Week 16

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (38) vs. LOS ANGELES RAMS (37)

Through the first 52 minutes, the Los Angeles Rams were in perfect position to put the game away against the Seattle Seahawks. The offense scored on six of their first eight drives and gave the Rams a commanding 30-14 lead with close to eight minutes remaining. Seattle had their moments with two touchdowns on the opening possessions of both halves, but three turnovers allowed LA to go ahead by double digits in the first place. Two of them were interceptions thrown by Sam Darnold and it felt like there was no chance for the Seahawks to come back and win this game. 

With eight minutes left, Rashid Shaheed gave Seattle a spark with a 58 yard touchdown on a punt return and an ensuing two point conversion from Cooper Kupp cut the Seattle deficit to eight. The Rams proceeded to go three-and-out on the following possession and all of a sudden, Darnold was in position to tie things up with plenty of time left. However, it only took two plays for the Seahawks to get back on the board. After a 31 yard run from Shaheed on an end-around, Darnold found AJ Barner wide open down the right side of the field for a touchdown to make it a two point game! What occurred next was probably the wackiest two point conversion play I think anyone has seen. From a glance, it looked like Darnold threw a simple screen to Zach Charbonnet, but the pass was deflected and ruled incomplete. However, after further review, it appeared to be a backward pass. As the ball rolled in the end zone, Charbonnet had the presence of mind to pick it up while he was in the end zone and that was how the Seahawks were able to even the score! To this day, I’m still perplexed by it myself, but there were six and a half minutes left. This game was far from over, so there was no time to get caught up on one play.

What ensued in the final minutes of regulation turned into a gutsy defensive stronghold in which neither team could score. The Rams had a chance to kick a 48 yard field goal before the two minute warning, but Harrison Mevis pulled it wide to the right. This game was going into overtime and whoever won was going to be in a better position to secure the number one seed in the NFC in the next two weeks.

LA got the ball to start the extra period and their offense finally got out of their funk. Matthew Stafford, who finished the night with 457 yards and three touchdown passes, drove the offense 80 yards down the field in only eight plays. It nearly ended with a costly interception to former Rams linebacker Ernest Jones, but he never secured possession of the ball. Three plays later, Stafford hit Puka Nacua over the middle on a 41 yard catch-and-run for a go-ahead touchdown. Say what you will about what Nacua did off the field this past week, but he still caught 12 passes for 225 yards, so there is no question that he showed up in this pivotal game. However, Darnold now took the spotlight and the whole world was watching.

Normally, the narrative is that the Seahawks quarterback would crumble under the pressure and fail to close the deal against his biggest nemesis over the past couple of seasons. Instead, he completely shut the critics up with the biggest drive of his life. Two fantastic sideline catches from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp allowed Seattle to march into the red zone in just over two minutes, but the clock was ticking down. On first and goal at the four yard line, Darnold threw a dart to Smith-Njigba for a touchdown, but the offense stayed on the field. Mike Macdonald decided to go for two and the win, rather than give Stafford another chance to stamp himself as the MVP. After multiple timeouts, the Seahawks offense ran the play and Darnold found tight end Eric Saubert wide open in the end zone to end the game once and for all! It was as clutch of a pass as he could have thrown because LA defensive tackle Kobie Turner was a split second away from batting that pass down to the ground. 

There have been so many games where you could say it was the game of the year, but this one definitely tops the list for the time being. Nobody could have anticipated that the Seahawks were going to overcome a 30-14 deficit against the class of their division in the Rams. However, as we thought narratives would be maintained, Seattle overcame the odds and pulled off their most convincing victory of the season. As a result, this team sure as hell earned a lot more respect as a dangerous contender. Most importantly, Darnold quite possibly had the best game of his career when you consider the degree of difficulty and circumstances. Was he perfect? Absolutely not. However, not only did he finally beat the Rams in a pivotal showdown, but he put the team on his back and made incredible plays in the clutch to give his team the win.

The Seahawks come back to win an outstanding game and now hold the number one seed in the NFC at 12-3, with a trip on the road for another exciting matchup ahead as they play the Carolina Panthers. The Rams blow a massive opportunity but are still 11-4 and will have a chance to bounce back on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (29) vs. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (18)

This might not have been the most exciting matchup to watch on Saturday afternoon, but it was a big one for the Philadelphia Eagles. All they needed was a win and they would be the first team since 2004 to win the NFC East in consecutive seasons. At first, things looked rocky and it was because of their special teams.

Will Shipley fumbled the football on the opening kickoff and Jake Elliott alarmingly missed two field goals on consecutive possessions, which allowed Washington to take a 10-7 lead at halftime. Throughout the first half, Philadelphia’s offense didn’t have any trouble moving the football. However, they only scored one touchdown on four possessions and let Marcus Mariota hang around a little longer than expected. The defense wasn’t given the best field position, but they had trouble slowing down the run. The Eagles were only down by three at the break, so all it took were a few adjustments on both sides of the ball and it would be a completely different half.

On the opening drive of the third quarter, Mariota suffered a hand and quad injury that knocked him out of the game. Philadelphia’s offense then proceeded to go on a 17 play touchdown drive that took over 10 and a half minutes off the clock, giving them a four point lead. The minute Josh Johnson took the field, it didn’t look like the Commanders were going to be able to stay competitive for much longer. Sure enough, Johnson threw an interception to Cooper DeJean on his first possession and it gave all the momentum the Eagles needed to put this game out of reach.

