key takeaways from Week 15's biggest games

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Sunday night spotlight

McCarthy making progress

We don't need to rehash all the stats putting J.J. McCarthy's first six games into historical context. It was bad. Things even got to a point where I wondered whether it might be a good idea for the Vikings to have him take a seat and reset before getting a fresh start next season. Kevin O'Connell evidently didn't see it that way, and it turns out he was right. McCarthy showed some promising signs for the second straight game in Sunday night's win over the Cowboys, completing 15 of 24 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns, and another score on the ground. The accuracy remains a work in progress, and it'll probably continue to be an issue until he gets an offseason to overhaul his mechanics. But he certainly looks more comfortable than he did to start the season and, crucially, he's generally taking better care of the ball as a result. Next week's game against the Giants offers an opportunity to stack another strong outing before closing out the season with a pair of tough tests against the Lions and Packers.

Late-afternoon games

Crushing injuries for Packers

The Packers' entire season may have come crashing down Sunday in Denver. Injuries are part of the game, but it's just tough to imagine this team overcoming the losses of Micah Parsons and Christian Watson. Parsons, who is reportedly believed to have suffered a torn ACL in the loss to the Broncos, has lived up to the expectations that came with the blockbuster trade. His ability to command extra attention from opposing offenses, all while continuing to produce at an All-Pro level, elevates the entire Packers defense. Watson isn't the same caliber of player, but his value has been made abundantly clear since returning from last year's knee injury in Week 8. If his chest injury requires a significant absence, the Packers will be relying solely on Matthew Golden to pick up the slack in the downfield passing game. Maybe the first-round rookie will be up to the task after a disappointing start. And maybe Jeff Hafley can find some unique ways to create pressure without Parsons. There's always a chance, but the Packers suddenly don't have the same Super Bowl upside they did coming into this week.

Bo balls out

I've been admittedly hesitant to consider the Broncos a serious Super Bowl threat. They always had a championship-caliber defense, and the results have been there throughout, but the other side of the ball was just too much of an adventure for my liking. Up until this point, it was legitimately fair to wonder whether a Bo Nix-led offense could do enough to hang with top competition in the playoffs. Sunday's win over the Packers could prove to be a major step in the right direction on that front. Nix was excellent in the season-best outing, completing 23 of 34 passes for 302 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Crucially, he posted a career-best 137.5 passer rating on throws of 15-plus air yards, going 6 of 10 for 145 yards and a TD. Inconsistency has been a running theme for Nix and the rest of this offense, so I won't be overreacting to one game. But if this continues through a challenging stretch to finish the season (vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers), we could be looking at a real contender putting it all together at the perfect time.

Colts hang in with Rivers

The idea of a 44-year-old Philip Rivers coming out a retirement after nearly five years to play the Seahawks defense on a week's notice seemed certifiably insane. And from a physical perspective, it absolutely was. But Shane Steichen clearly valued the mental acuity and scheme familiarity over anything else that a younger, less experienced option may provide. After one initial look, it's not that hard to see what he was thinking. Rivers was predictably unable to push the ball downfield, going just 2 of 8 on passes of 10-plus air yards, but he did connect on 16 of 18 for 87 yards and a touchdown on attempts short of that mark, according to Next Gen Stats. Crucially, he took just one sack and didn't turn the ball over until a last-ditch interception that closed it out. The Colts having a chance to beat the Seahawks was more about Lou Anarumo putting the clamps on the Seattle offense than it was any sort of game-changing plays from their grandfather quarterback, but Rivers quietly did his part by taking care of the ball and avoiding negative plays. While a tough finishing schedule will present some similarly daunting matchups, the Colts giving the Seahawks a sweat showed that they don't need much more to remain competitive.

Davante injury looms large

The Rams will hope that Davante Adams doesn't miss much time with the hamstring injury he suffered in a win over the Lions. It certainly didn't look good at the time, though. And with a trip to Seattle coming up Thursday, it seems likely that he'll at least be forced to miss the most important remaining game on the schedule. The Rams have done an outstanding job of being flexible this season. Remember, it was Puka Nacua's absence for a Week 7 game against Jacksonville that led to Sean McVay debuting the three tight end sets that have been a big part of the Rams' offense ever since. He'll need some more of that magic for the second of two matchups against a stout Seahawks defense, as this game could very well decide who gets the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Rams need that first-round bye to ensure their passing game enters the playoffs at full strength.

Don't sleep on the Lions

The Lions failing to capitalize on a 10-point lead against the Rams is obviously not ideal. Now 8-6 with three games to play, they remain on the outside looking in at the rest of the NFC playoff picture. And Detroit still hasn't won back-to-back games since Weeks 4 and 5. Even so, I don't think anyone should be writing this team off. The Lions putting the Rams on their heels in the first half demonstrates how dangerous they could be in the playoffs. The Packers (9-4-1) are suddenly on shaky ground as the current No. 7 seed after losing a pair of critical player to injury, but that's far from Detroit's only path to the playoffs. The Lions still have a chance to chase down Chicago in the NFC North. Taking care of business against the Steelers and Vikings over the next two weeks, and having the Bears lose to either the Packers or 49ers, could set the stage for a winner-take-all game in Week 18. While Chicago has improved by leaps and bounds throughout the season, I'd have a hard time betting against a Detroit team that took the first of the two matchups by a 52-21 margin back in Week 2. The Lions are very much alive, and they're still the kind of dangerous team that other contenders will hope to avoid meeting in January.

