Season – WalterFootball

NFL Game Recaps: 2025 Playoffs

Walt — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 01:02:02 +0000

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Seahawks 29, Patriots 13

For a while, this was an extremely uneventful game. It was so boring that Butters, who occasionally is a guest host on our nightly live stream, sent me this meme:

Kenneth Walker ran for a couple of big gains, setting up some field goals from Jason Myers. Outside of that, neither offense did much. Sam Darnold had issues completing basic throws, while Drake Maye was even worse. Maye had severe problems dealing with Seattle’s pass rush, which had the second-most quarterback pressures in the NFL this year. Maye saw the most heat from the blind side, where Will Campbell was very jittery. All the Patriots could do offensively was have Maye attempt helpless passes to Demario Douglas. Maye, inexplicably, forgot that he could scramble or feed the ball to Hunter Henry. Seattle has been against tight ends all year, yet Maye failed to take advantage of that.

While the Patriots could do nothing offensively, the Seahawks didn’t exactly take advantage of the opportunities for most of the evening, as they were up just 12-0 with a quartet of field goals. However, they finally opened things up with a Darnold passing touchdown to A.J. Barner.

Things were so bad for the Patriots that they couldn’t cross the Seattle 43-yard line until 12:55 remained in the fourth quarter. That changed via a long Maye pass to Mack Hollins, and then another deep Hollins connection finally allowed the Patriots to get on the scoreboard. Things finally got interesting when the Patriots forced a punt and advanced toward midfield via a 16-yard Maye run, but a horrible pass from Maye was picked. Thanks to some long Walker runs, the Seahawks set up another field goal to go up 22-7 with 5:38 remaining.

With one more chance, Maye dropped back in the pocket, but was hit upon release. The ball popped into the air and into the arms of Uchenna Nwosu, who ran back the other way to score a defensive touchdown. This sealed the victory for the Seahawks.

Much was made of the halftime show when the NFL inexplicably hired unknown singer Big Bunny to perform. It was a very strange performance, and I described it as such on X:

The Big Bunny guy was muttering gibberish and was walking around and either taking drinks from old ladies or giving trophies to kids.

Seahawks 31, Rams 27

The Rams have been regarded as the best team in the NFL for most of the season, but they’ve had two problems that have persisted all year: short yardage and special teams. Both hurt them in this game.

The Rams failed on a third-and-1 in the 2-minute drill that led to a Seattle touchdown just prior to intermission, but the play that really turned the game occurred just after halftime. The Rams, down 17-13, forced a punt and were going to have possession to take the lead, but returner Xavier Smith tried to catch the ball while falling down, muffing the punt in the process. This set up a Sam Darnold touchdown to Jake Bobo to put Seattle up 24-13.

As a result of Smith’s blunder, the Rams were playing catch-up the entire second half. A comeback seemed very feasible because Matthew Stafford caught fire, but the Seahawks appeared to stop them at one point. However, a Tariq Woolen taunting penalty gave the Rams a free set of downs. Stafford threw a touchdown pass to Puka Nacua on the very next play.

The Rams, however, couldn’t get stops until the fourth quarter. Down 31-27, they drove down the field and looked like they were going to take the lead when they got the ball to the Seattle 6-yard line, thanks to a heroic Stafford fourth-down scramble. However, Sean McVay called a horrible run that went nowhere on second down, and then two Stafford incompletions turned the ball over on downs.

Los Angeles needed a stop to give Stafford one more chance, but Darnold had other ideas. Darnold completed some big-time throws to Kenneth Walker and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and then the latter drew a defensive holding penalty to effectively end the game and send the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

Patriots 10, Broncos 7

The Broncos came into this game as 3.5-point underdogs, but they struck first. Jarrett Stidham launched a 52-yard bomb to Marvin Mims, setting up a touchdown to Courtland Sutton. The Broncos had a chance to go up 10-0, put passed on a field goal and went for it on fourth-and-1. Sean Payton’s foolish decision backfired, as the field goal would have given the Broncos a chance at overtime later in the afternoon.

The Patriots looked like they would lose this game for a while, as Drake Maye struggled to do anything besides scramble. However, the Patriots were given an absolute gift when Stidham heaved a backward pass just prior to halftime. The officials blew the play dead for some reason, negating a defensive touchdown, but Maye scored anyway on a run to tie the game at seven. The Patriots then tacked on a field goal in the third quarter.

This was the last time either team would score any points. The conditions were fine to begin the afternoon, but this game devolved into a windy blizzard in which passing became impossible. The Patriots didn’t bother passing at all in the fourth quarter, and they didn’t need to because they were up by a field goal. Stidham, meanwhile, could do nothing besides hand the ball off and hurl a helpless interception deep downfield to effectively end the game.

Rams 20, Bears 17

Both teams drove down the field to begin this game. The Bears went first and stalled in the red zone with Caleb Williams throwing an interception on a high throw. The Rams, conversely, scored a touchdown on a Kyren Williams run. This would end up being a theme for the Bears in this game, but not so much for the Rams.

Chicago had three fourth-down miscues in this contest. The second occurred later in the opening half when Kyle Monangai was stuffed. Matthew Stafford, however, struggled to throw until the end of the first half. The Bears bothered him with their blitz, which was curious because Stafford is ordinarily elite against the blitz. Nevertheless, the Rams put together a field goal drive at the end of the second quarter to tie the game at 10.

The second half featured some poor quarterbacking from both teams. Williams had a drive where he moved the chains, but he fired an interception off his back foot into double coverage. Stafford, meanwhile, couldn’t put together a quality possession until the fourth quarter. Sean McVay brewed a creative play to convert a fourth down, and then there was an ensuing touchdown by Kyren Williams to put the Rams up 17-10.

The Bears drove down the field, but the third fourth-down miscue occurred with an incomplete pass one play after Quentin Lake stuffed D’Andre Swift. The Rams, however, were too conservative on the following possession, and a poor punt gave Chicago the ball at the 50. There was another fourth down, but the Bears finally came through with a conversion. Williams drifted back 15 yards in the pocket and launched a prayer to the end zone. Cole Kmet, who was somehow wide open, came down with the ball to tie the game.

In overtime, Williams moved the ball toward midfield with the help of his own fourth-down sneak, but he launched a careless pass into heavy coverage that was picked. Stafford hit some throws, including a 16-yard dart to Puka Nacua, to set up a 41-yard field goal for Harrison Mevis, which was converted for the win.

Patriots 28, Texans 16

If you like turnovers, this may have been the best game of all time. Both quarterbacks were extremely careless with the football in this snowy divisional-round battle in Foxboro.

The calamity began with C.J. Stroud throwing an interception in New England on a careless floater. Drake Maye returned the favor by losing a fumble while diving forward, allowing Houston to take over in favorable field position. This set up a touchdown on a Stroud pass to Christian Kirk. Houston went up 10-7, but it would be the final time that the Texans reached the end zone on the afternoon.

