Philip Rivers, Joe Burrow lead top NFL quotes from Week 15
Week 15 in the NFL brought many storylines that fans or teams didn’t see coming.
Leading up to the prime-time “Monday Night Football” game between the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, tape recorders and microphones captured authentic quotes throughout the week.
While some players and coaches turned the energy of a victory into words of praise, others chose words of reflection and criticism after losses.
From bold phrases to hymns of praise, here are some of the best NFL Week 15 quotes.
“I hope my sons and the baseball players I look after at school say, ‘Damn, coach wasn’t scared.'” – Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers
On December 9, Rivers, who had retired from the NFL in January 2021 and had not played a single game since the 2020 season, signed with the Colts’ practice squad after starter Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon.
The 44-year-old was activated a few days later to become the Colts’ starting quarterback against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 — and proved he still had 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 single team in the NFL that would have won today with me at quarterback.” –Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow
In Joe Burrow’s first game after his toe injury against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, he totaled 261 passing yards and two touchdowns with a 32–14 victory.
The roles reversed in week 15.
Scoreless in a rematch with the Ravens, Burrow threw for 225 passing yards — and two interceptions, one of which was a pick six from Baltimore linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who handed the ball off to safety Alohi Gilman to complete the run in the end zone.
Burrow’s two-interception game marked his second career game without a touchdown or multiple interceptions, and first since Week 9 in 2021.
“We still have a fighting chance…Oh, we’re out of the playoffs?…Success is rewarded every year. Sometimes it doesn’t go the way you planned. I think we learned a lot this year.” — DT Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have made the NFL playoffs every year since 2014, but things will be a lot different this year. In their 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 189 yards on 16-of-28 passing along with one interception. He did not throw a passing touchdown, but instead scored one on the ground.
During Jones’ postgame press conference, he did not know Kansas City had been eliminated from the playoffs until reporters informed 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’ve ever seen Trevor like that. We won a national championship together and I feel like he’s right there. He’s on fire, man.” – Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr.
Trevor Lawrence, quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars exploded Sunday against the New York Jets. He had 330 passing yards for five passing touchdowns with one rushing score in the 48-20 win over the Jets.
Lawrence’s performance made him the first person in franchise history to throw 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 victory over Alabama. For Etienne, this is the best version of Lawrence he has seen.
“It’s the Jesus Christ lizard running on the water, but no ball security, fake throw at the end… Absolutely evil behavior from QB1. But I love it.” –San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle
With 10:03 left in the third quarter, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was unpredictable. On first-and-10, Purdy took a step forward before finding a gap and attacking it. He faked the Tennessee Titans defense with a fake pass, before running for another 10 yards.
Purdy ran the ball down the sideline before decelerating in front of the defense and coming out untouched, completing a 26-yard run. Kittle had a memorable description of Purdy’s big run.
He continues like this 🤯
📺: FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/GEo8hyUruF– San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 14, 2025
After the Philadelphia Eagles went on a three-game losing streak, they ended it with a 31-0 shutout victory 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.
