The 2014-15 NFL Season
The 2014-15 NFL season saw the continued growth of young star players, while some surprising rookies emerged to push their teams to new heights. Most of the good teams from 2013 stayed good, while a few teams that regressed that year worked their way back into the spotlight. There were no huge surprises this year, save for one in the NFC.
In the AFC, the Tennessee Titans continued their dominant play, coasting to a 13-3 record and taking the top seed for the third straight year, thanks to continued excellent play from veteran quarterback Philip Rivers and the team's stiff defense. The Baltimore Ravens had a bounce back year, with receiver Odell Beckham Jr. leading the way, and they managed to finish second in a tough division. The Kansas City Chiefs remained strong, while the New York Jets made their way back to the playoffs, scrapping their way to the top of a competitive AFC East.
In the NFC, the 49ers and Andrew Luck emerged as title contenders, going to 12-4. Meanwhile, the defending champion Seahawks struggled with injuries and fell short with a 9-7 record to miss the playoffs. The New Orleans Saints had a surprising year, with Peyton Manning returning at quarterback only to suffer another season ending injury after a 3-3 start, forcing the team to go with rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel. Johnny Manziel, known as “Johnny Football”, became the biggest story of the second half of the season, guiding the Saints to victory in eight of their last ten games, and securing a first round bye.
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NFL Playoffs 2014-15:
Wildcard Round:
(6) Baltimore Ravens over (3) Kansas City Chiefs, 17 to 6
The Baltimore Ravens proved to be the stronger team, thanks to some unforced errors from the Chiefs and some key defensive stops. Beckham wasn't much of a factor, but the Ravens' tough rushing game, led by Jonathan Stewart, proved instrumental in keeping the frustrated Chiefs offense off the field. The Ravens won an upset victory, and would move on.
(5) Indianapolis Colts over (4) New York Jets, 10 to 7
The Colts, still led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady, won a gutsy road game against the Jets that came down to defensive stops. The two teams went into the locker room at halftime scoreless, but the Colts came out swinging in the third to take a 7-0 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. The Jets' offensive struggles cost them big in this one, as they failed to get into the red zone at all during the game, and their only score was on a long rushing touchdown midway through the fourth.
(3) Philadelphia Eagles over (6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34 to 14
Last year, this game was one of the best of Wild Card Weekend, but this year, RG3 and the Eagles would run roughshod over the Bucs, who had looked like one of the hot teams going into 2014, but struggled all year to go 10-6, barely slipping in over the Seahawks. They couldn't get anything going, while Griffin and the Eagles ran all over them, and despite being on the road, the Eagles will go into the Superdome as one point favorites.
(4) Green Bay Packers over (5) St. Louis Rams, 21 to 14
The Rams looked awfully good heading into the playoffs with a 11-5 record and a season split against the 49ers, but struggled in a cold game at Lambeau Field, with temperatures below zero. Try as they might, the Rams' passing game was frozen solid, while the Packers pounded it out on the ground for a big playoff win.
Divisional Round:
(1) Tennessee Titans over (6) Baltimore Ravens, 44 to 17
The Titans looked every bit like the best team in the league, dominating the Ravens in a game that was never competitive, and was 44-3 at one point before the Titans pulled their starters and led Odell score a couple of garbage time touchdowns. The Ravens looked good coming into this one, but the Titans defense and Rivers' passing couldn't be stopped, and they'll go into the AFC title game as heavy favorites.
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers over (5) Indianapolis Colts, 37 to 14
The Colts were no match for the Steelers, setting up what looks to be a great AFC championship game between the Titans and maybe the only team in the conference that can beat them. Aaron Rodgers wasn't pulling any punches, and outgunned Tom Brady, who never had good field position and just couldn't get anything going. The Colts tried running the ball even after going down by several touchdowns, but abandoned that plan quickly. The Colts are a team on the rise, but might need to look to someone besides Tom Brady in the future.
(1) San Francisco 49ers over (4) Green Bay Packers, 30 to 17
The 49ers were challenged somewhat by the Packers and their rushing attack, and trailed 17-16 in the late third before Andrew Luck broke through with a couple of touchdowns. Le'Veon Bell looked like a giant killer, gashing the Niners defense plenty in the first half, but the Niners kept themselves in the game with a pair of long field goals and several big Andrew Luck rushes. The fourth quarter was all San Francisco, their stiff defense held up while Luck kept making big plays, and the Niners finally made their way back to the NFC Championship.