The Patriots wouldn’t stop scoring touchdowns, however, and their next one came on a Stroud pick-six as he was getting hit. The Patriots went up 14-10, and they then intercepted Stroud again on a play in which the ball bounced off Xavier Hutchinson’s hands. Stroud had no choice but to throw to Hutchinson with injuries to Nico Collins (pre-game), Dalton Schultz, and some other players. Woody Marks also got hurt, but he returned to action only to lose a fumble.

Meanwhile, Maye had his own issues following a touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. He lost another fumble on a strip-sack by Will Anderson and was intercepted, albeit on a Hail Mary attempt. The Patriots couldn’t get much going offensively, and it looked like that the Texans, despite Stroud’s countless turnovers, would be able to hang around when they kicked a pair of field goals to trim the margin to 21-16. However, Maye finally put together a great drive that was capped off a 32-yard touchdown to Kayshon Boutte, which the young receiver reeled in with one arm while beating Derek Stingley Jr. to ice the victory.

Seahawks 41, 49ers 6

This game was over before it even began. The opening kickoff went for a touchdown, as Rashid Shaheed went the distance. A yellow flag was thrown, but it was a tripping foul on the 49ers.

The 49ers were able to move the ball well in the first half, but they constantly stalled in Seattle territory or were hurt by their own mistakes. Kyle Shanahan made a horrible play call to run Kyle Juszczyk on the outside on a fourth-and-1, which was predictably stuffed. Jake Tonges then lost a fumble. The 49ers finally posted some points after that, but settled for a couple of field goals. In typical Shanahan-type fashion, the 49ers eschewed a fourth-and-3 to kick.

This was a 17-6 affair just prior to halftime, but Kenneth Walker scored a touchdown to extend the margin to 18. Things only got worse for the 49ers after that, with Christian McCaffrey and Tonges suffering injuries to begin the third quarter. The Seahawks, meanwhile, rode Walker the rest of the way, as Walker trampled a disheartened San Francisco defense en route to a blowout victory.

Broncos 33, Bills 30

The Broncos have been the luckiest team in the NFL this year, and their great fortune was prevalent throughout this entire game. It began innocently when the Bills had a recovered fumble overturned by an offside penalty, allowing the Broncos to salvage three points on the opening drive. The Bills then recovered and scored a touchdown and then took over following a punt. They drove into Denver territory to perhaps go up 10-3 or 14-3, but James Cook lost a fumble, and in doing so, he got his center, Connor McGovern injured. The Broncos turned the fumble into a touchdown.

Cook wasn’t the only Buffalo player who put the ball on the ground. Josh Allen did so right before halftime, recklessly coughing up the ball when scoring was impossible. This allowed Denver to kick a free field goal, and then the same thing happened right after intermission when Allen lost another fumble. The Broncos were gifted six points on these turnovers.

Injuries also played a factor in Denver’s good luck. In the second quarter, safety Cam Lewis suffered an injury, and Bo Nix found Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a touchdown. Later, after the Bills took the lead, Tre’Davious White became the latest Buffalo defensive back to get hurt, and the Broncos went right after his replacement on a Marvin Mims touchdown.

Following the Mims score, the Bills had 55 seconds to drive the field. They hit a big play on a lateral to Ray Davis to set up a 50-yard field goal for Matt Prater, which was converted by the 41-year-old kicker.

In overtime, Allen completed a deep pass to Brandin Cooks, but the officials screwed up and ruled it an interception. The Broncos took advantage of the bogus pick with R.J. Harvey making things happen in the open field for a 24-yard gain. Their inexplicable luck continued with a horrible pass interference call deciding the game. This moved the Broncos into field goal range, and then the officials made things even easier with another ticky-tack pass interference call. Denver then hit a chip-shot field goal to get the undeserved win in which it was outgained by 100 yards.

Texans 30, Steelers 6

A margin of 30-6 usually indicates that one team dominated the other, but that wasn’t the case concerning this game. The Steelers and Texans battled in a close contest for more than three quarters, with neither team leading by more than four points until a game-changing play.

The Steelers opened this final wild card-round playoff game with a good drive in which Aaron Rodgers hit DK Metcalf for a 25-yard gain. This led to a field goal to put the Steelers up 3-0. It seemed like Pittsburgh found something with Metcalf, who had been absent the past two weeks because of a suspension, but multi-billionaire offensive coordinator Arthur Smith couldn’t figure out how to get Metcalf the ball after that. Metcalf was inexplicably targeted only once in the second half.

The Texans put together one quality drive as well in the opening half with some big runs, which culminated with a Christian Kirk touchdown. C.J. Stroud, however, lost two fumbles. The second cough-up allowed the Steelers to kick a field goal to draw to within one point. Stroud also made a mistake in the second half, throwing an interception in the red zone. The Steelers couldn’t get anything going, however. The Texans eventually did, as Stroud located Kirk for a 46-yard reception to set up a field goal to go up 10-6.

This was still a close contest in the fourth quarter, but everything changed on one play when the Steelers had the ball. Smith stupidly called a running play on second-and-10, putting Rodgers in a third-and-long situation. Rodgers was promptly strip-sacked by Will Anderson, and Sheldon Rankins scooped and scored. The Texans then added an offensive score when the Steelers gave up defensively, and then Rodgers tossed a pick-six to make the final result look especially ugly.

Patriots 16, Chargers 3

Drake Maye enjoyed an MVP-level season, but would be making his first-caeer playoff start. How would he handle it? Well, the early returns weren’t promising. Maye threw an early interception and couldn’t lead his team to a touchdown drive in the first three quarters.

Luckily for Maye, the Chargers couldn’t get anything going either outside of the area in between the 20s. Justin Herbert was able to reach the red zone on a couple of occasions in the opening half, but the Patriots stalled twice inside the 3-yard line. They failed on fourth down on one try and settled for a field goal the second time.

The Patriots were up 6-3 or 9-3 in the third quarter. They appeared to be on the move to score, but Maye sailed a pass over a wide-open Austin Hooper’s head for a potential touchdown and then lost a fumble on a strip-sack. However, Maye rebounded with a perfect touchdown pass to Hunter Henry to take a 16-3 lead.

This 16-3 advantage was insurmountable for the Chargers. Herbert could do nothing with New England’s secondary locking down his receivers. Herbert had some nice scrambles on a possession in the middle of the fourth quarter, but he also lost a fumble on a strip-sack to effectively end the game.

49ers 23, Eagles 19

The Eagles entered this game as near-touchdown favorites, but the 49ers established that they would be a threat to win the game on their opening drive. Brock Purdy found Demarcus Robinson of all players for multiple receptions, including a 61-yard play. A touchdown put the 49ers up 7-0.

Philadelphia, however, took over for the next two quarters. George Kittle went down with a torn Achilles, while Purdy seemed to have issues throwing into the wind. Meanwhile, the Eagles ran the ball well with Saquon Barkley for a change. They made some mistakes, like Jalen Hurts misfiring on too many occasions, and A.J. Brown dropping the ball on multiple occasions, but they still had a 13-10 lead at halftime and a 16-10 advantage following the third quarter.