Early kickoffs

Chiefs officially done

For the first time since 2014, the Chiefs won't be in the playoffs. Sunday's loss to the Chargers, along with a few other relevant AFC results, made it official with three weeks still left to play. That's how poorly this season has gone in Kansas City. For a while, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before the three-time defending conference champions were going to turn it on. We'd seen far too much magic from Patrick Mahomes and Co. to rule anything out. Recently, though, it started to become clear that this wasn't going to be an easy fix. The receiving corps getting back to full strength provided reason for optimism midseason, but that group was evidently never enough to salvage what proved to be a broken offense. While many will be expecting some splashy offseason moves in an effort to reload, keep in mind that this team enters the offseason a projected $43.7 million over the salary cap. A rebound season will hinge almost entirely on this coaching staff's ability to look in the mirror a reimagine an offensive system that is no longer working. Mahomes going down with a torn ACL this late in the season could also put his status in doubt for the start of next year.

Bills have my attention

I've been pretty dismissive of the Bills for much of this season, and I stand by all of my critiques. This is the most flawed team Buffalo has fielded in the last five years. Immediately digging itself a 21-0 hole Sunday in New England was just another example of that reality. The second half, on the other hand, was a reminder of why the Bills are still very much a contender anyways. Josh Allen once again went into Superman mode with his team on the ropes, orchestrating five consecutive touchdown drives to storm back and knock off the first-place Patriots. Constantly needing those kinds of heroics isn't exactly a sustainable recipe for success. Depending on a quarterback, no matter how spectacular, to string together four such performances in the playoffs is beyond unfair. But Allen, more so than any player in the game today, could be up to the task. And with neither Patrick Mahomes nor Joe Burrow standing in the way, this is shaping up to be the most favorable road to the Super Bowl yet. Could the stars finally be aligning for the Bills in the year we least expect it?

T-Law makes it 2 in a row

Trevor Lawrence might be back, folks. I've always been a big believer in his upside, but even I had to admit things were starting to look bleak. It had been years since that promising sophomore campaign, and he was arguably the main factor holding back Liam Coen's offense over the first half of this season. But it sure seems like something has clicked over the last few games. I wrote last week that Lawrence's performance in the rain against the Colts was one of the best I had seen from him since that faux-breakout in 2022. He followed that up with an even better game Sunday against the Jets, completing 20 of 32 passes for 330 yards and five touchdowns. He also added a team-high 51 yards and another score on the ground. Lawrence's 0.73 EPA/dropback marks the most productive game of his pro career and the seventh-best single-game output from any quarterback this season, according to TruMedia. The Jaguars are a real contender if they get anything close to this level of quarterback play from here on out.

A positive step

The Ravens have been a frustrating watch for majority of this season. Lamar Jackson's return from injury was supposed to be the catalyst for a late run, but the Baltimore offense was still searching for answers after consecutive losses to the Bengals and Steelers. Perhaps getting one back this week can be the start of a season-saving ascent. The Ravens will have to do it against far more capable opponents in January, but a 24-0 win against the same Cincinnati team that shocked them on Thanksgiving can only be taken as a positive sign. The defense came up big with a pair of interceptions, including a wild pick-6 in the fourth quarter, to hand the Bengals their first shutout since 2017. The run game showed some promising signs, too, with Derrick Henry recording 100 yards on just 11 carries while Keaton Mitchell chipped in 66 yards on eight attempts. The next two games (at Patriots, at Packers) should tell us what to expect from this team - if anything - in January.

Texans' offense trending up

The Texans made easy work of the Cardinals on Sunday, but it probably wasn't in the way that most had been expecting. A typically dominant Houston defense didn't quite impose its will on a vulnerable Arizona offense, finishing the day with its second-worst performance of the year by both EPA/play and success rate. Still, the Cardinals never stood much of a chance. That's because the Texans' offense stepped up with one of its most complete performances of the season. C.J. Stroud was nearly perfect in the pass game, completing 22 of 29 passes for 260 yards and three scores. The run game also did its part despite being without Nick Chubb and losing Woody Marks in the first half, with former sixth-round pick Jawhar Jordan going off for 101 yards on 15 carries. The Texans won't get to face a team like the Cardinals in the playoffs, but the offense flashing this type of competence is an incredibly encouraging development looking ahead. They might have all they need to complement the league's premier defense.

Carroll has to go

I have no idea whether the Raiders will actually fire Pete Carroll. This hire was supposed to be the move that established some sort of stability looking to the future. And after years of constant turnover under Mark Davis' watch, I could absolutely envision a scenario where they opt to bring him back for no other reason than to avoid having to admit another mistake so soon. Much like everything else this organization does, that would be a monumental error. Not only have the Raiders somehow gotten worse since Carroll's arrival, but it's trending further in the wrong direction with every passing week. A pathetic, non-competitive effort in Philly - the Raiders' second 31-0 loss of the season - is probably grounds to rip off the Band-Aid right now. The timing ultimately isn't important, though. All that matters is that this team doesn't let the mistakes compound. Start fresh with a coaching staff that actually has an interest in aligning with the front office on a long-term vision. Running it back with a 74-year-old coach focused on winning now will only hurt their chances of rebuilding in the way they so desperately need.

Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.