There are now three weeks left in the regular season, where the spots in the playoffs are being filled. In the week before Christmas, which teams could get an early present? Let’s look at how the Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs (among others) fared in Week 16.
The Commanders Hurt the Eagles
This year, the Washington Commanders have put themselves into playoff contention with the help of new quarterback Jayden Daniels. This week, they faced the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have also had an excellent year, and a win against their NFC East rivals would give them the division title.
The Commanders had the game’s first possession but would quickly turn the ball over on down due to their failure to convert a 4th down attempt from their 49-yard line. The Eagles could take advantage of this turnover and convert it into their first points of the game. The offense, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, made their way down to the Commanders’ two-yard line. From here, Saquon Barkley found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
The good luck kept coming for Philadelphia, as on the first play on the next drive, Washington running back Brian Robinson fumbled the ball, which the Eagles would recover. This recovery resulted in another touchdown when backup quarterback Kenny Pickett found A.J. Brown for a four-yard touchdown pass. As one can see, Hurts was not involved in this play. This is because earlier in the drive, he left the game with what was later ruled as a concussion and did not return.
The backup made his first mistake on the following drive from the Eagles. Pickett’s pass was intercepted on the edge of his team’s red zone. This mistake was something that the Commanders would capitalize on, as Daniels found Jamison Crowder for a six-yard touchdown pass. In response, the Eagles again found the endzone with a 68-yard rushing touchdown from Barkley.
The Commanders would get back into the game a few drives later. On a drive that started from their four-yard line, the Daniels lead offense went down to the Eagles’ 32-yard line. From here, Daniels found Terry McLaurin for the touchdown pass.
However, Daniels made a mistake near halftime when his pass was intercepted. In response, the Eagles moved the ball down to the Commanders’ 38-yard line. This set up kicker Jake Elliot with a 56-yard field goal attempt. The kick was short, meaning that the Eagles had a 21-14 lead over the Commanders at halftime.
The Eagles had the first possession of the second half and could get something from it. Starting from their 25-yard line, the offense went down to the Commanders’ six-yard line but no further. This set up Elliot with a 24-yard field goal attempt, which he was successful with.
The Commanders again fumbled the ball in response, which the Philadelphia defense would scoop up. With their new possession, the Eagles moved the ball down to the Washington 22-yard line slowly, and Elliot kicked another field goal to widen their lead.
But, the Commanders were able to shake off this mistake on their next drive to get themselves back into the game. Daniels and company were able to make their way down to the Eagles’ four-yard line, and here the quarterback found OlamideZaccheaus for the touchdown pass to make it a one-possession game going into the fourth quarterback.
The Commanders could take the lead on their next drive when Daniels found Zaccheaus for a 49-yard touchdown drive. In response, Elliot would kick another field goal for the Eagles, this time from 50 yards out, giving Philadelphia a narrow two-point lead.
The lead was widened to five points after the Eagles scored another field goal of a drive that started after another intercepted pass from Daniels. However, with under two minutes left in the game, the former LSU Tiger was given the ball again, and all he needed to do was find the endzone.
Starting from their 43-yard line, the Washington offense went down to the Eagles’ nine-yard line. Daniels found Crowder for the touchdown pass, his fifth of the game. The Commanders then attempted a two-point conversion. This was successful, giving them a three-point lead.
With six seconds to play, the Eagles had to be creative to find the endzone. What we saw was a selection of lateral passes. These never end well, and Philadelphia fumbled the ball on one of these passes, ending the game.
The Washington Commanders had defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 36-33.
Jayden Daniels had another strong game, proving why he was a good pick for the Commanders (and, in my eyes, should have been the number one pick instead of Caleb Williams). For the Eagles, the defeat could result from the absence of Hurts. While Pickett did enough to keep them in the game, the result may have been different if Hurts played the entire game. The victory improves the Commanders to 10-5 and keeps them mathematically in the race for the NFC East for at least one more week. The Eagles fall to 12-3.
Next week, the Commanders face the Atlanta Falcons, while the Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys, knowing that a win here would clinch the division.
A Convincing Kansas Win
The Kansas City Chiefs have had a strange year. They come into this week with a 13-1 record and are easily one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. But they have never scored more than 30 points in a game this season, and many of those wins have been decided on penalties that have gone their way and last-minute field goals. This week, they faced the Houston Texans, a team likely to win the AFC South. Will the Chiefs be able to win this game convincingly, or will it be luck again?
The Texans had the game’s first possession, but they would quickly make a mistake. Texans’ quarterback C.J. Stroud moved his offense down to the 43-yard line. He then threw a deep pass to Nico Collins, intercepted by the Kansas City offense.
The mistake would be costly for Houston. The Chiefs offense, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, would be able to move down to the Texans’ 15-yard line. From here, Mahomes (coming off an extremely mild ankle injury) scrambled for the endzone to record the 15-yard rushing touchdown to give the Chiefs the lead.
