The Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in a potential Super Bowl preview, and the Miami Dolphins proved they’re not pretenders by beating the Dallas Cowboys.
Now the Ravens and Dolphins will meet for a Week 17 showdown, with the AFC’s No. 1 seed on the line. But before we get there, let’s unpack everything else that occurred in the NFL during Week 16.
The Cowboys probably cost themselves the NFC East title by losing to the Dolphins. But the Detroit Lions don’t have to worry about the NFC North, because they secured their first division crown in three decades.
The Kansas City Chiefs remain on track to win the AFC West, despite losing to the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. But Chiefs Kingdom should be worried about their favorite team’s chances of repeating as champions.
Here are the winners and losers from NFL Week 16.
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Winners
Baltimore RavensThe Ravens (12–3) proved they have the pieces to beat any team in the postseason after dismantling the 49ers, 33–19, on Christmas night.
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Jackson was sensational, posting a stat line of 252 yards and two touchdowns on 7.2 yards per attempt. He completed 65.7% of his passes, going 23-of-35. It’s time to stop pointing at where he ranks in terms of passing yards and touchdown passes. Jackson has gradually gotten better throughout his first season with offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and this might be his best season as a passer. He’s pushing the ball downfield and not looking to run every chance he gets. The Ravens are built to play with a lead and are capable of winning the shootouts, too, evident by their Week 14 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
But Baltimore is also a matchup nightmare on the defensive side. The Ravens have a complete team, which should be a scary sight for every team come the postseason.
Miami Dolphins
Some aren’t giving the Dolphins enough credit for beating a Cowboys’ squad that also has plenty to prove.
But the Dolphins (11–4) showed more than just being capable of beating a team with a winning record. Miami might finally have a complete team because of what the defense has done recently. For most of Sunday’s game, the unit contained Dallas’s explosive offense, one that didn’t just stumble on 10 wins this season.
The outcome could have been different had the Dolphins’ defense not forced the Cowboys to fumble at the 1-yard line on the opening drive. Also, the Dolphins leaned on a productive running game and weren’t heavily reliant on Tyreek Hill. Tua Tagovailoa delivered a standout performance, getting many playmakers involved. Miami proved plenty last week, but it can do a lot more by defeating the Ravens and winning the AFC East this week.
Detroit Lions
The Lions (11–4) might have been the biggest winners of Week 16, when they clinched their first division title in 30 years.
The Lions celebrated like it’s 1993 after they defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 30–24, on Sunday. More importantly, the Detroit defense has shown improvements in the past two games, including holding the Denver Broncos to 17 points. The Lions had their hands full against Justin Jefferson, but they forced Nick Mullens into four interceptions and allowed only 17 rushing yards.
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If the Lions continue to play this well defensively, they might be the second best team in the NFC, behind the 49ers. (The Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles haven’t played well in recent weeks.) And we shouldn’t overlook the surging Rams, who would face the Lions if the playoffs started this week. But Detroit is going to be tough to beat because of its explosive offense, which features running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta.
Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders owner Mark Davis likely won’t overlook what Antonio Pierce has done the past two weeks whenever the two meet for a proper interview regarding the head coach position.
In the last two weeks, Pierce has guided the Raiders (7–8) to an upset road victory over the Chiefs and a 42-point beatdown over the Los Angeles Chargers. If that’s not enough to earn the promotion, consider this: The Raiders have a standout defense, a productive rushing attack and a 4–3 record since Pierce took over as the interim coach. The defense has been solid most of the season with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, but they got noticeably better after the team fired Josh McDaniels.
Pierce has improved all aspects of the team and quickly established a winning identity for the organization. He can probably lock up the full-time job with wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Broncos in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Credit to Todd Bowles for having the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8–7) in first place in the NFC South this late in the season. Many overlooked the Bucs after Tom Brady retired and the team opened training camp with a quarterback competition between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.
Mayfield has been instrumental during this four-game winning streak for Tampa Bay. The quarterback might be playing the best football of his career, and he has No. 1 wideout Mike Evans and offensive coordinator Dave Canales to thank. Mayfield could be sticking around in Tampa Bay after taking a one-year, prove-it-deal.