(2) New Orleans Saints over (3) Philadelphia Eagles, 30 to 27 (OT)
One of the best games of the year saw Johnny Football's legend continue to grow, as he led his team from a 27-6 deficit with just 6:15 left in the game to take a miracle win over the Eagles in the Superdome. The Eagles started out dominant, while Manziel fumbled twice and threw two interceptions, drawing boos from the crowd and calls to bench him in favor of Brandon Weeden (Manning was still injured and would've been unable to play). However, the coach left him in, and his faith was rewarded, first with a big touchdown pass at the six minute mark to make it 27 to 13, and then, after the Saints recovered an onside kick, Manziel drove the team down for another score with just 2:14. With two timeouts and the two minute warning left, the Saints elected to punt and were able to get a stop, and that's when Manziel stepped up again, driving his team down the field and capping it off with a 25 yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with just 17 seconds to go. The Eagles failed to score first in overtime, but the Saints were able to drive to the 30 and win with a 47 yard field goal, advancing to the NFC Championship and consuming all of New Orleans with Johnny Football mania.
Conference Championships:
(1) Tennessee Titans over (2) Pittsburgh Steelers, 38 to 35
An epic conference championship that saw a back and forth shootout between two great veteran quarterbacks, the AFC Championship almost managed to top last week's Eagles/Saints game for sheer drama, as a back and forth affair in which the Steelers refused to back down. The Titans struck first blood, but the Steelers responded with 17 straight points to end the first quarter. The Titans roared back with 17 points of their own in the second to go up 24 to 17 at halftime, followed by a Steelers touchdown to tie it up at 24. The Steelers then made a field goal at the start of the fourth to take a 27-24 lead. The Titans would respond with a touchdown to go up 31 to 27 with six minutes left. The Steelers drove quickly back down the field to score a touchdown, only to botch the extra point... only for the long snapper to pick up the fumbled ball and barrel his way in for two, making it 35 to 31 and requiring the Titans to march down the field for a touchdown instead of a field goal to tie. Fortunately, they had plenty of time left, and used it to the fullest, putting the game winning touchdown on the board with just 30 seconds left. The Steelers were unable to respond, and the Titans eked out the win, advancing to their third straight Super Bowl.
(1) San Francisco 49ers over (2) New Orleans Saints, 35 to 3
The NFC Championship wasn't nearly so dramatic. Johnny Football started out bad, throwing three interceptions, and this time, there would be no comeback. Andrew Luck was dominant, and Manziel was clearly inferior. The 49ers were poised to break the “curse of Andre Rison” and win their first NFC Championship in a quarter of a century, and did it in commanding fashion, 35 to 3, to return to the Super Bowl. Steve Young had never made it there, but now Andrew Luck was ready to get the job done.
Super Bowl XLIX
Tennessee Titans over San Francisco 49ers, 41 to 26
The Titans went into Super Bowl XLIX as three point favorites, and this was expected to be a highly competitive game. Initially, it was, with Andrew Luck taking his team to an early 10-3 lead. The Titans bounced back, scoring a touchdown and then forcing San Francisco to punt, but the Niners backed the Titans up deep, and managed to score a big safety to retake the lead. But after that, it was all Titans, with two quick touchdowns making it 24-12 at halftime. The halftime show saw Taylor Swift headlining, though her performance was fairly poorly received. Afterwards, the Niners tried to mount a comeback, with Andrew Luck scoring a big rushing touchdown to make it 24-19, but after that, the Titans were fairly unstoppable, going up 38-19 before the Niners were able to score again. The Titans were just the better team, and Philip Rivers would win his second Super Bowl MVP.
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2015 NFL Draft-
The NFL Draft was shaken by a number of developments beforehand, including previous #1 prospect Jameis Winston's felony conviction for sexual assault in his senior year, a story that rocked the sports world that fall and led to a number of colleges being sanctioned for lack of institutional oversight. That would clear the way for the other two major QB prospects that year, Carson Wentz and Marcus Mariota, to go 1 and 2 in the draft. The moribund Jacksonville Jaguars had the top pick that year, and eventually settled on Wentz, while the Atlanta Falcons, who held the #2 pick, were subjected to numerous trade offers from teams looking for a QB, and eventually decided to trade down to the Dallas Cowboys, who had released Tim Tebow and were looking for a new franchise quarterback. Other notable first round picks include Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills at #3 (in the hopes of forming a potent tandem with Blake Bortles, who struggled in his rookie season), Leonard Williams to the Washington Redskins at #6, Todd Gurley to the Cleveland Browns at #14, and Melvin Gordon to the Indianapolis Colts at #16 (trading up eight spots).
