NFL Week 16 Recap
Culture Glaze Recaps Week 16 in the NFL!
NFL Week 16: The Penultimate Week!
We’re down to the second to last week of the NFL season before the playoffs begin and we got a little bit more clarity as to who will continue to see play once we head into January. But each division still has one spot that hasn’t been settled, and there is still a chance for a shakeup for the top seeds. Even though some teams don’t have a playoff spot to play for, players will still be playing for roster spots next year and some coaches’ jobs may be on the line.
Thursday Night
Tennessee Titans 13 — Jacksonville Jaguars 21
It was the battle of the “2-win” teams on Thursday night as the Tennessee Titans headed south to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The two teams were playing either for a little bit of pride, or maybe jockying for a better position in the draft, or maybe a little bit of both. The Titans got off to a fast start on their first drive when Charlie Whitehurst led the Titans on an 84-yard drive (71 yards through the air) which ended with a pass to running back Leon Washington finding the end zone. The next few series were a little tough to watch. On Jacksonville’s first drive of the game, they only totaled ten yards overall and had to punt after losing four yards on third down and seven yards to go on their own 34-yard line. The Titans got the ball back and saw Whitehurst miss his first two targets and then connect with Kendall Wright for only seven yards, forcing a punt. The two teams traded these punch-less jabs back and forth until about halfway through the second quarter when the Titans went up 10–0 on a 50-yard field goal thanks to Ryan Succop. But Jacksonville and quarterback Blake Bortles came back right after that with an 80-yard drive and a Marcedes Lewis touchdown, the tight-end’s second of the year. Jacksonville kept their momentum going in the second half, when on the first drive of the third quarter they went on a 72-yard drive and scored to make it a 14–10 lead in the home team’s favor. The fourth quarter started slow with neither team moving the ball until the Jaguars saw Jordan Todman burst up the middle, dodge about three tackles and then run the last 50 yards of his 62-yard touchdown run basically unopposed. The Jags won the game 21–13 and got their third win of the season. This was a big pride win for Bortles and the rest of his young Jaguars who have now won for the second time in four games, after previously winning just one of their first eleven. If they can pull off an upset at Houston next week against the Texans, they will have ended the season on a much better note than where they started it and hopefully carry that momentum into luring free agents to the team and getting lucky in the draft. The Titans now are the first team this season to lose 13 games but could still have some company from the Raiders, Buccaneers, and the Jaguars. The Titans should have plenty of options as they should be looking at a top-5 pick, possibly a number 1 pick.
Saturday Games
Philadelphia Eagles 24 — Washington 27
Just a few weeks ago the Philadelphia Eagles were feeling pretty good about their place in the NFC. They were 9–3 and only one of those losses, a 53–20 loss to Green Bay in week 11, wasn’t a close one. But they entered this game losing two in a row to teams at the top of the NFC standings: the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys. They had lost some ground and needed to make it up against a fellow NFC East rival, one that had lost six games in a row. This is the same Washington team that has suffered from a broken locker room and would be starting a quarterback, Robert Griffin III, who was riding the bench just a few weeks ago for lack luster performances. But this Eagles team also isn’t what it was when they were 9–3. Starting quarterback Nick Foles hasn’t played since going on the injured reserve list back in the first week of November and the fast pace offense of Chip Kelly hasn’t been the same under Mark Sanchez. This game was similar to how their season has been: dominating at times and utterly hopeless at others. They threw the ball 50+ times and had the time of possession advantage. But they racked up 13 penalties, four times as many as Washington. They also couldn’t get LeSean McCoy going against the Washington defense. McCoy, fifth in the league in rushing yards, rushed for just 88 yards on 22 rush attempts. Cody Parkey, the kicker, missed two big field goals that would have been the difference in the game. With just seconds remaining and the game tied, Washington sent out Kai Forbath to kick a 26 yarder and get the victory…he didn’t miss. The loss significantly decreased their playoff chances and they had to hope for a Cowboys loss to stay alive in the NFC East (the Cowboys would go on to blow out the Colts 42–7, ending the Eagles season).
