Week 15 N.F.L. Quick Hits From not winning in December to Jason Garrett's questionable play-calling (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are still criticizing DeMarco Murray's lack of touches in the fourth quarter) to Tony Romo's costly interceptions, every Cowboys stereotype was reinforced in the final minutes of this Instant Classic. The interceptions will be what's most talked about this week. But let's hope the discussions can go beyond the typical Romo bashing and explore all dimensions of both plays. The first interception came not from a bad read but from the sensational recovery of cornerback Sam Shields, who was in trail technique coverage and burst to the ball. The second pick was because of miscommunication between Romo and Cole Beasley, coupled with nice hands by Tramon Williams (who had a similar near-interception minutes earlier). If you want to pin the picks on Romo, that's reasonable. But let's not oversimplify and describe them as "choke jobs." Chiefs 56, Raiders 31 This game has about a thousand statistical superlatives, roughly 990 involving Jamaal Charles (the best one being the simplest: five touchdowns). But my personal favorite: the Chiefs had 5 more points than they did total plays from scrimmage. According to the statistical savant Chase Stuart, the last team to have more points than plays was the 2004 Colts (49 to 48). Before that, it was the 2003 Rams (48 points, 47 plays). The only other modern era team to do it was the 1972 Bengals (61 to 55). All the more astounding about this case was that Oakland had seven turnovers, which you'd think would have elevated Kansas City's play count. Panthers 30, Jets 20 The Panthers" defense typically focuses more on execution and less on complexity, often choosing to play straight single-high zone coverage. But against the wide-eyed rookie quarterback Geno Smith, Ron Rivera and his underrated coordinator, Sean McDermott, mixed in a few more pressures - with good results. There were quarterback hits for linebacker Luke Kuechly and safety Mike Mitchell, plus a pair of sacks for cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. Rivera and McDermott have actually been increasing their blitz frequency ever so slightly as this season has progressed. Sunday's game was just a more pronounced step forward. Cardinals 37, Titans 34, OT Speaking of pressure....the Cardinals normally bring a lot, but guarding a 17-point lead late in the fourth at Tennessee, they called off the hounds to play it safe. Ryan Fitzpatrick and his receivers gradually marched down for touchdown and field-goal drives. Then the Titans recovered an onside kick and the march continued. After Fitzpatrick completed a 26-yarder to Kendall Wright against a tepid three-man rush on the first play of the ensuing drive, the Cardinals snapped back to their old selves and started bringing interior heat. Thanks to good Titans blitz pickups, plus veteran pocket toughness by Fitzpatrick and a few highly uncommon man coverage breakdowns by shutdown corner Patrick Peterson, the Titans were able to keep marching and tie the game in the final seconds in front of an almost-empty LP Field. But alas, in overtime, the Cardinals" pressure kept ratcheting up and won the day. On the decisive play, an overload blitz created a clean path to Fitzpatrick for defensive back Tony Jefferson, causing a hurried throw that Antoine Cason intercepted to set up the Cardinals" game-winning field-goal drive. Next time, expect the Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to keep calling pressure even with a big lead late in the fourth. Rams 27, Saints 16 The Rams did not create any blueprint for how to beat the Saints; they were just the sounder football team. Missed tackles and nonexistent pass-rushing pressure hindered the Saints defensively. On the other side, the Rams were able to disrupt Drew Brees, with edge-rushing monster Robert Quinn recording two sacks and a forced fumble. Brees's two early interceptions (including an awful one in the end zone) led to Rams touchdown drives, and the deficit eventually compelled the Saints to be one-dimensional. Dolphins 24, Patriots 20 There is a glaring flaw in the N.F.L. rule book that was exposed with 21 seconds left in this game. New England had the ball down by 4 points at the Miami 19-yard line. Defensive end Cameron Wake jumped offside and ultimately got pressure on Tom Brady to help force an incompletion. The penalty was for 5 yards, but that was meaningless given that the only place the Patriots could throw to at that point was in the end zone. The play wound up taking five seconds off the clock, and its outcome could have very well been different if not for Wake's pressure. In short, jumping offside benefited the Dolphins tremendously. The time off the clock was way more valuable than the 5 yards. To fix this flaw, the N.F.L. should institute a new rule for an accepted offside penalty in the final minute of a half: whatever time elapses during the play would be put back on the clock after the acceptance of the penalty. Bears 38, Browns 31