The #NFL on Twitter: Week 15

Week 15 of the #NFL saw three teams clinch division titles, another team clinch a playoff berth, a handful of teams fall completely out of the playoff picture and a few major injuries to key players. With two weeks left in the regular season, all of the @NFL action on and off the gridiron played out on Twitter.

Despite their recent history of struggling in December, the @dallascowboys came into Philly on @SNFonNBC and beat the @Eagles 38-27. Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) caught three TDs from Tony Romo as the Cowboys moved into first place in the NFC East with the big win.

The NFL’s leading rusher, DeMarco Murray (@DemarcoMurray), scored twice on the ground for the Cowboys but broke a bone in his hand in the fourth quarter. Dallas hopes he can play this Sunday. And Philly’s starting quarterback Nick Foles (@NFoles_9) still isn’t cleared to return to play this week.

An AFC East battle between the @Patriots and @MiamiDolphins was no contest as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) and Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) led New England to a 41-14 blowout over Miami. The Pats clinched a division title with the win.

The @Broncos clinched their fourth consecutive AFC West crown behind five field goals from kicker Connor Barth (@contbarth) in their 22-10 win over division foe San Diego @Chargers.

A defensive battle resulted in a 17-10 @Colts win over the @HoustonTexans. Andrew Luck threw another two TDs as Indy clinched the AFC South division title.

Houston lost starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for the rest of the season with a broken leg.

In perhaps the biggest upset of the week, the @buffalobills defense and special teams led them to a shocking 21-13 win over the @Packers. Green Bay fell from the two seed in the NFC to six.

The @Seahawks defense continued their great play in a 17-7 win over the @49ers. The loss eliminated San Francisco from the playoffs, while Seattle now has a chance for the one seed in the NFC thanks to the Green Bay loss.

The @Lions held on to win a close one against the @Vikings 16-14, keeping their playoff hopes strong as they moved to 10-4 on the season.

While all of the pre-game attention was on the debut of Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) starting his first game for the @Browns, the @Bengals dominated the actual game behind a stout defense and stellar running game led by Jeremy Hill (@JeremyHill33) in a 30-0 blowout.

The @Steelers road the back of running back Le’veon Bell (@L_Bell26) in their 27-20 win over the @Atlanta_Falcons.

On @ESPNMondaynight, the @Saints moved into first place in the NFC South after they easily handled the @ChicagoBears 31-15 thanks to 375 passing yards and three TDs from New Orleans QB @drewbrees.

Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) came off the bench and played well for the @Redskins, but rising star rookie WR Odell Beckham, Jr. (@OBJ_3) scored three TDs in the @Giants 24-13 win over Washington.

Also in week 15 of the #NFL: The @Ravens stayed in the playoff hunt with a 20-12 win over @Jaguars; the @Panthers won a close NFC South showdown over the @TBBuccaneers 20-19 (without starting QB @CameronNewton); and the @KCChiefs easily took care of division rival @RAIDERS 31-13.

Most-mentioned #NFL players and teams

Here are the top five most-mentioned #NFL players (player name and/or player Twitter handle) on Twitter during week 15 of play (Thursday, Dec. 11 through Monday, Dec. 15):

1. Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2)
2. Dez Bryant (@DezBryant)
3. Odell Beckham, Jr. (@OBJ_3)
4. Cam Newton (@CameronNewton)
5. Tom Brady

Here are the top five most-mentioned team accounts on Twitter during week 15 of play (Thursday, Dec. 11 through Monday, Dec. 15):

1. Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys)
2. New England Patriots (@Patriots)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles)
4. San Francisco 49ers (@49ers)
5. Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills)

Click on the image below to explore this data visualization that features week 15’s most-mentioned players and teams (and related Tweets). We will update this data viz each week of the season on Tuesdays.

Most-Tweeted games and moments

Here are the top five most-Tweeted games during and around live telecasts based on number of Tweets, as measured by Nielsen Social (@NielsenSocial).

1. @dallascowboys vs. @Eagles (NBC)
2. @Bengals vs. @Browns (FOX)
3. @Saints vs. @ChicagoBears (ESPN)
4. @MiamiDolphins vs. @Patriots (CBS)
5. @Packers vs @buffalobills (FOX)

And here are the moments that sparked the top Tweets per minute (TPM) peaks during live televised games, as measured by Nielsen Social (@NielsenSocial). Data includes one top minute per game telecast.

1. End of game: @dallascowboys defeat the @Eagles 38-27
2. End of game: @buffalobills upset the @Packers 21-13.
3. @Bengals DB Adam Jones (@REALPACMAN24) intercepts a pass by @Browns QB Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) with 1:17 left in the first half.
4. @Saints safety Pierre Warren (@Carmelle_P) intercepts a pass by @ChicagoBears QB Jay Cutler (Cutler’s third INT of the game) with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter.
5. On third and 11 from the Miami 20-yard line with 11:52 left in the third quarter, @Patriots QB Tom Brady scrambles 17 yards for a first down.

See more here from @NielsenSocial on the reach of Twitter activity around this past week’s #NFL games.

Miss a touchdown from week 15? @NFL has you covered:

And here’s a collection featuring Tweets from week 15:

Remember to follow the NFL action on Twitter all season long and come back every Tuesday as we recap how the #NFL played out each week. And in case you missed it, check out this blog post on our #NFL fan follower map.