NFL Week 15 grades: Steelers earn ‘A-‘ for Monday win over Dolphins, Chiefs get ‘C’ after playoff elimination

Welcome to the Week 15 grades!

There were a total of four teams eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15, and the final one came Monday night with the Miami Dolphins losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Dolphins had a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive with a win, but instead, they got run off the field by a Steelers team that jumped out to a 28-3 lead en route to an 28-15 win.

The Dolphins joined the Chiefs, Bengals and Vikings as team that were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15. 

As for the Steelers, they’re now in the driver’s seat in the AFC North. At 8-6, they hold a one-game lead over a Ravens team that they just beat in Week 14. The one-game lead gives the Steelers some breathing room because it means they could lose their next two games (at Lions, at Browns) but still win the division if they beat the Ravens in Week 18. 

With the win over Miami, the Steelers continued one of the most impressive streaks in NFL history: They’ve now won 23 straight Monday night home games dating back to 1992. (Mike Tomlin is 11-0 all time at home on Monday.) 

With that in mind, let’s get to the Week 15 grades, starting with the Pittsburgh’s big win. 

Pittsburgh 28-15 over Miami

Buffalo 35-31 over New England

Minnesota 34-26 over Dallas

L.A. Chargers 16-13 over Kansas City

Denver 34-26 over Green Bay

L.A. Rams 41-34 over Detroit

Seattle 18-16 over Indianapolis

New Orleans 20-17 over Carolina

San Francisco 37-24 over Tennessee

Baltimore 24-0 over Cincinnati

Chicago 31-3 over Cleveland

Washington 29-21 over N.Y. Giants

Philadelphia 31-0 over Las Vegas

Jacksonville 48-20 over N.Y. Jets

Houston 40-20 over Arizona

Atlanta 29-28 over Tampa Bay