NFL Week 16 Thoughts, Reactions and Recap

27 Dec, 2022

NFL Week 16 Thoughts, Reactions and Recap

Dolphins Keep Losing

Miami dropped their fourth game in a row on Sunday, losing to the Packers 26-20. I still don’t know how a month ago people were saying Tua had a chance at the MVP or even that he’s a top quarterback in this league. If everybody would have kept their expectations and emotions in check from the beginning this continued result wouldn’t seem very bad. Instead, everyone has now done a full 360. Now the narrative is that he’s garbage. In reality, he isn’t good or bad. Tua is an average NFL starter. Does he need a lot of help to win games? Yes. Will he occasionally have great games, especially in a talented and well-coached offense? Yes, but he isn’t elite. Fortunately for the Dolphins, every team in contention with them for a wildcard spot also lost. As long as they beat New England next week, they’re in. 

Greg Joseph Kicks Minnesota to a Win

This time it was a 61-yard field goal as time expired that gave the Vikings another heart pounding win. This Minnesota defense continues to be their Achilles Heel. Their offense can seemingly hang with anyone in the league, they just have to find a way to get more stops. They allowed Daniel Jones to throw for 334 yards, while completing 71% of his passes. That sort of defense isn’t going to work against Jalen Hurts in a few weeks. 

Another Poor Showing Gets Hackett Fired

One of the worst head coaching debuts in the history of the league has finally come to an end. Nathaniel Hackett was fired yesterday after a 14-51 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. All of the blame can’t fall on Hackett, but when you’re the coach on a team everyone thought would be 11-4 instead of 4-11, you know your time is limited. Speaking of limited, Mr. Limited himself threw 3 terrible interceptions in another horrible outing. Russell’s QBR for the season sits at 34.9. His worst (full) year in Seattle was 57.1, but even that year saw him throw for 4,200+, 21 TDs and 11 INTs. Whatever coach takes this position next year will have his work cut out for him. 

Dallas Narrowly Beat Minshew and the Eagles

It’s hard to win any game giving up four turnovers, so the fact Philadelphia kept it so close is impressive. Both running games were largely kept in check. Elliot and Pollard only combined for 74 yards on 25 carries. Miles Sanders didn’t do much better. He only averaged 3.1 YPC for a total of 65 yards. This game can’t make you feel great if you’re a Dallas fan. Needing 4 turnovers, 2 of them coming very late, to beat the Eagles by 6 has to be scary. 

Tennessee is in Shambles

The Titans fell to the Texans on Saturday by a final score of 10-14. I said in our preview blog Derrick Henry would have to rush for 150+ if Tennessee was going to win. He only rushed for 126. Surprisingly, Vrabel let Malik Willis throw it 23 times. He ended with less than 100 yards and 2 picks. Obviously, this team is horrible right now, but even with a loss to Dallas next week, Tennessee can still get into the playoffs with a win over Jacksonville in Week 18. Every fan of football would rather see Trevor Lawrence get in, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Vrabel gives his defense some life these last two weeks and they sneak in. 

Carolina Hurts Detroit’s Playoff Hopes

In one of the most Lion moves of all time, Detroit lost to the Panthers in a game they very much needed to win to keep the playoff light burning. They still have a chance, but they have to win out and need a lot of help from other teams. Carolina absolutely shredded the Lions on the ground. D’Onta Foreman ran for 165 on 21 attempts. Chuba Hubbard ran for 125 on 12 carries. Carolina has shown a lot of life the last few weeks. I know we say this about a lot of teams, but it seems like they’re a quarterback away from being relevant again. If I was Lamar, I would think heavily about signing with the Panthers in the offseason. He would get a decent, young defense, DJ Moore, and would be out of the AFC. Instead of having to face Mahomes, Burrow, Allen, Herbert etc. to get to a Super Bowl, his biggest threat would be Jalen Hurts. Not to mention he would only need to win 8 games to win his division. 

The Chiefs and 49ers Win with Ease

Both of these teams won by two or more touchdowns. It was a pretty relaxing day for both squads. Kansas City kept pace with Buffalo for the one seed and San Francisco continues to prove why they’re arguably the best defense in the league. Mahomes is only 280 yards away from 5,000. It would be his second season with 5,000+ passing yards in only 5 years playing. For reference, Drew Brees holds the record for most 5,000+ yard seasons at 5. Mahomes should easily shatter that if he stays healthy and Andy Reid sticks around for awhile longer. 

Cincinnati Survives a Scare from New England

This game looked locked down until the fourth quarter. The Bengals were up 22-0 at halftime but won by a score of 22-18. Rhamondre Stevenson must have been Cincinnati’s secret Santa because he fumbled on their 5-yard line right when it looked like New England might take the lead late. As I said in the Miami breakdown, New England’s entire season rests on that outcome. Lose and they’re out, win and they’ve at least given themselves a chance at making the postseason. 

Other Notes:

  • Pittsburgh kept their winning season streak alive with a win against Las Vegas. Pittsburgh isn’t really playing for anything, but knowing this streak is on the line has made their games remain interesting. 
  • Baltimore secured a playoff berth with a win over Atlanta. It wasn’t pretty and Justin Tucker missed another field goal, but the Ravens moved to 10-5 on the year. There’s still hope for a division title, but they would need Buffalo to beat Cincinnati next week and then they themselves would need to beat Cincinnati in Week 18.
  • Buffalo obliterated Chicago 35-13. This game was close until halftime. Chicago actually had the lead when the second quarter came to an end, but the second half was all Buffalo. They scored 29 points in the final two quarters, no thanks to Stefon Diggs though. I’m sure there were a lot of fantasy players who lost their playoff matchup because of his measly 2 catches for 26 yards. 
  • Brady and the Buccaneers beat Arizona in overtime. This was another disgusting game. When you need 5 quarters to beat a Trace McSorley lead team by only three points, you know you’re screwed come playoff time. 
  • The Chargers have clinched a playoff spot for the first time in Justin Herbert’s career. This is a dangerous team and one I’m sure nobody wants to face off against in a few weeks, especially Kansas City. 

Gambling Recap

Our best bet hit again. That’s three weeks in a row now. We’re still only 28-32 for -7.59 units, but we’re slowly coming out of the hole we put ourselves in.