San Diego Chargers 38 — San Francisco 49ers 35
The San Diego Chargers pulled off what some would call an upset against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night in an overtime thriller. The Chargers needed this win or would otherwise be facing elimination in a crowded AFC playoff picture. They started the game thinking that they may need to book some Sunday’s on the golf course sooner than they’d like. The 49ers jumped out to a 21–0 lead more than halfway through the second quarter thanks to a Frank Gore 52-yard scamper into the end zone and safety Antoine Bethea returning Phillip Rivers’ first of three interceptions for his first touchdown of his pro career. On the next drive, Rivers and running back Branden Oliver led the Chargers 73 yards for a touchdown (15-yard catch for Eddie Royal) of their own to stop the bleeding and cut the lead to within 14. But the 49ers looked like they couldn’t be stopped and scored on their next drive to take the 21 point lead back. The 49ers started to resemble the team that had made it to the Super Bowl and NFC Championship over the last two years: hard nose defense, timely passing and a solid run game. But the second half was all Chargers. After a couple four and outs to start the 3rd quarter, Rivers hit Royal and Malcom Floyd for some big gains to set up a one-yard pass to Antonio Gates for the score. The Chargers were able to cut it to a seven point lead on the next drive when the 49ers were deep in their own territory and saw defensive end Ricardo Mathews strip the ball during a Colin Kaepernick sack where the ball was then recovered by the Chargers’ defense. But like they did in the first, the 49ers found a way to put just a little bit of distance between the two teams. The next drive saw Kaepernick cut through the Chargers’ defense like a hot knife through butter and run for 90 yards for a touchdown. But AGAIN, the Chargers bounced back and saw Rivers and Gates connect to cut it again within seven. With just over five minutes to play, the 49ers went four and out and couldn’t drain the clock. The Chargers used three minutes of the three and a half left on the clock to drive 80 yards for a Rivers to Floyd touchdown to tie the game where we’d head to overtime. The 49ers started the overtime off and saw themselves on their own 35-yard line where they ran an end around with Quinton Patton who busted out a five, a ten, a fifteen, an almost twenty yard run before he got tripped up and started to fall. In the not even half a second it took for him to be tripped and then fall gracefully to the ground, Chargers safety Eric Weddle reached across the falling Patton and stripped the ball, the Chargers recovered. They put the ball in Ronnie Brown’s hands and let him run six times after a couple of Rivers completions to his favorite wide outs and the Chargers found themselves all set for a Nick Novak 40-yard field goal….it was good. If the Chargers win next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, they’re in the playoffs. If they lose, it is back home to the beaches of San Diego.
Sunday Games
Minnesota Vikings 35 — Miami Dolphins 37
It was a fairly tame day on Sunday in Miami…that is until the fourth quarter of the Vikings and Dolphins game. The teams exploded for 41 combined fourth quarter points and every drive but two (Miami fumbling a kick return which was recovered immediately by the Vikings and the Dolphins last drive where they took a knee to run out the clock for the win) featured a score. The Vikings entered the fourth with a 17–14 lead, but Miami had been on the move to close out the third and scored on the first play of the fourth, a goal line rush by Lamar Miller. Blair Walsh kicked a field goal for the Vikings, leaving Miami only up one. Ryan Tannehill lead an 80-yard drive (40 of which were picked up on a pass to Brandon Gibson) and found Mike Wallace in the end zone to go up eight. The next drive was Teddy Bridgewater’s chance to pull off the 40-yard pass when he connected with tight end Rhett Ellison. The next play was a touchdown to Jarius Wright and a Matt Asiata two point conversion tied it up. The Vikings punted and this is where the Dolphins fumbled the return and the Vikings took over on the Miami five-yard line and promptly scored on the first play of the drive to go up seven, but that would be the last time that the Vikings would score. Tannehill and the offense led another drive 80-yard drive for a touchdown to tie things up and the next drive is where things get interesting. The Vikings got the ball back with a minute and eleven seconds left on the clock. The Dolphins stopped a Bridgewater run, forced an incompletion and then came up with a big sack on the third play. They used their last time out wisely and figured to get the ball back with about 30 seconds to spare, hoping to set up a long field goal. Vikings punter Jeff Locke found himself standing in his own end zone awaiting the punt, but it was a bad snap and actually took a bounce into his hands. Locke still tried to get the punt off, but Terrence Fede put on his best Taj Gibson hat and invited Locke to a block party. The ball soared out of bounds and was ruled a safety, Miami went up two and won the game 37–35.
