NFL Standings, Week 15: Despite loss, Kansas City Chiefs remain atop the AFC

Week 15 is in the books, and, despite losing, the Kansas City Chiefs remain atop the AFC. Let’s look at the NFL standings around the league.

The Kansas City Chiefs fell short at home in a key division matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers but still remain in first place in the AFC. The Denver Broncos were fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive at home but fell short after narrowly losing to the Cleveland Browns. The Oakland Raiders traveled to Cincinnati and lost to the Bengals.

Heading into the week, the Chiefs were in the driver’s seat of the AFC and could have clinched the AFC West and a first-round bye with a win. However, after the Chiefs lost on Thursday, their chances at the bye and home-field advantage looked poor. On Sunday, New England Patriots helped the Chiefs out by losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, with a Chiefs win and a Chargers loss, the Chiefs can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

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The Chiefs hosted the Chargers for Thursday Night Football and, despite having all the momentum, lost after a 15-point Chargers comeback. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes began the game on fire, throwing two touchdowns in the first quarter. He wasn’t able to throw another touchdown after that, however, and put up the lowest amount of passing yards in his career, with 243.

While tight end Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in receptions, running back Damien Williams had the best night receiving. Kelce had 61 yards on 7 catches, but Williams had 74 yards on 6 catches. On the ground, Williams also had 10 carries for 49 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill was the third best receiver, with 4 receptions for 46 yards, but could’ve had a much better night had he not let a long touchdown pass go through his hands and hit off his facemask. Ultimately, after the Chiefs offense stagnated and Bob Sutton and the defense disappointed once again, the Chiefs allowed the Chargers to come back and win 29-28.

After losing 9 straight games against the Chiefs, the Chargers finally were able to win one. Quarterback Philip Rivers completed 26/38 of his passes for 313 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Even without starting running back Melvin Gordon and backup running back Austin Ekeler, the Chargers were able to run all over the Chiefs with third-string and fourth-string running backs Justin Jackson and Detrez Newsome. Jackson rushed 16 times for 58 yards and 1 touchdown, while Newsome rushed 6 times for 34 yards.

After wide receiver Keenan Allen went out with a hip pointer early in the game, receivers Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams capitalized. Mike Williams caught 7 passes for 76 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a go-ahead 2-point conversion. Tyrell Williams was able to catch 6 passes for 71 yards. The Chargers’ strong performance in both the rushing and passing game helped them to come back and beat the Chiefs 29-28.

The Denver Broncos hosted the Cleveland Browns with sights set on a wildcard spot. However, the Browns shocked the Broncos and officially eliminated them from playoff contention. Broncos quarterback Case Keenum had a poor outing, completing 31/48 attempts for 257 yards and 2 interceptions. Rookie running back Phillip Lindsay who had recently been tearing up the run game was held to a measly 1.7 yards per carry, rushing 14 times for only 24 yards. The Broncos were driving to attempt a go-ahead field goal, but fell short in the end and lost 17-16.

Although the Raiders were coming off a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, they were still playing for nothing except for bragging rights. Sitting at just 3-11, the Raiders have been eliminated from playoff contention for a few weeks now. They thought they could take advantage of the weak Cincinnati defense, but that was not the case. Quarterback Derek Carr completed 21 of 38 passes for 263 yards and 1 touchdown, while running back Doug Martin rushed 9 times for 39 yards. Despite facing a poor defense, the Raiders were only able to put up 16 points and fell to the Bengals 30-16.

Here are the NFL standings around the league:

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