NFL Payoff: Week 16

Dude…

With only 3 weeks left in the regular season, each game matters. Some teams are fighting for the #1 seed. Some teams are fighting to win their division. Some teams are fighting for their playoff lives. Which teams played well? Which teams continue to fold under the pressure of the playoff race? The Dudes have your week 16 takeaways, as the Christmas spirit is in the air, and the playoffs right around the corner

Saints vs. Rams (How6rd)

Saints: Solid effort, but not enough in the end- Compared to how the last couple of road games went for the Saints they put up a solid effort against a team with a playoff spot and made it close down to the final minutes of the game. Unfortunately, this game proved that the Saints aren’t good enough once again losing to a team in playoff contention and losing the game at the end. Dennis Allen’s defense was consistently getting tested by Sean McVay’s offense and New Orleans really didn’t have an answer until the fourth quarter. The Saints have had a solid defense this entire year aside from the underwhelming offensive performances, but they allowed Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams to put up arguably both the best passing performance and rushing performance of the season against them. This is pretty much the beginning of the end for their up and down season most likely and all that there is to say is their QB situation and coaching in general is a must to fix this upcoming offseason.

Rams: Getting hot at the perfect time- If I saw this team as my opponent in an upcoming playoff game next month I would be terrified. The Los Angeles Rams had a bit of a scare towards the end of the game against the Saints, but overall this team was in control the entire game and really got to show how tactical this offensive unit is. Stafford once again had a remarkable performance (which he’s been doing for the last five games now) completing 70% of his passes going for 328 yards mostly taken up by Puka Nacua with 164 yards of that. Not only were they clicking on the passing game, but the rushing game was even working against an opponent that’s done good containing such a factor as Kyren Williams got the first game of 100+ rushing yards against the Saints all season. The defense tired out towards the end of the game, but they really did pretty well making stops when they needed to gain momentum back in their favor as the only score was a 45-yard pass to Rashid Shaheed and other than that got a huge pick at the start of the second half. Even with the Saints putting up as much as they did the Rams' performance through the first three quarters created a big enough hole that the Saints couldn’t dig themselves out of. The Rams currently have the second best Wild Card spot under the Cowboys and if there’s a team that isn’t able to work their way for a first-round bye or the second seed then it could be a nightmare for what third seed is most likely facing LA in the NFC playoffs.

Bengals vs. Steelers(PC)

Bengals takeaway: Jake Browning’s downfall- The Bengals were on a hot streak. It was looking like Joe Burrow may actually be a system QB. After last Saturday’s game, I believe it’s safe to say that my reaction was wrong. Sure, Jake Browning is better than what we thought he would be. However, at the end of the day he was a backup for a reason. Browning threw three interceptions and looked completely lost out there. It also didn’t help that Rudolph had a career game on the other side of the field. The Bengals are on the outside looking in as of right now in the playoff picture, their next game against KC would be a monumental win if they can pull it off.

Steelers takeaway: Rudolph pulls a Christmas miracle- The Steelers looked down and out after a few bad losses. Kenny Pickett got hurt. Their star running back, Najee Harris, had seen better years. With no QB, the WR lost their touch as well. However, in a due or die game, Santa brought his best reindeer to help. Mason Rudolph walked all over the Bengals. He threw for nearly 300 yards and had 2 touchdowns as well. George Pickens was bamboozling his corner constantly all day. He ended up with 195 yards and both of Mason Rudolph’s touchdown passes. The defense got some help, so they stepped up as well. The Steel Curtain got 3 interceptions that pretty much helped Jake Browning’s miracles to a minimum. Still on the outside looking in, it doesn't look great for Pittsburgh , as they have just a 17% chance of making the playoffs. They just need a lot of help.

