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BetUS NFL Week 15 Recap

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Peyton
Colts are relieved
Okay ’72 Dolphins, you can exhale again. Your silly tradition goes on and so does your place in history. The Colts lost, but that’s nothing surprising to me. I predicted San Diego would win outright, mainly because of Indy not playing two key defensive starters. No matter, it was a pressure-relieving loss for the Colts, one that will help them down the stretch.

As a whole, Week 15 was upset week. We saw road dogs such as San Diego, Cleveland and Philadelphia win outright, while Tennessee, San Francisco and the Jets all covered nicely in their underdog role. Here’s what BetUS takes away from the weekend games.

New England 28 Tampa Bay 0

This was the Tom Brady show. It was vintage defense for the Pats and a strong statement that they are ready for the playoffs.

NY Giants 27 Kansas City 17

New York got an amazing rushing attack from Tiki Barber and another average performance by Eli Manning. Even with their injuries on defense, the Giants didn’t give Trent Green anything in the air. Larry Johnson was solid on the ground, but he can’t throw the ball downfield too.

Denver 28 Buffalo 17

It was a tie game at the half and no contest in the second half. Denver finally began to run the ball later in the game and it paid off. Kelly Holcomb was better than J.P. Losman, but still not good enough to win. Jake Plummer did enough to help his team win, as did Mike Anderson.  BetUS is not convinced that the Broncos are viable contenders.

Carolina 27 New Orleans 10

The most enigmatic team in the league wins the one they were supposed to. Jake Delhomme was surprisingly conservative for a change and it worked. Meanwhile, the Panther defense created turnover after turnover against Todd Bouman. I wonder if the benched Aaron Brooks was loving the fact that his team played even worse without him.

Cincinnati 41 Detroit 17

Detroit packed it in weeks ago and the Bengals merely took advantage. Carson Palmer gets better every week, while Rudi Johnson was stellar once again. The Bengals are starting to tighten up on defense, but there’s room for improvement.

Cleveland 9 Oakland 7

Another week in which the Browns play hard and another week in which the Raiders showed their organization is in disarray. Charlie Frye is steady and shows promise. Another couple of high draft picks and Crennel has got something special on his hands.

Houston 30 Arizona 19

The Texans finally showed up on offense and took advantage of three opposing quarterbacks not doing enough. The Texan offensive line was decent for a change, establishing the run and putting their chances of landing Reggie Bush in jeopardy.

Jacksonville 10 San Francisco 9

The Jags do enough to win games. They play up to or down to their opponents. Once again, their running game wasn’t special. David Garrard was solid, while Alex Smith is starting to cause concern in 49erland.

Miami 24 NY Jets 20

The Dolphins were good enough in this game. They won a ball game with their offense for a change. Meanwhile, despite losing, Brooks Bollinger had over 300 yards passing. He ain’t broadway Joe, but at least he’s staking claim to a job in New York next season. Anyone see Ricky Williams rack up 70 yards rushing on only 14 carries?

Philadelphia 17 St. Louis 16

Both quarterbacks were awful here, but the running game was good on both sides. Rookie Ryan Moats is giving the Eagles optimism, while Marshall Faulk turned back the clock to put on a vintage performance. Philly’s defense is still darn good.

Pittsburgh 18 Minnesota 3

Pittsburgh used a couple of Brad Johnson turnovers to rout the Vikings in Minnesota. The Steeler defense is heating up at the right time.

San Diego 26 Indianapolis 16

Yes, the streak is over. The Chargers played like wounded animals and came out like gangbusters. They then let up in the middle but tightened up at the end to cinch it. The Colts were not sharp and Peyton looked flustered for the first time all season. Nevertheless, Indy is still the team to beat- especially when something is actually on the line for them.

Seattle 28 Tennesee 24

A sloppy game, but an exciting game. Steve McNair may have played his last game for the Titans in Tennessee. If he did, he went out blazing. The bottom line is the Seahawks won another road game with nothing on the line. Shaun Alexander has got to be an MVP frontrunner.

Washington 35 Dallas 7

The Redskins shocked the NFC and blew out a supposed playoff contender. Rushing and tough defense propelled Washington. Chris Cooley is one of the most underrated players in the league. I bet Dallas certainly thinks so.

Chicago 16 Atlanta 3

The Bears used a great running game and a smothering defense to beat the Falcons. Rex Grossman entered the game late and looked awesome, throwing downfield on one drive more often than Kyle Orton did over the last month. Beware of the offensively-improved Bears. Michael Vick looked frozen and extremely bothered by the cold weather.

Baltimore 48 Green Bay 3

The Ravens finally got a good effort out of Kyle Boller, too bad it came when it didn't matter. Brett Favre had no support around him on this night, so we don't blame him for his poor numbers.

Comments or Questions? Email Matthew@BetUS.com.