Week 16 Recap: Giving and Receiving

Week 16 of the NFL season always falls on Christmas time, and every year, it can be cause for celebration for a select few teams in the league. This year's NFL Christmas weekend was no exception, as five more teams joined the Green Bay Packers in the 2021 playoffs. One such team was the Dallas Cowboys, who looked to win the NFC East this week. They received their gifts before taking the field for their Sunday Night Football clash against the Washington Football Team.

It started on the season finale of Thursday Night Football, which saw the Tennessee Titans defeat the San Francisco 49ers, with the Niners' loss putting Dallas into the playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles routed the New York Giants on Sunday, so Dallas either had to win or clinch Strength of Victory to lock up the East. The latter ended up happening first, as the Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders both won, and it was Vegas' win that gave Dallas the division. As for their own game, the Cowboys routed Washington, 56-14; Dallas actually led 42-7 at halftime, and Dak Prescott had a field day: 330 yards and four TD passes.

For Washington, this was their third straight loss after winning their way to .500, and at 6-9, they now find themselves closing in on elimination. Their next loss will officially end their season.

Aaron Rodgers received the gift of Packers immortality on Christmas Day. His TD pass to Allen Lazard in the first quarter was his 443rd of his career, moving him past Brett Favre for the all time franchise lead, and afterwards, Favre appeared on the tron, congratulated Rodgers, and said, "Go get us another Super Bowl." Rodgers added two more TD passes to his record total, as the Packers won, 24-22 over the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau. Rodgers wasn't the only one who received gifts. The Packers' defense ended up with a lot of gifts: in the form of five sacks and four interceptions.

This was Baker Mayfield's first game back from the COVID list, and it was a disaster. Now, while his fourth INT was the result of holding not being called on Rasul Douglas, the other three were just terrible--thrown right to the DBs. In spite of this, however, Cleveland's running game was beastly; it was responsible for keeping the Browns in the game. Because of this, many say that the Browns going away from what kept them in the game was the cause of their loss. The Browns are now in the same boat as Washington: their next loss will end their season.

Who had the Los Angeles Rams leading the NFC West after their brief skid? Thanks to the Arizona Cardinals continuing to fall, that is exactly what happened. The Cards lost yet another home game on Christmas evening to the Indianapolis Colts, putting the Rams in the division lead. The Rams entered their meeting with the Vikings with a "win and in" scenario, and that's exactly what they did, as their 30-23 victory over the Vikings put them in the playoffs, and placed them one game ahead of the Cards. Ironically, the Rams win also put the Cards in the playoffs, as the Vikings and Niners' losses clinched a spot for Arizona. The Cardinals have lost three straight and are 3-5 since starting 7-0. Four of their five losses were at home, and their one road loss was to the Detroit Lions. Ouch.

Both halves of Super Bowl LV will be back in the playoffs, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers, 32-6, to lock up the NFC South. The Kansas City Chiefs will be back as well, and they partially have the Houston Texans to thank, as they upset the Los Angeles Chargers, 41-29, before the Chiefs took the field. With LA's loss, the Chiefs earned the right to clinch the AFC West, and they did just that with their 36-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The rout came despite Patrick Mahomes being without Travis Kelce (due to COVID), and Tyreek Hill barely being targeted. The Chiefs became the first AFC team to clinch a spot in the playoffs, and they won the AFC West for the sixth straight year.

As for the Steelers, well, this was a bad loss for them. Since starting 5-3, the Steelers are 2-4-1 in their last seven, with the tie coming against the then-winless Lions, and the wins coming against the Ravens (due to a failed two-pointer) and the Titans (who blew a 13-3 lead). This is not good, especially because the AFC North's mediocrity means that there's a high possibility that the division's only playoff team will be whoever wins it. They will need to win out and a lot of help for that to happen.

No other spots were clinched in the AFC this week, but the picture became more interesting. The Cincinnati Bengals trounced the Baltimore Ravens, 41-21, increasing their stranglehold on the AFC North. The Bengals are 4-1 in division play this season, with their one loss being against, of all teams, Cleveland. In the East, the Buffalo Bills bounced back and took down the New England Patriots in Foxboro, putting them back in first place in the division, but the main story in the AFC playoff picture is the Miami Dolphins, who ended Week 16 with a 20-3 victory over the New Orleans Saints. The Dolphins have now won seven straight games, and after starting 1-7, they now find themselves above the playoff line. It is an amazing story; this team was dead to rights. Now they are dangerous. No team has started with one win in their first eight and made the playoffs afterwards. The 2020 New York Giants came close. Could the 2021 Miami Dolphins do it? The final two weeks will tell the tale.

The Dolphins/Saints game is the last game of the 2021 calendar year, as with no more Thursday games, Week 17 will start on the 2nd day of 2022. 16 games, and all but one on Sunday. A key game in the early slot is the battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals, as the Chiefs are looking to lock up the #1 seed in the AFC, while the Bengals can clinch the AFC North with a win. The Indianapolis Colts will host the Las Vegas Raiders, while the Tennessee Titans host the Miami Dolphins, and there is so much on the line in both games. The marquee matchup in the late slot is the Dallas Cowboys' home game against the Arizona Cardinals, as the Cards look to end their skid. Sunday Night Football will feature the Green Bay Packers hosting the Minnesota Vikings, and if the Cowboys lose their game, the Packers can lock up #1 in the NFC with a win. Week 17 will end with Monday Night Football's season finale, which will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Cleveland Browns in what is basically an elimination game: whoever loses is done.

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