SATURDAY
The NFL is enjoying a three-day weekend before taking over Christmas on Wednesday, and the AFC playoff picture has taken the full focus.
On Thursday, the Denver Broncos (9–6) couldn’t hold off the Los Angeles Chargers (9–6), allowing Justin Herbert & Co. to score 34 points. Then, on Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs (14–1) won their 16th consecutive one-score game, moving to within a victory or loss by the Buffalo Bills (11–3) of clinching the AFC’s top seed.
Kansas City beat the Houston Texans (9–6), who also lost one of its best players. Star receiver Tank Dell left with an apparent leg injury and was transported to a local hospital.
In the late window, the Pittsburgh Steelers (10–5) visited the Baltimore Ravens (10–5) and fell short. With the victory, Baltimore clinched a playoff spot while pulling into a tie atop the AFC North.
Ravens 34, Steelers 17
My take: The race for the AFC North is on. Baltimore (10–5) handled Pittsburgh (10–5) with relative ease Saturday evening behind a 162-yard ground effort from Derrick Henry. Now, with two games remaining, the Steelers still hold the tiebreaker due to a better conference record but Pittsburgh has a tough schedule with Kansas City before taking on Cincinnati. If the Steelers are going to hold on, they’ll need Russell Wilson to play better, as his 37-yard pick-six effectively sealed Pittsburgh’s fate.
Stock up: Baltimore’s playoff situation. The Ravens have now clinched a playoff spot in six of the past seven years under John Harbaugh, and if they win out against Houston and Cleveland, they will have a great chance to host at least one playoff game. Considering the Ravens’ playoff past, any advantages would certainly be welcome.
Stock down: Pittsburgh’s passing attack. The Steelers have been without George Pickens in recent weeks and the offense has struggled against Baltimore and the Philadelphia Eagles. If Pittsburgh is going to stave off the Ravens and win the division, it’ll be because the passing game gets going.
Up Next: Chiefs at Steelers, 1 p.m. ET Dec. 25; Ravens at Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET Dec. 25
Chiefs 27, Texans 19
My take: With Hollywood Brown playing for the first time this season, Kansas City had the look of a challenging offense to stop. The Chiefs had 375 total yards while Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, DeAndre Hopkins and Brown all had at least four catches, with Worthy notching seven. Conversely, Houston continued to struggle blocking for C.J. Stroud, allowing only two sacks but also 11 quarterback hits. Plus, as aforementioned, Dell left in the third quarter after scoring a touchdown. But Houston couldn’t produce much without him.
Stock up: Patrick Mahomes should feel great. Brown was a legit weapon, Mahomes looked mobile while passing for 260 yards and running for 33 and totaling two touchdowns. He also had some decent protection behind Kansas City’s patchwork offensive line.
Stock down: Houston’s passing game. Without Dell and Stefon Diggs, who is already out for the season with a torn ACL, the Texans are in major trouble. It’s basically Nico Collins and little else. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik must be creative in the coming weeks to figure out how to beat top-tier teams with only one excellent weapon.
Up Next: Ravens at Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET Dec. 25; Chiefs at Steelers, 1 p.m. ET Dec. 25
THURSDAY
Chargers 34, Broncos 27
My take: Denver (9–6) could have clinched a playoff berth with a victory, but gave up 21 second-half points to Los Angeles (9–6) in a defeat that moves the Chargers into the sixth seed while the Broncos slipped to the seventh spot. Justin Herbert was excellent, posting an 87.4 QBR while completing 23-of-31 attempts for 284 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. For Denver, a win in either of its final two games would clinch a postseason berth, but the Broncos won’t have it easy, facing the Cincinnati Bengals and Chiefs.
Stock up: Los Angeles should be pleased with its running game despite being without J.K. Dobbins. After struggling to run the ball over the previous two games in losses to Kansas City and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Chargers ran for 117 yards and two scores on 4.2 yards per carry.
Stock down: Sean Payton has to have better balance. The Broncos called 43 pass plays against 18 runs in a game that was either in Denver’s control or at least always within a score. The balance was out of whack.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Week 16 Recap: Who’s Up, Who’s Down, What’s Next for Every Team.
