By Tiffany Williams –
Week 15 didn’t whisper its stars. It screamed them.
Trevor Lawrence didn’t just beat the Jets — he erased them. The Jaguars quarterback detonated New York for 330 passing yards, six total touchdowns and zero interceptions in a 48-20 demolition that felt over by halftime and historic by the end. Five touchdown passes. One rushing score. Another 51 yards on the ground just for emphasis. No one in NFL history has ever put together that exact stat line in a single game, and Lawrence did it like he was checking boxes. This wasn’t development. This was domination. His fourth career Player of the Week award puts him in rare Jaguars company, trailing only Josh Scobee and Bryan Barker, and further cements his name among former Clemson quarterbacks, sitting just behind Deshaun Watson.
Defense belonged to Baltimore, and Alohi Gilman made sure of it. Eight tackles, a pass breakup and an 84-yard defensive touchdown in a 24-0 shutout at Cincinnati. Nobody else on defense scored a touchdown in Week 15. Nobody else needed to. Gilman turned one mistake into six points and slammed the door for good. First career Defensive Player of the Week, and suddenly he’s in Ravens safety history with Kyle Hamilton and Eric Weddle. Quiet no more.
Special teams usually get ignored until they ruin your Sunday. Cameron Dicker did the opposite. Three-for-three on field goals, two from 49 yards, plus the extra point, and the Chargers walked out of Kansas City with a 16-13 win. He was the only AFC kicker from a winning team to hit all his kicks and nail multiple bombs from 40-plus. Sixth Player of the Week award of his career, fifth with the Chargers, and now he’s standing shoulder-to-shoulder with John Carney and Texas kicking legends Justin Tucker and Phil Dawson.
Over in the NFC, Kyle Pitts finally looked like the nightmare matchup everyone promised. Eleven catches. One hundred sixty-six yards. Three touchdowns. Atlanta stole a 29-28 win in Tampa Bay, and Pitts joined a list that includes Shannon Sharpe, Kellen Winslow and Todd Christensen. That’s not hype — that’s history. First Player of the Week award, first Falcons tight end since Alge Crumpler, and the first former Florida tight end ever to take the honor.
Chicago’s defense had its own wrecking ball. D’Marco Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with seven tackles, two passes defensed, a sack and an interception in a 31-3 annihilation of Cleveland. No other NFC player has hit those numbers in a single game this season. First career Defensive Player of the Week, first Bears linebacker to do it since 2018, and another Appalachian State product forcing the league to notice.
Then there was Seattle’s kicker turning Sunday into a survival exercise. Jason Myers drilled six field goals — including a game-winning 56-yarder — in an 18-16 escape against Indianapolis. Six makes, 18 points, ice in his veins. It tied for the most field goals in a game this season and delivered his third Special Teams Player of the Week award. For the Seahawks, Myers now trails only Josh Brown in franchise history.
Week 15 wasn’t about balance. It was about stars taking over games, humili
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