PFT’s Week 15 2024 NFL game previews, headlined by Bills at Lions

With four weeks to go, the key figure for week 15 is 4:25.

That’s when a quartet of games oozing with playoff implications for both teams kicks off. Somehow, none of those games were moved to the 1 p.m. ET window or one of the other prime-time slots.

As the line gets brighter and brighter between contender and contender, we’ll be previewing the upcoming Sunday and Monday games with one important principle in mind: The less important the game, the less we have to say about it.

5-8 Cowboys at 3-10 Panthers (-3), Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)

The biggest indignity of the year Team formerly known as America’s is that the Panthers are favored to beat the Cowboys. The Panthers!

Both teams are cooked. The Cowboys are not mathematically eliminated yet. It’s just a matter of time.

Which team has a brighter future? Given that the Cowboys (according to Stephen Jones) won’t spend big in an effort to improve this coming offseason, who knows? Perhaps the Panthers will finally snap a streak of six straight double-digit losing seasons before Jerry Jones completes his quest for glory hole.

12-1 Chiefs (-4) at 3-10 Browns, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)

Cleveland has beaten both the Ravens and Steelers at home this season. Can they take down the Chiefs too?

With Kansas City on the cusp of three games just 10 days apart (Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday), this could be a trap for the Chiefs.

But let’s face it. Every game is a trap for the Chiefs; they are 10-0 in one-score games this year. And there’s a good chance no amount of unbridled enthusiasm from Jameis Winston will change that.

6-7 Dolphins at 8-5 Texans (-3), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)

The Texans appear to be locked in, both as the AFC South champions and the No. the 4 seed. The Dolphins aren’t done yet, but they have to hope that one of the three 8-5 wild-card teams (Ravens, Chargers, Broncos) will collapse down the stretch.

Even though it’s a road game for Miami, it’s indoors. That allows them to run their Globetrotters offense, with Tua Tagovailoa masterfully keeping the defense guessing who has the ball.

The Texans win the division with a win and a Colts loss. More importantly, Houston will get a much-needed confidence boost by beating a contender — something they don’t do often enough.

3-10 Jets (-3) at 3-10 Jaguars, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth)

The loser of this one should be relegated to the UFL.

8-5 Commanders (-7.5) at 5-8 Saints, Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Davis and Greg Olsen)

Jayden Daniels heads back to Louisiana with a chance to unseat Bo Nix as Offensive Rookie of the Year. And it’s about more than postseason honors for the Commanders; The NFC West has a couple of teams that could chase Washington down to the No. 7.

The Saints will likely be without quarterback Derek Carr, who has a left hand injury and a concussion. Jake Haener gets the start.

New Orleans is still alive for the division title, but they are one game behind the Falcons and two behind the Bucs.

8-5 Ravens (-16) at 2-11 Giants, Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty)

Once a team from Baltimore faced the Giants in what has been dubbed The Greatest Game Ever Played.

This one could be the worst.

It all comes down to whether the Giants can muster something/anything against a team that seems better than its 8-5 record suggests. Stranger things have happened. For example, Tommy DeVito somehow became the team’s starting quarterback.

5-8 Bengals (-5) at 3-10 Titans, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)

Titans coach Brian Callahan knows the Bengals well. But Cincinnati is headed for a slim chance to make the postseason — and the Titans are playing the string.

The Bengals have won back-to-back games just once this year and are 2-7 in one-score games.

With a loss this week and a Denver win, the Bengals are done. With a win, there’s still a chance the Week 17 matchup against the Broncos will matter.

Receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who didn’t get the contract he wanted before the season started, could push the bar to $40 million a year. He has 93 catches, 1,319 yards and 15 touchdowns.

3-10 Patriots at 6-7 Cardinals (-6), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker and Jay Feely)

The Cardinals have fallen apart in recent weeks. If they lose another, they are boiled.

The Patriots are only playing for pride — and possibly for the ongoing hiring of coach Jerod Mayo.

6-7 Colts at 8-5 Broncos (-4), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)

The Broncos are the No. 7 seed and in. The Colts are the No. 8 seed and out. Despite a rough season, Indy has a chance to pull into the postseason.

The key is Anthony Richardson, who has unlimited talent but still needs work.

The Broncos are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

10-3 Bills at 12-1 Lions (-2.5), Sunday 4:25 PM ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)

It’s a potential Super Bowl premiere between two of the league’s elite teams. Since Buffalo won in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day 2022, the Bills are 28-11 and the Lions are 31-8.

The challenge for the Bills will be not to be overpowered by Detroit’s offensive line. The challenge for the Lions will be to slow down Josh Allen – and find the line between aggressiveness and recklessness.

The Lions are seeking their 13th win for the first time in franchise history. Mainly because they haven’t been this good since 1960, when the schedule expanded from 12 games to 14.

7-6 Buccaneers at 8-5 Chargers (-2.5), Sunday 4:25 PM ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez)

It’s a huge game for both teams. The Bucs have a one-game lead over the Falcons in the NFC South, and the Chargers are trying to stay in the wild-card field.

The key player will be Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield. Can he maximize the good (28 passing touchdowns this year) and minimize the not-good (13 interceptions).

The Chargers are 1-4 against teams with winning records and 7-1 against teams with losing records.

10-3 Steelers at 11-2 Eagles (-5.5), Sunday 4:25 PM ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)

It’s the Pennsylvania State Championship. And the Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since 1965.

They will have to snap a 10-game losing streak in Philly without receiver George Pickens. They need one or more of the other receivers (Mike Williams, Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek) to step up.

The Eagles spent much of the week trying to quell the perception that there is a personal issue between quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver AJ Brown. It came off as hollow talking points that did little to hide the fact that something is off.

Last year, the Eagles were nine games over .500 when the train derailed. This year, they are now nine games over .500.

9-4 Packers (-3) at 8-5 Seahawks, Sunday 8:20 PM ET, NBC/Peacock (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)

The Packers have lost four games to three teams with a combined record of 34-5.

The Seahawks have improved from 4-5 to 8-5, with a playoff mindset coming after the bye week. It has worked.

Seattle is chasing its first five-game winning streak since 2020. They will need to slow down Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs, who has eight rushing touchdowns in the last four games.

4-9 Bears at 11-3 Vikings (-6.5), Monday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+ (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)

The Vikings have three tough games to finish the season. This is the trap.

Especially since the Bears looked awful in their first game after Eberflus.

The Vikings blew an 11-point lead in Chicago in Week 12 before winning in overtime. Since then, the Minnesota offense has found a higher level of performance, culminating in a 42-point outburst last Sunday.

The Bears have lost seven in a row since starting 4-2. The Vikings have won six in a row since starting 5-2.

6-7 Falcons (-4) at 2-11 Raiders, Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN (Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky)

The Falcons continue to circle the wagons around quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is suffering the worst slump of his career — four games, four losses, eight interceptions, no touchdown passes.

The Raiders have lost nine in a row. They haven’t lost 10 straight since 2014.

If the Falcons lose this one, Atlanta will then pull the plug on Cousins ​​and give rookie Michael Penix, Jr. a shot? Factors include fans, other players’ preferences and ultimately the man who signs all the paychecks.