NFL Week 15 Preview: Saturday’s first slate features important matchups

NFL games will be held on Saturdays for the first time this season as the year winds down with the holidays and college football kicks off.

For the fifteenth week, there will be three games on Saturday. One in the early afternoon, one in the evening and one at night. All games make some sense because four of the six teams are in the midst of chasing the playoffs.

The race for the playoffs is as close as it gets. The Philadelphia Eagles clinched a playoff game last week, and the San Francisco 49ers sealed the North American League title with a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.

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Here’s what Saturday looks like.

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Vikings (10-3) vs. Colts (4-8-1) – 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network

The Vikings are in position to win their first title since 2017. Minnesota returns home after an upset loss to the Detroit Lions. It might be easier to get rid of the Colts than facing a team on a hotline that was at home.

The Vikings can take a win, a tie, a loss for the Lions, or a tie.

Minnesota has one of the most dynamic offenses in the league with the three-headed monster of Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson breaking records himself. The defense will need to step back because you never know when a guy like Jonathan Taylor is going to explode.

The Colts are 18th in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed. Their offense has lacked any explosiveness since the first two weeks of the season. Indy is 31st in points scored and 25 yards gained.

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Browns (5-8) vs. Ravens (9-4) – 4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network

With the Ravens’ quarterback status shifting, it could be the perfect time for the Browns to throw a wrench into their rival’s playoff hopes.

Whether it’s Anthony Brown or Tyler Huntley, the Ravens offense hasn’t really panned out as well as expected. An injury to Lamar Jackson two weeks ago also disrupted the flow of things. Baltimore still manages to win games, but that’s really thanks to a great defense. Their defense is eighth in points allowed and 12th in yards allowed.

Cleveland brought DeShawn Watson back to center, but he looked like a quarterback who hadn’t played in 700 days. He was 26 of 42 with 276 passing yards for a touchdown and an interception in last week’s loss to the Bengals. In his third week, he’ll need to get in big time with Cleveland.

Baltimore will have to win to stay in contention for the AFC North Championship title. The Crows and Bengals have been neck and neck all season.

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Bills (10-3) vs. Dolphins (8-5) — 8:15 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Football weather will be in Western New York where the Bills and Dolphins meet Saturday night.

A major snow storm is expected to blow through the area, and is expected to hurt Miami’s prospects. The dolphins have moved from the Bay Area to southern California and now upstate New York on their voyages over the past three weeks.

Miami’s offense looked a bit stuck against the Chargers. Tyreek Hill got an electric bounce for a touchdown, but that was really the only thing that got Dolphins fans excited.

On the other hand, Buffalo will seek revenge for a defeat earlier in the season. Josh Allen and the Biles seem to have silenced the doubters for the past two weeks. Buffalo is riding a four-game winning streak and a 132-plus point difference.

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Should be a great finish to Saturday’s fixture list.