In the AFC, the Tennessee Titans continued their dominant play, coasting to a 13-3 record and taking the top seed for the third straight year, thanks to continued excellent play from veteran quarterback Philip Rivers and the team's stiff defense. The Baltimore Ravens had a bounce back year, with receiver Odell Beckham Jr. leading the way, and they managed to finish second in a tough division. The Kansas City Chiefs remained strong, while the New York Jets made their way back to the playoffs, scrapping their way to the top of a competitive AFC East.
In the NFC, the 49ers and Andrew Luck emerged as title contenders, going to 12-4. Meanwhile, the defending champion Seahawks struggled with injuries and fell short with a 9-7 record to miss the playoffs. The New Orleans Saints had a surprising year, with Peyton Manning returning at quarterback only to suffer another season ending injury after a 3-3 start, forcing the team to go with rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel. Johnny Manziel, known as “Johnny Football”, became the biggest story of the second half of the season, guiding the Saints to victory in eight of their last ten games, and securing a first round bye.
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NFL Playoffs 2014-15:
Wildcard Round:
(6) Baltimore Ravens over (3) Kansas City Chiefs, 17 to 6
The Baltimore Ravens proved to be the stronger team, thanks to some unforced errors from the Chiefs and some key defensive stops. Beckham wasn't much of a factor, but the Ravens' tough rushing game, led by Jonathan Stewart, proved instrumental in keeping the frustrated Chiefs offense off the field. The Ravens won an upset victory, and would move on.
(5) Indianapolis Colts over (4) New York Jets, 10 to 7
The Colts, still led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady, won a gutsy road game against the Jets that came down to defensive stops. The two teams went into the locker room at halftime scoreless, but the Colts came out swinging in the third to take a 7-0 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. The Jets' offensive struggles cost them big in this one, as they failed to get into the red zone at all during the game, and their only score was on a long rushing touchdown midway through the fourth.
(3) Philadelphia Eagles over (6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34 to 14
Last year, this game was one of the best of Wild Card Weekend, but this year, RG3 and the Eagles would run roughshod over the Bucs, who had looked like one of the hot teams going into 2014, but struggled all year to go 10-6, barely slipping in over the Seahawks. They couldn't get anything going, while Griffin and the Eagles ran all over them, and despite being on the road, the Eagles will go into the Superdome as one point favorites.
(4) Green Bay Packers over (5) St. Louis Rams, 21 to 14
The Rams looked awfully good heading into the playoffs with a 11-5 record and a season split against the 49ers, but struggled in a cold game at Lambeau Field, with temperatures below zero. Try as they might, the Rams' passing game was frozen solid, while the Packers pounded it out on the ground for a big playoff win.
Divisional Round:
(1) Tennessee Titans over (6) Baltimore Ravens, 44 to 17
The Titans looked every bit like the best team in the league, dominating the Ravens in a game that was never competitive, and was 44-3 at one point before the Titans pulled their starters and led Odell score a couple of garbage time touchdowns. The Ravens looked good coming into this one, but the Titans defense and Rivers' passing couldn't be stopped, and they'll go into the AFC title game as heavy favorites.
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers over (5) Indianapolis Colts, 37 to 14
The Colts were no match for the Steelers, setting up what looks to be a great AFC championship game between the Titans and maybe the only team in the conference that can beat them. Aaron Rodgers wasn't pulling any punches, and outgunned Tom Brady, who never had good field position and just couldn't get anything going. The Colts tried running the ball even after going down by several touchdowns, but abandoned that plan quickly. The Colts are a team on the rise, but might need to look to someone besides Tom Brady in the future.
(1) San Francisco 49ers over (4) Green Bay Packers, 30 to 17
The 49ers were challenged somewhat by the Packers and their rushing attack, and trailed 17-16 in the late third before Andrew Luck broke through with a couple of touchdowns. Le'Veon Bell looked like a giant killer, gashing the Niners defense plenty in the first half, but the Niners kept themselves in the game with a pair of long field goals and several big Andrew Luck rushes. The fourth quarter was all San Francisco, their stiff defense held up while Luck kept making big plays, and the Niners finally made their way back to the NFC Championship.