Bills vs. Chargers(PC)

Bills takeaway: Who wants to play them in the playoffs?- Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are crucifying any team that is put in front of them. They found themselves on the brink of elimination. Lots of people (including myself) thought this was where it was going to be all over for Buffalo. They wouldn’t make the playoffs, Diggs would beg to be traded, and everything would be stripped and started over. However, they’ve won 3 in a row and have dismantled top teams like the Chiefs and Cowboys in that span. Allen looks almost unbeatable. Allen had a throwing touchdown, but also had two rushing. Allen was dropping dimes all over the football field. The defense held up, however, they were taking on a defeated Chargers team that just rolled over and died 2 weeks ago. The defense is the  big question mark. They’ve been holding up for now, but will it continue? Josh Allen is up and down this whole season. Which version will come up in the playoffs? For opponents sake, they better hope he plays down. Because if he’s up, he may run to the Super Bowl.

Chargers are eliminated from playoff contention

Colts vs. Falcons (How6rd)

Colts: The trenches battle was lost- If a team isn’t able to win the battle up front both offensively and defensively then chances are that team isn’t going to win the ball game. That’s the exact case for what happened in this game as the run game had no room to work with getting tackled multiple times within a few yards of the line of scrimmage (if not behind the line). As for the defense stopping the rushing attack was a major problem the combo of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier getting solid run after solid run all game long. Not having Pittman really stunk for the Colts when they needed to pass the ball as no receiver was really creating separation or open enough for Minshew to not have to throw through a tight window. The passing defense wasn’t as bad as the pass rush was trying to get to the QB as the Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke had all day to throw multiple times. Pretty much everything that went bad for the Colts went good for the Falcons on the field and these next two weeks against the Raiders and Texans is anything but a cakewalk to the race for a playoff spot as their path gets more foggy with this loss.

Falcons: Waited until week 16 to play the best game they have all season- Although this came at the latest part of the season to where the NFC South and playoff race is looking bleak for them, the Falcons woke up after an embarrassing loss last week to the Panthers and they actually looked like an impressive football team this week. Arthur Smith called a great game making the run game threatening enough to pass when the Colts’ defense was caught off-guard and both their run game and Taylor Heinicke popped off as a result. Their defense got through the offensive line it seemed like on every snap and just as much as the run game struggled for the Colts, Gardner Minshew was having just as much trouble trying to find any time to make a pass to whoever was open. The top player of the game for me was Jessie Bates, who has been a shining light in a dim tunnel for what has been the Falcons season, as he picked up a huge interception in the fourth quarter for his sixth INT of the season along with allowing no true deep shot for Minshew to complete. This defense has been really underrated this season and with how well the Falcons’ offense flowed this was easily the most complete game they’ve played all season, but if they want any shot at not making this season look like a complete waste they have a lot of work to do including potentially hoping for a Tampa Bay downfall with two weeks left in the season.

Seahawks vs. Titans(PC)

Seahawks takeaway: Would you move on?- Geno is out there not only playing for his playoff hopes, but maybe his dreams of being a starting QB. Geno Smith reminds me of former Chiefs QB Alex Smith. Alex Smith brought the Chiefs out of the darkness and made them a playoff team. However, he didn’t have enough talent to bring KC to the promised land, let alone out of the first round. Geno seems to be that sort of guy. The guy who is good enough to make the playoffs, but not much else. The Seahawks find themselves at 8-7, barely holding on to that final playoff spot. Geno had a great game with 2 touchdowns and no picks to narrowly edge the Titans. Geno may help the Seahawks make the playoffs, but can he do more than that? If not, it may be time to look for Geno’s replacement in the rainy city.

Titans are eliminated from playoff contention

Lions vs. Vikings(PC)

Lions takeaway: Dark Horse continues to rise- As a sports fan, it’s good to see the Lions clinch the division. I didn’t pick them at the beginning of the year, but they’ve turned out to be real threats in the NFC. Everyone is talking about San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Dallas in the NFC. The Lions have quietly done what is needed to get into the playoffs. Jared Goff has played well. Sam Laporta would be offensive rookie of the year if CJ Stroud didn’t exist. Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to take leaps and bounds forward to improve his game. Montgomery and Gibbs finally both look like legit threats. Their defense has come a long way. The Lions take another win and continue to climb that mountain. I know the NFC has a lot of talent, but don’t sleep on Detroit. If you do, the Lions will pounce and dismantle you. This is the dark horse to win the Super Bowl, calling it now.

