Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season began with an exciting Thursday Night Football game as the Los Angeles Rams won 12-6 on the road against their NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers. According to CBS Sports Research, the game was the first in the NFL this season without a touchdown, and also the first in the rivalry in which no touchdown was scored.
Week 15 marks the beginning of the Fantasy Football Playoffs for many, and it’s expected to be even more thrilling. Here are five surprising possibilities from the latest installment of CBS Sports’ Bold NFL Predictions.
The Detroit Lions are off to a 13-game start, the best in franchise history, with a 12-1 record, and their 11-game winning streak is the longest in franchise history. That streak will end Sunday at home when Josh Allen and the 10-3 Bills come to town, fresh off a 44-42 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14.
Yes, the Bills, who last week became the first team in NFL history to lose a game by six or more touchdowns and zero turnovers, will beat the Lions on Sunday at home in Detroit. why is that? That’s because Allen is going to break through the Detroit Lions’ strong defense.
Detroit’s No. 2 scoring defense (18.0 points per game in 2024) is banking on that blitz. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has blitzed 36.4% this season, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL in 2024, but has the seventh-lowest quarterback pressure rate when blitzing ( 38%). Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson was the frontrunner for the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award early in the season, but made up for the loss before suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week 6. Because of this, Glenn qualified to participate. With the Heat, he played 41.1% of his minutes after Week 7, the best mark in the entire league during that span. However, they also had seven interceptions on such plays, giving them the NFL’s lowest passer rating (67.7) on blitzes, second only to the Minnesota Vikings, who had 11 interceptions. They are 2nd in the league. Allen has a passer rating of 123.8. His blitzing is fourth-best in the NFL, and his 14 touchdown passes while blitzing are the best in the league.
Allen is currently playing the most efficient football of his career, posting career-low turnover rates (1.4%) and sack rates (3.2%). His offensive line has been solid, posting the 10th-lowest quarterback pressure rate this season at 32.2% and the NFL’s seventh-lowest pressure rate when blitzed (36.9%). Allen also isn’t afraid to throw to anyone. He has thrown touchdowns to 12 different players, including himself, in 2024. The 2024 NFL MVP favorite (-400 according to Caesars Sportsbook) led the Bills to victory over a Lions blitz that will play like MVP on Sunday in Detroit.
Steelers end road losing streak at 10 against Eagles
The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost 10 consecutive road games against the Philadelphia Eagles, the last time being in 1965. It ends on Sunday for several reasons.
One is Russell Wilson’s efficient play. He has 12 touchdowns and just three interceptions this season, which is why the Steelers are 6-1 in seven starts in 2024. The other is Pittsburgh’s fifth-ranked scoring defense (18.3 points per game). . The Steelers’ strength is defending the run, allowing just 91.5 rushing yards per game, fourth-fewest in the NFL. That’s exactly what it takes to derail the 2024 rushing yardage leaders in Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Stopping the run and then letting Hurts throw is the exact recipe to beat this group of Eagles. That’s because Hurts is averaging just 200.2 passing yards per game this season, which ranks 24th among eligible quarterbacks, his lowest total in a full season. Dew. -He will be the starting quarterback in 2021. It also helped No. 1 receiver AJ Brown average career lows in catches (4.8) and receptions per game for the Eagles. Like teammate Brandon Graham in yards per game (83.6). Guess the duo’s friendship During the attack and defense of the passing game. Pittsburgh overcame its weaknesses across the board Sunday to earn its first road win over an in-state foe. The Steelers will be celebrating like it was 1965 in Philadelphia.
The New England Patriots have won three consecutive games against the Arizona Cardinals (2016, 2020, 2022), with the Patriots at 3-10 and the host Cardinals at 6-7 and in contention for an NFC berth. Despite this, this trend is likely to continue into 2024. the crown of the west. This happens because there are two quarterbacks in this game whose production is going in two completely different directions.
Arizona has lost three straight after starting 6-4. That’s largely because Kyler Murray had five interceptions (tying the most in a three-game stretch of his career) and only three touchdowns during the losing streak. .
Meanwhile, quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots’ 2024 No. 3 overall pick, is aggressive. According to CBS Sports Research, five players have started the first eight games since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 and averaged at least 200 passing yards (209.3 yards) and at least 40 rushing yards (41.6 yards) per game. He became the first quarterback. The club’s other four members include Robert Griffin III (2012), Deshaun Watson (2017), Jalen Hurts (2020-2021) and fellow draftee Jaden Daniels (2024). ) is included. Maye also set career highs in completion percentage (24-of-30, 80%) and passing yards per pass attempt (7.9) in his final game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13, but went 24-for-25. We lost narrowly.
In Week 15, this trend continues until Maye defeats Murray and leads the Patriots to victory.
Chiefs beat Browns for rare double-digit win
The Kansas City Chiefs, two-time Super Bowl champions, are fighting their way through the 2024 season despite a 12-1 record. According to CBS Sports, they have the lowest point differential (+56) of a team in NFL history that went at least 12-1 in their first 13 games, winning by 1 to 7 points through 13 games. 10 games also almost all the time.
why is that? As elite as Patrick Mahomes is, he is also having one of the worst seasons in terms of passing yards per attempt (6.9) and passing yards per game (245.3). However, he and the Chiefs will surprisingly easily win against the 3-10 Cleveland Browns. Yes, that’s a bold prediction considering Kansas City narrowly defeated the 3-10 Carolina Panthers in Week 12, winning 30-27.
The difference in Week 15 will be that Cleveland runs the ball too much and gives Mahomes too many short fields. Quarterback Jameis Winston has thrown nine interceptions since becoming the Browns’ starting quarterback in Week 8, the most in the league over that span.
Alvin Kamara has no TD in 8 consecutive games against the Commanders
Alvin Kamara, the five-time Pro Bowl running back for the New Orleans Saints, has long been one of the best players in the NFL, and he’ll be at that position again in 2024. Kamara ranks third in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (1,423) and third in touches (287) this season. ). However, he has an amazing seven-game streak without a touchdown, the second-longest streak of his career. The longest stretch of his career was nine consecutive games in 2019, which will increase to eight in 2024 in Week 15 against the Washington Commanders.
That’s bold considering Washington has allowed the 10th-most rushing touchdowns (36) to running backs this season. But the Commanders are looking to keep Kamara within reach and out of the end zone, as they have the fourth-lowest missed tackle rate (11.6%) this season, according to NFL Pros.