In the fourth quarter, Philadelphia’s offense adopted a simple “ground and pound” approach and the Commanders had no answers to slow it down. Saquon Barkley finished the game with 132 yards on 21 carries, while Tank Bigsby put the icing on the cake with a 22 yard touchdown to increase the lead to 29-10. Jalen Hurts didn’t need to do too much as a result, but still had an efficient performance and did more than enough to win. As for Washington, the only time their offense reached the end zone was in garbage time. Simply put, they just got outplayed and outmatched by a stronger defense. The minute the Eagles stopped getting in their own way, this game wasn’t even close. 

The Eagles officially clinch the NFC East at 10-5 and will stay on the road for a big showdown against the Buffalo Bills. The Commanders get neutralized and fall to 4-11, staying home on a short week to welcome another division rival as they play the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas.

CHICAGO BEARS (22) vs. GREEN BAY PACKERS (16)

The NFL is really better when the Packers and Bears are promising teams with legitimate playoff aspirations. Both teams had a lot on the line entering Saturday night. With a win and Detroit loss, one of them would be the first in the NFC North to not only clinch a playoff spot, but be one step away from clinching the division. Green Bay needed to prove that they could overcome a few key injuries and still be a serious contender, but Chicago wanted to show the world that they are not a fluke to be dismissed. 

Through 58 minutes, it was an old-school defensive slugfest harkening back to the days of Vince Lombardi and George Halas. Both offenses marched all the way down the field on their opening possessions, but each of them failed to convert on fourth down attempts inside the ten yard line. The Packers ended up scoring six points off of two made field goals from Brandon McManus, while the Bears couldn’t score the rest of the half. The struggles didn’t stop there.

At the start of the third quarter, Chicago kicked a field goal to cut their deficit to three, but their defense let Malik Willis move the ball all the way inside their five yard line. It looked like Green Bay was going to completely seize the momentum, but Josh Jacobs got the ball punched out on a handoff and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds recovered the football! However, the Bears offense punted the ball back in just four plays. Near the end of the period, Willis threw a perfect 33 yard dime down the left side of the field to Romeo Doubs for a touchdown, giving the Packers 13-3 lead. 

Each team traded field goals on the next three drives before the two minute warning, but Chicago still trailed 16-9. The offense had yet to reach the end zone, yet the defense was absolutely fantastic in the red zone. The Packers had five trips inside the 20 yard line but failed to score a touchdown on all five of them. As the Bears made it a one score game again, Ben Johnson decided to go for the onside kick. Even though they had two timeouts, Johnson knew his offense was not going to have enough time to tie the game. On the kick, Doubs was in a perfect position to make the catch, but the ball went right through his hands and Chicago recovered the ball at their own 47 yard line! 

Now Caleb Williams had 1:56 to go down the field and tie the game. Just like he did on the final drive a couple weeks ago in Lambeau Field, he was in full command of the offense. After a simple pass to Colston Loveland to get in Green Bay territory, Williams fired a 20 yard rope over the middle to DJ Moore in the red zone, but the Bears faced fourth down and four at the six yard line. With no other choice but to go for it, the season was on the line. Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley dialed up an all-out blitz and amidst the pressure, Williams found receiver Jahdae Walker wide open in the end zone for the touchdown! I personally thought Johnson would go for two to get the win, but we instead got another overtime game!

Malik Willis got the ball to start the extra period and on the second play, he found Jayden Reed wide open for a 31 yard pickup and the Packers were already in enemy territory. However, the Bears were able to force a fourth and one at the 36 yard line. Matt LaFleur kept the offense on the field instead of attempting a 54 yard field goal. Leading up to this play, Green Bay totaled over 190 yards on the ground, so it looked like this would be a simple handoff to Emmanuel Wilson. However, we didn’t even get a chance to see what the call was because Willis botched the snap and Chicago’s defense forced a huge stop to give the offense the ball back! They only needed one more score on the board and they would win!

Just four plays later, Caleb Williams stood firm in the pocket and launched a shot down the left side to DJ Moore. Beating Keisean Nixon towards the end zone, Moore held onto the ball and the Bears won on a 46 yard touchdown pass! The scene at Soldier Field was pandemonium. Chicago felt a sense of jubilation and excitement they haven’t felt in years. The Bears were going to be back in the playoffs with an exciting offense and opportunistic defense. The simple fact that they beat the Packers to accomplish this goal was even sweeter. This was an outstanding grudge match that gave us all the hype and excitement we wanted, but one team just made a few more plays down the stretch than the other. Green Bay had several chances to make sure they would not lose this game, but they were pitiful in the red zone and they literally fumbled away their final chance in overtime. 

The Bears win the biggest game of their lives at home and now lead the NFC North at 10-4, but will travel across the country for another challenging matchup as they take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Meanwhile, the Packers are in trouble as they are now 9-5-1 and will head back home for a must-win showdown against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (29) vs. NEW YORK JETS (6)

Even though this might be considered a meaningless game between two teams that won’t make the playoffs this year, it actually played out exactly the way I thought it would. I figured the Jets would play somewhat scrappy through the first 45 minutes, but they would soon wear out in the fourth and lose by double digits. Sure enough, it’s exactly what happened.

In the first half, neither team could score a touchdown. The Jets defense actually forced a turnover on the second play of the game and later forced a fourth down stop midway through the second quarter, but the offense unsurprisingly failed to capitalize as they only totaled 92 yards and scored six points off of two field goals by Nick Folk. New Orleans, on the other hand, should have led by a lot more points. Tyler Shough threw for 206 yards in just the first 30 minutes, but the offense settled for a few field goals of their own and only led by three at the break.

