The Jacksonville Jaguars were doing their level best to lose the AFC South before Trevor Lawrence hurt his shoulder. But no one else seems to want to take it either. Jacksonville’s four straight losses leave it at 8-7 after Week 16. With two weeks to play in the regular season, its 4-1 division record gives it the edge over the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans.
Both the Colts and Texans punted on opportunities to leapfrog the Jaguars in Week 16. A month ago, Jacksonville was in the hunt for the No. 1 seed. However, it’s a thin line between parity and parody in the NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens staked a claim as the best team in the NFL with their undressing of the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas night and can lock up the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win over the visiting Miami Dolphins on New Year’s Eve.
The 49ers remain the top team in the NFC based on their blowout of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles reclaimed control of the NFC East because the Dallas Cowboys came up short, again, against a team that actually wins games.
With literally dozens of aspects of Week 16 that warrant an overreaction, we try to narrow the list to the most obvious five.
5. Brock Purdy remains a young quarterback
Brock Purdy likely cost himself the NFL MVP award on Monday night, throwing four interceptions as the San Francisco 49ers were eviscerated at home by the Baltimore Ravens.
As good as he’s been since taking the reins of the San Francisco offense a little more than a year ago, Purdy remains a second-year quarterback taken with the very last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Baltimore defense is a difficult challenge for any quarterback. Purdy looked bad on Monday night, but our overreaction is to not overreact … too much. Josh Allen remains a turnover machine, but is still considered elite, after all.
4. Here come the Bucs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have four straight wins and at 8-7 and 3-1 in the NFC South have control of the division race. As Baker Mayfield plays his way into a lucrative payday, his Bucs control their own destiny. They can eliminate the New Orleans Saints from the division race on Sunday and finish the season at the Carolina Panthers.
If Tampa Bay wins the division, it will be the No. 4 seed in the NFC because it can’t catch any of the other three division leaders/champions. A look at the Buccaneers winning streak finds this:
- The woeful Panthers.
- The inconsistent Atlanta Falcons
- The capable-of-losing-on-any-given-Sunday Green Bay Packers
- The free-falling Jacksonville Jaguars.
It’s hard to be too intimidated by a team that ranks 23rd in total offense and 24th in total defense. However, on the scoreboard, the Bucs rank 17th in points scored and 11th in points allowed.
Call them overachievers and beware of a potential playoff matchup.
3. The Los Angeles Rams are pretty good for a rebuilding team
With five wins in their last six games, the Los Angeles Rams moved into the sixth spot in the NFC playoff hunt at 8-7. Rookie receiver Puka Nacua posted his third 150-yard game of the season in L.A.’s Thursday night win over the New Orleans Saints. On the season, Nacua has 96 receptions for 1,327 yards. Matthew Stafford trusts the kid and the rookie is delivering.
Quietly putting together a solid season, the 35-year-old Stafford doesn’t fit the demographics of the locker room. This was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the Rams. Instead, with wins piling up in a top-heavy conference, a playoff berth seems increasingly likely. Los Angeles followed up its Super Bowl win with a 5-12 disaster last season.
For as much talk surrounds Sean McVay’s coaching future, the 37-year-old is 68-45 and on the cusp of a fifth playoff appearance in seven seasons. At first glance, it seems like focus on football runs strong.
2. The 10-win Cleveland Browns? The 10-win Cleveland Browns!
For just the third time since Cleveland Browns 2.0’s release in 1999, they achieved a 10-win season in 2023. While the franchise’s division title drought (1989) is all but certain to extend another year, Cleveland owns the top wild card spot in the AFC with a path to clinch a playoff spot against the New York Jets on Thursday night. Spoiler alert: Win and they’re in.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt somehow constructed a Top 15 offense out of injured/inconsistent Deshaun Watson, USFL refugee P.J. Walker, fifth round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the resurrected career of Joe Flacco.
Flacco’s meteoric return to relevance remains remarkable. With 1,307 yards and 10 touchdowns in four starts, Flacco now leads the team in both categories.
Two of the Browns’ three straight wins came against playoff contenders. The first was a 31-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and their 36-22 road win on Sunday over the Houston Texans.
Stefanski staked a Coach of the Year claim. How much damage the Browns can do in the playoffs remains to be seen. However, remember this: Flacco has a Super Bowl ring.
1. The Baltimore Ravens have to be the favorites to win the whole thing
It appears the only thing that can slow down Lamar Jackson is under-foot officials. The San Francisco 49ers’ defense certainly couldn’t on Monday night.
In fairness, the Baltimore Ravens started three drives in San Francisco territory (including two in the red zone) and two more just on the other side of midfield. But they scored on seven straight possessions in their 33-19 statement win at Levi’s Stadium.
That statement? That the Ravens are the NFL’s best team. Jackson threw for 252 yards and two scores, ran for another 45 and likely staked his claim for his second NFL MVP with his efficient prime time performance.
Baltimore’s defense, meanwhile, intercepted Brock Purdy four times and backup Sam Darnold once.
The Ravens channeled their manufactured outrage at being underdogs against an opponent that had won six straight games and was playing at home. They delivered a dominant performance and own the NFL’s best record at 12-3.
Barring something catastrophic over the next two weeks, Baltimore clearly established itself as the team to beat.
