ClutchPoints
In Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season, the two reigning Super Bowl Championship quarterbacks will duke it out at Lincoln Financial Field when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now granted, their workload wasn’t exactly the same in the “Big Game.” Jalen Hurts won the Super Bowl MVP after completing 17 of his 22 passing attempts for 221 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 72 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown. And as for Kenny Pickett, his former backup who will start in Week 15 thanks to a Geno Smith shoulder injury? Well, he missed his lone passing attempt and kneeled down three times for -4 yards on the way to the win, but technically they both played for the Philadelphia Eagles and have the hardware to prove it.
On paper, if there was ever a quarterback who knew the Eagles’ defense in and out in what has to be considered a trap game, it would be Pickett, as he spent a year practicing against it weekly before being traded from Philadelphia to Cleveland, and finally Sin City. However, the Raiders and Eagles really find themselves in different spots heading into their fourth-to-last games of the regular season.
For the Eagles, after suffering their third-straight loss, this game provides an opportunity to not just get back in the winner’s column but secure a few style points along the way, proving to fans, pundits, and haters alike that they can still run the ball, Jalen Hurts’ five interception game was an aberration, and, most crucially of all, the NFC East still runs through South Philly.
And as for the Raiders? Well, they have four more games to play in this first season under Pete Carroll, which will almost certainly result in some massive changes when the campaign comes to a conclusion.
While this feels like one of the least eventful games of the Week 15 slate, that doesn’t mean it won’t provide some interesting data points to ponder heading into the playoffs, as at this point, there really isn’t much regular season left to play.
Heading into 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders thought they could take a page from Carroll’s old Seattle Seahawks playbook and complement his old quarterback with Beast Mode 2.0, Ashton Jeanty.
On paper, it’s a solid enough strategy, as controlling the game on the ground can help to manage the clock, open up the passing game, and provide a young team with some stability as they look to buy into a new scheme and regime. But with four games left to play in 2025, the Raiders have been the worst rushing team in football, averaging the fewest rushing yards, the fewest rushing touchdowns, and the second-fewest rushing attempts, despite Jeanty being available as an everyday starter.
Could the Raiders try to establish things on the ground in Week 15 against the Eagles? Sure, but if they can’t or find themselves behind early on,...