The offensive struggles continued for most of the third quarter until Chris Olave got loose down the right sideline in the final seconds for a 23 yard touchdown. When New York got the ball back, Brady Cook got the ball knocked out on a strip sack from Nathan Shepherd, and New Orleans recovered. The Saints proceeded to score on their next three drives while the Jets were completely shut down the rest of the day. Shough finished the afternoon with over 300 yards on 32 completions, while Cook could only muster up 188 yards and he got sacked eight times! New York’s offense went two for fifteen on third down, but went zero for nine in the second half. Simply put, the better quarterback won.

The Saints win their third game in a row and are now 5-10, with a trip on the road to see if they can continue their streak as they take on the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the Jets once again get outmatched and they fall to 3-12, heading back home to play the New England Patriots. 

BUFFALO BILLS (23) vs. CLEVELAND BROWNS (20)

I don’t know what was worse about this game: the fact the Bills looked really sloppy in the second half or that the Browns failed to take advantage of it whatsoever. It wasn’t surprising that Buffalo won; they were the way better team entering this game. However, what should have been a resounding victory turned into a tight three-point finish.

Through the first thirty minutes, it looked like this would be a simple business trip for the Bills offense. James Cook already had 100 yards and two touchdowns, Josh Allen only threw one incompletion, and they were able to reach the end zone on three straight possessions to take a lead. Their defense didn’t get off to a promising start as they let up a touchdown on the opening drive, but after Jordan Poyer picked off Shadeur Sanders off a dropped pass from Quinshon Judkins, the Browns only scored three more points for the rest of the half and Buffalo took a commanding 20-10 lead at the break. 

In the second half, the Bills offense completely disappeared. They only scored three more points, which was thanks to an interception by DaQuan Jones at the Cleveland 25 yard line, and only totaled 62 more yards. Cook only picked up 17 more yards on the ground while Allen completed just 50% of his passes with 44 yards of his own. They even decided to go for it on fourth down twice in scoring range, but failed to convert both times. Cleveland’s offense did enough to make it a three point game with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter, but did nothing on their final two drives and it was just enough for the Bills to hang on.

Sanders finished the afternoon completing 20 of 29 passes for 157 yards with two interceptions. Quinshon Judkins unfortunately suffered a broken leg in the first half, but the Browns still managed to run for 160 yards with Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams as the two lead backs. This team had a chance to pull off one of the most shocking upsets of the season, but they made too many mistakes to win that game, which is the one thing you cannot do against a team like Buffalo.

The Bills survive a sloppy game on the road and are officially in the playoffs at 11-4, with a trip back home for a tougher matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Meanwhile, the Browns lose their fourth straight game to fall to 3-12 and will head back home to play the Pittsburgh Steelers.

TENNESSEE TITANS (26) vs. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (9)

Who could ever anticipate that people would be too depressed to watch the Chiefs play another football game this year? Not only did they get blown out by the three-win Titans on the road, but their backup quarterback Gardner Minshew also suffered a season ending knee injury just a few seconds into the second quarter. The minute Chris Oladukon took the field and his first play ended with a safety, it was essentially game over.

The Titans might have only been ahead by three at halftime, but the offense had their best performance of the season. Cam Ward went 21 of 28 for 228 passing yards with a couple touchdown passes and zero turnovers. Tony Pollard had his third straight game of 100 yards on 21 carries, while Tyjae Spears totaled over 100 yards from scrimmage as well. I just wish they didn’t have to commit 12 penalties, but they still possessed the ball for 38 minutes! 

Kansas City, on the other hand, just looked lifeless and defeated. Oladukon wasn’t completely horrible, but he got sacked four times and failed to score a touchdown against a patchwork Titans defense. Once again, their running game was non-existent and the offensive line looked battered. The team committed 10 more penalties for 81 yards, the offense only picked up nine first downs, they were one for nine on third down and barely totaled 130 yards. This is what I feared would happen before this game started. Many casual fans don’t pay attention to the preseason, but the Chiefs have been awful in that stage the last two years and it’s because they don’t have a lot of good backup players or third-string guys. They have a very top-heavy roster and sure enough, with Patrick Mahomes out for the rest of the season, that loss against the Titans exposed its flaws. It can’t get any worse, can it? Wait, what do you mean they’re moving away from Arrowhead? 

The Titans win a big game at home and are now 3-12, staying home to welcome the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, the Chiefs lose their fourth straight game to fall to 6-9 and will head back home on a short week to play the Denver Broncos on Christmas.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (34) vs. DALLAS COWBOYS (17)

Throughout the first half, neither offense could be stopped. Literally. Both teams had three total drives in the first 30 minutes and scored points on all three of them. Justin Herbert and Dak Prescott each completed 14 passes with 150+ passing yards and two touchdown passes. The Cowboys might have gotten the ball to start, but the Chargers were the ones that led by four at halftime because their defense was the only one to force a field goal. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the back-and-forth shootout we wanted. 

