What We Learned From Week 15 in the N.F.L.

It is expected that the Lions will gut their roster in the off-season (and beyond), but Campbell’s tenacity is expressed on his lines, where Harris torments on defense and the offense has created lanes for the Lions to rush for their highest yards-per-carry average, 4.6, since 1997.

Arizona is slumping on a two-game skid, but barring disaster, the Cardinals will make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Without receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who is out for the rest of the regular season with knee and hamstring concerns, their offense has not looked sharp. In the third quarter on Sunday, Murray appeared irked at receiver A.J. Green for failing to come back to the ball on a route where the quarterback was intercepted.

For once, Detroit got to be the team that executed its game plan and cruised to victory.

The Bengals are growing up.

Anyone who has followed the N.F.L. over the past two decades is likely to be hard-wired to believe the Cincinnati Bengals will fall apart at some point in a given season. But this ultra-young, ultra-fun Bengals squad, which has been caught in a two-win, two-loss cycle for weeks, delivered at every critical moment to beat the Denver Broncos, 15-10, on the road.

Facing a 9-3 deficit late in the third quarter, Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater dived for a first down on second-and-5 from the Denver 30-yard line, was hit by defensive tackle B.J. Hill in midair and landed on his head. Bridgewater appeared to lose consciousness and was carted off the field and taken to a hospital for observation.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/19/sports/football/nfl-week-15-scores.html