NFL Week 16: Gift wrapped

Some teams were in the holiday spirit more than others.

Sometimes, you immediately know when you love a gift. Other times, you won’t realize it until later. 

Last Christmas, I received fancy hand soap that turned out to be life-changing, and I had no idea at the time. If you’re wondering how soap can be life-changing, well, let me quickly explain. Every year since I’ve been 9 or 10, my hands become extremely dry and chapped in the winter. They crack and bleed and hurt, for months. Well, they did, anyway. As soon as I started using this soap regularly, my hands were actually soft. In January! I could peel oranges without dealing with the stinging pain of citrus juice leaking into an open cut!

I’ve tried so many different lotions and balms over the years, and this (admittedly expensive) soap is the only product that has ever worked for my hands. This year, as soon as the temperatures started to dip, I got out one of my refills and have had smooth hands the entire month of December. I honestly thought that would never happen. 

In a similar vein (sorta, anyway), certain NFL teams might not know right away the impact of their Week 16 result. Maybe a loss this week is what allows one franchise to get a better draft pick, which it will use on a future star. Or maybe a win will end up being a tiebreaker in a few weeks when the playoff picture is set. 

But I can’t see into the future. So in this post-Christmas newsletter, I’d like to highlight a few teams that gave their fanbases a gift this holiday weekend that we know is worth celebrating.

Amari Cooper set a new Browns record, with help from Joe Flacco

You never know what the future will hold. For example, I can’t imagine telling myself just a few years ago that “the Browns are better AND so much easier to root for since they signed Joe Flacco to fill in for Deshaun Watson.” And yet, past me, here we are. 

I don’t think anyone expected 38-year-old Flacco to be slinging it around like he did when he was in his late 20s/early 30s — if so, some team would have signed him before the Browns did in November. Then again, maybe part of the reason he’s been able to throw for a career-high 326.8 yards per start is because his arm isn’t as taxed after bypassing training camp, preseason, and two months of practice prior to that. 

Arguably no player has benefited more from Flacco’s time in Cleveland than No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper. In the 11 games he played with Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and PJ Walker as his quarterbacks, Cooper had 47 catches for 765 yards and two touchdowns, for an average of 4.3 receptions and 69.5 yards per game. 

In the four games he’s played with Flacco, Cooper has put up 25 catches for 485 yards and three touchdowns, for an average of 6.3 receptions and 121.3 yards per game. That includes his record-breaking performance against the Texans this week. In his return to the state of Texas, Cooper erupted for 11 catches, 265 yards, and two touchdowns. The biggest number there — 265 yards — isn’t just a personal best for Cooper; it also topped Josh Gordon’s 261-yard outing, the franchise’s previous high. 

Flacco and Cooper were clearly in a rhythm on Sunday from the opening kickoff. On the Browns’ first play from scrimmage, Flacco found Cooper down the middle for 53 yards. At the start of the second quarter, they connected again for a 75-yard touchdown along the sideline. Cooper’s second touchdown — a 7-yard dart from Flacco — gave the Browns a 28-7 lead in the third quarter that helped them stave off the Texans’ comeback attempt once they switched from Case Keenum to Davis Mills (and once Cleveland lost both its kicker and punter due to injuries). 

The Browns have won three in a row to reach double-digit victories for just the third time since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999. They have a one-game lead for the No. 5 seed and can clinch a playoff spot next week. Would the Browns be in this position if Watson hadn’t gotten hurt and they hadn’t brought in Flacco? Perhaps — but they would have been relying almost exclusively on their defense and special teams. Now they’re winning with their offense too, and Cooper is finally getting to shine again.

Amari Christmas, indeed.

The Lions really, truly clinched their first division title in 30 years

Until Sunday, the Detroit Lions had never won the NFC North — because the last time they had claimed a division title, in 1993, the NFC North didn’t exist. Then, it was called the NFC Central. At the time, Dan Campbell was still in high school and Jared Goff had yet to be born. 

This division championship didn’t come as a surprise, however. The Lions were the NFC North favorites before the season started and were never seriously threatened in their quest. If they didn’t lock down the division this week in Minnesota, then it would almost certainly happen by Week 18. 

But the Lions have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory so many times in the past that no one should simply assume they had this in the bag. Besides, for how long Detroit has waited for this kind of success, this team really owed the fanbase a chance to celebrate the NFC North title as soon as possible. And this week was the Lions’ first opportunity to clinch. 

