FOX Sports’ NFL experts provide the biggest takeaways from every Sunday game in Week 16 and what they mean for each team going forward.
Bears: For the love of god, hire Ben Johnson. Bears QB Caleb Williams is having a lost year, to the point where — under any other circumstances — we’d start to wonder whether he’s going to be a bust. He’s the worst of the three top-3 QBs (Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye). Bo Nix is having a better season. But on Williams’ 45-yard touchdown to Keenan Allen, the Bears QB reminded the NFL world — including Johnson, who was standing on the opponent’s sideline watching — just how much potential he has. Williams put as much velocity on the throw as any I’ve seen by any QB this year. Maybe this is a lost year. But Williams isn’t lost altogether. He should be just fine as long as Johnson makes his way from Detroit to Chicago. The Lions OC is such an obvious hire. He’ll be expensive, but he’ll be worth it. Williams is a special player who requires a special coach. The Bears need only look at the offensive playcaller who whooped them this week — the same guy who designed an intentional trip to score a touchdown. — Henry McKenna
Falcons: Michael Penix Jr. looked pretty good in his NFL debut. Most importantly for the Falcons, he avoided the big mistakes that his predecessor, Kirk Cousins, had been regularly making over the past month. Penix was 18-of-27 for 202 yards and one interception. And that one interception was actually a perfect pass to TE Kyle Pitts that might have gone for a touchdown if Pitts didn’t juggle it into the hands of the Giants defense. Penix was mostly a game manager in his first start, which isn’t surprising. But it was clear he had chemistry and timing with his two top receivers — Darnell Mooney (5 catches, 82 yards) and Drake London (5-59). There’s obviously a lot to work with there for the Falcons. And if Penix can keep avoiding mistakes, he might even be able to help them with their late, desperation push toward a playoff berth. They’ll need a little help from the outside, too. — Ralph Vacchiano
Panthers: The numbers were not eye-popping, but second-year pro Bryce Young continues to execute the little things to elevate his team. Facing an inconsistent Arizona defense, Young threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 68 yards and a score, keeping the Cardinals on their heels defensively. Young finished with no turnovers after totaling four miscues in a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. Running back Chuba Hubbard provided balance on offense, finishing with 153 rushing yards, including a 21-yard run for the winning score in overtime. Benched earlier this season, Young has the Panthers competing each week, something head coach Dave Canales can build on for next season. – Eric D. Williams
Commanders: Jayden Daniels isn’t just the NFL Rookie of the Year, he might be the best first-year quarterback to hit this league in a long time. And he also might be the most exciting player in the game right now. What he did on Sunday against the NFL’s No. 1 defense was just remarkable. Forget the numbers: He threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including one with six seconds left after he carried the Commanders for 57 yards in 1:52 to win the game. He was a dazzling, one-man show, completing 24 of 39 passes for 258 yards and five touchdown passes while running nine times for 81 yards. And he did it when he wasn’t getting help from anyone else on his offense. Yes, he threw two interceptions — part of Washington’s five turnovers — but he did more than enough to overcome that. He willed the Commanders to victory against one of the best teams in the NFL. He also might have just established them as a real Super Bowl threat. — Ralph Vacchiano
Bengals: He’s fairly well behind Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen in any real MVP talk, but Joe Burrow has had about as good a season as you can have on a team with a losing record. Sunday brought a typical Burrow day — at least three touchdowns for a seventh straight game. In that seven-game stretch, he has 24 touchdowns against five interceptions in less than half a season. Cincinnati is only 4-3 in those seven games. The Bengals are barely alive for the playoffs at 7-8 and need a perfect scenario with all kinds of help to sneak in, and it’s a shame to see such a great individual season completely obscured as it has been. — Greg Auman
Colts: Near disaster at the end aside, this is the dynamic run game we all envisioned with an Anthony Richardson-Jonathan Taylor backfield: 38 carries, 288 rushing yards and four touchdowns combined. Sunday’s dominance came against an awful Titans team, but it could be a springboard for the tandem. Indianapolis faces poor run defenses to end the regular season in the Giants and Jaguars, after all. The Colts will need some help to squeeze into the playoffs in the final two weeks, but if they make it, they could be a true wild-card because of their run game. Questioning their viability of going on a run in the postseason is valid, though. Richardson completed just seven passes against Tennessee. His inconsistencies as a passer make it hard to bank on anything with the Colts. — Ben Arthur
Rams: In his first game back since suffering an ACL injury in a playoff loss to the Lions last season, veteran tight end Tyler Higbee was responsible for the winning score, an 11-yard touchdown catch. Winners of four straight, the Rams are 13-1 in December since Matthew Stafford took over as the team’s starter during the 2021 season. Also, the NFC West leaders started this season 1-4, but have won eight of their past 10 games. Stafford is now 5-13 against fellow greybeard Aaron Rodgers.
