Taylor Swift triumphs in the duel of the music superstars

Week 15 of the NFL gives football fans plenty of decisions. Playoff tickets are issued - or expire for good. Aaron Rodgers suddenly has all the time in the world for his comeback. And for Josh Allen, a resounding victory brings back memories of his school days.

The NFL is heading towards the final game of its main season. With three games left before the playoffs, the first teams can already plan for the knockout round. Take the Dallas Cowboys, for example. The team from Texas has already been confirmed as a play-off contender before the kick-off against the Buffalo Bills. However, the fans cannot celebrate the partial success with a win. The Cowboys were badly beaten by the Bills in a 31:10 defeat. Bills quarterback Josh Allen remained astonishingly pale with just 94 yards thrown. Or as he summed it up himself after the final whistle: "I felt like that one kid in group work who does nothing but gets an A."

The man of the match for the Bills was James Cook instead. He finished the game with 179 rushing yards (career-best) and two touchdowns. However, the reason for the convincing victory can be found in the defense. The Cowboys, who after all have the best offense in the league, did not score their first touchdown until 57 minutes into the game. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy bids farewell with the words: "We've got a long flight home to think and talk about it."

Panthers celebrate victory without a touchdown

The Carolina Panthers are responsible for the Cowboys' playoff qualification from the sofa. Interim coach Chris Tabor said before the game against the Atlanta Falcons that his team wasn't afraid to win ugly. Well, none at all, as the spectators at the game were frustrated to discover. The score was 0-0 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Falcons scored a touchdown and the Carolina Panthers kicked a field goal. Then the Carolina Panthers kick another field goal in the fourth quarter. Shortly before the end of the game, they stand in front of the Falcons' end zone, let the clock run down to one second and - of course - kick another field goal. That was it. Without a touchdown, the Panthers beat the Falcons, effectively ending their playoff chances.

All the Jets' hopes die in Miami

The New York Jets also experienced a really frustrating evening. Aaron Rodgers' team, which has been without Aaron Rodgers since Game 1, had repeatedly flirted with a miracle comeback for their quarterback. But the Jets' devastating defeat in Miami may have put paid to that. Without superstar Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins demolished the visitors from New York 30:0 (!). In the first half of the game, the Dolphins allowed the Jets to gain just four yards.

Above all, the Jets' offensive line, i.e. the players protecting the quarterback, looked hopelessly overstretched. Miami's defender Bradley Chubb alone takes the ball distributor off his feet three times. As usual, Zach Wilson initially takes on the replacement role for Rodgers, but when he has to come off due to a suspected concussion, Trevor Siemian takes over - and throws two passes directly to the opponent. The only good news? Aaron Rodgers no longer needs to rush his comeback, after the debacle in Miami the Jets miss the playoffs.

49ers and Ravens clear the air ahead of top game

The San Francisco 49ers were the first team to secure their playoff ticket last weekend. Now the team from California is also the winner of its division. The Super Bowl contenders beat the Arizona Cardinals 45:29 and can no longer be displaced from first place in the NFC West after six wins in a row. For the best starting position in the playoffs and an extra week's rest, the 49ers must have the best record of any team in the NFC and, with 11 wins in 14 games, still have the best chance of doing so.

Also qualified for the playoffs are the Baltimore Ravens, who beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-7. Quarterback Lamar Jackson had a strong game, using his speed to get out of tricky situations on several occasions. With the ball in his hands, he ran for 97 yards himself. Like the 49ers, the Ravens have 11 wins in 14 games, making them the best team in the AFC. Both teams will meet next.

Chiefs stop downward trend trickily

Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs won their away game at the New England Patriots after two recent defeats in the NFL and kept their chance of a home game in the playoffs alive. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes missed two throws in the 27:17 win, but also had two touchdown passes in the ultimately unchallenged victory. With pop superstar Taylor Swift in the stadium, her boyfriend Travis Kelce delivered a weak game by his standards for the Chiefs with just five passes caught for 28 yards. When Swift was shown on the scoreboard, the crowd screamed, she playfully stuck her tongue out, waved and blew a kiss to the fans, many of whom had come just to catch a glimpse of the singer. Swift herself had played three sold-out shows at the Foxboro stadium in May, with more than 200,000 people in attendance. At the time, the singer described the stadium as the "happiest place in the world".

The Chiefs now have nine wins and five defeats. The highlight of the game came in the first quarter. The Chiefs caught the hosts on the wrong foot with a trick play in which Jerick McKinnon (actually a running back) rather than Patrick Mahomes threw the ball. "That play was outstanding. It's hard to score against them," said a satisfied Mahomes after the game. With the win, the Chiefs improved their record to 5-2 in the presence of Taylor Swift.

For their part, the Patriots had a pop star on their roster: Singer Jon Bon Jovi provided the traditional bell ringing in the stadium before the game. The singer, real name Jon Bongiovi, is a Patriots fan and friend of coaching legend Bill Belichick. One of his most famous visits was during the AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Jaguars in 2018, when Bon Jovi led a stadium-wide singalong of "Livin' On A Prayer" during New England's victory. But this time, the singer had no chance in the duel of the noble fans.