The Eagles’ blunders prevented them from establishing a big lead, however, and it allowed the 49ers to hang around. San Francisco capitalized with a trick-play touchdown, where Jauan Jennings found Christian McCaffrey for a touchdown pass. Purdy then threw his second interception of the evening, but the Eagles couldn’t do anything more than kick a field goal. This once again opened the door for the 49ers to take the lead, and they did so by scoring a touchdown via a McCaffrey reception from Purdy this time.

Hurts still had three timeouts and plenty of time to move down the field. He dealt with no pressure, allowing him to move the chains into the red zone. However, some errant passes and a wasted timeout meant that a fourth-and-11 was for the game and the season. Hurts inexplicably fired a helpless pass into quadruple coverage that fell incomplete.

Bills 27, Jaguars 24

Things looked grim for the Bills in the first half. They secured an interception when Trevor Lawrence didn’t see Shaq Thompson, allowing them to kick a field goal. However, Josh Allen entered the medical blue tent. This was one of three medical problems that Allen had throughout the afternoon. Allen then banged his finger on a helmet and injured his knee on a sneak.

Allen was 11-of-12 for 110 before the hand injury. For the next two quarters, he didn’t quite look like himself. As this happened, Jacksonville’s offense came alive. Lawrence overcame his slow start with some great throws to Parker Washington and Travis Etienne. He led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, taking a 24-20 lead with a few minutes remaining.

It was up to Allen to overcome his injuries, and that’s exactly what he did. He suddenly looked like his usual self. He completed some impressive passes and then scrambled for a big gain down to the goal line. With a minute remaining, Allen sneaked into the end zone to take a 27-24 lead.

Buffalo’s final touchdown tied the record for most lead changes in the fourth quarter of a playoff contest. Lawrence still had one minute to move into field goal range for his big-legged kicker, but a pass of his to Jakobi Meyers was tipped by Tre’Davious White and picked to end this game.

Bears 31, Packers 27

The Packers entered this game having lost four consecutive games, but they displayed no signs of that. They got off to a hot start with a touchdown drive on their opening offensive possession and then two more touchdown drives in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Bears lost top linebacker T.J. Edwards to an injury and constantly saw themselves botch fourth-down attempts.

The fourth-down miscues were prevalent throughout the first three quarters. On a fourth-and-4, Ben Johnson went for it on his own 35. The play was a disaster because of a high snap and an ensuing batted pass. This set up a Green Bay touchdown. Later, on a fourth-and-4, Caleb Williams was wide of the mark. Following halftime, Williams was heavily pressured on a fourth-and-3 in the red zone. He was promptly intercepted.

This was a 21-3 Green Bay lead at halftime and a 21-6 advantage following three quarters. The Bears couldn’t get anything going, but everything changed in the final quarter. Williams’ final quarter saw his horribly errant passes turn into precise strikes. The Bears drew to within three, but the Packers had a good shot to score. They drove into Chicago territory, but a delay of game penalty and a missed 44-yard field goal gave Chicago plenty of life. Williams drove down the field and connected with D.J. Moore for a touchdown to go up 31-27.

The Packers had one more chance with about 1:20 remaining. “No Cookie” Jordan Love hit Matthew Golden on a fouth down and then found Romeo Doubs on third down. Love followed that up with a 22-yard dart to Jayden Reed, but the reception was a Pyrrhic gain because the center suffered an injury, and with it came a 10-second run-off. The Packers sorely needed those 10 seconds – or the aforementioned 44-yard kick to be good – because Love was forced into a pass into the end zone from the Chicago 28-yard line, which fell incomplete.

Rams 34, Panthers 31

This looked like a completely lopsided blowout to start the game. The Rams were up 14-0 via two Puka Nacua touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Panthers lost left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and saw Bryce Young throw an interception when Jalen Coker stopped his route. And if that wasn’t enough, Trevor Etienne muffed a punt in a 17-7 game.

What occurred on the ensuing possession completely changed the game. The Rams eschewed a field goal and failed on fourth down, but that wasn’t the deciding factor. What was had to do with Matthew Stafford hitting his finger on a helmet of a Carolina defender. Stafford should have thrown a touchdown to Nacua when the All-Pro wide receiver dropped a sure score right before halftime, but the presumed MVP wasn’t nearly himself. Stafford was way off on some throws, including an interception where he couldn’t get the ball over the cornerback’s head. The Panthers, meanwhile, took a 24-20 lead, thanks to a 52-yard reception by Coker.

The Rams struck back with a touchdown drive, though Stafford was lucky to not be intercepted on a throw to the end zone to Nacua. Stafford eventually hit Kyren Williams for the score to go up three again. Following an exchange of stalled offensive drives between the two teams, the Rams had a punt blocked. The Panthers took over at the Los Angeles 30. Young lofted a pretty pass to Coker to go up 31-27.

With 2:34 remaining, the Rams had one more chance to win, and Stafford was finally able to overcome his finger injury to drive down the field, ultimately throwing a touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson. The Panthers were then given a final chance, but Young fired four incomplete passes to end the game.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

NFL Power Rankings 2025: Post-Super Bowl NFL Power Rankings

Walt — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 05:05:31 +0000

My current NFL Power Rankings for the 2025 NFL season. Post-Super Bowl NFL Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2026 NFL Mock Draft during the early stages of the 2025 season. Follow @walterfootball.

NFL Power Rankings updated Feb. 9, 2026

Group A:

Seattle Seahawks (14-3) – Previously: 1.
From last week:

Congratulations to the Seahawks for winning the real Super Bowl. That’s not to say that the Seahawks are a lock to beat the Patriots, but the battle between Seattle and Los Angeles was a contest between the two best teams in the NFL. Sam Darnold was huge, as he finally overcame his demons and played well against the Rams.

Seahawks-Rams truly was the real Super Bowl. Seattle prevailed and then had a much easier tme, as its excellent defense dominated.

If you haven’t visited the site in a while, you may have noticed the new look. Yes, after nearly two decades, we’ve finally re-designed our site to be more modern. This was not done on a whim, but rather out of necessity because of what occurred during the 2023 NFL Draft. Our site crashed during the entire first day of the draft, which was disastrous for our revenue stream because we make more money during the draft than any other time. The site crashed because a line of code conflicted with the old format of the site, so we had to transition to this new look.

Because we lost so much money during the draft, I want to point out that you can really help support the site by paying for the ad-free version of it. It’s $7.99 per month, but you’ll get a super-fast site with no ads. My developer will be adding new features to paid subscribers as well, so look for that in the near future. If you don’t want to pay, please spread the word about the site through word of mouth. That would also be a big help!

Los Angeles Rams (12-5) – Previously: 2.
Short yardage and special teams. Those were the two weaknesses of the Rams, and that’s what hurt them in their playoff loss to the Seahawks. I’d love to know why Xavier Smith tried to field a punt while falling down.

Buffalo Bills (12-5) – Previously: 3.
The Chiefs weren’t involved this time, but the officials screwed over the Bills with two bogus calls in overtime. Then again, the Bills wouldn’t have been in that position if they didn’t fumble three times.

