Week 15 on the NFL schedule is almost in the books (we still have ), and the best performances deserve to be recognized by our MMQB staff. Even if you’re feeling down because your team didn’t win, maybe one of your favorite players or coaches gets awarded a game ball by our staff.
Here are this weekend’s standouts:
Mitch Goldich: Jerick McKinnon, RB, Chiefs. McKinnon has been solid as the Chiefs’ pass-catching back this season but has really broken out the past two weeks. He followed up Week 14’s performance (six rushes and seven catches for 134 total yards and two receiving touchdowns) with a Week 15 line of 10 carries for 52 yards and a TD, plus eight catches for 70 yards and another score. His performance reminds me of what Damien Williams did in 2018, when the calendar flipped to December and he said, “Hello, I’m going to score a ton of touchdowns, both as a runner and receiver.” (Note: I’m not sure he ever actually this.) Williams kept it up through the January-February ’20 playoff run, when he had six scores in three games, including two in Super Bowl LIV. What’s fun is McKinnon has done this while Isiah Pacheco has established himself late in his rookie year, instead of cannibalizing all the production. But since Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been phased out and then placed on IR, there’s plenty to go around for these two. I like what it does for the Kansas City offense, as we already know what Patrick Mahomes is capable of doing with Travis Kelce and his stable of receivers. The Texans put up a great fight, but the Chiefs are as dangerous as ever and capable of winning their first Super Bowl since Williams was on that run.
