NFL Week 16: Santa comes for some teams, Grinch for others
Merry Christmas, football fans!
What's this under the Christmas tree 🎄? A Christmas Day tripleheader 🎁 to complete Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season!
Here are some of the most important developments from Week 16 so far:
- Add the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins to the playoff field. The Dolphins are in the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2001. The Lions, meanwhile, won their division for the first time since 1993.
- The Lions will host their first playoff game at Ford Field. Ford Field opened in 2002, with its only other postseason use during Super Bowl 40, which was nearly 18 years ago.
- In the Narratives Bowl presented by Sports Ball Talking Heads™, the team that hadn’t beaten anybody good defeated the team that hadn’t beaten anybody good on the road.
- Raheem Mostert scored a touchdown — his 21st of the season — in the Dolphins' playoff-clinching win over the Cowboys. Mostert passed Austin Ekeler (20 touchdowns in 2021) for the second-most touchdowns for an undrafted player in a season since 1967. Only Priest Holmes (27 TDs in 2003; 24 in 2002) has more.
- While the Buccaneers appear to be staking a claim to the NFC South, nobody seems to want to win the AFC South. The Jaguars, Texans and Colts all lost on Sunday.
- The Chiefs can clinch an eighth consecutive AFC West crown by defeating the Raiders on Christmas Day.
- Did you know that one of the greatest playoff games in NFL history was played on Christmas Day? Hint: It involved the Chiefs.
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NFL Week 16 key storylines
- Winners and losers: While Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers keep surging, the Broncos' playoff hopes imploded.
- 32 things we learned: Christmas gifts arrive early – for some teams. While the NFL is set for a tripleheader on Christmas, several teams, including the Lions and Dolphins, celebrated big wins on Sunday to start their holidays.
- Playoff picture: While the Dolphins and Lions clinched playoff berths, the Cowboys are no longer in position to win the NFC East.
- Cowboys road woes continue: After losing in South Florida on Sunday, the Cowboys are left to embrace a storyline they have been trying to avoid all season.
- What were you doing 30 years ago? If you were the Lions, that was the last time that you'd won your division title.
- Did you have Amari Cooper on your fantasy team? Cooper provided Browns fans, as well as his fantasy owners, with an early Christmas gift in a record-setting performance against the Texans.
- Jaire Alexander crashes coin toss, nearly costs Packers: Green Bay's top cornerback was back in action, but had a big goof before even playing a snap.
- Massive Ravens-49ers game could help solve NFL MVP mystery: There’s a rather scintillating subplot to the Christmas Day game. The matchup could provide the ultimate swing factor in the wild race for NFL MVP honors.
- 2024 NFL draft first-round order: The Patriots' dramatic win over the Broncos on Christmas Eve had an impact on the top of the 2024 draft.
NFL Week 16 results
- New England Patriots 26, Denver Broncos 23: This dramatic Patriots win nearly assures that the Broncos will not make the playoffs. The Broncos now have just a 6% chance of ending their eight-year playoff drought.
- Chicago Bears 27, Arizona Cardinals 16: The Bears managed to hang on to this double-digit lead.
- Miami Dolphins 22, Dallas Cowboys 20: The Dolphins clinched a playoff berth with this thrilling last-second win over the Cowboys.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30, Jacksonville Jaguars 12: The Buccaneers are in position to clinch a third consecutive NFC South crown next week.
- Atlanta Falcons 29, Indianapolis Colts 10: After the Falcons benched Desmond Ridder for the second time this season, Taylor Heinicke helped keep Atlanta's playoff hopes intact.
- Seattle Seahawks 20, Tennessee Titans 17: After Monday night's late rally past the Philadelphia Eagles, the Seahawks again got a last-minute touchdown to preserve their postseason chances.
- Green Bay Packers 33, Carolina Panthers 30: First-year starter Jordan Love turned in an effort reminiscent of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, helping the Packers stay in the NFC playoff hunt.
- Cleveland Browns 36, Houston Texans 22: Amari Cooper's record-setting game has the Browns on the brink of a rare playoff berth.
- Detroit Lions 30, Minnesota Vikings 24: For the first time in 30 years, the Lions are division champs, when the team claimed what was then known as the NFC Central. The playoff berth was also the Lions' first since 2016. The franchise is looking to end a league-worst postseason victory drought that extends 31 seasons.
- New York Jets 30, Washington Commanders 28: The Jets blew a 20-point lead, then snagged victory from the jaws of near-stunning defeat in the final seconds.
- Buffalo Bills 24, Los Angeles Chargers 22: A week after getting 60-burgered by the typically hapless Raiders, the Chargers — under interim head coach Giff Smith — gave the playoff-hungry Bills all they could take.
- Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Cincinnati Bengals 11: This was a crushing defeat for the Bengals, whose playoff hopes came crashing down while a division rival kept its slim postseason hopes alive.
- Los Angeles Rams 30, New Orleans Saints 22: The Rams held off a late Saints surge to remain in the thick of the NFC wild-card playoff race.
Coming this week in the NFL
Monday: Week 16 wraps up with a Christmas Day tripleheader 🎄. The day starts with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. ET on CBS/Nickelodeon), continues with an NFC East matchup between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 p.m. ET on FOX), and finishes with a colossal Christmas night clash between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers (8:15 p.m. ET on ABC).
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 16.
Thursday: Week 17 kicks off with the final "Thursday Night Football" game of the season — New York Jets at Cleveland Browns (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video). With a win, the Browns will make the playoffs for just the third time since returning from hiatus in 1999. Before the games, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 17 game.
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