It made a difference in some of the games for sure as the Indianapolis Colts (9-6) defeated the host Arizona Cardinals, 22-16 on Christmas night even without star linebacker Darius Leonard, who was out due to the COVID protocols. As for the game, Colts quarterback Carson Wentz threw for two scores and running back Jonathan Taylor rushed for 108 yards in the win. The Cardinals (10-5) fell out of first place in the NFC West with the loss.
On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals improved to 9-6 and first place in the AFC North division as they pounded the visiting Baltimore Ravens, 41-21 with QB Joe Burrow (pictured upper right) passing for 525 yards and four touchdowns, including two of them to wide receiver Tee Higgins, who had 12 receptions for 194 yards. Cincinnati RB Joe Mixon rushed for two more touchdowns in the rout. The Ravens (8-7) lost their fourth straight game as reserve QB Josh Johnson had two TD passes in defeat.
The Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) continue to roll as they won their eighth consecutive game and another AFC West division title in a home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1) by a 36-10 score. Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes had three TD passes to lead the offense and the defense forced three turnovers.
The Buffalo Bills (9-6) vaulted back into first place in the AFC East with a 33-21 road win against the New England Patriots (9-6) with QB Josh Allen passing for 314 yards and three touchdowns and RB Devin Singletary scoring a rushing TD to pace the offense, which rolled up 428 yards against the Patriots defense. New England rookie QB Mac Jones was intercepted twice while Pats RB Damien Harris (103 yards rushing) rushed for three scores in the loss.
The Los Angeles Rams (11-4) won their fourth straight game, 30-23 in Minnesota to move into first place in the NFC West division. Brandon Powell took a punt back 61 yards for a TD for L.A. and RB Sony Michel (131 rush yards) scored a touchdown to go along with a TD pass from QB Matthew Stafford (also three interceptions thrown) to WR Odell Beckham, Jr. The Vikings (7-8) fell back out of a playoff spot with the loss.
The Philadelphia Eagles (8-7) moved into a playoff spot in the NFC with a 34-10 blowout win against the visiting New York Giants (4-11). Eagles QB Jalen Hurts had a pair of TD passes and RB Boston Scott scored a rushing TD while the defense got a "pick six" interception for another touchdown.
The Green Bay Packers (12-3) outlasted the Cleveland Browns, 24-22 on Christmas Day at Lambeau Field behind three TD passes from QB Aaron Rodgers. The Browns (7-8) out gained the Packers, 408-311 in total yardage, but four interceptions thrown by QB Baker Mayfield (two TD passes also) proved to be too much to overcome.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-4) clinched their first NFC South title since the 2007 season with a 32-6 thrashing of the host Carolina Panthers (5-10), who dropped their fifth straight game. Bucs QB Tom Brady had a TD pass and RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn raced 55 yards for a TD as well in a balanced attack that saw Tampa Bay pile up 391 yards of offense (159 rushing and 232 passing).
On Sunday night, the Dallas Cowboys offense finally woke up in a 56-14 demolition of Washington (6-9) as QB Dak Prescott had four TD passes and 330 passing yards. The Cowboys (11-4) amassed 497 yards in total offense in the rout. Cowboys defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence scored on a 40-yard interception return as the defense chipped in to help the team clinch the NFC East division.
In a huge surprise, the Los Angeles Chargers (8-7) got rolled, 41-29 by the Houston Texans (4-11) in a road loss that puts the 'Bolts playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. The Texans (4-11) took advantage of several top players missing for L.A. (COVID restriction list protocols) on both sides of the ball as RB Rex Burkhead had a career game, going off for 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns while QB Davis Mills had a pair of scoring passes and DB Tavierre Thomas took an interception back 48 yards for another score. Chargers QB Justin Herbert was intercepted twice as his team turned the football over three times in defeat.
Elsewhere Around the NFL . . . . . . . . . . .
The Las Vegas Raiders improved to 8-7 as they toppled the visiting Denver Broncos, 17-13 with QB Derek Carr throwing a TD pass and RB Peyton Barber scoring a rushing TD to offset a one-yard scoring run by Broncos RB Javonte Williams. Denver fell to 7-8 with the loss . . . The Chicago Bears (5-10) got some late game heroics as reserve QB Nick Foles connected with tight end Jimmy Graham on a 15-yard TD pass in the final minute to defeat the host Seattle Seahawks, 25-24. The Seahawks (5-10) led the entire game but could not thwart the Bears effort and two-point conversion pass from Foles to WR Damiere Byrd that made the difference . . . On Thursday night, the Tennessee Titans (10-5) rallied back from a ten-point deficit for a 20-17 home win against the San Francisco 49ers (8-7) as kicker Randy Bullock made a 44-yard field goal as time ran out. The Titans scored 17 unanswered points in the second half and QB Ryan Tannehill threw a TD pass to WR A.J. Brown, who had 11 receptions for 145 yards. The 'Niners had tied the score at 17-17 with 2:20 remaining in the fourth quarter on a two-yard TD pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to WR Brandon Aiyuk . . . The Atlanta Falcons (7-8) held off the Detroit Lions (2-12-1) for a 20-16 home win with QB Matt Ryan passing for a score and Cordarrelle Patterson rushing for another TD . . . The New York Jets (4-11) won, 26-21 at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-13) behind a passing TD from QB Zach Wilson, who also scored on a 52-yard run. Jets return man Braxton Berrios took a kickoff back 102 yards for another touchdown . . . In the Monday Night Football game, the visiting Miami Dolphins (8-7) won their seventh straight game as they toppled the New Orleans Saints, 20-3 with QB Tua Tagovailoa throwing for a touchdown and DB Nik Needham taking an interception back 28 yards for a score to lead the way. The Saints fell to 7-8 with the loss as they went with their fourth different quarterback this season in rookie Ian Book as a result of injuries and COVID protocols.
WEEK SIXTEEN RESULTS
Tennessee 20, San Francisco 17
Green Bay 24, Cleveland 22
Indianapolis 22, Arizona 16
Philadelphia 34, N.Y. Giants10
Houston 41, L.A. Chargers 29
Buffalo 33, New England 21
L.A. Rams 30, Minnesota 23
N.Y. Jets 26, Jacksonville 21
Atlanta 20, Detroit 16
Cincinnati 41, Baltimore 21
Tampa Bay 32, Carolina 6
Kansas City 36, Pittsburgh 10
Chicago 25, Seattle 24
Las Vegas 17, Denver 13
Dallas 56, Washington 14
Miami 20, New Orleans 3
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