Vikings takeaway: Time to toss the towel in- Not much to say about this team. To stay in playoff contention, the Vikings must win against the Packers this upcoming week. However, with no reliable QB, it’s looking very slim for the Vikings. They should have plenty of time to decide which route to take. Do they stick with Ice Kirk, or do they look to move past him? I think it’s Kirk’s spot to lose, but hey, that’s why they don’t pay me the big bucks.

Commanders vs. Jets- Both teams eliminated from playoff contention

Packers vs. Panthers(PC)

Packers takeaway: Do or Die game upcoming- The Packers find themselves in the same position as the Vikings. Yes, the Packers won, but they still need some major help from its peers to make the playoffs. This team does seem like a train waiting to come off the rails. Their star corner Jaire Alexander got suspended for almost botching the coin toss and coming out as a captain. Now, Green Bay needs one of those miracle games that Jordan Love has shown he is capable of doing. It depends on with Love shows up, if the Packers want to have any shot at making the playoffs.

Panthers are eliminated from playoff contention

Browns vs. Texans (How6rd)

Browns: This team is terrifying- I’m personally not the biggest believer in Kevin Stefanski’s coaching ability especially seeing how his game plan has turned out in some big games the last few seasons, but this roster is so talented that the game plan doesn’t need much adjusting. The defensive line always puts each offensive line to work every game to give any running lanes or space for their QB that’s humanly possible, but the real special part of this defense is their pass defenders who showed out big time in this game. Now yes the QB play on the Texans' side is not the greatest, but passes were getting to the weapons and the Browns completely let nothing get by them for most of the game with 11 pass breakups and two big interceptions. The biggest shock of this team is how well this offense is working with Father Time’s worst enemy in the NFL Joe Flacco, who had yet another stellar game and gave Amari Cooper the best game of his career with 265 receiving yards and a couple of pass and catches that were absolutely remarkable. If Cleveland is playing ball as well as they did this past weekend the rest of the season there may be very few teams who can outduel this roster clicking on all cylinders and a lethal team in the postseason if they finish the season strong.

Texans: Offensive mess in the first half ended the game early- Believe it or not this game was really sloppy on the offense side of the ball until Davis Mills came into the game, but by then the game was pretty much sealed for how well the Browns offense was moving. With the injuries of Blake Cashman and Will Anderson Jr for the Texans the pass rush was lacking a ton and it seemed like Flacco could make a throw out of anything with the time he had in the pocket. This also was a monumental horrific day for the defensive backs as Amari Cooper had one of the best games any receiver has had all year and they weren’t able to stop most of the other receivers when Cooper wasn’t getting the ball. Dameon Pierce had a huge 98 yard kickoff return after it became a two possession game in the second quarter making it seem that the Texans were right back in it, but after failing to take advantage of a rare Cleveland 3-and-out drive the Browns scored again with a drive that had catches from everybody but Amari Cooper and by then the game was finished really. Houston has the Titans in a rematch next weekend and hopefully they can get CJ Stroud back on the field because without him this offense looks nearly lifeless when they’re needed most.

Jags vs. Bucs

Jaguars: Downward spiral- There was a point in time where the Jacksonville Jaguars had an 8-3 record looking to potentially grab one of the better seeds in the AFC, since then they’ve lost four games in a row and have honestly looked abysmal doing so. This past week was easily their worst performance out of their current losing streak as pretty much EVERYTHING went wrong. Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram has solid games, that being said this was once again a brutal performance as four takeaways in the game put this one to bed in terms of which team was riding the most momentum and the pass defense was doing nothing to help. Trevor Lawrence once again had a really questionable performance and although he’s been playing pretty banged up recently he still makes some decisions that make me wonder if his brain is banged up as well. Overall this was an awful performance as the run game was dead in the water with 37 rushing yards total and really a game that’s making every Jacksonville fan question whether they want to continue the season or not. They still (somehow) lead the AFC South after their losing streak and with the Panthers and Titans coming up I personally hope they win out or they may just waste a playoff spot if not get bounced out in the most tragic way possible after the chemistry of this team looks non-existent right now.