In response to this, the Texans would be able to shake off their previous mistake, and the offense reached the Chiefs’ 15-yard line. However, the drive would stall here, setting up a 33-yard field goal attempt from kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn. This was successful. Houston could take the lead on their next drive when Stroud found Dalton Schultz for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
But, this lead did not last long. In response to this score, the Mahomes lead offense could slowly drive down the field and reach the Texans’ three-yard line. From here, Kareem Hunt moved the ball into the endzone to return the lead to Kansas City.
Things became even better for the Chiefs when Stroud threw another interception. This mistake would again turn into points, with returning Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker finding the uprights for a 44-yard field goal.
This meant that at halftime, the Chiefs had a 17-10 lead over the Texans,
On their first drive of the second half, the Texans were able to bring themselves back into the game. Starting from the 50-yard line, Stroud and company could move down to the Chiefs’ 30-yard line. From here, the quarterback found Tank Dell for the touchdown pass. However, the PAT, which would have tied the game, missed, keeping the Chiefs in the lead by one point.
A few drives later, this lead was extended when Mahomes found Xavier Worthy for an eight-yard touchdown pass. In response to this, and needing a touchdown, Houston slowly moved down to the Chiefs’ 20-yard line on their drive. However, this is where it would stall, and a 38-yard Fairbairn field goal was the best they could do.
Houston needed the Chiefs to both not score any points on their next drive and for it to be over quickly, giving the Texans another chance to score. Unfortunately, neither of these things happened. Butker found the uprights from 27 yards out on a drive that took over six minutes to complete.
Still, there were five minutes left on the clock, and all Houston had to do was score a touchdown and a two-point conversion to take the game to overtime. So, what did they do? Nothing they went backward on this drive, ending any chance of victory.
The Kansas City Chiefs had defeated the Houston Texans 27-19.
This week was probably one of the most convincing the Chiefs have had all season. But, they did not score more than 30 points. If they ever have to face the Detroit Lions this year, they will struggle to keep up with the high-power offense. The win means the Chiefs improve to 14-1 for the season, while the Texans fall to 9-6.
Next week, both teams play on Christmas Day (so, by the time this is published, they would have already played), as the Chiefs face the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Texans face the Baltimore Ravens.
Raiders win… But do they?
From some of the best teams in the NFL to two of the worst. The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders have struggled all year, with the Raiders in a battle with the New York Giants for the number one pick of the draft. In a game nobody wanted to win, who would be the unlucky team to get the W?
As expected, neither side had the best start to this game, with the first four drives ending in a punt. However, the Jaguars broke this streak near the end of the first quarter. This drive started from the Raiders’ 29-yard line, and the Jags’ offense, led by quarterback Mac Jones, brought the team down to the one-yard line. Tank Bigsby found the endzone for a rushing touchdown to take the lead.
This lead did not last long. On the following drive, the Raiders’ offense, led by Aidan O’Connell, would reach the one-yard line like the Jaguars on the preceding drive. From here, Alexander Mattison found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to tie the game.
The Raiders were able to take the lead on their next drive. Las Vegas could make it to the Jaguars’ 31-yard line, but no further. This set up a 49-yard field goal attempt from kicker Daniel Carlson. He would be successful with the kick, giving the Raiders a narrow three-point lead.
This was extended to six points of the following drive from the Raiders, as Carlson kicked a 37-yard field goal.
There were no other scores from the first half, but it should be noted that the Jaguars fumbled the ball on the next two drives. This meant that the Raiders had a 13-7 lead over the Jaguars at halftime.
Like the first half, the second half did not open with the best quality football. Near the end of the first half, the Raiders had another field goal attempt, with Carlson kicking from 46 yards out. However, this kick went wide of the goalposts.
In response to this missed field goal, the Jaguars quickly returned to the game. From the Jaguars’ 38-yard line, Jones found Brian Thomas with a deep pass that found the endzone for a 62-yard touchdown pass. This gave Jacksonville a one-point lead as the fourth quarter began.
But, the lead did not last long. On the following drive, O’Connell and the Raiders’ offense was able to advance down to the field and reach the Jaguars’ seven-yard line. Here, Ameer Abdullah found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to retake the lead for the Raiders.
Neither team could launch a credible challenge to the red zone for the rest of the game. This meant the Las Vegas Raiders had defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-14.
The quality of this game was not great, but this result was highly significant for the race to the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the Raiders’ win, they improved to 3-12 for the season, leaving only one two-win team in the NFL (any guess who?). The defeat also gives the Jaguars a 3-12 season and puts them into the race for the number two pick.
Next week, the Raiders face the New Orleans Saints, while the Jaguars play the Tennessee Titans.
The Ravens open up the AFC North
The Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a tight battle for the AFC North division. With three games left to play, it could go either way. The two teams met this week, where the Ravens knew that a win would create a tie at the division’s top.
