Aaron Rodgers

The Dime Package: 10 Thoughts from NFL Week 15

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:12 p.m. ET

Fansided, John Sarianides/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Following a wild NFL Week 15 where playoff races only got hotter, The Dime Package returns with 10 thoughts on the week that was.

NFL Week 15 featured several close games that came down to the wire. The playoff picture also got a little clearer in both conferences with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks wrapping up division titles. Moreover, the Oakland Raiders clinched their first playoff berth since 2002.

However, things got more complicated elsewhere. The AFC South, AFC North, and NFC North races are as impossible to call as ever before. Moreover, the Wild Card races are likely going to come down to the final day of the regular season. So what do we make of it all?

Welcome back to The Dime Package, offering 10 thoughts from Sunday in NFL Week 15 around the NFL.

1. I’ll go ahead and say it even though I don’t think most people will agree me with me. Aaron Rodgers should be the NFL MVP. The Green Bay Packers quarterback is having a great season, but he is not getting consideration because the Packers are 8-6 and on the outside looking in regarding the playoffs. However, if you take a closer look at Rodgers’ numbers and see what he’s done quarterbacking an injury riddled, inconsistent team, you’d consider him for MVP too.

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2. Say what you will about the Pittsburgh Steelers, but when the chips are down, Big Ben and company always find a way to come from behind and win games. They had no business beating the Cincinnati Bengals, but they hung around until the fourth quarter and found a way to get it done.

3. The New York Giants proved once again on Sunday that they are more than just Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. They have a very good defense as well. They completely shut down Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions offense. Of course, it also helps that the Lions turned the ball over in the red zone.

4. People that are criticizing Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson for going for two and the win are off their rockers! The Eagles are not going to make the playoffs, so it doesn’t matter! Why not go for the win? Eagles fans must be forgetting about the conservative Andy Reid days when he would mismanage a situation like that and not play for the win. I commend Pederson for going for it!

5. When did the New York Jets go from being on the verge of making the playoffs last season to a disgrace this season? Talk about a precipitous fall from grace.

6. Just when you thought the Kansas City Chiefs cleared the legit contender hurdle in the AFC, they reminded us once again that they are not quite there. You can’t lose at home on a five-degree day to the Tennessee Titans. I don’t care how much the Titans have improved.

7. Did the Minnesota Vikings rush Adrian Peterson back or was Sunday’s performance against the Indianapolis Colts a byproduct of a train wreck offensive line? I’d say it was a bit of both.

8. Mike McCoy will probably get fired as San Diego Chargers head coach. But when you look at the lack of talent on San Diego’s roster, I don’t think anyone could win there. General manager Tom Telesco should be shown the door too for putting that roster together. Start fresh in L.A.

9. The Buccaneers-Cowboys game on Sunday Night Football was fun, but Dallas won for two reasons. They were the tougher team and they were more mature down the stretch. The game got a little too big for the Bucs in the fourth quarter and that’s ultimately why they lost.

10. I get why the Jacksonville Jaguars fired Gus Bradley, but I still think the timing of it sucks. Bradley put his heart and soul into the job. At least wait until you get back home before you fire the guy.