The Bucs’ defense has also done its part, including shutting down the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 30–0 lead in the first half of Sunday’s win. The red-hot Buccaneers could clinch the division this week if they beat the New Orleans Saints at home and the Atlanta Falcons lose in Chicago.
Losers
Kansas City Chiefs
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Kansas City’s broken offense has gotten the bulk of the attention this season, but Super Bowl fatigue might be another area of concern.
No team has repeated as Super Bowl champions in two decades, partly because of wear and tear from the extra month of football. And now reigning champions also have to deal with longer regular seasons after the league expanded to a 17-game schedule two years ago. The Rams fell apart in 2022, stumbling to a 5–12 season after winning the Super Bowl the season before. (Obviously, the Chiefs, at 9–6, are doing much better than that.) Kansas City will likely win the AFC West and still host a wild-card game, but it doesn’t appear to be a legit Super Bowl contender.
The defense has struggled in recent weeks, including in losses to the Raiders and Green Bay Packers at home. And the offense continued its season-long struggles against the Raiders. Simply put, Patrick Mahomes doesn’t have enough reliable, disinclined playmakers, and Travis Kelce hasn’t been his usual All-Pro self. Unless the Chiefs turn it around the next two weeks, they might rank behind the Ravens, Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns when it comes to the best team in the AFC.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence wasn’t wrong when he said Sunday, “It looks like we don’t even practice.”
Nearly everything has gone wrong for the Jaguars during their four-game losing streak, from Lawrence’s turnover issues and an injured Christian Kirk to a struggling defense and Brandon McManus missed field goals. But at least the AFC South standings broke Jacksonville’s way, with both the Colts and Houston Texans losing their respective games Sunday.
The Jaguars (8–7) were embarrassed in the loss to the Buccaneers, but all they have to do to win the division is beat the struggling Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans to conclude the regular season. Those aren’t easy games though, considering how poorly the Jaguars have played in the past month.
Lawrence needs to improve his game if he’s cleared to play next week—he’s dealing with a shoulder injury, the latest of many ailments for the 2021 No. 1 pick. He managed to play after an ankle injury in Week 13 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals and was cleared from concussion protocol last week before the loss in Tampa Bay.
Dallas Cowboys
After back-to-back road losses, the Cowboys might be headed for another wild-card trip as the No. 5 seed in the NFC.
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With the way Mayfield’s Bucs have played, this Cowboys (10–5) team might not make it to the divisional round, setting them up for another disappointing postseason. That’s definitely getting too ahead of ourselves, but the Cowboys missed a golden opportunity to capture the NFC East with the losses in Buffalo and Miami. The Eagles (11–4) are now on track to clinch the division, with winnable games against the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants to end the regular season.
Obviously, the Cowboys can regain their rhythm by winning a Week 17 showdown against the Lions to extend their home-game winning streak to 16 games. That would be an impressive victory, but this Cowboys team hasn’t proved it’s capable of winning on the road or on grass. Dallas is 3–5 on the road and 0–4 on grass this season.
Minnesota Vikings
It appears that Minnesota (7–8) will end the regular season similarly to how they opened 2023.
The Vikings went from being 0–4 to winning five consecutive games to losing four of their past five games. Minnesota’s roller-coaster ride probably won’t make it to the postseason, as the Vikings sit in eighth in the NFC, and one game behind the Rams and Seattle Seahawks for the final two wild-card slots.
It’s probably not wise to rule out the Vikings for the playoffs because of what they did with Joshua Dobbs after Kirk Cousins’s season-ending Achilles injury. But Minnesota, now led by Mullens, will need to win against the Green Bay Packers and Lions to end the regular season.
Indianapolis Colts
On paper, the Colts (8–7) had the easiest matchup among the three teams tied atop the AFC South. The Jaguars lost in Tampa Bay and the injury-depleted Texans lost at home to the Browns.
But the Colts delivered a stinker on the road against the inconsistent Atlanta Falcons. Indianapolis scored a touchdown on its opening drive but followed by surrendering 20 unanswered points to the Taylor Heinicke–led Falcons.
Instead of taking sole possession of first place in the AFC South with a win, the Colts will now need to beat the Raiders and Texans in the final two weeks of the regular season, and they will need the Jaguars to lose once more. Indianapolis still has the seventh seed but is tied with Cincinnati, Houston and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
