NFL Week 15 Takeaways

1. Brock Osweiler looked competent for the first time in a long time. The Broncos backup quarterback entered the game after Trevor Siemian was sidelined with a shoulder injury in the first half of Thursday’s game against the Colts and he took advantage of his opportunity. Osweiler went 12 of 17 for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns and he ran for a score as well. The Heist, as he has become known in the NFL universe after fleecing the Texans for $72 million, might not be a high-end starter, but he is no worse than say, Blake Bortles or Joe Flacco, both of whom are quarterbacking playoff teams.

2. Mitchell Trubisky has been a massive disappointment thus far for the Bears. He is just a rookie, but Chicago gave up a king’s ransom to select who they felt would be their franchise cornerstone for a decade plus. People will point to Jared Goff as a recent example of a rookie quarterback who had a disastrous first season only to rebound in year two, but I don’t think they’re analogous. Trubisky will improve, but never enough to live up to the billing of the second overall pick.

3. Kareem Hunt put the Chiefs on his back. The rookie running back ran for 155 yards and a touchdown while also snagging seven catches for 51 yards and a score. After surging at the season’s onset, Hunt cooled off. On Saturday night however, he channeled the same beast that took the NFL by storm in September and because of that Kansas City will almost certainly find themselves in the postseason.

4. The Jaguars defense is approaching unseen territory. There are some defenses that are remembered as all-timers. The 2000 Ravens and the 2015 Broncos come to mind, but what the 2017 Jaguars are doing is unprecedented. They are getting o the quarterback week in and week out and seemingly score touchdowns more frequently than many offenses. The Jaguars are right in the thick of things in the AFC and their defense deserves endless praise.

5. Michael Thomas is the most underrated wide receiver in the NFL. The Saints second-year wide out from Ohio State has quietly become the most frequent target of Drew Brees in the New Orleans offense. On Sunday, Thomas joined Odell Beckham Jr. as the only players to have at least 90 catches in each of their first two seasons. Just 24 years old, Michael Thomas is going to be a weapon for many years to come.

6. The Browns need to move on from DeShone Kizer. I seldom write off a player after their rookie season, but the Browns quarterback has been nothing short of abysmal. It might make sense to hold onto him next year in hopes that he develops, but to enter next season with Kizer as the starter in Cleveland would be a massive mistake.

7. The Packers season is over. I thought that with the return of Aaron Rodgers that Green Bay had a legitimate shot at not only making the postseason, but making a run once they got there. That was short-lived as the Panthers knocked off the Packers 31-24 on Sunday afternoon. With the Packers season effectively over I feel as though Mike McCarthy should hand the reins over to Brett Hundley for the remainder of the season. Aaron Rodgers was taking a colossal risk returning so quickly from his collarbone injury and so now that their season is over it makes no sense to further risk his health playing in meaningless ball games.

8. The Seahawks failed to show up for their biggest game of the season. At home to the Rams, the Seahawks trailed 34-0 at halftime and wound up losing 42 to 7. That is inexcusable for a team that was vying for a division title. I still believe that if Seattle were to miraculously make the postseason that they would pose a threat in the NFC, but Sunday’s performance was abominable.

9. Another week, another MVP candidate is injured. Last week it was Carson Wentz, this week its Antonio Brown. I am not sure there has ever been a year quite like this in which more superstars were hampered with season-ending injuries. I know one thing for sure: It doesn’t help the plummeting television ratings that Andrew Luck, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, Dalvin Cook, David Johnson, Odell Beckham Jr., J.J. Watt, and Eric Berry are all out for season.

10. Jimmy G is a legit franchise quarterback. Since taking the wheel in San Francisco, the 49ers are 3-0 and Garappolo has thrown for over 1,000 yards. Yes, the 49ers are well out of playoff contention, but this season was a success because they found their quarterback for the next decade. And he’s pretty darn good.