Baltimore Ravens 13 — Houston Texans 25
The Ravens entered the week playoff bound, but within minutes of their game on Sunday afternoon with the Texans, they’d be on the outside looking in. The Texans were in control in virtually every aspect of the game. They had almost ten minutes more in time of possession on the Ravens, more first downs, more passing yards, more interceptions, more sacks, more QB hits, out rushed the Ravens 123–33 (!!!!), and most of all: more points. The Texans led 16–0 at half time thanks to three Randy Bullock field goals and a trick play that saw Arian Foster get pitched the ball in the back field only to run towards the side line and toss the ball over a handful of Ravens defenders to find a wide open C.J. Fiedorowicz for the touchdown. Along with Foster’s perfect pass, he rushed for 96 yards on 25 carries and helped keep the Ravens’ offense on the sidelines. The Ravens have had an up and down season and will need a lot of “up” in Week 17 if they hope to make the playoffs. Next week the Ravens will need to win against against a Cleveland Browns team who are without their top two quarterbacks and were recently spurned by Rex Grossman to be their starter for the last game of the season. The Ravens will also need the Chargers to lose to or tie against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens should be able to defeat the offensively challenged Browns, but will be watching the scoreboard to see if the Chiefs can take care of the Chargers.
Detroit Lions 20 — Chicago Bears 14
The Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks are both having magnificent seasons and playing great as they start to get into the thick of their seasons. On both sides of town, the Chicago Cubs and White Sox have been making splashes in the off-season and saw their World Series odds jump from just a few months before. But what topic has captured talk radio and the front page of the sports section? The not playoff bound Chicago Bears. Over the last few weeks rumors have swirled about a fractured locker room, offensive coordinators calling out quarterbacks, kickers calling out head coaches, and the benching of “franchise” quarterback Jay Cutler. Backup Jimmy Clausen got the nod for the Bears, his first start since 2011 when he was a rookie with the Carolina Panthers. Jimmy didn’t play bad and the Bears kept this game a lot closer than I, and many Chicagoans, thought it would be. The game was tied 7–7 heading into half time and the Bears defense and special teams played a big role in keeping it that close. They had back-to-back interceptions in the second quarter and recovered a muffed punt return that set them up for their first score. In the third quarter, the Bears had just one drive, but they made it count. They drove 80 yards in a little over seven minutes and made it count with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Clausen to Alshon Jeffery. Moving on to the fourth quarter, the Lions were faced with a third and long and Matt Stafford went long to Corey Fuller. The pass was under-thrown, but Bears’ cornerback Tim Jennings went body-to-body with Fuller and a pass interference penalty was called. If Jennings had just turned his head back a little bit and made an effort to catch the ball himself, we could call it a ball game. The ball moved from the Detroit 37 to the Chicago 17 and Joique Bell made the Bears pay with a 17-yard scamper into the end zone and Detroit didn’t look back. The Lions now sit as the second seed in the NFC, but after next week’s game against the Green Bay Packers, they could find themselves as the one seed with a win, or fall as low to a six seed with a loss and some other teams winning. The Detroit Lions will be playing in a must watch game against their NFC North rival the Packers up in Green Bay, a place they haven’t won a game at in over 20 years! Meanwhile, the Bears will have a must watch game to see if Jay Cutler can save face as he returns to the starting line up for a concussed Jimmy Clausen.