Just two plays into the second half, Herbert threw a 50 yard rocket to Quentin Johnston that already set LA up into field goal range, but the Dallas defense finally forced a stop to keep the game within reach. Both teams punted on their next possessions, but it only took Dak Prescott eight plays to get his offense back into the red zone. However, the Cowboys faced a critical fourth and one at the 16 yard line. They went for it and handed the ball off to the fullback Hunter Luepke up the gut, but he was just short and the Chargers were able to take over on downs. Even though they settled for another field goal, LA was now ahead by double digits and started to steal momentum by the minute. Dallas decided to go for it on fourth down again on their next possession, this time from their own 46 yard line, and they once again failed to convert. When Herbert got the ball back, he marched his offense right down the field in just six plays and Omarion Hampton put the game away with a touchdown to increase the lead to 17. 

Although Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention before the game started, they had a legitimate chance to play spoiler and delay Los Angeles from earning a spot. To say this was just another game where their offense played well but the defense was horrible would be an incorrect assessment. This was a game that the Cowboys had a realistic chance of winning, but one stop on fourth down made the game one sided. In the second half alone, they got outscored 17-0 and the more the offense stalled out, the worse the defense looked. 

As for the Chargers, they officially earned a playoff spot for the second straight year. This has not been an easy season for Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh, but things are starting to click at the best possible time. All they need to do now is prove they can win a game in the postseason because that is a huge chip their quarterback needs to get off his shoulder. They can even steal the AFC West if things work out in the right direction, but the season is far from over.

The Chargers get a big win on the road and are now 11-4, heading back home for a Saturday grudge match against the Houston Texans. The Cowboys lose their third game in a row to fall to 6-8-1 and will take the road to see if they can salvage some dignity as they play the Washington Commanders.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (16) vs. NEW YORK GIANTS (13)

I get this was a meaningless game, but this was by far the ugliest one of the entire week. You can be positive and say that both defenses looked fantastic, but let’s be realistic: these offenses were horrible. Both teams combined for 21 penalties for 164 yards, there were nine total sacks. When you look at the box score, the Vikings should have won by 20 points!

Jaxson Dart had, by far, the worst game of his rookie season. In the first half, he completed just one pass for two yards. He got sacked three times and threw an interception. He finished the game completing just five more passes for 31 extra yards. The Giants went two for twelve on third down and one for three on fourth, they picked up 12 first downs, and barely cracked 140 yards of offense. Yet somehow, this team only lost by three. 

The only touchdown New York scored was off a scoop-and-score from Tyler Nubin thanks to a strip sack by Brian Burns. JJ McCarthy was responsible for a couple turnovers of his own, but did the bare minimum by giving the Vikings their only touchdown of the afternoon, which was thanks to an interception thrown by Dart. Unfortunately, McCarthy suffered a hand injury that knocked him out for the second half, thrusting Max Brosmer onto the field. Thankfully, he wasn’t as terrible as he was against the Seahawks. In fact, when the game was tied at 13 in the fourth quarter, Brosmer engineered his first career winning drive by setting up a go-ahead field goal with less than five minutes left. He only threw two incompletions and totaled 52 yards in the limited time he played, perfectly managing the game to the best of his abilities.

If you told me Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson would have 80 yards each, the offense would go seven for twelve on third down and the defense would completely shut the Giants down, I would say this was a blowout. Yet it was a lot closer than it should have been. Fortunately, Minnesota’s offense showed somewhat of a pulse and did enough on a few drives, but it’s no wonder why this team looked lost at the halfway point of the season. At least they could finish the season with a winning record?

The Vikings win their third straight game in ugly fashion to improve to 7-8 and will head back home on a short week to welcome the Detroit Lions on Christmas. Meanwhile, the Giants lose their ninth game in a row to fall to 2-13 and will take the road for what should be another ugly game as they take on the Las Vegas Raiders.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (23) vs. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (20)

After the Buccaneers and Panthers blew a chance to take the NFC South lead last week, these teams decided to settle it out together on the surfaces at the Bank of America Stadium. What we got was the grudge match we all expected and wanted to happen. 

Tampa Bay got off to a strong start with a touchdown to Mike Evans on the opening drive and a field goal on their next possession to take a 10-3 lead. However, the offense went three-and-out on back-to-back drives and after the Panthers kicked another field goal to cut their deficit to four, Bryce Young had less than a minute left in the half to take the lead. On second and two at the 22 with seven seconds left, Young threw a perfect pass to Tet McMillan in the end zone for the go-ahead score, putting Carolina ahead by three at the break. 

The Bucs offense received the ball to start the third quarter and just like they did at the beginning of the game, they wasted no time moving the ball down the field. They wound up converting on four straight third down attempts and Sean Tucker put on the finishing touches with a touchdown to put Tampa ahead by four once again. Then Carolina’s offense responded with a sharp scoring drive of their own that ended with a wide open touchdown pass to Ja’Tavion Sanders that put them up by three. Thanks to a sharp kickoff return from Kameron Johnson, the Bucs did enough to set up a 50 yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin and the game was tied at 20 with plenty of time to spare in the fourth.

Each team punted the ball on their ensuing possessions but Young was the one that showed up in the clutch. On third and four at his own 33 yard line with close to three minutes left, the Panthers threw a dime down the right side to Jalen Coker that put the offense well into field goal range. However, Ryan Fitzgerald kicked a go-ahead field goal with 2:20 left, which gave Baker Mayfield more than enough to pull off yet another game-winning drive.

Tampa was backed up at their own 10 yard line thanks to a bone-headed personal foul on the kickoff, but Mayfield used his legs to take off for a huge scramble all the way to the 40 yard line and it looked like the offense would be in business. Then on second and nine at the Carolina 42 yard line, Mayfield threw a costly interception to Lathan Ransom that sealed the deal! What made it worse was that Mayfield tried to find Evans on the play, but the receiver went one way and the quarterback threw it in the opposite direction. 