Buccaneers: Baker May-nia: Yes it’s true that this is a corny headline, but what’s also true is that Baker Mayfield has probably earned some more time as a primary starting quarterback for an NFL team and the Buccaneers excelled with him making throws. Now the Jaguars may have had the worst game of the week on the opposite side of things, but the Buccaneers were definitely playing competitive ball almost the entire game and had a great showing both offensively and defensively. Devin White and rookie YaYa Diaby were the two stars in this one on the defensive side as they combined for three sacks, 10 pass rushes (getting to the backfield) an interception and a forced fumble making things a living hell around the line of scrimmage for Jacksonville. When they forced turnovers the Tampa Bay offense made sure to capitalize as Mayfield had 283 passing yards on 74% completion percentage along with two touchdowns on top of it both going to Mike Evans. This Buccaneers team had the opportunity to inch closer at the NFC South crown picking on a struggling Jaguars team and they took that opportunity and soared with it, as they now look like a near lock to win the division and with a win against the Saints next week it looks to be their division for the taking.

Cardinals vs. Bears- Both teams are basically eliminated from playoff contention

Cowboys vs. Dolphins (How6rd)

Cowboys: Coaching is their own worst enemy- Just a few weeks ago I was praising Mike McCarthy a lot when talking about the Cowboys’ success this year and even Dan Quinn was doing well for the most part aside from when Seahawks were testing out the explosive plays against his defensive unit. These past two weeks have thrown all of that out the window as these crucial losses have came down to some bad playmaking sure, but most importantly the coaches have gotten outcoached in back to back weeks now really having no answers especially on defense when the going gets tough. After a fumble at the goal line they looked shook at the start, but holding Miami to a field goal and scoring a touchdown shortly after made them look like they had control of the game…until they went quiet all second quarter. The offense finally collected themselves in the second half and they were able to cook up a solid 17-play drive that took over 7 minutes of game clock and put themselves in a good situation to win, but the Dolphins played the tactical game right back at them for a 12-play game winning field goal drive. They didn’t look terrible in this game and definitely showed that there’s more room for some fixes instead of panic, but the Cowboys definitely need to step it up both on and off the field as these minimal adjustments Mike Mccarthy and Dan Quinn have made to their aspects of the game have really derailed this squad’s hot streak.

Dolphins: FINALLY… a win against a team over .500- This game was a huge test for both of these teams to see which squad looked like the more dangerous threat going into the playoffs after many questions have been asked about what the playoff run potential for both of these teams really is. The Dolphins were the team who passed in the end as this offense had a consistent game plan of creating space and constantly getting big plays from multiple receivers in their receiving core. When the Cowboys jumped in front early on and late in the game the defense had done enough to keep this game close throughout the entire 60 minutes and since Jalen Ramsey has come back the unit overall has been really difficult for opponents to have any sort of consistent offensive success. Seeing this win really impressed me with how well this team has grinded out these wins since choking massively against the Titans and assuming they clinch the AFC South soon I believe this team is definitely the second-best threat currently at a shot for the AFC Championship outside of the Ravens (Chiefs deserve the benefit of the doubt but gotta show me somethin’).

Pats vs. Broncos(PC)

Pats are eliminated from playoff contention

Broncos takeaway: It’s over- You benched your former All-Pro QB because you don’t want to have him get hurt. It’s not because you care, it’s because you don’t want to pay him more money. Basically slapping Russell Wilson and the 2023-2024 season in the face and throwing it away. It’s over, nothing else to talk about.

Raiders vs. Chiefs(PC)

Raiders takeaway: the true Grinch's of Christmas Day- The Raiders stole Christmas. I’m a Chiefs fan and lost my marbles in this game. How can you go 0/10 in the last three quarters of a football game and still win? THEY HAD 1 OFFENSIVE TOUCHDOWN!! I mean oh my lord. This team has found their coach in Antonio Pierce, who’s tough grit mindset works well with the Raiders. Back to back turnovers for touchdowns for the Raiders is all they needed. Jack Jones became the Grinch (although he later said he was stealing it back from the older guy who was trying to take the ball from the kid) by offering a young Chiefs fan a game ball. As the kid reached out, Jones snatched the ball back. Everyone loves a good villain and it’s about time the Raiders turned back to their old ways.