The Vikings, who are fighting for a playoff spot themselves, battled all afternoon. Near the start of the fourth quarter, it looked like the Lions had finally pulled away. That’s when Jahmyr Gibbs ran in his second touchdown of the day and, minutes later, Detroit’s defense picked off backup QB Nick Mullens for the third time. 

As if it would ever be that easy for Lions, though! They went three-and-out on the ensuing drive and then let the Vikings tack on a field goal to make it a six-point contest. Right before the two-minute warning, Minnesota got the ball back with a shot to put together a comeback win. The Detroit defense nearly ended those chances when Romeo Okwara strip-sacked Mullens and John Cominsky had a clear opportunity to jump on the fumble and close out the game. Instead, he tried to pick the ball up and predictably butterfingered it, which allowed Justin Jefferson to recover it.

If weary Lions fans weren’t already convinced that they were going to blow things after their latest mistake (of many) on Sunday, then they probably were on the very next play, when Jefferson leaped up and snagged the ball in the air between two defenders on third-and-27. Two plays after that, Mullens connected with Brandon Powell for another big gain to get the Vikings into Detroit’s territory.

All year, we’ve seen with our own eyes that these are not the same old hard-luck Lions that have barely sniffed the playoffs in the past three decades. Yet I don’t know if I truly believed it until the next moment, when Ifeatu Melifonwu came down with the game-sealing interception — and delivered the perfect Christmas gift to his teammates (especially the ones who’ve been around for years) and the city of Detroit.

In a few weeks, the Lions will host their first playoff game in 30 years. Ford Field, which opened in 2002, will make its postseason debut as well. I have no doubt that the place will be rocking as the long-suffering supporters unleash decades’ worth of pent-up energy waiting for that very moment.

The Dolphins put an end to an overblown narrative

The Dolphins made the playoffs last year. Entering this week, they had already notched a 10-win season. But, as we were all aware, they hadn’t beaten a team with a winning record since Week 3 of 2022. To be fair, two of their wins after that week came over the Lions and Steelers, both of whom ended the season at 9-8. This year, they simply haven’t faced many above-.500 opponents, and three of their four losses were against teams that are tough to down when they’re playing at their peak — which the Bills, Eagles, and Chiefs all were, more or less, at the time.

Still, the Dolphins needed to prove that they could triumph over top competition, and until they did, this narrative was going to hang over them. Christmas Eve was their latest opportunity to do just that. And, with matchups against the Ravens and Bills to close out the season, perhaps their best opportunity as well. 

The Cowboys came to Miami with well-noted road troubles and were eager to shut up their own critics. Both teams needed to bring their A game in Week 16, and for the most part, they did. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 293 yards and a touchdown, with zero turnovers. Dak Prescott passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns, with zero interceptions. The Dallas defense, one week after surrendering a season-high 266 rushing yards to the Bills, held the Dolphins to 91 yards on the ground. The Miami defense, which had averaged half as many sacks in its losses (2) than in its wins (4), got to Prescott four times and caused him to fumble once. 

That fumble, which came inside the red zone on the Cowboys’ first drive, was indicative of how much a dogfight this clash was. Both defenses clamped down near the goal line, including DeShon Elliott’s incredible tackle on Tony Pollard on the play right before Prescott’s fumble. That led to seven field goals — five for Miami, two for Dallas. But it was the Dolphins’ ability to make more plays that ultimately decided this one. 

In the fourth quarter, Prescott rallied the Cowboys from a 19-10 deficit to a 20-19 lead. With just a few minutes remaining, he found Brandin Cooks for the only touchdown of the second half. Then, Tua responded with a 12-play, 64-yard drive of his own, converting two third downs in the process, to set up Jason Sanders’ game-winning field goal attempt. 

Sanders, who hit three 50+ yard kicks earlier in the day, had no trouble with his shortest attempt, a 29-yarder, to give Miami a statement victory. Not only did the Dolphins secure a playoff berth with the win, but they also vanquished a quality opponent and quieted the doubters who accused them of being frauds.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ D deserve respect

Earlier in the week, Kyle Hamilton said the Ravens felt “disrespected” that they were such big underdogs against the 49ers on Monday night. At the time, the Niners were favored by 5.5 points, but the line increased to 6.5 points before kickoff. While San Francisco had reeled off six wins in a row and was sitting atop the NFC, Baltimore also entered Week 16 as the No. 1 seed in its conference and was riding a four-game winning streak. 

Hamilton, like Michael Jordan, must have taken that slight personally because he came to play immediately. Just when it looked like the 49ers would march right down the field and score on their opening drive, Hamilton stepped in front of a Brock Purdy pass in the end zone and picked it off. 

