In the NFL, no lead is safe — especially not late in the season. Teams desperate to make the playoffs compete with a never-give-up attitude, as if their seasons are on the line — and often, they are. That sense of urgency was on full display in the league’s Week 15 slate of games.

Six teams have already notched wins after trailing by at least 10 points in the week’s matchups, tying the NFL’s record for double-digit comebacks in a single week that was last accomplished in Week 5 of this season. And that’s before the Miami Dolphins visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in a “Monday Night Football” clash. Several teams that found themselves down early on the scoreboards dug deep to extend their postseason hopes; or, for teams like the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons that have already been eliminated from playoff contention, they found ways to win, perhaps out of simple pride.

Here’s a breakdown of Week 15’s comebacks and their playoff ramifications:

Buffalo Bills 35, New England Patriots 31

It appeared this game was going to be a laugher. The Patriots scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions. In that span, the Bills punted three times and had two three-and-outs.

But after the Patriots went up 21-0, the Bills went on a 28-3 run (yes, 28-3) to take their first lead of the game at 28-24 in the fourth quarter. The Patriots responded with an electric 65-yard touchdown run from TreVeyon Henderson to retake the lead, but the Bills hit back with a touchdown of their own. That proved to be the winning score, as the Patriots went three-and-out on their next drive and couldn’t convert on a fourth down on their final drive.

The win for the Bills helped their playoff chances, as Buffalo is now 10-4 and in the second wild-card spot (they lose the tiebreaker to the 10-4 Los Angeles Chargers). More than that, the Bills prevented the Patriots from clinching the AFC East title and remain in striking distance in the division at just one game back with three games to go. The Bills have the fourth-easiest remaining schedule while the Patriots have the seventh-easiest. For the Patriots, the loss put them behind the Denver Broncos in the race for the No. 1 seed in the conference and a first-round bye.

Los Angeles Chargers 16, Kansas City Chiefs 13

The Chargers closed the door on a dynasty in more ways than one.

Down 13-3 with less than 10 seconds left in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chargers were teetering. The Chiefs, playing at home and knowing a loss would likely end their playoff hopes, were in control early before touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to KeAndre Lambert-Smith just before halftime trimmed the Kansas City advantage to 13-10.

A dogfight followed in the second half. The Chargers edged ahead 16-13 on a pair of field goals and never relinquished the lead. After the final whistle, the Kansas City loss — along with several other results around the league — eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention for the first time since 2014 and the first time in Patrick Mahomes’ career.

Behind the quarterback play of Mahomes, Kansas City appeared to take over for the Bill Belichick- and Tom Brady-led Patriots as the NFL’s incumbent dynasty. From 2016 through 2024, the Chiefs won nine straight AFC West titles, the second-longest divisional title streak in league history. Since Mahomes took over as starter in 2018, Kansas City earned the AFC’s top seed six times, reached five Super Bowls, and won three. Mahomes has never played a game with his team eliminated from postseason contention, and he still won’t after suffering a torn ACL on the final drive of the game.

Detroit Lions 41, Los Angeles Rams, 34

The Rams had no answer for Jared Goff, Amon Ra St. Brown and the Lions’ passing attack early in the game. The Lions took a 24-14 lead over the Rams late in the second quarter, but the Rams capitalized on their double-up opportunity. They scored a field goal in 30 seconds to end the first half and tacked on another three points coming out of the third quarter to close the gap to 24-20.

The next five drives essentially decided the game. On the Rams’ two drives, Los Angeles scored touchdowns. On Detroit’s three drives, the Lions went three-and-out. The Rams had a 34-24 lead going into the fourth quarter and managed to hang on for the win.

The win clinched a playoff spot for the Rams and kept them atop the NFC, while the loss eliminated the Lions’ margin for error, as they sit outside of the playoff picture. They’ve alternated between wins and losses for the last nine games after starting the season 4-1 and own just a 25 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to The Athletic’s NFL playoff simulator.

Indianapolis Colts 18, Seattle Seahawks 16

Philip Rivers’ first touchdown in five years gave the Colts a 13-3 lead over the Seahawks late in the second quarter. The Seahawks came back with a field goal 93 seconds later just before halftime, which was a theme on the night for Seattle.

Indianapolis’ offense went stale after Rivers’ touchdown. Their next three drives ended in punts as the Seahawks chipped away with field goals to take a 15-13 lead with 2:27 to play. But Rivers and the Colts finally answered and Blake Grupe nearly became the hero with a go-ahead 60-yard field goal with 47 seconds left. But Seattle got Jason Myers in position for a 56-yard kick with 18 seconds to play and his sixth field goal of the game was enough to get the job done.

The game was critical for both teams. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Tennessee Titans and remain on Seattle’s tail at 10-4. The win kept the Seahawks at 11-3, tied with the Rams. Los Angeles currently has the tiebreak with the head-to-head win, which has the Rams atop the division and the conference, but a huge head-to-head matchup looms on Thursday. The Colts’ playoff chances took another hit, as they remain one game back of the Houston Texans for the final wild-card spot.

New Orleans Saints 20, Carolina Panthers 17

The Saints were already out of playoff contention, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss on Thursday night gave the Panthers a chance to take the lead in the NFC South divisional race heading into the final three weeks of the season. And Carolina seemed to be on its way to doing just that, leading 17-7 with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter in New Orleans.

But New Orleans rookie quarterback Tyler Shough seems to have Carolina’s number. Both of the most prolific passing performances in Shough’s young career have come against the Panthers. He threw for a career-best 282 yards in a 17-7 victory over Carolina on Nov. 9, then followed it up Sunday when he passed for 272 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that helped push New Orleans to a 20-17 comeback win.

Shough is now 3-5 as a starter, with two of those wins coming against the Panthers. The Saints’ comeback allowed Tampa Bay to stay tied with Carolina atop the NFC South, just in time for the Buccaneers to face the Panthers in a Week 16 contest where the winner will emerge with sole possession of the division lead.

Atlanta Falcons 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28

The Falcons were also already eliminated from playoff contention and the Bucs looked poised to move a step closer to an NFC South title when they lead 28-14 early in the fourth quarter on “Thursday Night Football.”

But Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins, starting in place of the injured Michael Penix Jr., threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns in a Falcons win that came down to pride. One of Cousins’ three touchdowns came with 3:34 remaining, to pull Atlanta within two points, down 28-26. A Falcons stop on the next drive set up one last chance for Atlanta with two minutes remaining. Cousins, fifth among active quarterbacks with 32 game-winning drives, led Atlanta down the field to set up Zane Gonzalez’s game-winning, 43-yard field goal.

The result initially dealt a blow to Tampa Bay’s division title hopes and set coach Todd Bowles off on an expletive-laced postgame tirade. After the game, the Bucs had dropped down to a 53 percent chance to make the playoffs. But the Saints’ comeback win over the Panthers restored order for Tampa Bay, which now is back up to a 76 percent chance at reaching the postseason.