There are no shortage of storylines as we head into Week 15 of the 2015 NFL season. With three weeks to go, roughly two-thirds of the teams in the league still have a shot at making the playoffs, which is kind of amazing. The Carolina Panthers are in pursuit of perfection, while the NFC East and AFC South divisions are two battles of, at best, mediocrity. The New England Patriots are trying to hold onto the top seed in the AFC, despite the litany of injuries that have come their way this season, with both the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos on their heels. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks are both playing some really good football lately, and none of the other teams want to face either of those two teams in the first round of the playoffs.
Many games this week have playoff implications in some fashion. The New York Jets are trying to hold onto a wild card spot, while the Panthers will try to stay perfect as the New York Giants try to defeat Ron Rivera’s team in their attempt to win the NFC East. The Kansas City Chiefs will try to take down the Baltimore Ravens and hold onto their wild card spot. The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts will face off in a game that could end up deciding the winner of the AFC South. The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers will both try to secure wins as they each work towards winning the NFC North instead of just getting into the postseason as a wild card. The Seahawks will try to keep the momentum they have built as they try to keep playing really well down the stretch and into the postseason. The Arizona Cardinals are trying to do what they can to wrap up the NFC West and the number two seed.
There are a number of teams who are making a push to get into the postseason, while others are jockeying for playoff seeding. That means there are many important games this week, but the Denver Broncos at the Pittsburgh Steelers is the best game this week.
Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Dec. 20, 4:25PM on CBS
The Broncos lost to the Oakland Raiders in Week 14 and now they find themselves as the number three seed in the AFC, behind the Patriots and Bengals. It might not be the end of the world, but the Broncos would much rather have a bye in the first round, which only the top two seeds in each conference get. Denver needs to win down the stretch and hope for losses by New England and Cincinnati if they want the one or two seed in the AFC.
True, the Bengals won’t have quarterback Andy Dalton under center for the next three games, but two of their last three games are against the San Francisco 49ers (Week 15) and Baltimore Ravens (Week 17). The Bengals are more than capable of winning both of those games, even without Dalton.
Yes, even if the Broncos lose to the Steelers this week, they can still help themselves greatly in Week 16 when they face off against the Bengals. But a loss to Mike Tomlin’s team this week would put Gary Kubiak’s squad behind the eight ball a bit. Quarterback Brock Osweiler and company would much rather just win this week and hope that the Patriots and/or Bengals fall in their games. The issue for the Broncos is that both the Patriots and Bengals are playing opponents they should defeat, despite the injuries each team is dealing with. A loss in Week 15 could cause Denver to fall two games behind New England and one game behind Cincinnati.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have won four of their last five games, including a victory against the Bengals last week. It will be entertaining to see if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers all of a sudden high flying offense can put up points against the Broncos defense. If they can, Pittsburgh has a great shot at winning this week, which would help them march towards the playoffs. This Broncos are, by far, the best opponent Big Ben and company will see in their final three games. The Steelers will play the Ravens and Cleveland Browns the final two weeks and both are games they should win. If Pittsburgh wins their last three games, which starts with a victory over the Broncos, they will secure a trip to the playoffs regardless of what else happens.
This game is not necessarily a must win for either team, but a win on Sunday will greatly benefit the victor, as we get closer to the postseason. Plus, it features two legitimately good teams, and the other important games can’t really say the same thing.
Main Photo:
