🏈 NFL 2020 Week 16 Review 🏈

             

  

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Week 16 Review

What a week in the NFL, eh?              

There were results that came as quite a shock, at least to me. The Jets beating the Browns? Yes, Gang Green had shown that they were better than their 0-13 start to the season would suggest, but beating two legitimate playoff contenders on back-to-back weekends? Especially since both of those teams needed those wins, and really could not afford losing? Yes, I just was not expecting that. The Jets are my second favorite team (the G-Men being my favorite), but I do hope that the Browns recover and qualify for the playoffs. It has been entirely too long since the Browns last enjoyed a winning season, much less qualified for the postseason. The last time they had a winning season was in 2008, when they finished with an impressive 10-6 mark, but missed the playoffs. The last time that they qualified for the postseason was in 2002. And the last time that they won a playoff game would be back in the 1994-95 season, when a young Bill Belichick was their head coach. It would be nice to see that team finally enjoy success, and for that city to have something to celebrate with their football team. So let’s hope that they recover from this loss.              

Some other surprises? How about the Cardinals losing to the 49ers, when again, they could not afford to lose that game? Or Washington losing to Carolina? The Panthers had absolutely stunk for so long, that it seemed really unlikely that they suddenly would put together one of their most impressive efforts of the season, and knock off a team that was on the brink of capturing that elusive NFC East division title?              

So now, more teams have clinched playoff spots and high seeds within the playoffs, and it sets up interesting scenarios for numerous other teams who still hope to qualify. Next weekend will be an interesting one, as the season finale almost always is.              

But before we get to that, let’s review the week that was in the NFL:

NY Jets 23, Cleveland 16 – Usually, there are maybe a couple of upsets that knock off, or at least endanger the playoff chances, of certain contenders during this time of the year. Perhaps the biggest shock, and one that I was kind of torn about, was the Browns losing in the Meadowlands to the Jets. Had Cleveland won this game, they would have pretty much clinched a playoff spot. But the Browns offense did not really get going until late in the third quarter. By then, they were trailing this game, 20-3. They had committed two turnovers, to none for Gang Green. The defense had slipped, and the offense just was not producing points. By the time that they finally got going, it was pretty much too late. True, they did score two touchdowns to pull within four points, and even got the ball back late, with a chance at the go ahead score. But a turnover by quarterback Baker Mayfield gave the Jets a golden opportunity deep in Cleveland territory. They capitalized with a field goal to go ahead by a full touchdown, and then, the defense did it’s job, holding the Browns off and preserving a second straight win for the Jets, who improve to 2-13. They will play in New England for the regular season finale next weekend. As for the Browns, this loss drops them to 10-5 on the year, and despite their success so far this season, the playoffs are still not a given. Disappointing for fans of Cleveland. My pick: Inaccurate              

Baltimore 27, NY Giants 13 – The problem for the G-Men in this game was only too familiar: a lack of offense, at least until it was too late. Daniel Jones did not have a statistically awful day, completing 24 of 41 for 252 yards and one touchdown. But the Giants offense only finally score a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, when they were trailing by three touchdowns. It was their first and only touchdown in the last three games. It gave them a sliver of a chance, but the offense was not able to generate much of anything else. The Ravens held onto the ball for over 35 minutes, and produced 432 yards of total offense, to just 269 total offensive yards for Big Blue. The loss drops the G-Men to 5-10 on the year, yet they still amazingly have a chance at reaching the playoffs by winning the NFC East if they beat the Cowboys, and if Washington loses. They will need a lot more offense than they have shown in recent weeks, however. My pick: Accurate

Kansas City 17, Atlanta 14 – The Falcons seemed to be on the verge of the most improbable upset of the week, scoring a touchdown in a tight, low-scoring game with less than five minutes left to take a 14-10 lead. Atlanta’s defense put on a clinic against the Chiefs normally dangerous and explosive offense. Yet in the end, the Kansas City offense managed to get the job done, as Mahomes led KC on a 9-play, 75 yard drive in under three minutes that culminated with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Demarcus Robinson to give the Chiefs the late 17-14 lead. They held on for the win, improving to 14-1 and clinching the best record in the league this season, as well as the number one seed and home field advantage in the AFC playoffs. They will host the Chargers next weekend in the regular season finale. As for the Falcons, this was just another loss that they snatched from the jaws of victory, dropping them to 4-11 on the season. It was their fourth straight loss. They finish their season next weekend when they visit the Bucs in Tampa. My pick: Accurate (barely)              

Cincinnati 37, Houston 31 - The Bengals got a rare second straight win, during a season that has been troubled, yet undeniably saw them make some strides as an improving team. They beat the Steelers for the first time in 11 tries last weekend, and they follow that up with an impressive road win at the Texans. Cincy hung onto the ball for over 36 minutes and produced over 540 yards of offense. The Texans, despite some decent defensive talent, simply had no answers for slowing down, much less stopping, a determined and capable Bengals offense, that notches it's second straight win to improve to 4-10-1 on the season. Houston, meanwhile, drops to 4-11 on the year. My pick: Inaccurate