Honestly, the way this game played out was deserving for both teams. The Panthers finally didn’t frustrate their fans and gave them hope with a huge victory to put them in first place in the NFC South. As for the Bucs, they deserve no sympathy whatsoever. They had a three-week stretch against division rivals that were considered to be inferior. Tampa Bay desperately needed to win all three of them and instead, they fell apart. There might be two more weeks left to go in the regular season, but if this team doesn’t make any massive changes this offseason, then you might as well write off 2026.

The Panthers win a critical game and now lead the NFC South at 8-7, staying home for a tougher matchup as they take on the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Bucs lose for the sixth time in seven games as they slump to 7-8 and will now head back to Florida for a road matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (45) vs. MIAMI DOLPHINS (21)

Quinn Ewers made his first NFL start for the Miami Dolphins against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the first half, it was better than anybody could have expected. The rookie quarterback from Texas completed 10 of 12 passes for 109 yards and the Dolphins only trailed by three points at halftime. It felt like we would get a back-and-forth shootout between two potent offenses and lackluster defenses, but on the third play of the second half, the gates blew open quickly.

On third and fourteen, Ewers found tight end Greg Dulcich over the middle for a 10 yard pickup, but he fumbled the football and Myles Murphy recovered it for the Bengals! From that point on, Cincinnati scored 28 straight points and all of a sudden, they were ahead 45-14 in the fourth quarter. After the first turnover, Ewers proceeded to throw two interceptions and it took until a garbage-time drive for the Dolphins offense to reach the end zone for a third time. He only picked up two more first downs and went zero for five on third down, while Joe Burrow continued to slice and dice Miami’s secondary.

Burrow completed 25 of 32 passes for well over 300 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Every time the Dolphins turned the ball over, Cincinnati’s offense always found a way to capitalize and that was why the gates blew wide open. They were 50% on third down and a perfect six for six in the red zone. Chase Brown and Ja’Marr Chase each had over 100 yards from scrimmage, Tee Higgins caught a touchdown in his return from concussion protocol and we even got to see a griddy from Mike Gesicki. Even though their playoff hopes were crushed weeks ago, it’s at least refreshing to see this offense is still capable of having tremendous performances. 

The Bengals bounce back with a big win on the road and are now 5-10, heading back home to play the Arizona Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Dolphins get blown out once again and fall to 6-9, staying home to see if they can play spoiler against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (34) vs. DENVER BRONCOS (20)

Both teams had a lot at stake entering this game. The Broncos were in search of their 12th straight victory and not only inch closer to an AFC West title, but to gain more traction as the number one seed in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Jaguars were just as hopeful for a win so they could secure a division title of their own. In a potential playoff preview, only one of them had their hopes come true while the other left the field with shame.

Denver was the first team to get the ball rolling as Bo Nix found Courtland Sutton on a couple of big completions down the field to get into scoring range, but the drive stalled out for a 44 yard field goal. However, the normally accurate kicker Wil Lutz doinked the ball off the uprights and the Broncos walked off the field with zero points. Even though it wasn’t a drastic momentum shifter, the Jaguars ended up scoring a touchdown on their ensuing possession and it forced the home team to essentially play keep-up for the rest of the afternoon. Denver only had one three point lead all afternoon, which lasted less than five minutes in the second quarter. Jacksonville led by seven at halftime, but this game was far from over. Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix had their offenses in great shape and had their way against two of the top defenses in football, so there were still two more quarters to see which one would rise up in the end.

Just five plays into the third quarter, RJ Harvey found a crease and barreled through three tackles to explode for a 38 yard touchdown that tied the game at 17. However, that was the only big play the Broncos offense had the entire second half. They only scored three more points the rest of the game, Nix turned it over twice and Jacksonville ended up pulling ahead by double digits. 

Lawrence needed to have a huge game for his team to win and he did exactly that. He might have been sacked five times by the best pass rush in football, but still totaled nearly 300 yards from scrimmage and scored four touchdowns. He went eight for fifteen on third down, four for five in the red zone and possessed the ball for 33 minutes. For him to do that in Mile High against one of the best defenses in football is extremely impressive. In my mind, the better quarterback won.

The Jaguars get a huge win on the road and will maintain the AFC South lead at 11-4, with another trip on the road to see if they can secure the title against the Indianapolis Colts. The Broncos finally lose a game but still hold the best record in the conference at 12-3 and will take the road on a short week to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas.

ATLANTA FALCONS (26) vs. ARIZONA CARDINALS (19)

I was curious to see how this game would play out. Even though both teams weren’t going to make the playoffs, I had a feeling this would be a tightly contested matchup and I was not surprised to see the Falcons win. The reason why is because since Jacoby Brissett has been the Cardinals quarterback, if he is not getting blown out by a division rival, then he is coming up just short in the fourth quarter.

Arizona got off to a promising start on both sides of the ball. The defense picked off Kirk Cousins on his first possession, which set up a fantastic one-handed touchdown catch by Michael Wilson that gave the Cardinals an early 10-0 lead. They got within scoring range on their next three possessions, but settled for field goals on all of them and only two went through the uprights. Eventually, the Falcons got back into the ball game by scoring on their next three drives, but a blocked extra point by Zane Gonzalez and missed field goal by Chad Ryland kept the score even at 16. 