Group B:

Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) – Previously: 5.
The Jaguars are better than what they were earlier in the season. Jakobi Meyers was such an important presence for Trevor Lawrence because Lawrence has never had a professional receiver in his career. He’s played with talented receivers, but all of them were either mistake-prone or fragile. The defense, meanwhile, made great strides. I ended up betting the Jaguars to win the Super Bowl. While this lost, I think it was a good wager, and Jacksonville should be one of the favorites to win it all in 2026.

New England Patriots (14-3) – Previously: 4.
The Patriots caught so many breaks in the playoffs, but their good luck finally came to an end. I really wonder what a Seahawks-Bills Super Bowl would have looked like.

Houston Texans (12-5) – Previously: 6.
C.J. Stroud looked lost in the loss to the Patriots. Granted, he didn’t have Nico Collins or Dalton Schultz at his disposal, but he was completely rattled and looked like he should have been benched.

San Francisco 49ers (12-5) – Previously: 7.
I believed the 49ers had too many defensive injuries to make a deep playoff run. This was correct, though it was impossible to anticipate the offensive injuries the 49ers would suffer at Seattle.

Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) – Previously: 8.
What an embarrassing home playoff loss to the 49ers. The Eagles were pathetic against a horrible defense and an offense that lost its best receiving threat. Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown were both awful.

Baltimore Ravens (8-9) – Previously: 9.
I can’t believe the Ravens lost to the Steelers twice down the stretch. Lamar Jackson even looked healthy in the rematch, so there’s no excuse for that defeat. At this rate, it’s fair to wonder if Jackson will ever win anything.

Group C:

Denver Broncos (14-3) – Previously: 10.
The Broncos needed an extra dose of luck against the Bills; they were outgained by 100 yards and nearly a yard per play despite the win. However, karma finally struck them down, as Bo Nix broke his ankle. Jarrett Stidham scored an early touchdown against the Broncos, but more bad luck – the windy blizzard – prevented the Broncos from scoring in the second half of the AFC Championship.

Chicago Bears (11-6) – Previously: 11.
Caleb Williams can look so amazing sometimes, as we saw on his game-tying touchdown pass to Cole Kmet. However, he can also make mind-boggling decisions, as we saw on his interception in overtime. He’s still very young, so perhaps we’ll see better consistency from him in the future.

Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) – Previously: 12.
The Packers were underwhelming earlier in the year in losses to the Panthers and Browns, and near-defeats to the Cardinals and Joe Flacco-led Bengals. However, they were much better after that. They won in a blowout over the Vikings, held multiple 10-point leads in Detroit, and were able to soundly beat the hot Bears. They then had a lead versus the Packers for most of the afternoon. Unfortunately for them, they lost Micah Parsons, Christian Watson, and Zach Tom to injuries versus Denver. Watson has returned, but Parsons and Tom hadn’t played since, and it ended up costing Green Bay.

San Angeles Chargers (11-6) – Previously: 13.
The Chargers’ offensive line betrayed Justin Herbert in the playoff loss to the Patriots. I don’t know what the Chargers can do to finally prevent injury next year. Perhaps they should invest in a new training staff, or perhaps a shaman could help to remove the voodoo curse placed on the team.

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) – Previously: 14.
I’ll just leave this here because the Ravens could have easily beaten the Texans:

“The worse of the two contending AFC North teams reached the playoffs, with the Steelers doing so because of the Kyle Hamilton injury and the missed 44-yard field goal. This will create a bye for either the Texans or Pittsburgh’s second-round opponent.”

Minnesota Vikings (9-8) – Previously: 15.
It’s a shame that the Vikings had such a slow start to the year because they ended up playing like what I envisioned back in the summer. I’d say they could pull an upset or two if they were in the playoffs, but then I remembered how bad J.J. McCarthy was against top defenses.

Detroit Lions (9-8) – Previously: 16.
What a truly pathetic performance by the Lions against the Vikings. They may have made the playoffs if they didn’t no-show in that game. Instead, they had a lifeless game versus Minnesota where they played like they were already eliminated.

Cincinnati Bengals (6-11) – Previously: 17.
Joe Burrow had two incredible games since laying a complete egg against the Ravens. They laid an egg in the finale, thanks to a pair of turnovers turned into touchdowns in the first half.

New Orleans Saints (6-11) – Previously: 18.
Unless something weird happens in the offseason, I’m going to be betting the Saints to win the division in 2026. They’re the best team in the NFC South right now.

Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1) – Previously: 19.
Congratulations to Brian Schottenheimer for hitting his Dallas under 7.5 wins bet, which we learned he had when he inexplicably benched Dak Prescott for Joe Milton at halftime.

Group D:

Carolina Panthers (8-9) – Previously: 20.
Somehow, some way, the Panthers are 8-9 and nearly beat the Rams in the playoffs. However, they had a negative point differential of 69 and were extremely lucky to win many of their games this season. They got swept by the Saints!

Atlanta Falcons (8-9) – Previously: 21.
The Falcons have a Group B roster – now downgraded with Michael Penix Jr. being injured – but a Group F head coach. Raheem Morris is the worst head coach in the NFL. Do you think the Falcons could have used some rest following their 11-hour flight home from Germany when the Panthers were mounting a comeback against them? Why didn’t Morris take the bye after playing in Europe? And it was no surprise that they suffered a letdown after beating the Saints. It was also no surprise that they fell apart against the Seahawks following an impressive first half against them. They beat the Rams, but Los Angeles was missing three offensive linemen, including both tackles.

Indianapolis Colts (8-9) – Previously: 22.
I compared the Colts to a seemingly hot girl at the bar, but when the lights go on, she’s revealed to be a hideous beast. Now, without Daniel Jones, the Colts are even worse. What’s worse than hideous beast? Rosie O’Donnell is the only thing that comes to mind.

Perhaps an extremely old version of Rosie O’Donnell? Philip Rivers didn’t commit any mistakes against the Seahawks, but dinked and dunked the entire time. The Colts averaged just 3.7 yards per play. Rivers was better against San Francisco’s anemic defense on Monday night, but he made a crucial mistake to end the game. Rivers then threw a crucial interception against the Jaguars. Riley Leonard played well against the Texans, so perhaps he should have played the whole time.

Cleveland Browns (5-12) – Previously: 23.
Shedeur Sanders had a nice start to the Steelers game with a touchdown to Harold Fannin, but he couldn’t do anything once Fannin got knocked out with an injury. Still, Cleveland’s defense was so dominant in the victory. The Browns then beat the Bengals because of two defensive touchdowns.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) – Previously: 24.
The Buccaneers finally stopped shooting themselves in the foot this past week, though they were lucky that the officials botched so many calls in the game.

Group F:

Tennessee Titans (3-14) – Previously: 25.
The Titans are now 8-29 against the spread since Week 1 of last year. They looked great in their opening drive against the Jaguars, but lost Cam Ward and never scored again.

Miami Dolphins (7-10) – Previously: 26.
The Dolphins had some fraudulent wins in the middle of the season, but reverted to the mean in losses to the Steelers, Bengals, and Patriots. They beat the Buccaneers, but everyone beat the Buccaneers down the stretch.