Chicago 41, Jacksonville 17 – On a weekend that saw some surprising results, this one was really no surprise at all. The Jaguars were dominated in pretty much every way. The Bears won the time of possession battle comfortably, produced more than 100 yards of offense than Jax did, and literally doubled the amount of first downs that the Jaguars produced, 28 to 14. Oh, and they scored and scored and scored some more in the second half, with four touchdowns in the third quarter and early in the fourth, putting the game well out of reach. The Bears improve to 8-7 on the year, and will host the Packers next weekend. It’s really simple for Chicago: win and they are in. As for the Jaguars, this was their 14th straight loss, the longest losing streak of the season. They will end their season next weekend against the Colts in Indianapolis. An ugly loss to close out their home games, and this season likely cannot end soon enough for the Jaguars. My pick: Accurate

Pittsburgh 28, Indianapolis 24 - The Colts had this game. In the first half, they were completely dominating this game, and held a 21-7 lead by halftime. Midway through the third quarter, they added a field goal for an impressive 24-7 lead. They should have managed to win. Had they won it, they would have been in very good shape not only to make the playoffs, but even to outright win their division. But the Steelers suddenly ignited, just coming alive. They found their footing on offense, and the defense also stepped up big, And the Colts, who were on the verge of pulling off a tremendous road win that would have cemented their status as one of the relative elite teams in the league, instead were unable to close it out, and had to watch as Pittsburgh rallied and, ultimately, stole the victory away from them. For the Steelers, this secured, finally, their AFC North division title, as they improve to 12-3 on the year. They still have a shot at the second seed in the playoffs, should they win and the Bills lose next week. But the Steelers cannot sink below the third seed, which means that they should enter the postseason considered one of the elites in the AFC. As for the Colts, this was a hugely disappointing loss, and it could come back to bite them next weekend, if they ultimately fail to qualify for the postseason. This seemingly locked and secured win, which they allowed to slip by them. Perhaps that early season loss to the Jaguars, which may wind up being the only win the Jaguars taste this season. Probably will be, in fact. Too many missed opportunities. This loss drops Indy to 10-5 on the season. They can still make the playoffs, and in fact, could still win the division. But they need help, and that is not the situation that you want to be in. Ultimately, they dropped the ball, and missed a golden opportunity here. My pick: Inaccurate

Carolina 20, Washington 13 - Now here was one of those results that came as rather a shock. Washington had everything going for them entering this game. They had the seemingly more impressive team, a defense that seemed likely to clamp down on the Panthers offense. Most importantly, with a win, Washington would secure the NFC East division title, and obviously a playoff berth (and a home playoff game) along with it. A home game against a lowly team like the Panthers appeared like the best case scenario for Washington, a team that had notched some impressive wins against  some very solid teams. Yet, Carolina jumped out early, and were pounding Washington for most of the first half, scoring three touchdowns and taking a commanding - to say nothing of shocking! - 20-0 lead. Washington only managed a field goal before halftime to cut in just a little into Carolina's huge lead. Washington did better in the second half, managing to rally a bit and make a game of it, with a field goal in the third quarter, and then a touchdown within the final couple of minutes of the fourth quarter. But ultimately, it proved to be just too little, and far too late. The Panthers hung on and preserved an unlikely win that prevented Washington from winning this division outright. The Panthers improved to 5-10 on the year, while Washington falls to 6-9. Still tied with Dallas atop the NFC East standings, and still only needing a win outright next weekend to win the division. But this was not a good sign, playing the way that they played with so much riding on the game. My pick: Inaccurate

Dallas 37, Philadelphia 17 - Facing crunch time, these two teams obviously responded very differently. While the Eagles have owned the NFC East the past two seasons, you would never know it with how they have played in recent weeks, and most importantly, in  this game, which eliminated them from the playoff race officially. As for Dallas, they did everything that they had to do, and won their most important game of the season to date. Interestingly, the Eagles came out on fire, jumping out to a 14-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. They even still clung to a 17-13 lead late in the second quarter. That, however, was when the Cowboys got hot, scoring a touchdown late in the second quarter, and taking a narrow lead by halftime. The second half, however, simply belonged to Dallas. Andy Dalton looked like he did in the old days, when he would regularly lead the Bengals to playoff appearances (but no playoff wins). He completed 22 of 30 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns, as well as one INT. Michael Gallup was his favorite target, catching six Dalton passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Too much offense, and no serious offensive production by Philly, put this game away fairly early in the second half. The Eagles just could not score points, or prevent the Cowboys from scoring points. Too many turnovers, and too few positives doomed them, and their season is now one game away from being over, regardless of how any playoff scenarios play out, because Philadelphia is now out. They drop to 4-10-1 on the season. As for Dallas, they improve to 6-9, and find themselves in a first place tie with Washington. However, they would have to hope to beat the Giants next week, and also hope for help, that Washington fails to win, because they got swept by Washington. Still, whether that happens or not, they were very impressive in this game, and played up to their capabilities for the first time in a while. My pick: Accurate

Seattle 20, LA Rams 9 - This was a largely defensive struggle, and the Rams, coming off an embarrassing home loss to the previously winless, 0-13 Jets, wanted to redeem themselves. They played tough, and this game was close and tight until very late. Indeed, mostly, the Seahawks defense took the Rams up on their challenge, and in fact, played better defense on this day than the Rams managed to do. But Seattle was still winning, 13-9, late in the fourth quarter. That was when Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson found Jacob Hollister for a 13-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach. The touchdown put Seattle up by two scores, and proved too much for the Rams to realistically entertain any more hopes of a comeback, as they watched their hopes for the game, and for the division title, slip them by. Seattle improved to 11-4 on the season, and most importantly, finally clinch the NFC West division title. Hell, they still even have a chance at the number one seed throughout the NFC playoffs, if everything goes just right for them. As for the Rams, this was their second straight loss, and as mentioned earlier, eliminates their hopes for a division title, or a home playoff game, barring some very unlikely scenarios. Still, they are 9-6, ahead of both the Bears and their division rival Cardinals, both of whom are 8-7. So for the playoffs, it is simple for Los Angeles: win and they are in. But the offense needs to find more life early in the game than they did either in this one, or against the Jets. Their defense, on the other hand, needs to tighten up earlier in the game, and show what their capable of for the full 60 minutes. My pick: Accurate

LA Chargers 19, Denver 16 - This was one of those games where one team builds a decent lead early in the game, and then just barely holds off a furious rally by their opponent to just hang onto a win that seemed a sure thing through most of the game. The Chargers might not have been exactly lighting up the scoreboard early on, but they were scoring and built a 13-0 lead by halftime. The Broncos got a field goal late in the third, and the Chargers got one at the beginning of the fourth, before Denver suddenly caught fire. With a field goal and then two straight touchdowns, the Broncos actually managed to tie the game, before the Chargers just got enough for a field goal on the final drive in the last minute of the game, to avoid overtime and win it outright during regulation. My pick: Accurate

Sunday Night Football: Green Bay 40, Tennessee 14 - The Packers offense has been one of the best and most explosive offensive units in the league all season long. There were some weeks where they did not exactly look like a historically great offense, but there were other weekends, like this one, where they served a reminder to the rest of the league about just how dangerous they can be. How impressive were they? Consider that Aaron Rodgers completed 21 of 25 passes for 231 and four touchdowns with one INT. Davante Adams proved to be his favorite target, catching 11 pf those passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, AJ Dillon picked up an additional 124 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, making the Packers offense a two-headed monster of sorts. The Titans and their defense simply had no answers, and could not do anything to slow the Packers offense down, or even keep them off the field. Indeed, Green Bay held onto the ball for over 36 minutes and produced over 440 yards of total offense. Too much. And while the Titans offense rallied a bit late in the second and early in the third to make it seem like a close game there for a little while, the Packers offense got going and buried Tennessee under an avalanche of yards and first downs and points that prevented the Titans from capturing the AFC South. The loss drops the Titans to 10-5 on the year, although they can still make the playoffs and even win the division title. As for the Packers, they improve to 12-3, and appear headed for the number one seed in the NFC playoffs, and that all important playoff bye along with it. My pick: Accurate

Monday Night Football: Buffalo 38, New England 9 - All of those years when the Patriots dominated this division, and often the times when they appeared most impressive came against Buffalo. There were a lot of blowout losses suffered by the Bills (and their fans) at the hands of the Patriots. But you know what they say about payback, and revenge best served cold. The Bills beat the Patriots soundly in Orchard Park earlier this season, but they absolutely lambasted the Patriots last night at Foxboro. Traditionally, New England was especially tough in home games under Belichick and Brady, but they looked absolutely miserable in this game, as if they never had a chance. Josh Allen and the Bills offense were clicking, looking almost reminiscent of the old Patriots offense during the Brady era. The Bills defense was on top of it's game, as well, crushing the Pats offense and making sure that they never were able to get back into the game, once they fell behind. This was a statement kind of win, and Buffalo came out looking like what they very well might already be: the toughest obstacle that the Chiefs might face to getting back to the Super Bowl. Even Darth Vader of the Evil Empire (Star Wars, not the Patriots) would just have to say, "Impressive.Most impressive!" My pick: Accurate