Atlanta took their first lead of the afternoon with a 40 yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez, but when Arizona had a chance to tie the game, Ryland missed another field goal. The Falcons offense then gashed their way down the field with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, setting up a sneak-in touchdown from Kirk Cousins to increase the lead to 10. After the Cardinals went three-and-out on their next possession, it looked like this game was going to get out of hand, but this wouldn’t be a Falcons game without them finding a way to nearly blow it at the end. 

On fourth and one at the Arizona 46 yard line, the offense stayed on the football field and tried to go for it, but a busted play led to a fumble and Arizona recovered it close to midfield. However, they only settled for three points in the red zone and they still trailed by seven. Then the Falcons tried to go for it on fourth and one again, this time from the 39 yard line and a handoff to Allgeier went absolutely nowhere. The Cardinals actually had a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime, but just four plays later, Brissett threw a horrible interception to CJ Henderson that allowed Atlanta to hang on.

This is exactly why the Cardinals have the record they have right now. This is roughly the fifth time where they’ve had a chance to knock off a team considered to be better but they found a way to blow it at the end. This is the type of loss that causes a team to make massive changes at the beginning of the offseason. Heck, they’re already set to move on from Kyler Murray, so who knows who will be shown the door next?

The Falcons survive an ugly finish and are now 6-9, heading back home for a 

Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Meanwhile, the Cardinals lose their seventh straight game to fall to 3-12 and will take the road to play the Cincinnati Bengals.

HOUSTON TEXANS (23) vs. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (21)

I am just surprised as everybody else that this wasn’t a blowout. In fact, this was one of the more competitive games of the season for the Raiders. Ashton Jeanty was a monster with 128 rushing yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns of 50+ yards, the defense held CJ Stroud to just one touchdown on 11 total drives and they only lost by two! Unfortunately, there is one play that really cost Las Vegas this game, which was the pick six to Derek Stingley Jr. on the second drive of the afternoon. It was Geno Smith’s 15th interception of the season and if it were not for that, the Texans were going to be in danger of possibly missing the playoffs. 

From Houston’s standpoint, their offense was surprisingly nowhere to be found. Stroud only threw for 182 yards on 23 completions and failed to score a touchdown through three quarters. The Raiders even had a one point lead midway through the third and they had a chance to pull off one of the most shocking upsets of the season! However, to give the Texans credit, they did enough to get the job done on their final three drives of the afternoon.

It started with a go-ahead field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn from 49 yards away: pretty simple but it wasn’t the one that was going to decide this game. Houston’s defense then forced a punt on the next possession and for the first time all afternoon, their offense moved the ball extremely well. Nick Chubb gave them the spark they needed with a 30 yard run into field goal range, but it was a pass interference penalty on the former Texan Lonnie Johnson that set up a touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz.. Then just five plays later, Jeanty broke loose for a 51 yard rushing touchdown and it was only a two point game with more than five minutes left on the clock. 

The last thing Houston could have done is punt the ball right back because even though they have the best defense in football, Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty were sure as hell capable of making a couple more plays that could have stunned the world. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The Texans faced three straight third downs on their final drive and were able to convert on all three of them to make the Raiders burn all three of their timeouts and for the clock to run out. 

This was surprisingly closer than I thought it would have been. I have to respect Las Vegas for showing some fight and not quitting like they did last week in Philadelphia, but it was not enough this time. Not only did that pick six hurt the team in the long run, their defense just ran out of gas in the final minutes and couldn’t get one more stop. Houston might have looked out of character on both sides of the ball, but they did enough when it mattered most.

The Texans hang on for their seventh win in a row to inch closer to a playoff berth at 10-5 and will take the road for a huge Saturday showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders lose their ninth straight game to fall to 2-13 and will now head back home for what should be an ugly matchup against the New York Giants.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (29) vs. DETROIT LIONS (24)

The NFL really had to give us another jaw-dropping ending. How am I not surprised? Like many other games this week, both teams had a lot on the line from a postseason standpoint. The Lions could not afford another loss or else they would have a very slim chance of making it to January for a third straight season. The Steelers were ahead by a game in the AFC North and needed a win to make sure they were the ones playing for the division title instead of the arch-nemesis Baltimore Ravens. 

There was a lot of action and drama that circulated on Sunday afternoon. There were a few penalties that played a pivotal role in the outcome, DK Metcalf punched a fan near the end of the first half and it was a grudge match that literally came down to the final play. However, my biggest takeaway from this game is simple: the Lions left way too many points off the board and the Steelers took advantage of them. Let’s start with the second drive of the game, where Detroit’s offense marched all the way inside the five yard line. To nobody’s surprise, they decided to go for it on fourth down and it didn’t work out. For the record, the Lions were only down 3-0 at this point in the game and a field goal would have evened the score. Even though Pittsburgh punted on the ensuing possession, they were still ahead. Both offenses eventually reached the end zone and the score was all even at 10. Jared Goff threw a perfect pass to Isaac TeSlaa down the post with two defenders in coverage, while Kenneth Gainwell made one of the most impossible catches of the year to take it to the house on a 45 yard catch-and-run.

The Steelers offense got the ball to begin the third quarter and they wasted no time trying to score. A couple clutch third down conversions from Metcalf and Adam Thielen, followed by a 21 yard run from Jaylen Warren, allowed the Steelers to get in the red zone in less than four minutes. However, just a couple plays later, Darnell Washington tried to lower his shoulder to get a first down inside the five yard line and coughed up the football. Jack Campbell recovered the football at the three and it was the break the Lions needed to try to get back into the game. Then three plays later, Kyle Dugger got through the line off the blitz and sacked Goff in the end zone for a safety, giving Pittsburgh their first lead of the game.

