NFL schedule and results: Complete coverage of Week 15

Leon Washington put the Titans ahead early with a short touchdown catch, then found a special someone in the crowd for the football donation:

That’s his son! Very sweet, although he doesn’t look that thrilled about it. I guess when your dad works at a football office, you get a little tired of him bringing home all those footballs. At least this one’s special.

One game up for Dallas with two to play.

Jones was excited, adding: “This game is something that will stay with me.” He said his team is playing beyond his expectations. Yet, he is not surprised.

By Danny Kelly

By Danny Kelly

With Week 15 all but concluded, a lot of playoff positions are still at stake. That’s especially true for the NFC.

Here’s at look at the current conference standings and the playoff matchups if the season ended today:

Cincinnati vs. Cleveland greatly impacted the ultra-competitive AFC North, but let’s be honest, you didn’t watch for the playoff implications. You tuned in for Johnny.

Johnny Manziel made his long-awaited first NFL start on Sunday, a pivotal game for a reeling Browns team that sits a game and a half behind the Bengals for the division lead. Mike Pettine and his staff toyed with the idea of starting Manziel last week after a successful relief outing against the Bills, but ultimately went back to Brian Hoyer. That decision looks a little more justified now as Manziel went just 10 of 18 for 80 yards and two picks.

But the lead didn’t last long. Early in the fourth quarter, Murray and Bryant had produced their second touchdowns of the evening, giving the Cowboys a 35-24 advantage. Philadelphia would never pull ahead, and Dallas took first place in the NFC East.

Well, Sanchez had another mediocre performance against a considerably lesser opponent. He completed 17 of his 28 passes for 252 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, including a game-ending pick on the Eagles’ final drive. Sanchez also didn’t do his offensive line any favors, holding the ball too long on several of his four sacks.

The only logical way this ends is if both teams just stare at each other while the ball rests motionless for the final two minutes of the game.

★★★

Remember Michael Bennett’s sexy sack dance?

Of course you do. As soon as you saw it, you looked into the eyes of the closest person to you and made torrid, passionate love, a sexual experience more intense and vibrant than any you’d ever had before. You’ve spent hours thinking about that moment, that wave of pleasures and pains, hoping to someday recreate that exact moment.

With a short field, the Eagles scored in a few plays to go up, 24-21. Leary probably wishes he’d known that ball was just sitting there.

This kinda happened last week in the Washington game too, although that was with a ball behind the player. Less egregious.

It’s more fun that way.

Three things we learned:

1) The Seahawks want to destroy your soul

The Broncos are strong contenders to appear in the Super Bowl for a second straight year. The offense hasn’t reached the astronomical heights of last season’s iteration, but it still ranks fifth in the league in points per game, and fourth at 405.6 yards per game. That unit is boosted by a defense that is much improved. Last season’s maligned pass defense now ranks fifth in the league by Football Outsider’s DVOA.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh was not happy:

Sidelines cleared in Nashville when Geno Smith was hit in the face following his touchdown pass to John Conner late in the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans.

There appeared to be words exchanged between Smith and defensive end Jurrell Casey before Smith’s helmet was struck by Casey’s hand, leading to players fighting on both sides of the ball. Numerous punches were thrown, and several players lost their helmets -- but nobody was tossed from the game. Casey was charged with a personal foul.

Frank Gore went to the San Francisco 49ers’ has been ruled out with a concussion against the Seattle Seahawks after being evaluated for a head injury in the locker room. He took a hard hit while blocking, and remained on the ground for several moments before getting up and jogging off the field.

Gore left the game after carrying a heavy load. He had 11 carries and a touchdown, though he managed just 29 yards on the ground. The 49ers took a 7-3 lead into halftime.

Update: Manning returned to the game in the second half.

*****

Couples know a lot about each other, so it should be no surprise that Steve Smith’s wife knows about his stamina. We’re not sure how she has this information, but we have a few ideas ; )

There might not be a quarterback who’s able to encapsulate his entire career in a few seconds better than Geno Smith. This has everything: Taking the safety, trying to get the ball away while his knee is on the ground, then sliding across the ground like he’s walking on ice in a Super Mario Bros game.

We might not see Geno in a Jets jersey after this year, and we’ll miss him.

I was wondering where a Lions fan came up with a ring hat ...

... considering Detroit hasn’t won a championship since the ‘50s, well before the AFL-NFL merger. It turns out there’s a business that will custom-engrave these hats for you. So our old friend Bulls ring hat man wasn’t as brilliant as I thought. The blue Elton John specs here are a nice touch.

Encouragingly, Griffin was able to make plays with his feet. He rushed five times for 46 yards and almost a touchdown. More importantly, he didn’t get hurt.

Griffin was benched in favor of McCoy in Week 13. Afterwards, reports suggested that the relationship between Gruden and Griffin was irreparable. Griffin has struggled mightily since his strong rookie season. He didn’t do anything Sunday to suggest that his long-term prospects have improved, but at least he flashed some of what made him one of the most promising players in the NFL in 2012.

This safety gave the Bills an eight-point lead with under two minutes left and the Packers would never see the ball again. But it doesn’t look like a safety:

It seems silly, because Lacy clearly makes it out of the end zone. But this was the correct call by the referees. There’s a rule on the books that on a fumble with under two minutes in the game, the only player on the offense who can advance the ball after a recovery is the person who fumbled.

It was no show day for offense. Rodgers threw his first two interceptions since Oct. 26. Not to be outdone, Kyle Orton frequently missed receivers and threw an interception of his own. The Bills had no margin for error on defense, and the unit responded by holding the Packers to 333 total yards and 4-for-14 on third down conversions.

The Packers were not sharp. While Rodgers struggled, his passing targets also had five dropped passes on the day. Late in the game, the Packers’ defense, perhaps fatigued from so many changes in possession, couldn’t keep the Bills from grinding out clock down to within the two-minute warning.

Cam Newton came out of his car accident in remarkably good shape, but ... I dunno, man:

Still seems too soon.

The win improves the Bengals to 9-4-1 and keeps them in firm control of the AFC North. The Browns, now 7-7 after their third consecutive loss, are on the verge of postseason elimination.

Manziel flashed his athleticism and did a good job of keeping his eyes downfield while scrambling, but his transition into the NFL is going to be a gradual process.