New York Giants (4-13) – Previously: 27.
I bet the Giants to have the worst record in the NFL, so as you might guess, I wasn’t too happy to see them win in Week 17. Jaxson Dart played well, but against a Raider defense that didn’t care. The Cowboys didn’t care either.

Arizona Cardinals (3-14) – Previously: 28.
The Cardinals are seven plays away from being 10-7, which is crazy but true. Arizona, however, has gotten blown out in consecutive games before Week 16 and then went on to lose to Kirk Cousins at home. The Cardinals lost half of their defense in that game, and they couldn’t stop anything the Bengals were doing in Week 17. They suffered another blowout loss to the Rams, though that game was close for three quarters.

Washington Redskins (5-12) – Previously: 29.
The old saying is, “Good teams win, great teams cover.” The Redskins were a great team on Christmas, covering against the Redskins via a back-door field goal with two minutes remaining. They continued their greatness by winning outright against Philadelphia’s backups.

Kansas City Chiefs (6-11) – Previously: 30.
The Chiefs finished as one of the worst teams in the NFL. Their defense already sucked, and they had Shane Buechele and Chris Oladokun throwing to no one besides Marquise Brown behind an offensive line missing its top three tackles and top guard, all while the top two cornerbacks are out. Yikes.

Las Vegas Raiders (3-14) – Previously: 31.
The Raiders played a very close game against the Texans where Ashton Jeanty looked great. However, they’ve decided to quit in order to tank for the No. 1 pick. I guess we should have made the Giants a huge bet when the Raiders shut down Maxx Crosby right after he said he wanted to fight hard to beat the Giants.

New York Jets (3-14) – Previously: 32.
New York’s 3-14 record is especially remarkable because it’s gone against Group C-F teams in 11 of its 17 games. The only teams they battled all year that were above average are the Bills (twice), Patriots (twice), Ravens, and the Jaguars. All five of those games were decided by double digits. New York had no chance with Brady “the Chef” Cook.

2025 NFL MVP Projection:

1. Drake Maye, QB, Patriots
2. Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams
3. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
4. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
5. Jaxson Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks

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2022 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Post-Free Agency Power Rankings | Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings | Post-Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17

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NFL Game Recaps: Week 18, 2025

Walt — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 21:50:10 +0000

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Buccaneers 16, Panthers 14

The Buccaneers snapped their streak of futility, but it came down to the wire. It didn’t look like this game would be very competitive when the Buccaneers got out to a 10-0 lead, but Baker Mayfield gave the Panthers a chance when he threw an interception as a result of not seeing Christian Rozeboom in coverage. This set up a Bryce Young touchdown to Tommy Tremble to trim the margin to three.

There was a severe downpour in the opening half, but the rain vanished following intermission. The Panthers had more success moving the ball, but constant terrible calls ruined some drives. A ticky-tack offensive pass interference and a blown whistle forced punts on two possessions. Carolina also made a mistake when attempting to run a flea-flicker from the Tampa Bay 20-yard line. Rico Dowdle lost a fumble and Young refused to dive on the ball, allowing the Buccaneers to recover and negate a potential three-point chance.

Those three points ended up being the difference, as Young finally completed a lengthy touchdown drive as a result of connecting with Tetairoa McMillan for a 40-yard gain, setting up a touchdown pass to Jalen Coker. Carolina’s defense, however, couldn’t get off the field after that, allowing the Buccaneers to win the game and potentially claim the division with an Atlanta loss.

Seahawks 13, 49ers 3

The 49ers entered this battle for the No. 1 seed winning six consecutive games, but their opponents have been rather lackluster. Beating the likes of the Browns, Titans, Colts, and defensively challenged Bears was nothing compared to the challenge of defeating the Seahawks.

San Francisco had major problems moving the chains in this contest, and it didn’t help that Kyle Shanahan opted to punt the ball near midfield again. The biggest problem was defending Seattle’s No. 2-ranked pass rush with Trent Williams sidelined. Brock Purdy was pressured on nearly every play, and all he could muster was a mere field goal.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, picked up some big gains with both of their running backs. Sam Darnold had all the time in the world to throw, and he completed nearly pass as a result. One of the big plays in this game occurred late in the third quarter when San Francisco finally forced Seattle into a third-and-17. The Seahawks ran the ball with Kenneth Walker on a give-up play, but Walker sprinted for 19 yards to move the chains. This led to a field goal to extend Seattle’s lead to 13-3 at the beginning of the final frame. At that stage of the contest, the 49ers achieved only five first downs. They were able to move down the field on the ensuing possession, but a red zone interception was bobbled out of the hands of Christian McCaffrey to end the scoring chance.

Vikings 16, Packers 13

The Vikings were able to achieve a winning record with a victory in this game. They could also get a good look at J.J. McCarthy heading into next year. McCarthy wasn’t going to get much of a challenge, however, because the Packers were sitting their significant starters.

Despite the easy matchup for the Vikings, they struggled to get on the board. They kicked two field goals early on, but couldn’t muster anything else until right before halftime. This is when McCarthy led the team down the field to set up a C.J. Ham rushing touchdown, but McCarthy had some poor throws in this game. He was also flagged for a ridiculous taunting penalty on the opening drive.

The Vikings undoubtedly wanted to see more of McCarthy in the second half, but he aggravated his hand injury early in the third quarter. It was Max Brosmer the rest of the way, but it didn’t matter because the Packers couldn’t produce anything with Clayton Tune quarterbacking them.

Browns 20, Bengals 18

In the opening game of the season, the Browns outgained the Bengals by about 200 yards, yet found a way to lose via fluky turnovers and a missed kick. The same thing happened in this game, except the roles were reversed. By the midway point of the second quarter, the Bengals had outgained the Browns, 152-27, yet were trailing 14-6 because of some fluky turnovers and a missed kick.

The Bengals actually took advantage of a turnover first, capitalizing off a Sheduer Sanders lost fumble on a strip-sack with a Chase Brown touchdown. The Bengals missed the extra point, but went on to drive down nearly the length of the field. However, in a goal-to-go situation, Joe Burrow had a pass deflected and pick-sixed. On the next drive, Burrow connected with Noah Fant around midfield, but Fant lost a fumble. The Browns scooped and scored, going up 14-6.

Cincinnati eventually got going with two touchdown drives, though the highlight of the game was Myles Garrett’s record-setting 23rd sack of the season. The Bengals then took an 18-17 lead, but Andre Szymt, the Browns kicker who whiffed on an easy attempt in the opener, redeemed himself with a 49-yard field goal at the buzzer.

Giants 34, Cowboys 17

There were rumors that Joe Milton would see action in this game for some reason. Dak Prescott played the opening half and may have had regrets about taking the field because he lost a fumble on a strip-sack to set up a field goal for the Giants. The Cowboys were able to get on the board after that, thanks to a long KaVontae Turpin kickoff return to set up a Jaydon Blue touchdown run.

The Giants, down 10-6, took over from that point forward. Jaxson Dart made a great play to flip a pass to Daniel Bellinger as he was falling down. Bellinger scooped the ball before it hit the ground and ran into the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown. Dart then threw a second touchdown to Tyrone Tracy.

We learned that the rumors were true after intermission, with Milton playing the entire second half. Milton was ineffective, scoring just seven points in garbage time.

