ClutchPoints
Week 16 of the NFL season was arguably the best yet despite a slate that didn’t look all that promising on paper. The marquee games were spread out through all the windows, but that left the Sunday slate a little bit barren. That didn’t matter in the end, as a couple of wild finishes in Panthers-Buccaneers and Lions-Steelers carried the day.
In the prime time windows, Rams-Seahawks lived up to its billing as a clash of Super Bowl contenders, with Seattle taking control of the NFC West race on Thursday night. On Saturday night, Caleb Williams orchestrated a heroic comeback to take down the Packers and extend Chicago’s lead in the NFC North. On Sunday, Drake Maye pulled off a comeback of his own, making an MVP statement in a 28-24 win over the Ravens.
Who made the list of winners and losers from Week 16? Let’s get into the list.
The Jaguars came into Week 16 as somewhat of an unknown. After starting the season 5-4, the Jags ripped off five wins in a row against an objectively hilarious list of teams and quarterbacks. Brady Cook, Riley Leonard and Jacoby Brissett all played against Jacksonville during that stretch, which left a lot of intrigue coming into a clash in Week 16 against the 12-2 Broncos, winners of 11 games in a row.
The Jags passed that test in decisive fashion, maintaining their lead in the AFC South with a very impressive 34-20 win on the road against the current top team in the AFC. Trevor Lawrence maintained his status as one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL with a monster day, finishing 23-for-36 with 279 yards and four total touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the league.
The Jacksonville defense played well for the most part, and Lawrence operated efficiently even with the Jags struggling to run the football for most of the day. That should give Duval fans hope that the Jags can make a push in the AFC this season.
The Baltimore Ravens came into the season as one of the Super Bowl favorites, and this was billed as Lamar Jackson’s year. The entire offensive skill group from what was a stellar offense in 2024, and the defense was expected to show strides in year two under Zach Orr.
Instead, the Ravens are just about out of the AFC playoff race — in the worst division in the conference — with two weeks to go. Even if Baltimore can pull off a win against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, a Steelers win against the lowly Browns on Sunday would spell the end of the year for John Harbaugh and company.
Sunday night’s defeat, a 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots where the Ravens held an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, featured all the elements of this bizarre season in Baltimore....
