This Week in the NFL, the Playoff picture became clearer, and so did the top of the draft in April. With 5 spots in each conference being clinched, leaving just 2 spots open in the NFC playoffs and the AFC playoffs. Let’s talk about the craziness that was Week 16.
First, TNF, which gave the Seattle Seahawks the 1 seed in the NFC, if both the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks win their week 17 games, they will meet in the final week of the season for the 1 seed in the Conference. If you want a full breakdown of the TNF game, click here.
The first Saturday slate of the NFL season started this week, with no other good college games to watch, you had the option to watch the Philadelphia Eagles dismantle the Washington Commanders, officially eliminating the Dallas Cowboys from playoff contention. The Eagles had lots of fun in the ground game with Saquon Barkley rushing for 132 yards and a Touchdown. The defense held the Commanders to under 150 rushing yards. The QB for the Commanders, Marcus Mariota, went down with an Injury, praying that he will be able to play in one of the meaningless Christmas games. The Eagles clinch the NFC East with the 29-18 victory.
That was not all for the Saturday slate; the Packers would play against the Chicago Bears for first place in the NFC North. This game came down to the final play, but leading up was even better. The Packers would go up 6-0 with 2 Field Goals, then the QB Jordan Love would leave the game on a dirty helmet-to-helmet hit with a concussion. The Bears would respond with a Field Goal before a Willis threw a TD to Doubs to extend the lead to 12-3, before a Bear Field Goal and a successful onside kick attempt led to a Caleb Williams TD throw to Jahdae Walker, then in OT force a turnover on downs, and then a huge 46 yard game winning throwing TD to DJ Moore to win the game in OT.
The 1 PM slot in the NFL had some wild games, including the Saints winning huge against the Jets, Tyler Shough and Chris Olave having career days. Then Myles Garrett got a half sack closer to the NFL single-season sack record, despite losing by 3 to the Bills. The Panthers won at home to control their own destiny to get into the playoffs. The Chiefs lose to the Titans, which brings the Chiefs up to 12th on the draft order.
The 4 PM games included some huge games when it comes to playoff clinching scenarios. The Jaguars beat the Broncos in Denver 34-20, Trevor Lawrence continuing his great season, and then the Texans outlasted the Raiders. Then a very questionable ending to the Lions Vs Steelers as they call OPI on St Brown to seal the win, and yet another winning season for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Then on SNF, the Patriots came back from down 11 to win and clinch a playoff spot against the Baltimore Ravens. Drake Maye would throw for 380 yards and 3 TDs. The Ravens, with this loss would fall out of the playoff race, but they are not fully eliminated. The Ravens need the Cleveland Browns to win against the Steelers, and the Ravens need to win out; if a tie occurs, they will be on the couch in January.
The Grandpa has an elite performance despite the loss with 270 yards and multiple TDs. The Colts’ defense folds against the elite 49ers Offense, losing 45-27. With this Colts loss, 3 AFC teams clinched a playoff birth, those teams being the Bills, the Chargers, and the Jaguars. Now the Colts have a 3 percent chance of making the playoffs, which is crazy for a team that was 7-1 at one point during the season.
Here are the following teams that have clinched a playoff birth: Patriots, Broncos, Jaguars, Bills, Chargers, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Bears, and Eagles. With 2 spots available in each conference, here are the teams that are battling for those spots: Panthers, Packers, Lions, Buccaneers, Steelers, Texans, Colts, and Ravens. This is going to be a very fun end to a wild season.