(2) New Orleans Saints over (3) Philadelphia Eagles, 30 to 27 (OT)
One of the best games of the year saw Johnny Football's legend continue to grow, as he led his team from a 27-6 deficit with just 6:15 left in the game to take a miracle win over the Eagles in the Superdome. The Eagles started out dominant, while Manziel fumbled twice and threw two interceptions, drawing boos from the crowd and calls to bench him in favor of Brandon Weeden (Manning was still injured and would've been unable to play). However, the coach left him in, and his faith was rewarded, first with a big touchdown pass at the six minute mark to make it 27 to 13, and then, after the Saints recovered an onside kick, Manziel drove the team down for another score with just 2:14. With two timeouts and the two minute warning left, the Saints elected to punt and were able to get a stop, and that's when Manziel stepped up again, driving his team down the field and capping it off with a 25 yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with just 17 seconds to go. The Eagles failed to score first in overtime, but the Saints were able to drive to the 30 and win with a 47 yard field goal, advancing to the NFC Championship and consuming all of New Orleans with Johnny Football mania.
Conference Championships:
(1) Tennessee Titans over (2) Pittsburgh Steelers, 38 to 35
An epic conference championship that saw a back and forth shootout between two great veteran quarterbacks, the AFC Championship almost managed to top last week's Eagles/Saints game for sheer drama, as a back and forth affair in which the Steelers refused to back down. The Titans struck first blood, but the Steelers responded with 17 straight points to end the first quarter. The Titans roared back with 17 points of their own in the second to go up 24 to 17 at halftime, followed by a Steelers touchdown to tie it up at 24. The Steelers then made a field goal at the start of the fourth to take a 27-24 lead. The Titans would respond with a touchdown to go up 31 to 27 with six minutes left. The Steelers drove quickly back down the field to score a touchdown, only to botch the extra point... only for the long snapper to pick up the fumbled ball and barrel his way in for two, making it 35 to 31 and requiring the Titans to march down the field for a touchdown instead of a field goal to tie. Fortunately, they had plenty of time left, and used it to the fullest, putting the game winning touchdown on the board with just 30 seconds left. The Steelers were unable to respond, and the Titans eked out the win, advancing to their third straight Super Bowl.
(1) San Francisco 49ers over (2) New Orleans Saints, 35 to 3
The NFC Championship wasn't nearly so dramatic. Johnny Football started out bad, throwing three interceptions, and this time, there would be no comeback. Andrew Luck was dominant, and Manziel was clearly inferior. The 49ers were poised to break the “curse of Andre Rison” and win their first NFC Championship in a quarter of a century, and did it in commanding fashion, 35 to 3, to return to the Super Bowl. Steve Young had never made it there, but now Andrew Luck was ready to get the job done.
Super Bowl XLIX
Tennessee Titans over San Francisco 49ers, 41 to 26
The Titans went into Super Bowl XLIX as three point favorites, and this was expected to be a highly competitive game. Initially, it was, with Andrew Luck taking his team to an early 10-3 lead. The Titans bounced back, scoring a touchdown and then forcing San Francisco to punt, but the Niners backed the Titans up deep, and managed to score a big safety to retake the lead. But after that, it was all Titans, with two quick touchdowns making it 24-12 at halftime. The halftime show saw Taylor Swift headlining, though her performance was fairly poorly received. Afterwards, the Niners tried to mount a comeback, with Andrew Luck scoring a big rushing touchdown to make it 24-19, but after that, the Titans were fairly unstoppable, going up 38-19 before the Niners were able to score again. The Titans were just the better team, and Philip Rivers would win his second Super Bowl MVP.
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2015 NFL Draft-
The NFL Draft was shaken by a number of developments beforehand, including previous #1 prospect Jameis Winston's felony conviction for sexual assault in his senior year, a story that rocked the sports world that fall and led to a number of colleges being sanctioned for lack of institutional oversight. That would clear the way for the other two major QB prospects that year, Carson Wentz and Marcus Mariota, to go 1 and 2 in the draft. The moribund Jacksonville Jaguars had the top pick that year, and eventually settled on Wentz, while the Atlanta Falcons, who held the #2 pick, were subjected to numerous trade offers from teams looking for a QB, and eventually decided to trade down to the Dallas Cowboys, who had released Tim Tebow and were looking for a new franchise quarterback. Other notable first round picks include Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills at #3 (in the hopes of forming a potent tandem with Blake Bortles, who struggled in his rookie season), Leonard Williams to the Washington Redskins at #6, Todd Gurley to the Cleveland Browns at #14, and Melvin Gordon to the Indianapolis Colts at #16 (trading up eight spots).