The Ravens would be able to get the first points of the game. On a drive that started from the Steelers’ 41-yard line, the Ravens offense, led by Lamar Jackson (but on this specific drive, it was running back Derrick Henry who did all the work), moved down to the nine-yard line. From here, Jackson found Isiah Likely for a nine-yard touchdown pass to give the Ravens the early lead.
But, this lead did not last long. In response to this, the Steelers’ offense led by Russell Wilson, was able to make their way down to the Ravens’ one-yard line. Here, he found MyCole Pruitt for the touchdown pass.
However, the Steelers would make a costly mistake a few drives later. Wilson was able to scramble down to the Ravens’ four-yard line. Here, he fumbled the ball, which the Ravens recovered. Then, on the subsequent drive, Jackson and company could move down to the Steelers’ 14-yard line before the quarterback found Rashod Bateman for the touchdown pass.
Baltimore was able to extend their lead on the following drive when kicker Justin Tucker had a 51-yard field goal. In response, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell kicked a 51-yard field goal to end the half.
This meant that the Ravens had a 17-10 lead over the Steelers at halftime.
Pittsburgh was able to get themselves back into the game early in the third quarter. On a drive that started on their 12-yard line, the Wilson lead offense made its way down to the Ravens’ 12-yard line. Here, Wilson found Cordarrelle Patterson for the tying touchdown pass.
However, the scores did not remain level for long. On the following drive, Jackson found Mark Andrews for a seven-yard touchdown pass for the Ravens to retake the lead. However, Baltimore did not have it all of their way. On their next drive, Jackson threw an interception in the Steelers red zone. However, a few plays later, Wilson threw an interception, and this would be returned to the endzone for a Pick 6 touchdown, which only made the Ravens’ lead even larger.
With the result all but secure, the Ravens added to their score near the end of the game when Tucker kicked a 23-yard field goal.
The Baltimore Ravens had defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-17.
This result opens up the AFC North. Both teams are tied with a 10-5 record with two games to play. As mentioned above, these two teams also play on Christmas day, with the Ravens facing the Houston Texans and the Steelers facing the Chiefs.
What Happened in the Other Games?
The week’s Thursday Night Football game was a battle of two former Oregon Duck quarterbacks, as Bo Nix’s Denver Broncos faced Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers. Both quarterbacks performed well, but the Chargers were able to hold on for a 34-27 win. This win keeps both teams in the race for a wildcard spot in the playoffs.
The Detroit Lions continued their fantastic season with a win over NFC North rivals the Chicago Bears. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns as the Lions cruised to a conventional 34-17:win over the Bears, keeping their hopes of a division title alive.
The Cincinnati Bengals continued to salvage their season this week against the struggling Cleveland Browns. In a game where the Browns didn’t do much on offense, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw for three touchdowns as Cincinnati defeated their AFC North rivals 24-6.
One of the main rivals for the Houston Texans’ AFC South title is the Indianapolis Colts. They faced the three-win Tennessee Titans in what was a must-win game. Despite a late comeback from the Titans, the Colts held on for a 38-30 win to keep them in the race for the division.
The Los Angeles Rams played the New York Jets this week. The Rams stayed in the race for the NFC West title with a straightforward 19-9 win over the Jets.
The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals had a very entertaining duel in a game that had implications for the Cardinals’ playoff hopes. A field goal from Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland as time ran out sent the game to overtime, in which Chuba Hubbard scored the winning touchdown to give Carolina a surprise 36-30 win.
The Minnesota Vikings kept up with the Detroit Lions this week as they defeated the Seattle Seahawks. A late touchdown from Justin Jefferson gave the Vikings a narrow 27-24 win.
The Buffalo Bills strengthened their case for a potential Super Bowl appearance as they faced the New England Patriots. However, while the Bills won the game 24-21, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye shone, throwing for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
The poor Season for the San Francisco 49ers officially ended this week with their defeat to the Miami Dolphins. Tua Tagovalioa led the Dolphins to a convincing 29-17 win to take last year’s NFC champions out of the playoffs.
The Dallas Cowboys salvaged season continued with a 26-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This week, the Monday Night Football game was between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints. The Packers would deliver the first shutout of the season as they recorded a 35-0 win.
And finally, how did the New York Giants ruin my weekend? This week, they played the Atlanta Falcons, with their new quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The Giants were still the same struggling Side. Penix has an excellent debut, leading the Falcons to a 34-7 win. With the win for the Raiders, the Giants are now in possession of the number one pick of the draft. Can they keep it? I hope so.
So, that was Week 16 in the 2024 NFL Season. Next week, it is Christmas, so the games are spread throughout the week. The likely headliner comes on Sunday, as the Minnesota Vikings face the Green Bay Packers in what will be a crucial game in the race for the NFC North title.