In the first two seconds of the fourth quarter, Chris Boswell made a field goal to make the score 15-10. From there, it looked like this would be a low scoring slugfest that Detroit would lose in an incredibly frustrating fashion, but all hell broke loose on both sides. On Pittsburgh’s next two possessions, Warren broke loose for two huge touchdowns of 45 yards that put them ahead by double digits, but the Lions offense responded with end zone drives of their own that cut the deficit to five. With four minutes left, Aaron Rodgers got the ball back one last time and all he needed were at least a couple more first downs to run out the clock.

It only took two plays for the Steelers to get into field goal range, but the Lions forced a pivotal 37 yard field goal before the two minute warning. At the very least, it would be an eight point game and Detroit would need to tie the score to send it into overtime. But all of a sudden, the kick hit the upright and it was no good! Now their offense was going to get the ball back with 2:05 left on the clock and all they needed was a touchdown to win!

Four plays into the final drive, Detroit already faced fourth and two. Initially, it looked like the game would be over as Goff couldn’t connect with Jameson Williams over the middle, until a pass interference penalty kept the game alive. On the next play, Alex Highsmith was called for tripping and the Lions were already in field goal range. Then just a couple plays after that, Amon-Ra St. Brown got loose on a 24 yard catch-and-run deep into the red zone. TeSlaa got open at the one yard line and on the very next play, St. Brown was wide open for a go-ahead touchdown with 25 seconds left! However, there was a flag on the play and TeSlaa got called for a pick play that pushed Detroit back ten yards. Then a false start took place, which placed the ball at the 16 yard line and they were forced to try to convert on fourth and goal at the nine yard line. On the play, Goff was able to find St. Brown near the goal-line, but Jalen Ramsey stopped him short and the whistles were blown. Initially, the refs said that St. Brown lateraled it back to Goff for a touchdown as the receiver was falling to the ground, but another yellow marker was on the field! It turned out that St. Brown pushed off against Ramsey and got flagged for offensive pass interference, thus nullifying the play and putting Detroit’s playoff hopes in jeopardy.

The Lions want to blame the officials or the injuries in the secondary for them losing what was essentially a “do or die” matchup on their home field, but the reality was that they let so many opportunities fall out of their hands. When you think about the failed fourth down attempt on the second drive and the safety that they allowed in the third quarter, those were at least five points that Detroit would love to have back right now. Jared Goff might have been electric with 364 yards and three touchdowns, but the offense had no running game once again and on four separate trips to the red zone, they cashed in just once. The Steelers had a couple of bad possessions on their part, but went 50% on third down and won the time of possession. Their offense had more gas in the tank and the defense just simply made a few more plays down the stretch. Oh, I almost forgot. Mike Tomlin has officially clinched yet another winning season as the head coach of the Steelers. The streak lives, ladies and gentlemen!

The Steelers hang on for a much-needed win on the road to maintain the division lead at 9-6 and will stay on the road to hopefully not fall into a trap game against the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, the Lions lose consecutive games for the first time all season and are barely hanging on at 8-7, but will need to bounce back quickly as they go on the road to play the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (28) vs. BALTIMORE RAVENS (24)

It is so great that the NFL was able to flex a competitive game onto Sunday Night Football and not make us watch the Dolphins get blown out by the Bengals on a prime time stage. Entering Sunday night, the Patriots and Ravens desperately needed a win for different reasons. All New England needed was to take care of business on the road and they would be back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021, but Baltimore was the more desperate team. With a 7-7 record, they needed to keep up with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the division lead and one more loss could effectively ruin their hopes.

Lamar Jackson got the ball to start the game and it literally took less than three minutes for the Ravens offense to get in the end zone. On the first play, Jackson found Zay Flowers for a 19 yard pickup to the New England 46 yard line, but the King known as Derrick Henry finished the job with a 26 yard touchdown a few plays later. Drake Maye did a good job of getting the Patriots into scoring business on the next possession, but blew that chance as he threw an ill-advised interception to Marlon Humphrey on third and fourteen that left at least a few points off the board. However, New England’s defense forced a huge fumble from Henry that gave their offense a break from letting this game get out of hand quickly. Thanks to a couple of big completions to Mack Hollins and Austin Hooper, Maye was able to find Hunter Henry wide open in the end zone for the tying touchdown and we had ourselves a ball game.Both teams traded field goals on their next possessions and the Patriots actually had a chance to take the lead entering the halftime break, but a lost fumble on a strip sack from Ar’Darious Washington kept the score knotted up at 10. 

Baltimore was still in the fight but were going to have to finish it without Lamar Jackson, who got knocked out of the game in the second quarter with a back injury. Tyler Huntley took over for the rest of the night and they were going to need him to make sure he didn’t screw up their chances of winning. Early in the third quarter, the Ravens attempted a 56 yard field goal to give them the lead, but the kick was just short of the crossbar and New England made a field goal of their own to go ahead by three. When the offense got the ball back, it looked like they were going to run away with this game. It started with an amazing sideline grab from DeAndre Hopkins on a big third down conversion and just a few plays later, Zay Flowers got loose on the end around to put the Ravens up by four. The Patriots were forced to punt on their next drive and Mike Vrabel made one of the biggest blunders all season. On fourth and ten at his own 44 yard line, he called for a fake punt. On a direct snap to Marte Mapu, Baltimore completely sniffed the play out and blew it up for no yardage, allowing the offense to start in tremendous field position. It didn’t take too long for Henry to gash his way through the line and all of a sudden, the score was 24-13.

