It’s hard to believe, but there are only two weeks of regular season football left. With select teams around the league clinching playoff appearances and eyeing their end-of-year prospects, as ever, there were plenty of plays to fill out another robust highlight reel.
Check out our round-up of NFL Week 15’s best plays below.
One of the most heartfelt stories of the week came from the Kansas City Chiefs rallying around their safety Eric Berry, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma after complaining of chest pain following a November 20 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Berry, who apparently asked the doctor if he could play immediately after the diagnosis, has been sidelined as a result of the necessary treatment.
Yesterday, the entire Chiefs organization dedicated its win to their ailing defender, and Andy Reid updated his status after the game.
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“He is battling right now,” Reid said. “He had his first treatment and probably isn’t feeling very good…But everybody has been staying in touch with him and making sure he knows our support is there with him. It was a good win, I dedicate that one there to Eric.”
He’ll probably get a fine for the show, but this show of support from Justin Houston after a sack definitely hit home.
In that same game, the Chiefs’ punter Dustin Colquitt seemed to be faking a punt, but after considering his options for the pass, changed his mind and delivered a near-perfect coffin corner punt anyway.
The Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off their own fake punt stunt in their game, but actually faked and got the first down thanks to a beautiful little shovel pass.
One of the biggest stories of the week came from Cleveland where rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel got his first ever NFL start. The much-hyped Manziel, who has a big fan in Drake, unfortunately had little to celebrate as he threw for just 80 yards after completing 10 of 18 passes and turning the ball over twice. Watch highlights from Johnny Football’s starter debut here and check out the clip of Wallace Gilberry’s sack and the “money sign” celebration that followed below.
On the other end of the spectrum, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is one of the league’s most celebrated veterans and in his fourteenth starting season, the 37-year old can still pull off stunts like this first-yard run.
The Patriots beat Miami easily (41-13) and clinched their sixth straight AFC East title in the process, but the Miami Dolphins at least had this gorgeous one-handed touchdown catch from Mike Wallace to bring back home with them.
More and more, big play celebrations have become the highlights themselves. And for the case of Sio Moore, a sophomore linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, Fox put together a series of his highlights and their relevance to everyday situations.
Another week, another controversial penalty flag for a hard hit. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds seem to have a hard, fair hit on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan here, but was quickly called for a roughing the passer.
In the opposite direction, Big Ben double-pump faked to complete a pass to Antonio Brown.
With their 17-7 win over San Francisco yesterday, the Seattle Seahawks stopped the 49ers’ chance at the playoffs in their game yesterday. On the sidelines, Seattle’s left tackle Russell Okung apparently got angry with a trainer after suffering a chest-wall bruise during play. In the clip below, Okung shoves the trainer out of his face and then spits up some blood. He was later taken to a hospital for a closer look at the injury.
Okung’s sideline antics come just a week after a similar incident from Saints tight end Jimmy Graham during a game against the Panthers when he walked off-field and pushed a water-boy out of his way.
And speaking of controversial sacks, here’s one from that game, where Russell Wilson is taken down cleanly by Nick Moody. (Also, Coach Harbaugh’s fitting reaction below.)
