NFL scores, Week 15: Live coverage, highlights & more

In the hunt: Miami Dolphins (8-6), San Diego Chargers (7-7), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8), New York Jets (6-8)

• NFL mock draft: Can Teddy Bridgewater save the Texans?

Cause of Death: There’s a microcosm-macrocosm relationship between those two runs and where Cleveland failed overall in this game. The Browns hadn’t allowed a single running back to reach even 75 yards rushing in a game this year, and only two with at least 10 carries had managed to crack 4.5 yards per rush. Matt Forte finished with 127 and 5.3.

Time of Death: Well, I suppose it was really when ole Houston defended us against that wolf. We didn’t know it, but that wolf was rabid, and we just couldn’t take the chance of Houston attackin’ one of the youngins or Ma. So I shot ole Houston. Broke my dang heart.

It’s easy to take the Patriots and the winning seasons for granted. Unless you’re a fan or a hater, double-digit wins are kind of a thing that happens. But this has been an interesting year for the Patriots, starting over the summer when it looked like everything was going to hell at Foxborough.

There’s the adversity script. Now the part about randomness.

Week 15 is in the books and we’re getting a better sense of how the league’s playoff races are shaping up. Let’s look around the league to see where all 32 teams stand.

Clinched: None

Here’s the rest of the playoff picture after Sunday.

(X) - clinched playoff berth (Y) - clinched division

The Bengals started to fight back after halftime, but it was futile. With a dwindling crowd at Heinz Field, Dalton threw two touchdowns in the second half, but a few field goals from the Steelers kept the lead at a comfortable distance.

Instead of taking over the No. 2 seed in the AFC, Cincinnati stays right where it was to start the night. The AFC North division is still technically up for grabs, and Pittsburgh is still mathematically alive for the playoffs.

Fitzgerald was attempting to recover an onside kick late in the game when he sustained a big hit and was noticeably shaken up on the team’s sideline. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said in his postgame press conference that his star receiver would undergo the league’s post-concussion protocol, but there was no additional update on his status at this time.

Fitzgerald sent out this Tweet from his personal account, and remains optimistic.

A fourth-quarter Tony Romo interception brings out the hoots and howls from all quarters of the internet. The “choker” narrative comes out, fans dig in their heels and the hot takes fly. Sorting out what actually happened is a little harder to do.

Green Bay pulled ahead after Sam Shields picked off Romo with 2:58 left in the game’s final frame. It was second-and-six. Dallas was sitting on a 36-31 lead. So what happened? Why was Romo passing the ball instead of handing it off to the running back?

Sunday night fun!

Stephen White [11:39 PM]:

Even if the Packers have to fight with Flynn again next week, it seems like they’ll be able to manage.

Fantasy Studs and Duds

The pick capped a 21-point run for Arizona, who trailed 17-13 midway through the third quarter.

The Cardinals will likely need to win their remaining two games to make the playoffs. That won’t be an easy task, as they’ll face NFC West foes Seattle and San Francisco to close the season.

The Chiefs are going to have a chance to beat the streak. For the first time since 2010, Kansas City will be in the postseason, and this team has a chance to win the franchise’s first playoff game since 1993.

A 56-31 win over the Raiders clinched at least a wild-card spot for the Chiefs, and while the AFC West crown is a bit of a long shot, Kansas City should be locked into the No. 5 seed.

Zac Stacy left with a hip injury and was questionable to return, but he came back into the game.

The New Orleans Saints were 6.5-point favorites, according to OddsShark. They failed to cover by losing.

It was this close from not being a touchdown:

Bryant’s score gave the Cowboys a 36-24 lead with less than eight minutes to go in the game. That was enough for Garrett to express just how happy he was with Dez:

It looked like Tony Romo had thrown a fourth-quarter interception. Sports writers had their hot takes all ready to go, but alas, it was not to be. The play was reviewed and reversed, maybe because of Romo’s deft lawyering skills.

The Panthers had a scare on the team’s next drive when Newton was brought down from behind by defensive end Sheldon Richardson. Newton’s leg was twisted in the tackle, and he hurt his hip. He left the field shortly before the half, but was able to continue without pain in the second.

It was a game that appeared to be much closer on the box score than it looked. Carolina had lapses on defense which allowed long drives, but was stout for much of the day and limited Geno Smith’s passing opportunities. He finished with 167 passing yards, one touchdown and an interception.

The Vikings are on the verge of a full-scale rebuild, and it’s unclear how many pieces from the team will remain. Minnesota has consistently played teams hard in 2013, despite being eliminated from playoff contention. That will count for little in an organization desperate for sustained success.

Greg Jennings turned back the hands of time, totaling 163 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings.

UPDATE: Here are is the latest NFL playoff projection following the set of late afternoon games.

Although there are still a lot of moving parts, the playoff pictures in the AFC and NFC are beginning to round into form. The early games in Week 15 helped solidify some things while putting pressure on a few teams yet to play. The race atop the conferences remains close and the AFC race only got tighter on Sunday.

Cousins finished 29-of-45 for 381 yards, three touchdowns and two picks.

After taking a few early shots, Cousins quickly found a rhythm against the Falcons defense. He went 13-20 for 248 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, helping the Redskins rally back from a 14-0 deficit.

Marshawn Lynch was a quality contributor in both the running and passing game, recording 120 total yards and a touchdown on 22 touches.

The Seahawks entered the game as 8.5-point favorites, according to OddsShark. They had no problem covering the spread.

No notable injuries were reported in this game.

The Colts were 4.5-point favorites in the game, according to OddsShark. They covered the spread with ease.

An up-and-down affair continued to hang in the balance, but Manuel once again found a way to separate his team with a short touchdown pass after leading an 80-yard drive.

It proved to be enough. Henne threw a late interception to seal the Bills win.

Fantasy Studs and Duds

Brady was great, even without Gronkowski, throwing for 364 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Jeffery now has five receptions for 72 yards against the Browns.

• NFL Week 15 updates, highlights and GIFs | Live Scores

The sack also pushed Mathis to 16.5 on the season, besting the previous single-season record also set by Freeney back in 2004. He has amassed two or more sacks on five occasions this season, and there’s time to extend this to six in the second half against the Texans.

Mathis’ season is made more impressive by the lack of help around him. He’s the only player on the Colts with more than 5.0 sacks, making him a targeted player that opposing offenses are unable to stop.