Cleveland Browns 13 — Carolina Panthers 17
This was a must win game for the Panthers who needed to come out as a victor to take the top spot in the NFC South. Cam Newton found himself starting for the Panthers, just a few weeks after a car accident that left him with two fractures in his back, and he didn’t disappoint. Newton went 18 for 31 for 201 yards, threw one touchdown, and rushed for another. He threw one interception, but limited himself to just one sack. With the win, the Panthers now control their own fate. With the Saints losing, their only possible roadblock could be the Saints’ eliminator: the Atlanta Falcons. Oh, and the two teams will be playing each other next week. It should be a great game with so much on the line. Both teams pride has taken a bit of a beating with many commentators questioning if a team with a losing record should be able to make the playoffs. But neither team plans to play like they’ve got a losing record on Sunday. “We knew Atlanta could take care of business down there, and we were hoping for a nice Christmas gift. That definitely was it,” said Mike Tolbert, Carolina’s fullback. “Now we have to prepare for a dog fight. We’ve got to get ready for all-out war. It’s win and get in.” Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel had to leave the game in the first half with a hurt hamstring and has already been ruled out in the teams finale against the Baltimore Ravens.
Atlanta Falcons 30 — New Orleans Saints 14
This was a huge showdown for two NFC East rivals. The Falcons traveled to New Orleans knowing that they needed to win out this season and would still need a little bit of help. The Falcons and Saints met to start the season off and played in a close, gripping game that ended with a field goal in overtime. The Falcons were coming off back to back losses to the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers while the Saints had been demolished by the Panthers in Week 14, but beat the Chicago Bears in Week 15. The Saints started off with a bang when Jalen Saunders returned the opening kick off for 99 yards before being tackled. Mark Ingram finished it off on the first drive of the game with a goal line touchdown. But after that, it was all Atlanta. They stopped another first quarter drive of Drew Brees and the Saints with an interception but couldn’t capitalize with a score. The second quarter saw another field goal and an Eric Weems touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to go up 13–7 at halftime. But the offense put together another great drive in the third and saw Devonta Freeman gain 31 of his 36 yards on a power run into the end zone. New Orleans drove right after that and continued it right into the fourth quarter, but Jimmy Graham fumbled on the 2-yard line and the defense stopped yet another New Orleans scoring opportunity. Atlanta thought that Graham was down before the ball came out and they should have seen a touchdown, but the replay guys in New York thought otherwise. While that wasn’t the nail in the coffin, it certainly was close. The Saints would go on to score one more time in the fourth, but the Falcons bounced right back with a field goal of their own, and a fumble returned for a touchdown by defensive end Osi Umenyiora to put an exclamation point on the win. It was a tough and disappointing season for the Saints who entered the season with high hopes and playoff aspirations. “When you’re 6–9, everybody’s job is on the line. That’s the reality of the business,” offensive lineman Zach Strief said. “People are not going to be here, especially here, where there’s an expectation of winning. There’s going to be changes made, and you know that leaving the season, so there’s a lot to play for.” For Atlanta, they’ve had a whirlwind of a season and it’s not over yet. They need to beat the Carolina Panthers next week to make the playoffs but it won’t be an easy feat. “Man, you just never know,” Umenyiora said. “In the NFL, you just never know what’s gonna happen. This is the ultimate, ultimate soap opera.”
Green Bay Packers 20 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3
The Green Bay Packers have not been the best road team, but they didn’t need their best against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was only a 10–3 game heading into the fourth, but the Packers hung on and padded the lead with a field goal and a Jordy Nelson touchdown thrown by Aaron Rodgers. When you look at the stats, you’d be surprised that Green Bay didn’t outscore the Bucs by 40. They had 23 first downs compared to the Buc’s six and had four times as many yards (431 vs 109). Green Bay prepares to host the Detroit Lions next week in a showdown between the NFC North rivals. Both teams will be making the playoffs, but where they will be seeded is still up for grabs. The Packers, as they sit now, would be facing the Panthers in the first round while the Lions would have a first round bye. The number one overall seed is still up for grabs if the Seahawks lose, and the Packers would love for the NFC’s road to the Super Bowl to have to go through Lambeau Field, where they haven’t lost at all this season.
Kansas City Chiefs 12 — Pittsburgh Steelers 20
The Chiefs had already been eliminated from the playoffs, the Steelers still had something to fight for. From 2001 to 2011, the Steelers had made the playoffs eight times and won the Super Bowl twice. Since 2011, they’ve been in a rut of sorts, slowly rebuilding different aspects of the team as stalwarts of those Super Bowl teams retired or moved on to other teams. But Ben Roethlisberger has been the constant over the majority of those years and was hungry to return. He led the Steelers to a 20–12 win on Sunday and back into the playoffs for the first time in three years. He passed for 220 yards on 18 completions on 25 attempts and threw one touchdown with no interceptions. The defense showed up as well with six sacks on Alex Smith and recovered a Jamaal Charles fumble.The Steelers got their playoff spot, but now need to work on their positioning. The AFC North title is still up for grabs. The Cincinnati Bengals currently hold the top spot thanks to a tie earlier this season, but the two teams will face off on Sunday night for the crown…thanks flex scheduling! The last game of the season will take place in Pittsburgh where the Steelers will hope for a repeat of their week 14 battle which saw the Steelers run away with the game 42–21.
New England Patriots 17 — New York Jets 16
The Patriots had a playoff spot all locked up, but knew that a win would help them secure a first round bye. But their match up against the Jets was not a walk in the park like some thought it would be. The Jets had a lead for the majority of the middle of the game, until a drive that took up the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth gave the Patriots their first lead since they were up 7–0 in the first. The Pats were working with a short field thanks to a Jamie Collins interception of Geno Smith at the Patriots 40. Brady connected with Brandon LaFell for a 14-yard pass and then a 10-yard pass. Brady then showed off his mobility when he scrambled for 11 yards to the 2-yard line. It was Jonas Gray time after that and had back-to-back one yard runs to score the go ahead touchdown. “We made plenty of good (plays) in the fourth quarter to come from behind, so that was great,” Brady said. “I’m glad it came out the way it did — makes for a better Christmas.” So the Patriots got their Christmas wish and will have a first round bye in the playoffs and home-field advantage throughout.
New York Giants 37 — St. Louis Rams 27
I could recap the Giants and Rams game where all they were playing for was pride and draft positioning….OR we could watch Odell Beckham Jr. highlights from the game. Click on the image to watch his highlights from this game. Unreal. How did this guy not make the Pro Bowl???!?!?!?
Buffalo Bills 24 — Oakland Raiders 26
There was a time earlier this year where I didn’t think the Raiders would win a game, it had been a full year after all since their last win. But they looked good in some games and hung tough against good teams like New England, San Diego, and Seattle. But over the last four weeks before this, they are a .500 team. They won against Kansas City, lost to St. Louis in a 52–0 thumping, bounced back to win against San Francisco, then traveled to KC only to fall. The Raiders are not a “horrible” team, just a bad team that is still rebuilding. They could probably use a coaching change and could definitely use a front office change. But Derek Carr has played better than most of the other rookie quarterbacks this year and Charles Woodson has been the veteran on the defensive side and has led the team to respectable numbers. The Bills were still clinging to their playoff hopes and needed to come out the victor, but these Raiders would not lie down. Sebastian Janikowski kicked four field goals and Carr led two solid drives that led to touchdowns to James Jones (1st quarter) and Jamize Olawale (4th quarter). Rookie Sammy Watkins has been the highlight of the Bills on the offensive side, as has the surprising play of Kyle Orton who stepped into the starters role after E.J. Manuel floundered in the beginning of the season. The Bills defense has also been a bright spot ranking third in opponents passing yards and thirteenth in opponents rushing yards. Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus both have 10+ sacks and their backfield has young guns like Da’Norris Searcy and Leodis McKelvin. Both teams will be disappointed at the end of the season, but there are a lot of bright spots on both of these rosters and 2015 should be an exciting season for each side.
Indianapolis Colts 7 — Dallas Cowboys 42
The Cowboys entered this game with a playoff spot reserved for them. But they still went out guns a blazing in order to bring home their first NFC East Division Title since 2009. No one would have questioned the Cowboys if they rested the oft-injured Tony Romo or some of their other stars. But all were there for the start against a Colts team that won their division last week. On their first four drives of the game, the Cowboys reached the end zone, to go up 28–0 at the half. Romo completed all but two of his passes, going 18–20 for 218 yards and throwing four touchdowns. For a quarterback who has had a reputation for wilting at the end of the season, especially in games of importance, this performance was a statement to all of his critics. The Cowboys will face off next week against Washington while the Colts will hope to get back to their winning ways against the Tennessee Titans.
