NFL Week 15 Recap

(Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
Reggie Bush rushed for a career high 203 yards in a 30-23 win over the  Bills.

Jaguars vs. Falcons: 41-14 Falcons
Jaguars Player of the Week: Maurice Jones-Drew- 112 rush yards
Falcons Player of the Week: Roddy White- 10 receptions, 135 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

Just a week after winning 41-14 against the Bucs, the Jaguars got crushed by the same score by the Falcons. The Jaguars have had a miserable season and have the worst passing game in the NFL. On the other hand, the Falcons had a great passing attack on Thursday night, as Matt Ryan threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

Cowboys vs. Bucs: 31-15 Cowboys
Cowboys Player of the Week: Tony Romo- 249 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 133.9 passer rating
Bucs Player of the Week: Dezmon Briscoe- 3 receptions, 36 receiving yards, touchdown

The Cowboys bounced back from a tough loss to the Giants and regained lead of the NFC East after defeating the Bucs by 16. Overall the Cowboys had a great game offensively and defensively, as Tony Romo led the offense to four scores, while DeMarcus Ware and the defense shut down the Bucs' offense.

Dolphins vs. Bills: 30-23 Dolphins
Dolphins Player of the Week: Reggie Bush- 203 rush yards, touchdown
Bills Player of the Week: CJ Spiller- 93 rush yards,  73 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

The Bills and Dolphins have had, for the most part, disappointing seasons, but both teams have had bright spots at certain times. The Bills started off the season red hot and were 5-2 at one point. Now they are 5-9 following a loss to the Dolphins. Unlike the Bills, the Dolphins have picked up the slack lately and have won five of their last seven games.

Titans vs. Colts: 27-13 Colts
Titans Player of the Week: Nate Washington- 7 touchdown, 62 receiving yards, touchdown
Colts Player of the Week: Donald Brown- 161 rush yards, touchdown

Not only did the Colts get their first win of the season last week, but the Packers also lost their first game. What a fluke week in the NFL.  The Colts pulled off a win against the somewhat decent Tennessee Titans, who actually had a small playoff hope before the loss. Good news for Indianapolis is that they still hold the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Seahawks vs. Bears: 38-14 Seahawks
Seahawks Player of the Week: Defense- 4 sacks, 4 interceptions, 2 touchdowns, fumble recovery
Bears Player of the Week: Kahlil Bell- 65 rush yards, 43 receiving yards, touchdown

The Seahawks are on a roll after winning their last three games, and five of their last six games. Marshawn Lynch didn't rush for over 50 yards, but had two touchdowns in the win.

Redskins vs. Giants: 23-10 Redskins
Redskins Player of the Week: Santana Moss- 2 receptions, 40 receiving yards, touchdown
Giants Player of the Week: Ahmad Bradshaw- 58 rush yards, 21 receiving yards, touchdown

Just a week after a big win against Dallas, the Giants failed to defeat the Redskins for the second time this season. Just a week after being praised as an ELIte quarterback, Peyton's younger brother threw three interceptions and no touchdowns in the loss.

Packers vs. Chiefs: 19-14 Chiefs
Packers Player of the Week: Jermichael Finley- 3 receptions, 81 receiving yards
Chiefs Player of the Week: Kyle Orton- 299 pass yards, 104.1 passer rating

Who drugged the Packers on Sunday and allowed them to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs? For the first time all season, Rodgers completed less than half of his passes, and for only the second time this season, he had a passer rating under 100.

Bengals vs. Rams: 20-13 Bengals
Bengals Player of the Week: Cedric Benson- 76 rush yards, touchdown
Rams Player of the Week: Danario Alexander- 3 receptions, 51 receiving yards, touchdown

Shocker, the Rams lost again. and are now a putrid 2-12. The Bengals have been one of the most surprising teams in the NFL this season, and are still fighting for a playoff spot. Andy Dalton and AJ Green have both had superb rookie seasons thus far.

