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Week 15 in the NFL brought plenty of scenarios that fans or teams didn't see coming.
Ahead of the prime-time "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, tape recorders and microphones captured some authentic quotes throughout the week.
While some players and coaches transformed the energy from a win into words of praise, others chose words of reflection and criticism after losses.
From bold one-liners to anthems of praise, here are some of the best quotes across Week 15 in the NFL.
"Hopefully, my sons and those ball players that I'm in charge of at the school, they'll say like, 'Crap, coach wasn't scared.'" -- Indianapolis Colts QB Philip RiversOn Dec. 9, Rivers, who had retired from the NFL in January 2021 and hadn't played in a game since the 2020 season, signed to the Colts' practice squad after starter Daniel Jones tore his Achilles.
The 44-year-old was activated days later to become the Colts' starting quarterback against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 -- and proved he still has it.
Rivers threw for 120 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception each on 18-of-27 passing in an 18-16 loss.
He became the fifth NFL quarterback to start a game at age 44 or older, joining Tom Brady, Vinny Testaverde, Steve DeBerg and Warren Moon, according to ESPN Research. Rivers was the first to start since Brady's 2022 wild-card game against the Dallas Cowboys.
"There's not a team in the NFL who would've won today with me as quarterback." -- Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe BurrowIn Joe Burrow's first game back from his turf toe injury against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, he accounted for 261 passing yards and two touchdowns with a 32-14 win.
The roles reversed in Week 15.
Going scoreless in a rematch with the Ravens, Burrow threw for 225 passing yards -- and two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six by Baltimore linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who handed the ball off to safety Alohi Gilman to complete the run into the end zone.
Burrow's two-interception game marked his second career game with no touchdowns and multiple interceptions, and first since Week 9 in 2021.
"We still have a fighting chance... Oh we're out the playoffs? ... Success is rented every year. Sometimes it don't go the way you planned for it to go. I think we learned a lot this year." --� Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris JonesThe Kansas City Chiefs have been part of the NFL playoffs every year since 2014, but things will look a lot different this year. In their 16-13 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 189 yards on 16-of-28 passing along with an interception. He didn't complete a passing touchdown, but rather scored one on the ground.
In Jones' postgame news conference, he wasn't aware Kansas City was eliminated from playoff contention until reporters notified him of the news.
Kansas City's elimination marks the first playoffs since 1998 without Mahomes, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.
"I don't think I ever seen Trevor like this. We won a national championship together and I feel like he's just out there. He's on fire, man." -- Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr.Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence exploded on Sunday against the New York Jets. He collected 330 passing yards for five passing touchdowns with a rushing score in the 48-20 win over the Jets.
Lawrence's performance makes him the first person in franchise history to account for six touchdowns, according to ESPN Research.
Etienne and Lawrence played college football together for three seasons at Clemson, where the two won a national championship in 2019 with a 44-16 win over Alabama. To Etienne, this is the best version of Lawrence that he has seen.
"He's Jesus Christ lizard running on water, just no ball security, fake pitching at the end ... Absolutely just diabolical behavior by QB1. But I love it." -- San Francisco 49ers TE George KittleWith 10:03 left in the third quarter, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was unpredictable. On first-and-10, Purdy drop-stepped before finding a gap and attacking it. He faked out the Tennessee Titans' defense with a pass fake, before rushing an extra 10 yards.
Purdy ran the ball up the sideline before decelerating in front of the defense and stepping out untouched, completing a 26-yard rush. Kittle had a memorable description of Purdy's big run.
"To me, he can't do no wrong in my eyes." -- Philadelphia Eagles LB Nakobe DeanAfter the Philadelphia Eagles went on a three-game losing streak, they snapped it with a shutout 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. After the game, Dean reflected on quarterback Jalen Hurts' performance, which included three touchdowns on 12-of-15 passing for 175 passing yards.