Falcons 19, Saints 17

This game was meaningless for both the Falcons and Saints, but extremely meaningful for the Panthers and Buccaneers, as the winner of this contest would decide the champion of the NFC South.

The Falcons and Saints participated in a comedy of errors. Juwan Johnson lost a fumble on the first offensive play, and on the ensuing possession, Kirk Cousins was picked because he didn’t see Carl Granderson in coverage. Atlanta then blocked a punt, leading to what appeared to be a Bijan Robinson touchdown that was negated by a holding penalty. Cousins, however, located Drake London for a touchdown to go up 7-0. The Saints then struck back with a touchdown of their own on a Tyler Shough scramble that was helped by an Atlanta penalty.

The mistakes continued in the second half. Shough made a great play to evade pressure on a fourth-and-4 to find Juwan Johnson and then located Taysom Hill on a fourth-and-3, but a Dante Pettis offensive pass interference negated a touchdown, forcing the Saints to settle for a field goal. On a later drive, Shough scrambled for a 23-yard gain, but was then picked near the red zone, leading to an Atlanta field goal.

Now down 19-10, the Saints put together an impressive drive, where Shough made some great throws, including a touchdown pass to Ronnie Bell. However, the Saints couldn’t recover the onside kick, allowing the Falcons to prevail and the Panthers to win the division.

Jaguars 41, Titans 7

All the Jaguars had to do to claim the AFC South was beat the lowly Titans, but that looked easier said than done to begin the game. Cam Ward drove down the field with ease on the opening possession, scrambling into the end zone for a touchdown.

Ward, however, was injured on the play. He entered the blue tent and then went into the locker room. Before long, he was ruled out for the rest of the afternoon. His backup, Brandon Allen, wasn’t nearly as effective, throwing a pick-six on an ugly floater. That, combined with two Jacksonville touchdowns, put the host up 21-7.

The Jaguars ended up cruising to an easy victory. Trevor Lawrence barely misfired, while Allen couldn’t even reach 73 passing yards despite throwing 30 times.

Texans 38, Colts 30
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: As if we didn’t have enough bad luck this year, we live bet the Colts at +3.5 when C.J. Stroud was rested. That looked like a sure win, but then the Texans scored a defensive touchdown on the final play of the game. Awesome!

Entering the season finale, the AFC South division title was in play for the Texans. Houston needed a win with the Jaguars losing to the Titans, but Jacksonville blew out Tennessee. Thus, the Texans pulled their starters in the second half. Still, their starting defense had a rough outing in the regular season finale. Houston entered the game with the No. 1 defense in the NFL, but they were shredded by Colts quarterback Riley Leonard, making his first NFL start. Impending free agent Alec Pierce (4-132-2) roasted the Texans’ secondary. In the end, the Colts’ defense was so checked out that the Houston backups were able to win in the second half. Indianapolis finished 8-9 on the season, losing its final seven games. It will be interesting to see if there will be a regime change with the Colts.

On the opening drive of the game, a tremendous catch by Dalton Schultz led to a 32-yard gain and a field goal for Houston. The lead didn’t last long as Alec Pierce got wide open in busted coverage and Riley Leonard lofted in an accurate bomb for a 66-yard touchdown. Houston responded with a field goal drive, but it was answered by the Colts for a three-pointer after a nifty fake punt. Down 10-6 midway through the first half, Stroud ripped the ball down the field and threw a short touchdown to Higgins. A few plays later, Leonard fumbled the ball, and it rolled before the Texans recovered at the Colts’ 1-yard line. Stroud ran the ball in on a broken play to put the Texans up 20-10 midway through the second quarter. Late in the second quarter, Pierce toasted Derek Stingely Jr. to get open for a short touchdown. Houston added a field goal in the final seconds to take a 23-17 lead into the locker room.

To open the third quarter, Leonard lofted a bomb into Pierce for a 53-yard completion to the 1-yard line. Leonard ran it in himself to go up 24-23. With the Jaguars blowing out the Titans, Houston took Stroud out of the game and replaced him with Davis Mills. The Texans took the lead with a field goal drive, but it didn’t last long as Indianapolis got a field goal. The Colts’ offense wasn’t the same in the second half as Pierce got ejected for bumping an official after arguing following an incompletion in the end zone.

Early in the fourth quarter, Leonard threw a bad pass that was intercepted, and Houston produced a field goal to take a 29-27 lead. Leonard came back to use his legs and led a three-point drive to make it 30-29. In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Houston hit the game-winning field goal to clinch their 12th win of the season. On the final play, the Colts tried the flea-flicker, but it was fumbled, and Texans nose tackle Tommy Togiai scooped it up at the 16 and returned it for a touchdown.

Patriots 38, Dolphins 10
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: This one looked dicey for a while, but the Patriots helped us get there with a five-unit win over the Dolphins.

The Patriots had a shot at landing the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win and the Chargers assisting with a victory over the Broncos. Denver held the top seed, but New England can be thrilled with the No. 2 seed, having gone from four wins last year to 14 wins this season. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye is a top MVP contender, and Maye is showing why I had him rated as the No. 1 player for the 2024 NFL Draft over Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels throughout the 2024 draft process. Miami starts its offseason of change with a new general manager hire coming along with huge decisions to be made on head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The Patriots took the opening drive quickly into the end zone as Rhamondre Stevenson took off on a 57-yard run and then TreVeyon Henderson plunged into the end zone. The Dolphins responded with a drive down the field, but were stopped on fourth-and-1 at the New England 8-yard line. The Patriots cruised down the field before Stevenson charged into the end zone. Ewers continued to move the ball and found a wide-open Malik Washington for a short touchdown. After a fourth-down stop from the Miami defense, Jaylen Wright fumbled the ball away to set up the Patriots offense at the Miami 37. The Patriots got into Miami territory, but Zach Sieler blocked a field goal to keep it a one-score game. After a New England stop, the Patriots grabbed a field goal at the end of the second quarter to take a 17-10 lead into the half.

In the third quarter, Stevenson dominated the Dolphins’ defense and put the game away. He caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, and then rumbled for a 35-yard touchdown run to make it 31-10 entering the fourth quarter. In garbage time, Henderson added a second rushing touchdown.

Raiders 14, Chiefs 12

The Raiders had been tanking for the No. 1 overall pick, but because the Giants beat the Cowboys, the Raiders were able to go for the win in this game. It was odd to see them try hard, especially on defense, but that’s exactly what they did.

Las Vegas’ defense was able to swarm beleaguered backup Chris Oladokun and force some turnovers. Oladokun lost a fumble on a strip-sack and then lost another fumble while trying to scramble. The Raiders took over and appeared to fumble themselves, but the lackadaisical Chiefs were offsides on the play to negate the give-away. Las Vegas ended up kicking a field goal to take a 6-3 lead.

The Raiders kicked two more field goals after that. The field goal that took the lead featured a 6-minute drive, highlighted by a 16-yard Tre Tucker reception. The Raiders then sacked Shane Buechele, who took over for Oladokun at halftime, for a safety. The Raiders, however, fumbled the kickoff following the safety to set up another Kansas City field goal to give this game an appropriate odd Scorigami score of 11-9.