Saints vs. Vikings: 42-20 Saints
Saints Player of the Week: Drew Brees- 412 pass yards, 5 touchdowns, 149.2 passer rating
Vikings Player of the Week: Toby Gerhart- 12 rush yards, 46 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

The Saints are playing like the second best team in the NFL, only trailing the Green Bay Packers. Drew Brees has had a career year, and is on track to break NFL records for passing yards. Brees and the Saints are still undefeated in the Superdome this season, and don't look like they will lose there again.

Panthers vs. Texans: 28-13 Panthers
Panthers Player of the Week: Cam Newton- 149 pass yards, 55 rush yards, 2 touchdown, 105.2 passer rating
Texans Player of the Week: Arian Foster- 109 rush yards, 55 receiving yards, touchdown

The Texans are in trouble come playoff time, as they have shown they can't win big games without a true quarterback. As for the Panthers here are some fun facts about their season: The Panthers are 5-9 this season but could easily be 8-6 had kicker Olindo Mare been a little more accurate. Also, the Panthers have held leads in 13 games this season, but have only held on to five of those leads. Another fact is that they are 5-0 in games when Newton has no turnovers, but 0-9 in games that he does. The record may not completely show it, but Carolina is improving very quickly.

Lions vs. Raiders: 28-27 Lions
Lions Player of the Week: Calvin Johnson- 9 receptions, 214 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Raiders Player of the Week: Darrius Heyward-Bey- 8 receptions, 155 receiving yards, touchdown

The Lions got a much needed win after coming back from 13 with under five minutes to play. Calvin Johnson had a few spectacular plays on the game winning drive, which was led by quarterback Matthew Stafford. Standing at 9-5, the Lions are bound to make their first playoff appearance in over 10 years. Kudos to Jim Schwartz.

Patriots vs. Broncos: 41-23 Patriots
Patriots Player of the Week: Demaryius Thomas- 7 receptions, 116 receiving yards
Broncos Player of the Week: Aaron Hernandez- 9 receptions, 129 receiving yards, touchdown

Tim and the Broncos showed signs early in the game, but Brady and the more experienced Patriots got the decisive win on the road. Brady showed love to his other tight end last week, Aaron Hernandez instead of his usually target, Rob Gronkowski.

Jets vs. Eagles: 45-19 Eagles
Jets Player of the Week: Shonn Greene- 73 rush yards
Eagles Player of the Week: LeSean McCoy- 102 rush yards, 3 touchdowns

Although it might seem crazy, if the Eagles win their remaning games, and get a little help from the Giants, they will be in the playoffs despite their failures this year. The Jets on the other hand, will need a win against their in state rivals next week in order to make the playoffs. Winner of the Jets-Giants game will likely be in the playoffs, while the other will be home watching the games on TV.

Browns vs. Cardinals: 20-17 Cardinals (OT)
Browns Player of the Week: Greg Little- 5 receptions, 131 receiving yards, touchdown
Cardinals Player of the Week: Beanie Wells- 51 rush yards, touchdown

The Cardinals pulled away in OT to win their seventh game of the year. The Cardinals are now 7-7 after four straight wins, and six wins in their last seven games. The Cardinals aren't playoff ready, but are showing good signs of improvement for the future.

Ravens vs. Chargers: 34-14 Chargers
Ravens Player of the Week: Torrey Smith- 6 receptions, 77 receiving yards, touchdown
Chargers Player of the Week: Ryan Mathews- 90 rush yards, 2 touchdowns

Do the Chargers have one last bolt of energy in them to make the playoffs? Despite a terrible mid-season losing streak, the Chargers have been playing some really good football. If the Chargers can run the table and get some help from the Raiders and Broncos, their season will be saved, as well as  Norv Turner's job.

Steelers vs. Niners: 20-3 Niners
Steelers Player of the Week: Jerricho Cotchery- 5 receptions, 93 receiving yards
Niners Player of the Week: Vernon Davis- 6 receptions, 72 receiving yards, touchdown

Two power outages, four quarters, and a bunch of interceptions later, the 49'ers walked away with a big win against the Steelers. Big Ben was hurting on Monday Night, throwing for three interceptions and no touchdowns. Pittsburgh had a great chance to take over lead of the AFC North, but failed to do so.