Chiefs takeaway: Downfall era- The whole league has been praying on KC’s downfall for a while now. It looks like their Christmas wish came true this season. The Chiefs simply don’t have it this year. Patrick has had his worse numbers in his entire career this season. Kelce is too busy with his girlfriend to find the endzone. The WR suck as I’ve moaned and groaned about all season. The defense is actually good, WHICH IS EVEN MORE FRUSTRATING!!!! How can you finally have a good defense, and it’s the offense that continues to let you down. Now, just because it’s a down year, doesn’t mean Mahomes has lost his magic. I will bet on Mahomes until he proves me wrong. So far in his career, he hasn’t disappointed.

Giants vs. Eagles(PC)

Giants are eliminated from playoff contention

Eagles takeaway: Are they good or bad?- If you would have asked me this question 5 weeks ago, I would have laughed. Of course the Eagles are good, what are you talking about? However, after a disastrous 3 game skid, it was looking like this Philly team had some cracks. Now, we could talk about how Jalen Hurts beat the shitty Giants, or we can talk about their playoff hopes. The Eales can be that Super Bowl winning caliber team, but they don’t show it every week. AJ Brown and Devonte Smith may be the best WR duo in the league. However, Hurts has been underperforming and it’s hurting their numbers. DeAndre Swift is still chugging along and the defense is still exceptional. So what’s the deal? I think the Eagles just have random off nights. Kind of like the Bills, if they’re hot, they’ll be almost impossible to beat. If they slip up, they could lose in the first round. We will have to see which Eagles team shows up.

Ravens vs. 49ers (How6rd)

Ravens: The win wasn’t shocking, how they won was- With two teams going at it at the top of their conferences with just a few weeks left in the year I thought at the very least it was gonna be a slugfest, but the Ravens might’ve just showed the world it’s their league at the moment. The biggest turnaround of this game early on was the interceptions that occurred before the first half even ended let alone throughout the entire game. This Ravens defense has had a problem with consistency this season and really needed to prove themselves under the bright lights on Christmas, and they did just that with the main star Kyle Hamilton getting two picks and allowing three catches for only 12 yards total on six passes thrown in his direction. The defense came to play after Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey were headlining the MVP talks just a week ago, but the real MVP out on the field was Lamar Jackson as he had a game where just as most of his games have been were special if you were watching. The impact Jackson has on this team is clear where some of the throws he makes are just impossible to stop, and if there is nowhere to throw he makes a play with his legs down the field getting in easy scoring position whether it’s for three or six/seven points. This team at it’s very best is so talented destroying multiple division winners this year, and if they keep this up to clinch the number one seed that second-round matchup for whoever has to face them is in for a fight that they got to be 100% in to have any chance at an upset.

49ers: A juggernaut when up, but questionable when down- Believe it or not this team was once on a three-game losing streak earlier this season and haven’t lost until this past Monday against another powerhouse in the Ravens, why I bring up their losing streak in this is in each of those games the ‘Niners were down early on to the point where Purdy was called on to have the game in his hands for the most part. Just as it showed in those three games and this past matchup against Baltimore it doesn’t go well when a player more successful in managing the game has to be called on to make big plays and fight back into a game. Aside from that we’ve seen this team convincingly beat some of the best teams in the league recently being the best team still in the NFC and truthfully looking like a solid team overall. San Francisco didn’t play bad defensively in this game and was more often just put in bad situations from the four picks that Brock Purdy threw in this game. I could easily see this game happening again if both teams play at the top level they’re capable of playing at in the playoffs, but one thing that’s for sure is if the 49ers want any shot at winning a Superbowl in nearly three decades is that getting ahead early is their best shot at winning future games.