NFL playoff places on the line in key Week 15 divisional matchups: 49ers @ Seahawks, Ravens @ Browns, Dolphins @ Bills, Giants @ Commanders | NFL News

The NFL’s Week 15 slate of games is full of divisional rivalry clashes bursting with playoff implications

With four weeks of the 2022 NFL regular season to go, we’ve got four crucial divisional matchups live on Sky Sports this weekend – all carrying significant playoff implications.

Sky Sports NFL will bring you eight live games in total as part of a bumper Week 15 slate, including a first meeting between Tom Brady and Joe Burrow, but here we’re focusing on those classic rivalry clashes that are playing out.

Read on to find out precisely what’s at stake, with postseason qualification on the line, who are the players to watch and what the key matchups are…

San Francisco 49ers (9-4) @ Seattle Seahawks (7-6)

Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL, Friday, 1.15am

Who needs what? The 49ers can wrap up the NFC West division title with victory over the suddenly-sputtering Seahawks, while a win for Seattle will very much catapult them back into contention for top spot with three games to go and help stop them from looking so nervously over their shoulder at the wild card chasing pack in the NFC.

Form guide: San Francisco have won their last six on the bounce, despite suffering somewhat of an injury crisis at the quarterback position. Season-starter Trey Lance was ruled out for the year with an ankle injury picked up back in Week Two, against Seattle, while Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot against the Miami Dolphins less than a fortnight ago. ‘Mr Irrelevant’ Brock Purdy has looked anything but, with the rookie third-stringer tossing four touchdowns (and one interception) in blowout wins over Miami and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Highlights of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the San Francisco 49ers from Week 14 of the NFL season.

Seattle, by contrast, having started the season so impressively at 6-3 – initially giving them a firm hold of the division – they have considerably loosened their grip in recent weeks with three losses in their last four. And not just any defeats at that; the Seahawks were undone by the Buccaneers (21-16, Week 10), the Las Vegas Raiders (40-34 overtime, Week 12) and the Carolina Panthers (30-24, Week 14) – none of whom currently sit above .500 for the season and whose records read a combined 11-20 prior to those contests.

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Highlights of the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks from Week 14 of the NFL season.

Ones to watch: With star receiver Deebo Samuel lost to a sprained left ankle and a sprained MCL in his knee, plus with Purdy officially listed as ‘questionable’ with rib and oblique injuries for Thursday night’s game, all eyes will turn to Christian McCaffrey to lead the 49ers’ banged up offense. The dual-threat running back has had a huge impact since arriving as part of a trade from the Panthers mid-season and had season highs in rushing yards (119) and scrimmage yards (153) in last Sunday’s win over the Bucs, grabbing both a receiving TD and another on the ground in the game.

Quarterback Geno Smith has been the surprise standout for this upstart Seattle squad. Unfancied prior to the season, the Seahawks have defied the doubters due to Smith’s sterling campaign. He has 3,433 passing yards and 25 touchdown throws, the 32-year-old veteran admittedly hugely helped by the super-skilled wideouts he has at his disposal in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf came up clutch for his team to secure the game-winning grab in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Key battle: Can Smith and the Seahawks best the Niners’ dominant defense? The 49ers’ fearsome unit are ranked No 1 in every important statistical category, limiting opposition to just 286.8 yards per game and a paltry 15.2 points per game, and are brilliantly led by the ferocious Nick Bosa up front, who is the league’s joint sack leader with 14.5 on the season.

Baltimore Ravens (9-4) @ Cleveland Browns (5-8)

Saturday, live on Sky Sports NFL, 9.30pm

Who needs what? Baltimore and Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) are currently thrashing it out in an epic race for the AFC North crown and, though the Browns are very much not in that picture, the Ravens will be desperate to beat their divisional foes in Cleveland on Saturday to ensure that they both keep pace with the Bengals and eliminate any faint wild card hopes that remain for the Browns.

Form guide: The Ravens, much like San Francisco, have been winning in spite of a multitude of injuries – including, most crucially, their star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who will again be missing at the weekend as he recovers from a knee injury. They’ve won six of their last seven coming into Cleveland, seeing them just about hang on to top spot in the division… they play the Bengals, in Cincinnati, in their season finale.

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Highlights of the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers from Week 14 of the NFL season.

The Browns, to be honest, are basically done. They need to win out, and likely have other results go their way, to enter the playoffs via the back door, but a statement win over Baltimore could suddenly spark some excitement, especially given that their final three fixtures – vs New Orleans Saints (4-9), @ Washington Commanders (7-5-1) and @ Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8) – doesn’t look the toughest on paper.

Ones to watch: Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews is one of the game’s best at the position. Running back JK Dobbins is another who has been banged up this year, but he returned to great effect in last weekend’s win over the Steelers, rushing to the tune of 15 carries, 120 yards and one TD. Also, over the years, Baltimore has become a haven for talent at the linebacker position on defense… and the current crop of Patrick Queen, Roquan Smith, Odafe Oweh, Justin Houston and Jason Pierre-Paul they’ve got at their disposal is, frankly, ridiculous.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that Baltimore boast the NFL’s second-best rushing defense, behind only San Francisco’s, and tasked with getting the better of them on Saturday night will be the Browns’ top-five ranked rushing attack and, specifically, their star RB Nick Chubb.

Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb could prove to be the key to the game against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday

Key battle: And that will be the key to where this game will be won and lost, whether Chubb – third in the NFL with 1,153 rushing yards, and second in rushing touchdowns with 12 – can get the better of that Baltimore defense and keep them in the playoff hunt for another week.

Miami Dolphins (8-5) @ Buffalo Bills (10-3)

Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL, Sunday, 1.15am

Who needs what? Everything is still very much up for grabs in the AFC East with four games remaining. The Bills are the division leaders and two games ahead of second-placed Miami, but both the Patriots and Jets are very much still in contention for the playoffs at 7-6. Buffalo can clinch a playoff berth at the very least with a win, while the Dolphins need to keep pace to ensure they aren’t the ones bumped out of the postseason picture by January.

Form guide: Miami must be the streakiest team in the league this season. They won their first three in a row, lost their next three after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out with concussion, but then won five straight upon his return. They have since suffered back-to-back defeats on trips to the west coast (in San Francisco and Los Angeles, against the Chargers).

Buffalo, meanwhile, are somewhat hitting their stride and have won four straight coming into Saturday night. Their three losses this season were all by three points or fewer but, perhaps most importantly, one of those losses was to Miami in Week Three. Before that 21-19 Dolphins win, Buffalo had won the last seven straight games against their division rivals.

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The duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been formidable for the Miami Dolphins this season. Here’s a look at some of their best plays so far…

Ones to watch: There’s a potentially formidable trio in Miami when they are at their best: Tagovailoa, and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. However, Tagovailoa’s numbers over the last two games (45 per cent completion rate, 73.1 quarterback rating) don’t paint a pretty picture and they certainly don’t tell the tale of a fantastic third season for the QB – Miami will need him back at his best here. Hill, meanwhile, leads the league in catches (100), is second in receiving yards (1,460) and continues to be impossible to slow down, but Waddle (59 catches, 1,003 receiving yards and six scores on the season) has disappeared in the two recent losses. He needs to be more involved.

Like Tagovailoa, Bills quarterback Josh Allen was building his case for MVP earlier in the season before his form dipped slightly while others continued at a blistering pace. Regardless, in each game, on each drive and with every play, he is capable of something special. And not only does he do it through the air, but he’s essentially Buffalo’s RB2 behind Devin Singletary. Singletary has 642 rushing yards, Allen has 628. Also, star receiver Stefon Diggs (94 catches, 1,239 receiving yards and 10 TDs) continues to be one of the best route-runners in the league – he’s one to watch purely for his uncanny ability to get open.

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Watch the best plays from the 2022 season so far by Buffalo Bills superstar quarterback Josh Allen.

Key battle: This game could come down to how Buffalo’s tremendous secondary of Tre’Davious White, Dane Jackson, Damar Hamlin and Jordan Poyer can handle Hill and Waddle. Will they be able to slow down the league’s second-best passing attack? Or will the Miami duo break free and prove the difference?

New York Giants (7-5-1) @ Washington Commanders (7-5-1)

Sunday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL, Monday, 1.20am

Who needs what? There is a real playoff feel to this one already. Neither the Giants or Commanders, both 7-5-1, can be eliminated from contention this weekend, but the winner strengthens their grip on one of the final two postseason berths in the NFC, while the loser finds themselves under mounting pressure from the eighth-seeded Seahawks and the surging ninth-seeded Detroit Lions (7-6).

The importance of a win is heightened by tough stretches to end the season for both: the Giants are on the road against the Minnesota Vikings (10-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (12-1) either side of hosting the Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1), while the Commanders visit the 49ers before welcoming the Cleveland Browns (5-8) and Dallas Cowboys (10-3) to Washington.

Form guide: The Giants have won one, lost three and drawn one (a 20-20 tie against the Commanders) in their last five outings following their strong start to the season, while Washington have recorded six wins, one tie and one defeat in their last eight to firmly enter the playoff race in the NFC after something of a slow start to the season.

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Watch the best plays from the 2022 season so far from New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley.

Ones to watch: Saquon Barkley was at the heart of all the Giants offense did well under Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka across their 7-2 start to the campaign, but the ground game has dried up in recent weeks as teams begin to stack the box more frequently. Daboll will be aware he finds himself up against one of the league’s top rushing defenses, putting the onus again on quarterback Daniel Jones and receiver Darius Slayton to produce through the air while an injury-hit secondary turns to the likes of Nick McCloud, Darnay Holmes, Fabian Moreau and Cord’Dale Flott to keep tabs on Terry McLaurin, particularly if Adoree’ Jackson misses out again.

McLaurin leads Washington with 62 catches for 945 yards and three touchdowns so far this season, while Brian Robinson Jr and Antonio Gibson lead the way out of the backfield with 1,078 rushing yards between them. On defense, Commanders defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne have starred up front, with 7.5 and 8.5 sacks respectively.

Key battle: This game will be won in the trenches, for more reasons than one. The Giants’ offensive line is tasked with protecting Jones against a Washington defense that enters with the fourth-best pressure rate in the league. And vice versa: Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will be reliant on the recently-returned Azeez Ojulari, rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux, and career-season-enjoying Dexter Lawrence, to disrupt Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke and Washington’s diverse run game.

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