The Cowboys may be peaking at the right time

It was a record-breaking week in the NFL. From Drew Brees' 541st passing touchdown to Lamar Jackson's 1,103 rushing yards on the season, here are the top five takeaways from Week 15 of the regular season.

1. The Cowboys may be peaking at the right time

It’s been a perplexing season for Jerry Jones’ franchise. The 7-7 Cowboys, brimming with talent at almost every position, had yet to beat a team above .500 until Dallas slapped the 8-6 Rams with a 44-21 loss Sunday.

The Cowboys did it in style, as Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott combined for 248 rushing yards, and the Dallas defense held L.A. to 22 yards on the ground. Quarterback Dak Prescott added 212 yards and two scores through the air, which helped Dallas pile up 475 yards of offense, compared to the Rams’ 289.

If Dallas can maintain momentum, it’ll be primed for a playoff run. First the Cowboys need to defeat arch nemesis Philly on the road to secure first place in the NFC East. The Eagles required a late push to defeat 3-11 Washington on Sunday and will go down in flames if Dallas plays like it did against the Rams in Week 15.

2. Drew Brees surpasses Manning’s career TD record

The playoff-bound Saints celebrated a historic outing on Monday Night Football, when 40-year-old Drew Brees broke Peyton Manning’s mark of 539 touchdown passes.

Brees tossed four TDs in New Orleans’ 34-7 beatdown of the Colts and ended the evening with 541. Tom Brady is sitting on 538, so Brees might not hold the top spot by the end of the season.

The Saints quarterback is already the all-time leader in completions (6,792) and passing yards (72,577), but he added another record in Monday’s contest. Brees connected on all but one of his 30 passes, putting him at a 96.7 completion percentage, the best by a quarterback in a single game.

3. Lamar Jackson’s historical season is only going to get better

It couldn’t have worked out better for the NFL in Week 15, which saw two record-setting performances on prime-time television. During Thursday Night Football, Ravens dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson broke Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback and closed out the night at 1,103 yards for the season.

The Ravens annihilated the Jets, 42-21, in Jackson’s third five-touchdown showing of the year. Jackson also tied Vinny Testaverde for most passing touchdowns by a Ravens quarterback in one season (33) and will certainly move into first place over the next two games.

The MVP frontrunner is 111 passing yards away from becoming the first player to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in a season, and the Ravens are 336 yards away from achieving the single-season rushing record (3,165) for a team.

The NFL’s 100th season has been loaded with history, and it’s only going to get more exciting down the stretch.

4. 49ers couldn’t afford loss against Falcons

The San Francisco 49ers reclaimed the top seed in the NFC in Week 14, only to lay an egg at home against the most dangerous sub-.500 team in the league, the Atlanta Falcons.

The 49ers held a 22-17 lead with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but their top-ranked pass defense (which was missing a handful of starters with injuries) allowed Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to connect with Julio Jones for a touchdown to go up 23-22. Then Olamide Zaccheaus returned a fumble for a score to seal a 29-22 Falcons upset.

The Niners fell back down to the fifth seed in the NFC as a result, and NFC West foe Seattle emerged at the top of the standings. San Francisco still clinched its first playoff berth since 2013, but it could have held on to the No. 1 seed had it just rolled past its less-talented counterpart Sunday.

5. The good and bad of Jameis Winston

If you picked up Jameis Winston in fantasy football, you’re surely praising the Buccaneers quarterback for his back-to-back games with more than 450 passing yards, plus his nine total touchdowns between Weeks 14 and 15.

If you’re on the Buccaneers coaching staff, you’re likely still unsure about the turnover-prone quarterback's future in Tampa Bay. In the final year of his contract, the fifth-year QB has accumulated 4,573 passing yards and has posted 10 games with at least 300 passing yards in 2019 (best in the league). Still, he's tossed 24 interceptions, six fewer than his total passing touchdowns on the season, and fumbled the ball 12 times.

He is also leading the league in interceptions returned for touchdowns (five), so his turnovers are especially costly. Tampa Bay could move on to someone else in 2020, but Winston has shown plenty of upside, in the midst of all his issues, and might find the right fit on another team if he can improve his decision making and take better care of the ball.

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