NFL Week 16 Recap: Win and In

As a Green Bay Packers fan, I'm not used to anything coming this easy. So excuse me if I'm a bit extra cheeky, or cheesy.

It's always beautiful to control your own destiny. It's even more beautiful when it happens in such a fashion that it makes a cakewalk look like climbing Mount Everest. All we had to do was show up. That's it. I knew we'd easily beat the New Orleans Saints, but my goodness, I didn't expect this mess. This game was the 240th of the 2024 regular season. It was the first to end in a shutout. 34-0 was the final score. No worrying about what the defense would do, no worrying about plays that could have been better, no fear that this was a trap game and we could be playing down to our competition. Hell, I think if we had played down to our competition, the worst we could have done was probably win 17-0.

So the Green Bay Packers are playoff bound; clinching two weeks earlier than we did last year, and with a better record, this win was our 11th this year. For the second straight year under Jordan Love, we clinched a playoff spot at Lambeau Field, and it was a beautiful sight. You know what wasn't a beautiful sight? The Saints. This team was eliminated one day before they took the field, but usually, teams who know their seasons are over still play like they give a damn. The Saints? My goodness. Their play was hideous. They didn't commit a bunch of turnovers, only two, but they played like they had committed six.

Here's the thing about the Packers. We don't shut out teams. We're incapable of shutting out teams. Yes, the Saints had their top guys all out, but even teams who are injured to all hell, and are dead in the water manage to score so much as one touchdown against the Packers. This was a different level of lethargy from the Saints. It's going to be another long offseason for the Saints.

The Saints were one of four NFC teams who were eliminated on Sunday. The Cowboys were also eliminated from playoff contention, but unlike New Orleans, Dallas came to the dance. The Cowboys were at home on Sunday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and strangely, Dallas was dominating them. A huge lead at halftime, but it was slipping away from them late in the fourth quarter. The Bucs did have one last chance; all they had to do was get into field goal range. Baker Mayfield somehow got it to Rachaad White, but a good run was wasted, as White coughed it up, and Dallas went on to win it, 26-24.

Tampa Bay picked a bad time to falter against a team whose season was over. Before the Bucs took the field, the Atlanta Falcons--with rookie QB Michael Penix, Jr. starting--dominated the lowly New York Giants, handing the Giants their 10th straight loss. However, Giants fans still have to be happy. After all, the Las Vegas Raiders actually won against the Jacksonville Jaguars, meaning that the Giants are in the lead for the #1 pick. As for the Bucs, they entered Week 16 leading the NFC South by a game and in full control of their destiny in regards to winning the division. That is gone now. The Bucs and Falcons are now in a first place tie, and because ATL swept the Bucs this season, it's now the Falcons who are in the driver's seat. By the way, it was Atlanta's win that eliminated the Saints from playoff contention.

The true game of the week, in the opinions of many, was this NFC East battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders. Eagles were in a bit of trouble, as Jalen Hurts left early due to a concussion. Even so, Kenny Pickett managed to hold the fort down, but the Eagles defense could not handle Jayden Daniels. They did intercept him twice, but that's all they did. Daniels still tossed five touchdown passes, two of them to Jamison Crowder, and the second of them came with six seconds left in regulation and ended up winning the game for Washington. The Eagles could have won the NFC East, but the loss forced them to wait another week. Oh, and Washington's win eliminated not only the Cowboys from playoff contention, but the 49ers--who lost Super Bowl LVIII with three seconds left in OT--are also done.

Washington's win came as the Arizona Cardinals were playing for their season against the Carolina Panthers. The Cards actually found themselves behind for a good bit, and it was in the final minute that they were down by three. While this was going on, the Los Angeles Rams won an ugly game over the New York Jets, 19-9, meaning that the Cardinals were now lose and out. However, Chad Ryland's long range FG forced overtime, and while they did stop the Panthers from even getting to FG range, Arizona could not move the ball and even worse, their punt was from deep in their own territory. Now the Panthers could win with any score, but Chuba Hubbard decided to really hurt them with a TD run. The Panthers won, 36-30, in OT, and the Cardinals, despite actually being in first place for a few weeks, were eliminated from playoff contention for the third straight year.

Jonathan Taylor definitely made a lot of Fantasy Football owners happy during playoff time. He also made the Indianapolis Colts happy, as his massive contributions led to a 38-30 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Entering Week 16, the Colts, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Miami Dolphins all faced elimination, as they were all "lose and out." However, not only did the Colts win, but the Bengals made quick work of their in-state rivals, the Cleveland Browns. As for the Dolphins, they played well against the already eliminated Niners. So all three teams still have life, and as a result, the AFC storylines live on for another week.

Regarding the #1 seed angles, the Buffalo Bills sputtered against lowly New England Patriots, with Josh Allen having yet another "meh" performance. They had to come back to win that game, so their aspirations of getting the AFC's top seed remain intact. In the NFC, the battered Detroit Lions easily blasted the Chicago Bears, and the Minnesota Vikings squeaked by the Seattle Seahawks, so the tie for the NFC North and the #1 seed in the conference remains intact. As for the Seahawks, they continue to sputter, as they are now a full game behind the Rams in the NFC West, and can be eliminated next week.

We are now down to the final two weeks of the season, and Week 17 starts with a special Christmas Day doubleheader on Netflix! First off, the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs, and in the second game, the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans face each other. On the following day, the Chicago Bears host the Seattle Seahawks, and we will be treated to a Saturday tripleheader: Chargers/Patriots, Broncos/Bengals, and Cardinals/Rams. Sunday Night Football will feature the Atlanta Falcons and the Washington Commanders, and Monday Night Football's regular season finale will be a rematch of last year's NFC Championship: Lions @ 49ers.

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Check out my recap of Week 16's first three games below!