Sunday Night
Seattle Seahawks 35 — Arizona Cardinals 6
The Seahawks and Cardinals are two teams heading in opposite directions. At the end of this game, a Seahawks thumping, both teams are 11–4 but over the last five games there is a big difference. The Seahawks are 5–0 and have won each game by at least ten points. The Cardinals are just 2–3 in their last five games and their two wins have been by three points and then six points while their losses have been by double digits all three times. It doesn’t help that the Cardinals are playing with a quarterback, Ryan Lindley, who has never thrown a touchdown in his three years in the NFL. Lindley was a practice squad player who got the starting job after back-up turned starter Drew Stanton went down with an injury last week. The Seahawks can also point to losing a key player as a source of their turnaround. On October 18th they traded wide receiver Percy Harvin to the New York Jets. Harvin, while talented, was said to not be the best locker room presence and had never clicked with quarterback Russell Wilson. After the weekend of the trade, the Seahawks have gone 9–1 and have looked like a Super Bowl caliber team. Seattle racked up a franchise best with Russell Wilson throwing for 339 and two touchdowns and Marshawn Lynch tearing up the field with 113 yards on the ground. Lynch had one of the prettiest runs I’ve seen all year and proved that “beast mode” is still alive and well. The defense had four sacks and 12 quarterback hits, while Richard Sherman came up with a 53-yard interception. Next week the Seahawks host the St. Louis Rams while the Cardinals will visit the San Francisco 49ers and hope to position themselves for better seeding in the NFC playoffs.
Monday Night Football
Denver Broncos 28 — Cincinnati Bengals 30
The Bengals knew going into Monday night that if they wanted next week’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers to be for the AFC North title, they’d first have to take care of business against the Broncos. The game was evenly matched with both of these playoff bound teams having big takeaways on the defensive side of the ball and offenses getting hot at the right moment. The Broncos started the game off going up seven when Aqib Talib intercepted Andy Dalton and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. The Bengals bounced right back as running back Jeremy Hill quickly tied it on his 85 yard run. The Bengals would go on to score another touchdown and two field goals in the second quarter to take a 20–7 lead at half. The Broncos dominated the 3rd quarter, starting with great field position thanks to an Omar Bolden 77-yard return. Peyton Manning would connect with Emmanuel Sanders for two touchdowns as well. The two Sanders scores gave the Broncos a 28–27 lead. The fourth quarter was a mess for Manning and the Broncos. Their first drive of the quarter ended after just three plays when Adam “Pacman” Jones intercepted Manning. The second drive was a four and out. The third saw Manning get sacked, and they were forced to punt. The nail in the coffin was the fourth drive when Dre Kirkpatrick intercepted a pass intended for Demaryius Thomas and ran it back 30 yards for the touchdown and a more manageable lead. Kirkpatrick wasn’t done as he intercepted Manning AGAIN on drive number five which saw the Broncos creeping into Bengals’ territory. The Broncos close out the regular season at home next week when the Raiders come to town and as mentioned above, the Bengals and Steelers will face off on Sunday night for the AFC North crown.
The Week Ahead
- This is the only day of the season where all 32 NFL teams will play on the same day. No Thursday, Saturday, or Monday games in Week 17. Sunday will be a wild, day long event!
- The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers will face off on Sunday night for the last game of the regular season which will also decide who will be crowned the AFC North champion.
- The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions will do battle for the NFC North crown and a possible first round bye on Sunday afternoon.
- The soap opera that has been the NFC South comes to an end when the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons face off late Sunday afternoon. One of these teams will enter the playoffs as a below .500 underdog. But both teams have weapons and will hope to take the momentum from this win into the playoffs.
- Jay Cutler returns to the starting role when the Bears and the Vikings go head to head for the 3rd Place Crown of the NFC North. The loser is guaranteed a top 10 pick in the NFL draft.
- I’m interested to see how the Houston Texans use J.J. Watt in their game against the Jaguars. Neither team will be playing after Sunday, but the Texans may want to throw Watt out on some offensive packages to help pad his stats for his campaign to be the first defensive MVP in over 20 years.
