Final NFL 2023 Week 15 Observations ... With Dolphins Angles
The Baltimore Ravens kept rolling Sunday night with their victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which was about their running game and Jacksonville leaving points on the field all night, but it came at a cost.
Rookie running back Keaton Mitchell, who brought a speed element to the backfield and has a lot of De'Von Achane in him, was lost for the season with a knee injury that clearly was serious from the start (and ugly to watch).
Mitchell left the Jacksonville game after rushing for 73 yards on only nine carries for an 8.1 average (Achane-like stats) and his loss leaves the Ravens with two physical backs (Gus Edwards and Justice Hill) but not much of a speed element — not counting Lamar Jackson, of course.
Jackson rushed for 97 yards against Jacksonville, his second-highest total of the season, and he may be forced to run more down the stretch with Mitchell out, something to keep in mind ahead of the Miami Dolphins' Week 17 showdown at Baltimore.
NEW-LOOK BILLS
One of the best quotes of the weekend came from Bills QB Josh Allen after their 31-10 victory against Dallas when he said, "I feel like the kid who didn't anything in the class project and still got an A."
Allen was referring to Buffalo's dominant victory where he threw for only 94 yards and attempted only 15 passes. Allen did contribute to the offensive production with his running, converting three third-down situations and scoring a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Bills a 21-3 lead in the second quarter.
But this game was more about running back James Cook and the Bills defense, which held the highest-scoring team (at the time) to 195 total yards. It was the second consecutive strong effort by the defense after it held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to 17 points.
And what the Bills did to the Cowboys is why a popular theme Monday morning was that Buffalo is that team that nobody wants to face in the playoffs.
AFC P.LAYOFF CONTENDER NOTES
-- There are going to be a lot of worthy contenders for NFC Coach of the Year, but it's hard to overlook what Kevin Stefanski has done in Cleveland, where the Browns are 9-5 despite having four different starting quarterbacks this season: Deshaun Watson, P.J. Walker, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Joe Flacco. Oh, and the Browns also have done this despite star running back Nick Chubb missing most of the season with a knee injury and with their top three offensive tackles out for the year.
-- And then there's the job the Indianapolis Colts are doing with first-year coach Shane Steichen and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew. That was an impressive victory against the reeling Steelers on Saturday after the Colts quickly got down 13-0.
-- The Coach of the Year from this vantage point at this time, though, has to be DeMeco Ryans, whose Houston Texans put themselves in a three-way tie for first in the AFC South with their overtime victory at Tennessee behind journeyman QB Case Keenum.
-- Props to the Bengals for staying in the AFC playoff race with Joe Burrow on IR, but now they're looking at the prospects of having to play without Ja'Marr Chase because of the shoulder injury he sustained against Minnesota on Saturday. Then again, maybe that means more Tee Higgins and that's not a bad thing after his ridiculous touchdown catch on Saturday.
-- The Denver Broncos were humbled at Detroit on Saturday, but Sean Payton's team still has a chance to complete its improbable run to the playoffs (borderline unimaginable after what the Dolphins did to them in Week 3) thanks to a favorable season-ending three-game stretch — vs. New England, vs. L.A. Chargers, at Las Vegas.
FORMER DOLPHINS WATCH
-- Wide receiver Mack Hollins has been gone from two seasons, but we have to admit we still miss his quite unique personality and style. In case you forgot, he provided a reminder when the Atlanta Falcons got off the bus and arrived at the stadium for their game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. On the actual field, Hollins is having a quiet first year with Atlanta (18 catches for 251 yards, no touchdowns) after being productive with the Raiders in 2022, but a lot of that has to do with the Falcons' less-than-ideal quarterback situation.
-- Tight end Mike Gesicki's season from hell in New England continued in the 27-17 loss against Kansas City. While the Patriots dropped to 3-10 on the season, he was targeted twice and had one catch for 7 yards. Gesicki has three catches in the past six games after having 19 in the first eight.
-- We mentioned earlier in the season former Miami first-round pick Charles Harris now being a captain for the Detroit Lions and he has to enjoy the team's success in 2023, but his production has been minimal and he's been a healthy scratch the past two games. In 11 games this season, Harris has 1.5 sacks and 5 QB hits.