Jets: New York suffered another late-game meltdown and have now lost six games this season when ahead entering the fourth quarter with a lead. Losers of 10 of their last 12, the Jets also have struggled in close games in 2024, going 3-7 in one-score games this season. And here’s a first for the Jets: They didn’t punt but scored only nine points, the first team to accomplish that dubious feat in the past 25 seasons. – Eric D. Williams
Seahawks: The Seahawks still can’t beat good teams in their first year under head coach Mike Macdonald. With a late-game loss to Minnesota, Seattle is now 2-5 against teams with winning records. Turnovers and unforced mistakes have been at the heart of Seattle’s issues. Geno Smith threw two interceptions, including one to end the game. He now has 15 interceptions this year. And Seattle finished with 11 accepted penalties for 77 yards. The Seahawks are a game behind the Rams in the NFC West and remain in the playoff hunt, but they must win at Chicago next week to have a shot of playing for the division title in Week 18 in Los Angeles. – Eric D. Williams
Bills: Buffalo’s leading receiver had 26 yards. And it wasn’t a receiver. It was running back James Cook. Even for a Bills team that preaches winning in different ways, this was a weird game. But hey, they won. That’s what matters. And to me, that shows why Buffalo is a championship-caliber team. The team’s most reliable pass-catcher, Khalil Shakir, couldn’t haul in two massive plays and finished with just two catches on six targets. Quarterback Josh Allen dealt with a hand injury. On a brutally cold day, the MVP candidate played poorly and seemed out of sync with his pass-catchers. But the defense showed up, even after allowing 43 points per game in the past two matchups. In this game, the defense generated an interception and a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. This win is reminiscent of something the Chiefs would do. And that’s a really good thing for Buffalo, which will probably have to pull off something just like this to beat K.C. (and others) in the playoffs. — Henry McKenna
Dolphins: Miami entered Sunday barely mathematically alive for the playoffs, and the Dolphins kept that hope alive for another week. Unsung in Miami’s offense this season has been Jonnu Smith, who had six catches for 62 yards against the 49ers and set franchise single-season records for catches (76) and receiving yards (802) by a tight end. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been underwhelming, but Smith has been a pleasant surprise and a reliable target for Tua Tagovailoa. Miami now needs to not only win its last two games, but have the Colts lose one and have either the Chargers or Broncos both lose their two remaining games. — Greg Auman
Raiders: The Raiders hurt their case for the No. 1 overall pick by snapping their 10-game losing streak, but I don’t think they care. Even though their victory Sunday wasn’t pretty, it was indicative of the pride they’re still playing with. In their first game without superstar edge rusher Maxx Crosby, the Raiders recorded multiple takeaways for just the second time this season and showed up big in the fourth quarter. The crowd at Allegiant Stadium was engaged too, seemingly wanting a victory just as badly as the team. Antonio Pierce could be coaching for his job, so Sunday’s game may be one that helps him — but not Las Vegas’ chances for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. The Raiders have dropped to sixth in the draft order, according to Tankathon, behind three quarterback-needy teams: the Giants (No. 1), Titans (No. 4) and Browns (No. 5). — Ben Arthur
Cowboys: If the Cowboys as a roster were trying to make a case for Mike McCarthy to return next season, winning four out of five with a backup quarterback would work well. Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs before Sunday night’s game, but they knocked off a Bucs team that had won four in a row and had everything on the line. Cooper Rush has stepped in admirably, and the defense harassed Baker Mayfield with four sacks and consistent pressure. The Cowboys are just 7-8, a disappointment in the big picture, but winning four of five — including the Commanders and Bucs — can give the team an upward trajectory for the offseason. Rico Dowdle was held in check Sunday, but he had the most rushing yards in the league over the previous three weeks. Fans wouldn’t love McCarthy coming back, but the players continue to make a case for it on the field. — Greg Auman
The following writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano); Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams).
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