The Chiefs had other ideas, however, as Buechele led the team down the field for a field goal drive, thanks to a 51-yard bomb to Marquise Brown. The Raiders, now down 12-11 with just 55 seconds remaining, saw Aidan O’Connell hit Michael Mayer for a 21-yard pass to set up Daniel Carlson’s game-winning 60-yard field goal.

Lions 19, Bears 16

The Bears needed a win to clinch the No. 2 seed. Ben Johnson announced that his starters would play in this game, so it was assumed that Chicago would play hard to lock up a home game in the second round of the playoffs. Based on how this game went, however, it appeared as though the Lions were the team to have something at stake in this contest.

The Lions looked like they were playing in seven-on-seven drills in the opening half. Jared Goff did whatever he wanted against Chicago’s poor pass defense. Amon-Ra St. Brown had a monster game, generating 110 receiving yards in the first half alone. Meanwhile, the Bears got nothing out of their offense. Caleb Williams was a disaster, failing to eclipse 50 passing yards prior to intermission. The only thing that worked were passes to Colston Loveland, as Williams couldn’t get the ball to his receivers despite going against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL.

Detroit entered the second half with a 13-0 lead. Their defense made a big play on a Williams interception on a shot to the end zone. The Lions kicked a field goal. Down 16-0, the Bears looked dead.

However, Chicago can never be counted out, and the Bears suddenly flipped the on switch again. Williams became unstoppable without warning, constantly connecting to Loveland. The Bears tied the game, but then saw the Lions drive down the field into field goal range. Goff, however, inexplicably threw an interception when he fired the ball into traffic. The Bears took over with 2:10 remaining, but also couldn’t do anything. The Lions got one more chance and made the most of it. Goff fired a 26-yard pas to Amon-Ra St. Brown to seet up the game-winning 42-yard field goal.

Bills 35, Jets 8

There was some speculation about whether Josh Allen would play significant snaps in this meaningless game. Allen took the field on the very first snap to keep his starting streak alive, but then went to the bench. It didn’t take very long for James Cook to join him.

Despite Allen and Cook not playing, the Bills absolutely dominated in this game. Mitchell Trubisky threw a whopping four touchdowns to his backup receivers, as the horrible Jets defense had no answer for him. Trubisky also didn’t throw an interception, meaning the Jets defense did not pick off a pass for the entire season.

Redskins 24, Eagles 17

The Eagles announced that they were going to sit their starters for this game, as they apparently didn’t care if they were the No. 2 or 3 seed. Or, perhaps they somehow knew that the Bears would embarrass themselves against the Lions. Either way, Philadelphia could have improved to the No. 2 seed with a victory.

The only noteworthy starter of Philadelphia’s to play in this game was DeVonta Smith, who caught three passes in the opening quarter in an effort to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the season. After that, it was all Tanner McKee and a host of scrubs. They failed on an early fourth-and-1 – there was no tush push with Jalen Hurts resting on the sidelines – which gave the Redskins some life. Washington went into halftime up 10-7.

McKee and the Eagles had a better performance in the third quarter. Tank Bigsby had some significant runs, allowing the Eagles to go up 17-10. The Redskins, however, struck back with a pair of touchdowns, including a run into the end zone by Josh Johnson when Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo embarrassed himself by turning around and not looking at the quarterback. The Eagles had some chances to tie or take the lead, but couldn’t engineer another scoring drive.

Rams 37, Cardinals 20

One would think that the Rams would have been energized in the wake of the 49ers’ loss. Because of the Saturday night result, the Rams had a chance to claim the No. 5 seed and travel to the NFC South winner.

For a while, it appeared as though the Rams didn’t care what their seed would be. They got off to a slow start in this game, kicking two field goals in a 6-6 affair, with one kick coming following a lost Arizona fumble on a Jacoby Brissett strip-sack. The Rams finally seemed to wake up from their slumber just prior to halftime, scoring 10 points in a blur. Up 16-6, it looked like the Rams would cruise to an easy victory.

This, however, was not the case, as the Cardinals picked up a first down on a fake punt, setting up a Michael Wilson touchdown. The Cardinals then put together a more traditional touchdown drive, with Brissett engineering a 6-minute possession, culminating a touchdown pass.

Down 20-16, the Rams could have easily folded, but they put together a touchdown drive of their own. They then appeared to surrender a ridiculous 56-yard reception to Wilson, but the play was negated by penalty. The Cardinals punted, and Matthew Stafford threw another touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee to go up 10. The Rams added a late touchdown to cover the spread.

Broncos 19, Chargers 3

The Broncos were expected to dominate this game. They were seeking the No. 1 seed, while the Chargers were playing their backups. Denver took an early 10-0 lead on a pick-six by Trey Lance, but struggled to score after that.

This affair was either 10-3 or 13-3 for two quarters of action, as the Broncos couldn’t get anything going offensively. Bo Nix was horrendous, throwing many poor passes against the Chargers’ backup defense. Nix was at least able to scramble, as his runs were the only source of offense Denver had in this contest. R.J. Harvey couldn’t get anything on the ground.

The Broncos eventually turned a late Chargers turnover on downs into a field goal to go up 16. The Chargers drove down the field at the very end, but two apparent touchdowns were nullified by a penalty and replay review.

Steelers 26, Ravens 24

For a high-scoring shootout, this battle for the AFC North title was a sloppy game in the early going. The Ravens blew multiple opportunities to extend promising drives with holding penalties. The Steelers, conversely, were stuffed on multiple fourth-down opportunities before halftime.

Everything changed for the Steelers when Kyle Hamilton left the game with a concussion. The Steelers had better success moving the chains, and they were able to convert all of their short-yardage opportunities. Making matters worse for the Ravens, Lamar Jackson had a pass deflected into the arms of T.J. Watt.

Down 13-10, the Ravens finally made some explosive plays. Jackson avoided two sacks and heaved a bomb to a wide-open Zay Flowers for a touchdown. The Steelers answered with a touchdown drive of their own again. On the ensuing possession, Jackson once again located a wide-open Flowers for a 64-yard score.

Trailing 24-20, the Steelers had one more chance. Aaron Rodgers once again drove the team down the field and was able to hit Calvin Austin for a score when cornerback Chidobe Awuzie slipped. However, Chris Boswell missed his second extra point in four years. The Ravens, trailing 26-24 instead of 27-24, needed a field goal to win instead of tie.

Things were bleak for the Ravens despite a long kickoff return by Keith Mitchell because they were forced into a fourth-and-7 because of an illegal formation penalty by Ronnie Stanley. However, Jackson fired a pass to Isaiah Likely, who made a leaping catch, setting up the decisive 44-yard field goal by Tyler Loop. Justin Tucker’s replacement completely choked, sailing the kick wide right.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

NFL Game Recaps: Week 17, 2025

Walt — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 04:26:36 +0000

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Cowboys 30, Redskins 23

The Cowboys entered this game as near-double-digit favorites, and they played that way in the opening half. They didn’t punt a single time, as they were able to convert a quartet of fourth downs. They scored 24 points in the opening half, with seven of the points coming via an 86-yard KaVontae Turpin deep touchdown.