In past games with Bill Belichick or Jerod Mayo from 2019 to 2024, this meant the Patriots were going to get absolutely crushed. I figured this was going to be like 2021 all over again, where they would get off to a strong start before the bye week and then fall apart to get humiliated in the playoffs. But the exact opposite happened. Drake Maye and the rest of the team recomposed themselves and in the final 13 minutes of play, New England flipped a switch.

On first and ten at the Baltimore 37 with nine minutes left, Maye threw a perfectly thrown touchdown pass to Kyle Williams on a go ball with Marlon Humphrey in coverage, giving the Patriots the touchdown they needed. The offense stayed on the field for a two point conversion and after a couple moves in the pocket, Maye was able to find Rhamondre Stevenson wide open that cut the deficit to three. Then the defense did something they only did once beforehand: they forced a punt! Now Maye was going to get the ball with five minutes left down by only three points with a chance to tie or take the lead. 

The first play of the drive was a 20 yard strike to Hollins down the right side of the field to give the offense some breathing room. The Patriots were able to churn their way past midfield, but faced a critical fourth and two at the 48 yard line. Maye looked for Stefon Diggs on an out-cut and as Washington nearly jumped in front of the play to get an interception, the former All Pro receiver held on to make the catch and picked up 21 yards after contact to get a huge first down in field goal range! Two plays later, Rhamondre Stevenson found a gap up the right side and gave the Patriots their first lead since the third quarter! However, Huntley still had more than two minutes left to pull off a game winning drive of his own.

But just two plays into the final drive, Flowers got the ball punched out from behind and Marcus Jones recovered it at the 36 yard line. That was the third lost fumble from the third year wide receiver this season and it was essentially the dagger. Stevenson and Maye picked up two more first downs with their legs to run out the clock and the New England Patriots survived for a thrilling victory. 

To all of those that continued to disrespect the Patriots and underappreciate the greatness of their quarterback, then this game had to silence a lot of the critics. Was this team perfect? Absolutely not. I thought it would be a blowout after the fake punt went completely awry. However, when their backs were against the wall, Maye was the one that lifted them up and the rest of the team never lost their determination. This is going to be a tight MVP race between him and Matthew Stafford, but for him to throw for 380 yards and overcome a double digit deficit on the road to a scrappy Ravens team was by far his biggest statement thus far. 

As for Baltimore, there is no other way to say this: they choked… AGAIN! It’s easy to scapegoat the defense and say they fell apart, but there was another huge reason why this game flipped on its head. If you noticed on the final two drives, Keaton Mitchell was the lead running back. He finished the game with just 13 yards on nine carries. One person you couldn’t find was Derrick Henry… literally. He was the biggest reason why that offense had that double digit lead in the first place, he had 128 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, yet he wasn’t on the field when the game was starting to slip away. For John Harbaugh to say “he should have been in there” is absolutely laughable to me because he is the head coach! Your job is to make sure your best players are on the football field and yet they completely deviated from a strategy that was working! If Baltimore misses the playoffs, they should make a massive change at head coach just to give this team a new voice, but we all know they won’t. It’s like Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers; Harbaugh is going to have the job as long as he wants. They’ll just say they were too injured and do the same things next year. 

The Patriots come back to clinch a playoff berth at 12-3 and will take the road for what should be a more relaxing performance against the New York Jets. Meanwhile, the Ravens are in serious trouble at 7-8 and will take the road for a “win or go home” showdown against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (48) vs. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (27)

Although both of these teams were in the playoff hunt, they were heading in opposite directions. The 49ers had been winners of four straight and had already clinched a playoff berth thanks to a Detroit Loss, but the Colts were drastically falling apart and needed a victory to keep their season alive. They had to rely on 44 year old Philip Rivers to make sure their playoff hopes were still intact, but there was no time to lose.

Indianapolis got the ball to start the game and Rivers engineered a masterful nine-play touchdown drive with multiple third down conversions, capping it off with a beautiful 20 yard shot down the post towards the end zone to Alec Pierce. However, it didn’t take too long for the 49ers to walk right down the field and tie the score, but the game’s turning point turned out to be on the ensuing kickoff. Ameer Abdullah was the returner and tried to find some room inside the 25 yard line, but got the ball knocked out with the 49ers recovering it deep into field goal range. This might not have caused the game to get completely out of hand, but the Colts were forced to play keep-up for the rest of the night. The offense never got the lead again, they only tied the score once and the defense had no answers for San Francisco.

Brock Purdy threw for 295 yards and five touchdown passes against a defense that actually got one of their better players back from IR in DeForest Buckner, but Indianapolis came up with just one sack. The 49ers even gave Indianapolis a couple of breaks with a missed field goal and an interception, but they didn’t affect the weight of the game. There were moments where it looked like the Colts still had a shot, but then a pick six to Dee Winters with three minutes left officially sealed the deal.

Let’s be honest: it was going to take a near-perfect game for Indianapolis to keep the game close, let alone win. I’ll give it to them, they were a million times better than I thought, but San Francisco just had the better team. 

The 49ers win their fifth game in a row and are now 11-4, with a trip back home for a big primetime showdown against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. Meanwhile, the Colts lose their fifth straight game to slump to 8-7 and will head home to see if they can save their season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.