🏈 NFL 2019-20 Week 16 Saturday Games Review 🏈

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Houston  23, Tampa Bay 20 - The Texans finally secured the AFC South division title with this hard fought win at Tampa. Both teams showed up, and both teams wanted it. In the end, however, the Texans proved to be the better team, and managed to secure the division title on the road, which is a place that the Texans often seem not to play their best. That had to make this success all the sweeter. It helped that the Houston defense picked off Winston Jameis four times, which proved very costly for the Bucs. Tamp Bay turned the ball over five times, while the Texans turned it over twice. Still, the Bucs were in this thing right to the end. The two tams were nearly even in time of possession, but the Bucs produced 435 yards of total offense, to just 229 for the Texans. But Houston managed to make slightly more of the opportunities that they had, and that proved to make all of the difference. They now officially clinch the AFC East title, and would still have a shot at the third seed if they win, and Kansas City loses. The Texans will host the Titans on the final weekend, while Tampa Bay will try to beat the Falcons on the final weekend, in hopes of avoiding another losing season officially.  My pick: Accurate

New England 24, Buffalo 17 - It was not the kind of season, nor the kind of game, that the Patriots are used to. In fact, for a while there, it was looking kind of grim. The Bills defense was keeping New England's offense at bay, and not only the second seed, but the division title itself felt like it might be slipping away. As this game entered the fourth quarter, Buffalo was up, 17-13, and in serious position to effectively end the more than decade long dominance of the Pats in the AFC East. But the Pats hung in, and made adjustments. The defense, which has been one of the most solid units not only this season, but in recent NFL history, hung in, and shut the Bills down, making sure not to allow any scores. And Belichick and crew focused on the Pats offense made some adjustments, which panned out just in time. They were able to get a field goal to get within one point of Buffalo with 10;45 left. Then, they got the ball back, and orchestrated a 7-play, 59-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard Rex Burkhard touchdown run with just a little over five minutes left, giving the Patriots the lead. A successful two-point conversion followed, and New England was up by a touchdown. That defense predictably clamped down on the Bills offense to preserve the win, and the division title, which is the 11th straight division title for this franchise. That is a new NFL record. New England's offense hung onto the ball far longer than Buffalo managed to do, with nearly 39 minutes of possession time, and they produced 414 total yards, to just 268 for the Bills. Another huge win for the Pats, who improve to 12-3, and now look to win against Miami next week in order to finally secure the second seed and that much needed playoff bye, which should allow the Patriots to rest and reorganize before their playoff game. As for the Bills, this was obviously a disappointment, but they clearly are tough and capable of playing elite football, and have a shot at making some noise once the playoffs roll around. They will finish their season with a home game against the Jets next weekend.  My pick: Accurate

San Francisco 34, L.A. Rams 31 - Well, it's official: the Rams, last year's NFC Champions, will fail to qualify for the postseason this year. They played hard, and were much tougher than they were during the first meeting between these two. Yet in the end, they fell just short, as the 49ers relied on their defense to hold, at least at the most critical times, as well as producing just enough on offense and, probably, were a little bit luckier than the Rams. L.A. played well, turning the ball over once, to two times for the Niners. They produced more yards of offense, 395 to 334, and owned a slight advantage in both first downs gained, as well as time of possession. They had a 28-24 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the 49ers took the lead with a touchdown early in the quarter. The Rams battled back, and managed to tie the game again with a field goal with just two and a half minutes left in the game. But San Fran orchestrated a drive that had just enough for what they needed, which proved to be a successful 33-yard field goal attempt by Robbie Gould to finally secure the 49ers winning this game. They improve to 12-3 and still are very much alive still for all that they could want. They will now travel to Seattle for a showdown that could decide not only who wins the NFC West, but possible secures home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Rams, meanwhile, where they host the Cardinals in the final game of their season, a season that will end far sooner than expected. My pick: Accurate