By Christmas may be right around the corner, but the big names of the NFL were working harder than ever to give their teams the best chance of making the playoffs.
One star put in a performance worthy of the top of the tree, one high-flying team almost gifted a win to another less fortunate, and one newcomer provided his team a fresh start ahead of the new year.
Here’s everything you need to know from Sunday’s NFL games in Week 16.
With 1:58 remaining, the Philadelphia Eagles were set to clinch the NFC East divisional title with an 11th straight win, despite losing Jalen Hurts to a concussion early in the first quarter.
Then Jayden Daniels happened.
The superstar rookie orchestrated a 57-yard, game-winning drive, culminating in his fifth touchdown pass of the game with six seconds remaining, to complete the Washington Commanders’ 36-33 comeback win over their division rivals.
In doing so, Daniels became the first Washington QB to throw for five touchdowns in a single game since Mark Rypien, who was in attendance on Sunday, did so in 1991.
That year was the last time the Commanders got their hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and Sunday’s late drama strengthened Washington’s playoff chances to 95%.
“You gotta go out there, you gotta put up a fight,” Daniels told a press conference after the game. “The game’s never done ‘til the clock hits zero.
“I love those type of situations when it’s on thin ice and plays need to be made. That’s what you live for if you really love this sport. You live for those big time-moments where it comes down to the end.”
Daniels threw 24-of-39 for 258 yards and was also the Commanders’ leading rusher with 81 yards on nine carries. According to the Associated Press, he is the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw for five or more touchdowns and rush for 65 or more yards in one game.
It was a different story for Philadelphia’s signal caller. With the Eagles 7-0 up, Hurts left the game early after his head bounced off the ground on one run and he was hit in the helmet by Frankie Luvu shortly after.
After two trips to the medical tent, he was ruled out with a concussion. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni had no update on his condition after the game.
“I haven’t talked to our medical staff yet,” he told a press conference. “Anything that has anything to do with the head is out of our hands there.”
Backup QB Kenny Pickett entered the game and completed the scoring drive to extend the lead to 14-0, but the Eagles’ offense was inconsistent after the first quarter – Saquon Barkley rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the first 15 minutes alone, but racked up just 41 yards across the rest of the game.
The Commanders got on the board with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter when Daniels found Jamison Crowder, before Barkley showed off his speed, restoring the 14-point lead with a 68-yard TD run.
Two more Washington touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters sandwiched two field goals from Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott in the third, before the Commanders took the lead for the first time with 9:06 remaining off Daniels’ 49-yard TD pass to Olamide Zaccheaus.
Two more Elliott field goals made it 33-28, before Daniels really turned it on, firing a pass into Crowder in the end zone to spark Commanders’ celebrations.
The Buffalo Bills have been one of the best teams to watch in the NFL this season. On Sunday, though, they had to win ugly.
Having given up the first 14 points of the game, the Bills rallied to score the next 24 and ultimately record a nervy 24-21 victory over the New England Patriots.
The result means that 12-3 Buffalo is still in the hunt for the AFC No. 1 seed – the only goal the team is still fighting for having already clinched the division title – although it would need the 14-1 Kansas City Chiefs to fall off dramatically.
The Bills would also need to correct a run which saw their defense give up 44 and 42 points to the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions, respectively, before Sunday’s slow start.
“We’ve talked about this before – starting with our momentum building throughout the whole game, and we were just starting kind of lackadaisical, letting things that we should defend go by,” said defensive end AJ Epenesa afterwards per buffalobills.com. “We got settled in, as we see, we just started making things happen.”
MVP favorite Josh Allen was not his usual self, throwing 16-of-29 for 154 yards, one touchdown and an interception. His off day was one of the contributing factors to the end of Buffalo’s eight-game streak of scoring 30 or more points.
Even more worrying for Bills’ fans was a potential injury for their star man. On the same day that NFL Network Insider Ian Rapaport revealed that Allen has been playing most of the season with a fractured left hand, the QB was seen shaking his right hand after he was brought down in the fourth quarter.
“I fell down, got a helmet to the funny bone. I went to throw the next one and I had no feeling in the hand. Came out a little wobbly,” he told CBS Sports. “It happens sometimes, but we move on.”
Running back James Cook shone instead on Sunday, rushing 11 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which tied the game at 14-14 in the third quarter.
Tyler Bass’ field goal gave the Bills the lead for the first time, before Taron Johnson seized upon a fumble by Rhamondre Stevenson to make it 24-14.
Drake Maye’s second touchdown pass of the game with 1:13 remaining cut Buffalo’s lead to three, but the home team would hang on for its ninth win in 10 games.
“No matter who we play in our division – the Jets, Patriots or the Dolphins – this will be a tough one,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said, according to the Bills website. “This will be a nail-biter no matter what. They played us well, they played us hard, and we know nobody’s ever going to just give us a win.”
Michael Penix Jr. gave the Atlanta Falcons hope for the rest of the season, playing what coach Raheem Morris called an “almost flawless” game on his first start to help the team to a 34-7 blowout win over the New York Giants.
The rookie, who was taking over from struggling veteran Kirk Cousins, went 18-of-27 for 202 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, but would have had more if it weren’t for some drops from his teammates.
“He went out and played almost flawless football, and kept the game really clean and kept everything clean for us in order for us to get a win,” said coach Raheem Morris – who had announced Penix as the starting QB on Tuesday night – in a press conference after Sunday’s game.
“The plan came a little bit sooner, but the kid was ready. We had a lot of time to develop him. The kid did a great job himself, developing himself, and getting ready for that moment, where it wasn’t too big. I was really proud and pleased with the effort he was able to go out there and play with.”
Penix Jr. himself was clearly delighted in his own press conference. “It was great. I’ve been preparing each and every day for this day,” he said. “It’s a blessing being able to come out here and get a big-time win for the team.”
Having led Penix Jr. in a prayer to God before Sunday’s game, Cousins cut a dejected figure on the sideline.
The 36-year-old has thrown nine interceptions in his last five games with just one touchdown pass. His 16 total interceptions are the most in the league this season.
A four-game losing streak saw the Falcons go from 6-3 to 6-7 before Tuesday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders and Sunday’s victory with Penix at the helm. They currently have a 55% chance of making the playoffs.
The Giants actually took a 7-0 lead at the start of the second quarter but would not score again. Two rushing touchdowns from Bijan Robinson were complemented by two pick-sixes and a couple of field goals from Riley Patterson to get Atlanta back on track.
Away @ home (winners in bold)
New York Giants 7-34 Atlanta Falcons
Arizona Cardinals 30-36 (OT) Carolina Panthers
Detroit Lions 34-17 Chicago Bears
Tennessee Titans 30-38 Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Rams 19-9 New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles 33-36 Washington Commanders
Cleveland Browns 6-24 Cincinnati Bengals
Minnesota Vikings 27-24 Seattle Seahawks
New England Patriots 21-24 Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars 14-19 Las Vegas Raiders
San Francisco 49ers 17-29 Miami Dolphins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-26 Dallas Cowboys
