Can you believe it's already Week 15? Neither can I. Each week in the NFL brings massive playoff implications and marquee matchups in a year where it seems like anybody can win any given game, and that was no different this week.
Most notably, the Texans put the Chiefs even further behind in the AFC playoff race on Sunday night with a 20-10 victory. The Chargers essentially sealed Kansas City's fate with a win over the Eagles in overtime on Monday, meaning the NFL's modern dynasty will very likely be watching the playoffs at home.
Elsewhere, the Rams and Seahawks continued to mow down opponents in the NFC, the Packers took back first place in the NFC North with a win over the Bears, the Colts lost the lead in the AFC South and quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury.
Who made the list of winners and losers from one of the more eventful Sundays of the year?
Winner: The Texans' defense
The Houston Texans are arguably the hottest team in football right now after beating the Chiefs 20-10 on Sunday night in Kansas City to get to 8-5 on the season. Now, it appears very likely that the Texans will be in the playoffs, and they may have ended the Chiefs' hopes of joining them there with this win.
Houston's defense has been the catalyst for this recent run, establishing itself as one of the best units in the NFL on either side of the ball. On Sunday, even Patrick Mahomes fell victim to DeMeco Ryans and company. The star Chiefs quarterback posted the worst EPA per dropback of his career at minus-0.54, the worst completion percentage of his career at 42.9% and the worst passer rating of his career at 19.8, per ESPN's Ben Solak.
The Texans make plays at all three levels, combining arguably the best pass-rushing duo in the league with an elite secondary that gets to the football on a frequent basis. In recent weeks, the Texans have shut down Mahomes, Josh Allen, and an explosive Colts team as a part of a five-game winning streak that doesn't look like it's coming to an end anytime soon.
Loser: The Chiefs, and everyone who has to play the Texans' defense
On the other side of Sunday night's result is the likely end of the Chiefs dynasty, or at least this iteration of it. Kansas City's efficiency has been solid all season, but it has always felt like something was just a bit off.
That was never more true than in this game, when the Chiefs seemed to always have something go wrong on the offensive side. Fill-in left tackle Wanya Morris left with a season-ending injury on the first play of the game, and Kansas City struggled with Houston's pass rush all night. When it wasn't the offensive line letting the Chiefs down, it was the receivers with a handful of back-breaking drops. When it wasn't that, it was a bizarre fourth-down decision from Andy Reid that immediately took away all of Kansas City's momentum and allowed Houston to get back in the lead.
Now, the Chiefs have very likely played with their food a bit too much this year and have just a 12% chance to make the playoffs according to The Athletic.
The Chiefs aren't the first team to fall victim to the Texans defense, nor will they be the last. However, their failures throughout the season didn't give them the margin for error that it needed to take on a very good team with a lot of momentum like this one, and that is what will cost them a chance at another AFC Championship.
Winner: Everyone who watched Bears-Packers
After years of having the Bears in the cellar of the NFC North, we finally got a late-season matchup between the two longtime rivals with real playoff implications on both sides. To put it simply, it was glorious.
Chicago and Green Bay repeatedly threw haymakers at each other all afternoon at a freezing-cold Lambeau Field, going back and forth in a second half that featured 30 minutes of high-quality football on both sides. On one side, Ben Johnson was scheming up a dominant run game and Caleb Williams was improvising in all the right moments. On the other, Jordan Love firmly established himself in the MVP conversation with a stellar performance of his own.
In the end, Green Bay got a 28-21 win and reclaimed first place in the NFC North after Williams was picked off in the end zone by Keisean Nixon in the final minute. But the real winner here was the fans, and we get to see it again in just two weeks' time.
Loser: The Colts, in all possible ways
![Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) gets up off the turf after being injured in a play in the first quarter during an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla.](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Daniel-Jones.jpg)
The Colts came into Week 14 having lost three of their last four games, as the shine had worn off on their new-look offense with Daniel Jones. Jonathan Taylor cooled off after his historic start to the season, but Indianapolis still had a chance to take control of the AFC South once again on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, things didn't last long even on Sunday morning. With the Colts trailing in the first half, Jones went down with a torn right Achilles and will be out for the rest of the season and potentially into the 2026 campaign.
Indianapolis essentially went all-in on Jones when it traded two first-round picks to the New York Jets for star cornerback Sauce Gardner. Now, the Colts don't have many avenues to acquire another starting quarterback, and Jones is a free agent this offseason. All signs point to him being back as the starter on a new deal when he is healthy, but what that deal looks like is just one of the many questions that this devastating injury brings to the table.
Winner: Josh Allen dashing through the snow
It seems like that once every year, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills get to play in a driving snowstorm on their home field. The 2025 edition came on Sunday, and Allen certainly did not disappoint.
The reigning MVP re-entered the conversation for the biggest individual honor again this season with a four-touchdown performance to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 39-34 in a comeback effort and keep Buffalo in the mix in the AFC East.
Allen had another signature moment with his legs in this one, scrambling for a 40-yard touchdown to start the comeback effort in the fourth quarter.
JOSH ALLEN DOES IT HIMSELF FOR A 40-YARD RUSHING "THROUGH THE SNOW" TOUCHDOWN 💪pic.twitter.com/kAJf58g9Yi
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 7, 2025
The Bills QB has had some down games this season, but he is starting to show that he is still the best of the best when it matters most.
Loser: Justin Herbert's well-being on the field
The Chargers beat the Eagles 22-19 in overtime on Monday night to get to 9-4 on the season and put themselves in a very good position in the AFC playoff race. However, it was impossible to come away from that game with any other takeaway than concern about Justin Herbert's health.
Herbert, who was already playing with a broken hand that was surgically repaired just seven days before the game, took a career-high seven sacks against a very good Eagles defense and was pressured on 68.3% of his dropbacks. No, that is not a typo.
It's the third-highest pressure rate faced by a quarterback in the Next Gen Stats era, according to Tony Holzman-Escareno.
The Chargers have one of the most beat-up offensive lines in the NFL, and things only got worse on Monday when Trey Pipkins went down with an injury. The schedule isn't getting any easier for the pass protection either, as the Chargers will take on the Chiefs, Cowboys, Texans and Broncos to close the season.
Herbert has his team in position to make the playoffs again in 2o25. What state he is in by the time they get there is another question.
