Top Takeaways From Sunday's NFL Action (Week 15)

On a day where the weather was frightful and blistering cold all throughout, the National Football League playoff races continued to heat up and get better and better -- that's what it's all about though, right?

From the NFC East to the AFC West, all of the way through the AFC and NFC Wild Card races, the picture for January (and February) football is starting to give us a more clear picture. As we have just the Monday Night Football game left later tonight between the Panthers and Redskins in Washington, here are some of my takeaways from the action.

Oakland Raiders Are Legit Contenders In The AFC
Derek Carr threw for 213 yards and one touchdown, Sebastian Janakowski hit all four field goal attempts on the day and the Oakland Raiders clinched a playoff berth for the first time in 14 seasons' on Sunday following their 19-16 win over Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers. Despite their offense not being able to get it going like usual, the Black and Silver still got it done on the road against a division-rival and sent a message to the rest of the AFC following their 11th victory of the season. Following the Chiefs loss to Tennessee, the Raiders now lead the AFC West by one game with two remaining. If you don't think these guys are legit, it's time to quit sleeping on them.

Ravens, Steelers Win Again; Christmas Showdown Looms For Division
Christmas day is going to be intense -- and instead of love and joy being spread in Pittsburgh, the Ravens and Steelers will display their hatred for each with the AFC North title quite possibly being on the line. Big Ben and the Steelers rallied on Sunday from a 20-6 deficit to a 24-20 win over Andy Dalton and the Bengals in Cincinnati, while Joe Flacco and the Ravens denied the Eagles of their two-point conversion attempt in the final minutes to win 27-26. Pittsburgh is now 9-5 and Baltimore is 8-6 as the two head in to their final meeting of the season. Pittsburgh can clinch the division with a win, while Baltimore can sweep the season-series and regain control of the division with one game remaining with a win of their own. What a battle this will be.

AFC South Still Wide Open Between Titans, Texans and Colts
For much of the afternoon, it looked as if we may have a three-way tie atop the division -- it changed pretty quickly though. Andrew Luck and the Colts went wire-to-wire with the lead in Minnesota and blew out the Vikings in AP's return, 34-6, in what was arguably their most impressive win of the year. Houston benched Brock Osweiler early in the game when they trailed Jacksonville 13-2, but Tom Savage came in and not only gave that Texans' offense some life, but also rallied them and led them to a 21-20 win. After trailing by eight at the half, they outscored them 16-7 in the final half. As for the Titans, they pulled off an impressive come back in KC when Ryan Succop nailed a 53-yard field goal as time expired, proving that they are for real and winning 19-17. The Colts are now 7-7 and remain in second/third, while the Texans and Titans are both tied for first at 8-6. With two games remaining, it's still wide open between all three and Houston and Tennessee meet in the final week.

Other Notables:
Patriots beat Broncos in Denver - This isn't something that has happened very often, surprisingly. But despite a slow start from Tom Brady and the New England offense, the Patriots defense held Trevor Siemian and Co. to just six points and not only won the game, but also put a severe dent in the Broncos' playoff chances -- while also keeping themselves in the drivers' seat for home field advantage in the AFC playoffs, with the number one seed.

Giants Beat Lions - In what was a defensive battle for much of the game, Eli Manning and the Giants came through when they needed to in their 17-6 win over Matt Stafford and the Lions. Eli threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns, while the Giants defense kept Stafford and Co. out of the end zone all game -- while also holding their running game to 56 yards. The Lions fell to 9-5 while the Giants improved to 10-4, holding on to a slight chance to catch Dallas for the division and owning the top Wild Card spot in the NFC.

Packers Beat Bears With Late Game Drama - Ty Montgomery had a coming out party with 162 yards rushing and two touchdowns and Mason Crosby kicked the 32-yard game-winning field goal with no time on the clock as the Packers fended off their hated-rivals in Chicago, 30-27. Rodgers was held without a touchdown pass in the contest but the others picked it up to keep them within striking distance of the Lions for the NFC North title. Green Bay is now 8-6 and trails Detroit (9-5) by one game, with the two teams meeting at Ford Field on the final week of the season.

Cowboys Defeat Bucs On Sunday Night - The Dallas Cowboys beat Tampa Bay on Sunday Night Football, 26-20, and not only improved to 12-2 on the season, but also knocked the Bucs out of a tie for first place in the NFC South. Atlanta thumped the 49ers at home earlier in the afternoon and ultimately regained a one-game lead in the division with just two weeks left. Drama!