Hamilton and the Baltimore defense were only getting started, though. They forced Purdy into throwing four interceptions — twice as many as his previous single-game high — and added another one late in the fourth quarter when Sam Darnold filled in for Purdy, who was dealing with a stinger. 

The 49ers have boasted the most efficient offense in the NFL this season, but the Ravens’ plan to relentlessly pressure Purdy worked to perfection. The MVP debate, which was the main topic of conversation leading up to this primetime showdown, quickly died down. Lamar Jackson is now the favorite to take home his second MVP award. 

Jackson’s night didn’t start off on a promising note. The Ravens went three-and-out on their first drive and then Jackson tripped over a ref in the end zone and tried to get rid of the ball before falling down, resulting in an intentional grounding penalty and a safety. 

Soon enough, Jackson started getting into a groove. He led an 11-play touchdown drive after Purdy’s second interception, spreading the ball around to five different targets. When the Niners scored their first touchdown, Jackson answered with a field goal drive right before halftime, set up by his 30-yard “how do you defend that?” scramble on third-and-16.

In the second half, he picked up where he left off. In the third quarter alone, Jackson completed all six of his passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 10 yards and helped the Ravens add another field goal to increase their lead to 33-12. 

Just like last week, Jackson’s final stat line is good but not overly impressive at first glance: 23 of 35 for 252 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with seven carries for a team-high 45 yards rushing. But he also didn’t turn the ball over, kept extending plays, and only had two incompletions when pressured. Once again, he was the one player the defense knew it had to contain and couldn’t. That’s why he’s the MVP frontrunner.  

Jackson is now 20-1 against NFC opponents, and he won’t face another this season unless the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl. The AFC playoffs will be a gauntlet, but the Ravens have the talent and track record, in all three phases, to go all the way.

Several coaches also got a much-needed pick-me-up

As a bonus section of sorts, I will single out a few coaches who received the best present a coach could ask for: a win.

Mike Tomlin inched closer to another winning season

Right when it seemed like all hope was lost for the Steelers, on the field and especially in the locker room, Mike Tomlin reminded everyone why he’s never had a losing season in his coaching career. Mason Rudolph — appropriately, days before Christmas — and a renewed effort from George Pickens helped save the Steelers’ season. Pittsburgh’s win over Cincinnati keeps the Steelers in the playoff race, and now they only need one more win to guarantee another above-.500 year.

Greg the Leg bailed out Robert Saleh

Before kickoff of the zero-hype matchup between the Commanders and Jets, NY team owner Woody Johnson confirmed his commitment to coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas for at least another year. That seemed like a risky time to announce his decision considering Trevor Siemian was starting for an injured Zach Wilson, but the Jets raced out to a 27-7 halftime lead — the most points they’ve scored in a first half since 2015. 

Then halfway through the third quarter, the Commanders benched Sam Howell for Jacoby Brissett, and suddenly Washington was threatening to steal the game. The Jets couldn’t slow down Brissett, who engineered three straight touchdown drives to put the Commanders on top. Luckily for Saleh (and for Johnson to save face), Greg Zuerlein came through in the clutch with a 54-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to hand the Jets the win. 

Bill Belichick got at least one more win as the Patriots’ head coach

The Patriots followed a similar script as the Jets on Sunday: They built a sizable lead behind their backup quarterback, let their opponent get right back into it, and then their kicker played the hero with a game-winning field goal. However, Robert Kraft hasn’t publicly backed Bill Belichick as New England’s coach beyond this season. In fact, according to reports, Kraft plans to part ways with Belichick. 

If this is really the final stretch of Belichick’s time with the Patriots, then he’s going out with one more win, at least — the Patriots still face the Jets once more this season — which is one win closer to Belichick breaking Don Shula’s record. 

Antonio Pierce just might get the Raiders’ job on a permanent basis

Two years ago, the Raiders made the playoffs under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. Instead of hiring Bisaccia for the full-time gig, they chose Josh McDaniels. We know how that went. 

Now, Antonio Pierce is the latest Vegas interim coach to make his case for the real job. On Christmas, the Raiders took down the Chiefs for the first time since 2020, and they did it in rather bizarre fashion. The Vegas defense scored two consecutive touchdowns, and rookie QB Aidan O'Connell did not complete a pass after the first quarter. But how it happened doesn’t matter as much as that it did. Although I don’t know if Pierce will shed the interim label, it’s evident that this team plays a lot harder for him than it did for McDaniels. The Raiders are now 4-3 under Pierce and remain alive in the playoff race.