While "Greatness on the Road" is designated to highlight the players that stood out, Week 15 was a period of greatness for road teams overall in the NFL.
Heading into Monday night's battle, squads playing in an opposing stadium accumulated an 8-7 record overall. Even if the underdog Panthers lose to the Redskins in Washington, road teams would finish with their first non-losing record since Week 10.
If Cam Newton and Co. can pull off the upset win (or more fittingly, a tie), however, this would be the first time road teams finished above .500 since the opening week of this season.
Teams took care of business on the road in many different fashions in Week 15: From taking advantage of a miraculous performance by a backup quarterback, to riding a running back who has been the center of one of the biggest fantasy football debates this season, or even being led by a free-agent acquisition having his biggest game of the season in a surprising defensive battle. Here are your three stars from Week 15:
Greatest on the Road
Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins
Who doesn't love rooting for an underdog to come out on top in a holiday story? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Tiny Tim. John McClane (Die Hard is a Christmas movie, folks).
So when Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore torched the Jets in his first start since 2011, he provided another heart-warming tale a week before Christmas Eve.
Taking over for an injured Ryan Tannehill, Moore made the most of his 18 passing attempts -- throwing for 236 yards (13.1 yards per attempt!) and four touchdowns.
He did face some early adversity: The team punted on its first two possessions and trailed the Jets 7-0 at the end of the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Moore bounced back, though. He converted two important third-down throws on the following drive, including a 1-yard touchdown toss to Dion Sims. Moore's 52-yard deep ball on third down to Kenny Stills gave Miami a 13-7 lead just before the half.
While Moore did throw an interception on the team's first drive of the second half, he completed all his throws for the remainder of the game, and orchestrated two more touchdown drives to propel Miami to a 34-13 blowout win and 9-5 record.
If the backup signal-caller continues to thrive in the heat of a playoff race, it will cause Dolphins fans to channel their inner Britney Spears by exclaiming "Gimme Moore!"
Also considered...
Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers
"Why isn't he also listed as a running back?"
This was the question asked by thousands of fantasy owners regarding second-year wideout Ty Montgomery. Green Bay's Swiss Army knife flashed immense potential as a ball carrier and receiving threat out of the backfield, but fantasy platforms and Packers coach Mike McCarthy stubbornly refused to officially name him a running back.
That changed this week, as McCarthy anointed Montgomery as a back, and the Stanford product took advantage by rushing for 162 yards and two scores on just 16 carries in a 30-27 win over the Bears. If rocking the sleeveless look in the near-zero Chicago temperatures wasn't indicative already of his toughness, 156 of Montgomery's 162 rushing yards came after contact, per Pro Football Focus.
Bruce Irvin, Oakland Raiders
When Bruce Irvin signed a four-year deal to come to Oakland this past offseason, the Raiders dreamed of a dynamic pass-rushing tandem alongside Khalil Mack. With the Raiders trying to fend off the Chiefs for an AFC West title and first-round bye, Irvin put together his most dominant performance since donning the silver and black.
The former Seahawk was a disruptive force of nature in San Diego, racking a season-high two sacks to go with a forced fumble.
With the Chargers down three with 2:35 left and the ball in Philip Rivers' hands, Irvin shut down the potential game-tying or go-ahead drive before it could even get going. He sacked Rivers on second down for a 5-yard loss, sending the clock spiraling down to the two-minute warning. It was also Irvin's pressure on fourth-and-15 that forced the Chargers quarterback into throwing a game-sealing and playoff-clinching interception for the Raiders.
