NFL Week 16 Christmas Day Recap: Crisis Mode in Kansas City

In the immortal words of the late, great Bobby "Blue" Bland, "I smell trouble."

Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season ended with a triple dip of NFL action on Christmas Day, and it began with the Las Vegas Raiders on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the only one of the three games that featured an actual clinching scenario. The Chiefs entered Christmas Day with a chance to lock up the AFC West with a win or even a tie (the latter thanks to the Denver Broncos' loss on Christmas Eve). As for the Raiders, it was do or die. While they were actually alive in not only the playoff race, but the division as well, a loss would bring their season to an end. And yes, for the Swifties wondering, T-Swift was in attendance.

What she, Chiefs fans, and many fans watching on TV would see was a stunning show that saw the Chiefs bumbling and stumbling. The dropped passes continued to be a thing, two wide receivers committed offsides penalties (so it's not just Kadarius Toney), Travis Kelce was a non-factor, and Patrick Mahomes absolutely fell apart. He threw a Pick 6 in the game, and we also saw him screaming at his offensive line at one point. Kansas City tried to come back against the Raiders, but Vegas held on and celebrated a big Christmas miracle.

The Raiders won, 20-14, in Kansas City, and yeah, the Chiefs are in deep, deep trouble. I'm going to say something I never thought I'd say this late in the season: there is a real possibility that the Chiefs may miss the playoffs. I'm not saying they will, but the possibility is there, and it's bigger than you think. The AFC West is still up for grabs, and it could come down to the final week if the Chiefs lose and the Broncos and Raiders both win next week. Chiefs face the Chargers in the final week, while the Broncos and Raiders face each other. If KC loses in addition to the Week 17 scenario, they can't win the division; whoever wins LV/DEN will rule the West. Even crazier, KC could end up behind Cleveland, Buffalo, and one of the current 8-7 teams in the Wild Card, putting them out of the loop. Jordan Love really did break this team, didn't he?

So the Chiefs need to get to work fixing things, and as for the Raiders, it's time to remove the interim tag from Antonio Pierce's head coach title. He's 4-3 since taking over as HC, and he just beat the defending champs on their turf. Remember what happened the last time you let go of an interim coach. Just saying.

Christmas is the holiday centered on the spirit of giving, and after the Raiders gave us an interesting AFC West picture, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles gave us a game that was much more nailbiting than many of us expected. The Eagles got the ball rolling early: a good return to begin the game, leading to a short drive capped off by the famous Brotherly Shove. The Eagles led 20-3 at halftime and looked to be running away, but Saquon Barkley scored, Jalen Hurts threw a Pick 6, and a two point conversion made it a two point game. Not again. The Eagles had lost three straight after starting 10-1, and it looked like they would let this slip away as well. They got back in the end zone, but the Giants needed just one play to get back in it. After a Jake Elliott field goal, the Giants had one last gasp, and the pass to the end zone was intercepted at the final seconds.

The Eagles escaped with a 33-25 win, and they finally capitalized on the Dallas Cowboys' loss. Philly is now back on top of the NFC East, with the defending conference champions remaining in the hunt for the #1 seed. As for the New York Giants, their season is over. They went from a surprise playoff team who reached the Divisional Playoff last year, to being eliminated on Christmas Day this season. It's a terrible decline that has many scratching their heads.

Week 16's final game overall pitted both #1 seeds against each other. The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers went at it in Santa Clara, and while neither team could clinch the top spot in their respective conference, the winner could move one step closer to doing so. It was a strange start; the first points came via a 49ers safety, after Lamar Jackson ended up in his own end zone because the O-line failed to block for him. It was actually 5-3 in favor of the 49ers, but that's where the positives ended for the home team, as the Ravens would completely take over and dominate the game big time. The Ravens defense intercepted five passes total, and Lamar came through as only he can, resulting in a 33-19 win for the Ravens.

Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room.

Entering this game, there were a lot of people saying that Brock Purdy should be this year's NFL MVP. Can you believe that? Imagine being so biased, so racist, and so hateful of Black QBs that one would even consider...this...as the NFL MVP over Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, or Jalen Hurts. Brock Purdy is a terrible quarterback. I've said this for several weeks. The only reason why Mr. Irrelevant became relevant is because of Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel carrying him. Lamar Jackson doesn't have a CMC or a Deebo. Literally the only other player he can rely on is Justin Tucker. Yet despite all of that, Lamar has won games left and right for the Ravens, but despite that fact, no one wants to give him his flowers, even in the spirit of giving.

Brock Purdy was definitely in the spirit of giving. He gave the ball to the Ravens four times! Brock Purdy is a fraud, and let's face it, so are the Niners. Yet no one blamed Purdy for those bad losses to teams like the Browns and Vikings, but when the Eagles lost three straight this year, "It's Hurts' fault." Give me a break. The Niners still hold the #1 seed in the NFC, but it's via tiebreaker over the Eagles and Lions, while the Cowboys still have an outside shot. As for the Ravens, it's down to just them and the Dolphins for the #1 seed in the AFC (that's right, the Chiefs can't get the #1 seed), and get this: they face each other next week!

I hope your Christmas was a wonderful one; mine certainly was! Now it's time to begin the process of bringing in the New Year, and that includes football! Two weeks remain in the season, and Week 17 will kick off with the Thursday Night Football season finale between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets. We will also be treated to a Saturday contest between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys, and after that, the remaining 14 games will take place on New Year's Eve Sunday. The Week 17 finale will feature the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football.

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My other stories involving Week 16's action: