NFL Week 15: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game

week 15 of 2025 nfl season Thursday night begins with an NFC South game between the Falcons and Buccaneers. Led by three touchdowns from tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.., the Falcons won thanks to a field goal as time expired from the kicker zane gonzalez,

In Sunday’s opening window, the Eagles bounced back from a five-turnover performance last Monday with a shutout win over the Raiders. philadelphia tight end dallas goedert Finished with a team-high two touchdown grabs and 70 receiving yards. The Ravens also took out the Bengals, who was quarterback joe burroThis is his first no-score outing as a starter for Cincinnati.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answered long-running questions coming from each game and broke down everything you need to know for each team. Let’s do that.

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LV-PHI , ATL-TB

Keep track of the action: box score , Short

crows

How much did the Ravens improve their playoff chances? Noteworthy. According to ESPN Analytics, Baltimore moved within a half game of first-place Pittsburgh in the AFC North and its playoff chances increased to 48%. Perhaps more importantly, the Ravens looked like a playoff team with their most complete game of the season. quarterback lamar jackson Looks like Lamar Jackson ended his career-worst streak of five games without multiple touchdown passes. Baltimore’s defense recorded its first shutout in seven years and scored a touchdown with safety Aholy Gilman’s 84-yard return of an interception. It’s still a challenging finish for the Ravens, as their final three games are against division leaders: New England, then Green Bay and Pittsburgh.

Statistics to know: Gilman’s 84-yard touchdown off an interception was the Ravens’ longest defensive score since 2019. Baltimore maintains its shutout with linebacker out kyle van noy picked up joe burro and then handed the ball to Gilman, who ran toward the end zone. It was Baltimore’s first touchdown from an interception since last season’s finale. — Jameson Hensley

Next game: vs. Patriots (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Bengal

After Burrow said he just wants to enjoy football, was it surprising to see the Bengals blow out his first start? Yes. The Bengals looked strong in snowy conditions against Buffalo, but Cincinnati never looked settled on Sunday as it was officially out of the playoff race. Mistakes after the opening drive kept the Bengals from gaining that elusive momentum that coach Zac Taylor talks about. What happened Sunday wasn’t good when you have a QB like Burrow, who said he wants to at least enjoy the end of a disappointing season. Sunday marked the Bengals’ first shutout loss since 2017.

What is meant by QB performance: Burrow didn’t get much help. Cincinnati’s receivers took turns being unable to make catches in key spots. The offensive line had a lot of problems, problems made even worse at right tackle amarius mims Left the game in the fourth quarter due to a right knee injury. However, Burrow’s performance was also not the best. He was 25 of 39 passing for 225 yards and two interceptions, including a pick-six thrown under pressure. –Ben Baby

Next game: At Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Keep track of the action: box score , Short

eagles

is the quarterback jalen hurts And the crime found its basis? It’s hard to be impressed given the quality of the opponent, but Hurts’ three-touchdown outing was exactly the type of performance that was needed after a five-turnover game against the Chargers. The coaching staff ran back and fed Saquon Barkley To strike a good balance between run and pass. And the Eagles showed some creativity, especially near the goal line, resulting in a pair of dallas goedert Score. This was a healthy step in the right direction for the quarterback and an offense that did not meet expectations for most of the season.

Most Amazing Performance: Brandon GrahamJoe came out of retirement earlier this season, leading the team with two sacks against Las Vegas. At 37 years, 255 days old, he is the oldest player to record a sack in Eagles history. –Tim McManus

Next game: On Commanders (Saturday, 5 p.m. ET)

game

Dallas Goedert takes a high step up for his second TD

Jaylen Hurts hit a shovel pass to Dallas Goedert to extend the Eagles’ lead.

raiders

Will coach Pete Carroll last this season? It seems less likely each week that Carroll will be the Raiders coach after a disastrous 2025 campaign. Sunday’s loss marks the second time Las Vegas has been shut out this season. The last time the Raiders were eliminated in that many games in a season was 2006 (three times). Las Vegas lost by double digits for the eighth time, and its eight-game losing streak is the longest in Carroll’s NFL coaching career. Clearly, the Raiders are far from being competitive and need to embark on a true rebuild, which is why the 74-year-old Carroll may not be the right coach to lead the team.

What is meant by QB performance: Carroll said this week that health will be the main factor when determining geno smith Remained the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. And it should be like this even now. Pickett started in place of Smith, who was out after scoring one run. shoulder/back injuryAnd despite having more mobile phones in the pocket, it did not generate much spark. Pickett completed 15 of 25 passes for 64 yards and one interception. –Ryan McFadden

Next game: at Texans (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Keep track of the action: box score , Short

Falcon

Could the Falcons consider re-signing? Kyle Pitts Sr.After his recent surge? What was impossible earlier seems possible now. Pitts came into the game ranked fourth among tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards. On Thursday night, he had 11 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns. It was his first 100-yard receiving game since 2021. And he surpassed that 100-yard mark in the first half, the first Atlanta player to do so since 2018. Pitts has dealt with injuries since his record-breaking rookie season. These last few weeks are probably enough to earn him a lucrative contract somewhere next year.

Viewing Trends: torrent runner James Pierce Jr.He had two sacks, extending his streak of at least one sack to six games, According to ESPN Research, this is the second-longest streak for a rookie since Sax became official in 1982, Pierce already owns the rookie franchise record for most assists in a season since 1982, –Marc Raimondi

Next game: at Cardinals (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)

buccaneers

How bad did this loss hurt the Bucs’ playoff chances? The Bucs and Panthers have two head-to-head games remaining, one of which is next week. But according to ESPN Analytics, if the Panthers beat the Saints on Sunday, the Bucs’ chances of winning the division drop to 35%. With the Panthers losing to the Saints, the Bucs have a 76% chance. But after starting the season 5-1 and then going 1-5 in the last six games, it’s hard to feel optimistic even with a comeback mike evans And Jalen McMillan,

Most Amazing Performance: Even with the defense’s struggles recently, and even with the Bucs’ historic struggles in prime-time games, surrendering a season-high 476 yards of total offense to a 4-9 team that had 19 penalties at home is a new low. –Jenna Line

Next game: at Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)