EchoSense:NFL Week 15 winners, losers: Believe in the Browns?

It's getting to be EchoSensethat time.

The NFL playoff picture is starting to settle, with several teams having clinched postseason berths with three weeks left in the regular season.

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles clinched NFC playoff spots Sunday, even though Dallas got blown out by the Buffalo Bills and the Eagles still haven't suited up this week.

It's quieter in the AFC, where the Baltimore Ravens became the first team in the conference to secure their bid, though chaos is surely looming with a crowded field for the wild card. The top of the AFC isn't set, either, as both the Ravens and Miami Dolphins – winners of their 30-point shutout over the New York Jets – are jockeying for the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday of Week 15.

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WINNERS

Buckle up for chaos in the AFC

With the Jacksonville Jaguars' 23-7 loss against the Ravens, three AFC South teams are now tied (not counting tiebreakers) at 8-6: Jacksonville, the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans. There are five teams in the conference with an 8-6 record, two of which (Houston and Buffalo) are just outside the playoff picture. There are nine teams caught in a logjam between 7-7 and 9-5.

Translation: the race for three wild-card spots in the AFC is going to be nuts. One team that is surging and may be the squad no one wants to face is the Bills, who are currently in ninth. But since Joe Brady took over the offense, Buffalo is 3-1 and averaging 29.3 points per game. In any case, the margin for error is so slim, and tiebreaker advantages are going to be crucial. Many of these teams play each other in the final weeks. This is a football fan’s dream.

The case for the Rams as a run-first team

The Los Angeles Rams (7-7) have stayed alive in the playoff race and are currently sitting in the final seed in the NFC after handling the Washington Commanders 28-20. And the constant in Los Angeles’ revival has been the rushing attack led by running back Kyren Williams. Against Washington, Williams ran for 152 yards and a score on 27 carries.

In fact, Williams is averaging 20.7 carries per game and 116 rushing yards per game in Los Angeles' victories. In losses, those numbers plummet to 15.5 and 64.3, respectively. In recent games, though, the Rams have made an intentional effort to feed Williams, whose big-play ability has helped open up the play-action passing game, allowing quarterback Matthew Stafford to develop his rapport with receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Los Angeles’ remaining schedule isn’t optimal, with games left against the New Orleans Saints (7-7), New York Giants (5-9) and 49ers (11-3). It’s time to keep feeding Williams.

The Browns might just be a problem down the stretch

Joe Flacco had his worst game since joining the Cleveland Browns off his couch, but he still threw for 374 yards and a pair of scores — albeit with three interceptions — as Cleveland (9-5) erased a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to topple the Chicago Bears 20-17.

This has been a resilient group, one that has battled key injuries and had four different quarterbacks win at least one game as a starter. Cleveland has a ferocious defense that’s one of the best in the league, and one that can generate pressure in high-leverage moments behind edge rusher Myles Garrett. But Flacco has sparked a downfield passing game that wasn’t there with reserves P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The other great news is that receiver Amari Cooper and tight end David Njoku have seen a bit of a revival with Flacco under center, combining for four touchdowns over Cleveland’s last two, both victories.

In face of adversity, Texans bounce back

The Houston Texans were without six starters against their game against the division-rival Tennessee Titans, including star quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion), receivers Nico Collins (calf) and Tank Dell (broken leg), right tackle George Fant (hip) and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (ankle). Despite that, and with backup Case Keenum starting, Houston leaned on running back Devin Singletary for 170 yards from scrimmage that powered a 19-16 win

The Texans (8-6) faced an early 13-point hole and overcame a one-for-three day in red zone conversions, but the defense clamped down to force six punts in Tennessee’s final seven possessions, including stops in the final four. Even without Anderson, Houston got after Titans quarterback Will Levis and sacked him seven times. Stroud should be back soon, and with the Texans in the eighth seed, this is exactly the kind of victory that can build momentum.

LOSERS

Cowboys can't stop Bills' bully ball

If there was a weakness on the Dallas defense, it was stopping the run, though the Cowboys still came into Sunday ranked 11^th in the NFL. Yet, what happened in a blowout loss against the Bills should concern Dallas (10-4) the rest of the way. Buffalo running back James Cook terrorized coordinator Dan Quinn’s defense for 179 rushing yards on a 7.2-yard-per-carry average and two total touchdowns.

The most first downs the Cowboys had allowed via rushing plays this season had been 10 in a Week 5 loss against the 49ers. The next closest mark was eight, in a Week 3 loss against the Arizona Cardinals. The Bills posted 12 rushing first downs by halftime and finished the game with 20 overall. Dallas was without defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, but the Bills simply imposed their will on the Cowboys, who didn’t make matters better by missing tackles all game long. Another concern for the Cowboys: they fell to 3-4 on the road, which could be a problem if they have to start the postseason away from Dallas as a wild-card team.

It’s time in Atlanta

The Atlanta Falcons entered Sunday in a three-way tie atop the NFC South. They couldn’t afford to drop a game against a Carolina Panthers team that entered with a 1-12 record and an interim coach. Atlanta (6-8) did just that, and it was the offense, coach Arthur Smith’s presumed area of expertise, that failed once again in the 9-7 defeat.

Desmond Ridder has massive limitations as a quarterback, and his fourth-quarter interception in the red zone was debilitating. But Smith has proven himself to be incapable of scheming plays to properly involve his wide receivers. Against Carolina, Atlanta’s top two targets were tight ends; the team’s leading wide receiver was Drake London, who caught two passes for 24 yards. The only other wide receiver to record a reception was KhaDarel Hodge (one catch, 10 yards). Running back Bijan Robinson drew eight touches for … 14 yards. The Falcons must move on from Smith.

Joe Barry, Packers prove they’re not ready

The Green Bay Packers started the day in the seventh spot in the NFC and needed to keep pace with the Minnesota Vikings (7-7) in the NFC North. Instead, the Packers (6-8) lost 34-20 to a middling Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, have now lost two in a row and fell all the way to No. 11 in the conference.

While the Packers converted just two of five trips in the red zone, the biggest issues against Tampa were mostly defensive. Green Bay defensive coordinator Joe Barry was content to have his defense drop back into a zone and didn’t adjust when Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield dissected the defense, finding soft spots in coverage. The odd part is that the Packers actually generated pressure on Mayfield and sacked him five times. But when the pressure didn’t get home, Mayfield could find his targets in rhythm and with ease.

Forget Aaron Rodgers – the Jets were a lost cause, regardless

The New York Jets won the offseason, and in a landslide. That’s about it. While Aaron Rodgers’ quest to return from a torn Achilles tendon suffered on the fourth offensive play of the season likely won’t be fulfilled — the Jets (5-9) were eliminated from playoff contention following a 30-0 loss to the Dolphins — it frankly wouldn’t have mattered.

New York entered this season with an offensive line so faulty that Rodgers’ presence would have helped, but it wouldn’t have masked the group’s inability to protect long enough for any quarterback to stay upright. The offense cannot function to any capacity because it’s always rushed. On Sunday, Miami collected six sacks. The locker room is in peril, with receiver Allen Lazard saying the Jets got “out-schemed” and “out-efforted.” Which brings us to 2024. New York should retain most of its key defenders and young offensive talent. If it doesn’t entirely retool its offensive line, however, its offensive inefficiency will almost certainly persist, and Rodgers’ addition would be nothing more than a waste.