The Redskins didn’t appear as though they’d be competitive, but that changed when Jacory Croskey-Merritt exploded for a 72-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. This tightened the score to 24-17. Washington’s defense did a much better job on Dallas in the second half, limiting the Cowboys to just six points following intermission. The key to this was the pressure the Redskins applies on Prescott, who took six sacks.

The Cowboys were up seven in the fourth quarter when they took more than six minutes off the clock on a drive that culminated with a field goal. The Redskins struck back quickly with a field goal of their own. With 2:03 remaining, the Redskins had three timeouts remaining, but couldn’t get off the field because they had issues stopping Malik Davis runs and a Prescott completion to George Pickens.

Vikings 23, Lions 10

The Lions needed four things to happen to make the playoffs, beginning with winning this game. They played like they were already eliminated, however, putting forth a completely lifeless performance against the energized Vikings.

Detroit struggled to do anything offensively, as Dan Campbell was outmatched by Brian Flores’ brilliance. The Lions wanted to make it a goal to run much better against the Vikings after failing to do anything on the ground last week, but neither Jahmyr Gibbs nor David Montgomery could eclipse 41 rushing yards. Not helping matters, Gibbs lost a fumble at midfield in the second quarter.

The Gibbs lost fumble was actually one of six turnovers the Lions committed in this game. It began when they lost a fumble on a botched snap, setting up an Aaron Jones touchdown. In the second half, Goff threw interceptions on consecutive drives and then was tagged with two lost fumbles. It was an atrocious performance from Goff, who didn’t get any help from an offensive line that lost Penei Sewell to injury in the second quarter.

Broncos 20, Chiefs 13

The Broncos were coming off a two-touchdown loss to the Jaguars last week, so a better effort was expected from them this week as they still were fighting for the No. 1 seed. We, however, did not see that effort, as the Broncos became the third road team on Christmas to have a lackluster performance.

Denver was the best of the three road teams on this holiday, or at least that’s what we were told. The Broncos had problems moving the chains all night, and it stemmed from Bo Nix’s poor quarterbacking. Nix’s passes were all over the place, with his receivers having no chance of catching the balls he wasn’t dinking and dunking. One horrendous pass of his was deflected and picked. The Broncos trailed the Chiefs and their skeleton crew roster, 10-7, at halftime.

The Broncos had a bit more success in the second half, but not by a wide margin. The game was tied at 13 when the Broncos received the ball with eight minutes remaining. They finally put together an impressive drive that seemed to stall at the 10-yard line. The Broncos appeared to line up to go for it on a fourth-and-2 in an obvious ruse to draw Denver offside, and Chris Jones, of all people, fell for it. A few plays later, Nix found R.J. Harvey in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown to win the game.

Texans 20, Chargers 16

This looked to be a defensive struggle entering the game, but the Texans had other ideas. On their first two possessions, C.J. Stroud launched deep bombs to Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel for quick touchdowns. The Texans were up 14-0 in a blink of an eye, and it looked like this would be an absolute demolition, especially when Houston’s defensive line sacked Justin Herbert on numerous occasions to start the game.

It didn’t take Houston’s offense to regress back to the mean. The Texans didn’t score a single touchdown the rest of the way, as Stroud began making mistakes. He threw a couple of interceptions where he didn’t see Charger defenders in coverage, and he’s lucky he wasn’t picked more often. The Chargers, meanwhile, made their own blunders as well. Herbert was charged with an interception because Oronde Gadsen had a ball pop out of his hands and into the arms of a Charger player. Gadsen had another crucial drop, while Cameron Dicker missed a chip-shot field goal.

This missed field goal ended up seeming crucial at the end. The Chargers were down the entire game, but scored a touchdown on an Omarion Hampton run. This made the score 20-16, and it would’ve been 20-19 with an extra point pending had Dicker not missed. Dicker, however, also whiffed on the extra point. The Texans, up 20-16, needed a couple of first downs to ice the victory. They got one on a 19-yard completion to Nico Collins. An illegal contact penalty on third-and-long was the back breaker.

Ravens 41, Packers 24

The Ravens suffered a fourth-quarter meltdown last week, largely because they seemingly forgot that Derrick Henry was on the roster. They surely remembered this time, as they fed Henry the ball over and over again throughout the evening.

This strategy worked incredibly well. Henry picked up chunks of yardage, helping the Ravens score 17 points on their first three possessions. As this was happening, the Packers struggled to sustain drives because of a Josh Jacobs stuffed run on fourth-and-1 and a lost fumble on a botched snap. Henry, meanwhile, reached the end zone on three occasions during the opening half alone. It looked like the Ravens would run away with a blowout victory, up 27-14 entering the break.

The Packers, to their credit, showed some life in the third quarter. Malik Willis, playing for the injured “No Cookie” Jordan Love, made some great throws, particularly to Christian Watson, and ran circles around Green Bay’s defense. Willis was able to trim Baltimore’s lead down to three, but suffered a shoulder injury. He went into the locker room, and following a Clayton Tune interception, Henry ran the ball down Green Bay’s throat en route to a 17-point victory.

Bengals 37, Cardinals 14

Joe Burrow said he wanted to go back to having more fun last week. He had a great second half versus Miami, and that carried over into this game. Burrow went down the field with ease on the initial two drives against an injury-ravaged Arizona defense. He threw a touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase after a previous big play from Chase, and then Samaje Perine ran into the end zone to put the Bengals up 13-0, thanks to a missed extra point.

The Cardinals struck back with a touchdown on a horrible tackling effort via a Michael Wilson deep pass. The Bengals, however, answered with a long kickoff return. This set up another Cincinnati touchdown where Burrow once again found Chase for the score to go up 23-7.

It was all Bengals after that. They went up 37-7 via two Chase Brown touchdowns. Toward the end of the game, Trey McBride was able to surpass Zach Ertz as the NFL’s record holder for receptions in a single season.

Seahawks 27, Panthers 10

The Seahawks entered this game as touchdown favorites, but didn’t seem as such for most of the afternoon, despite what the final score says. They managed to kick an early field goal, but couldn’t get anything going in the first half otherwise. Carolina’s defensive line hounded Sam Darnold, who managed to accumulate just 56 passing yards on his 13 first-half attempts. Darnold lost a fumble on a play where it looked like he released a pass, and he was lucky not to be intercepted on several occasions in the opening half.

Luckily for Darnold, his defense came through with some big plays. The Panthers mustered just a field goal prior to halftime, and it came following that aforementioned Darnold fumble. Seattle’s defense came up with a big stop to limit the Panthers to just three points following the turnover.

It looked like the Seahawks would be able to take the lead to begin the second half when Zach Charbonnet made a great play, but Darnold was picked on a throw to the end zone where he released a pass off his back foot. However, on the next play, Chuba Hubbard lost a fumble, allowing Seattle to take over in the red zone. Thanks to a Darnold pass to A.J. Barner, the Seahawks were able to punch the ball into the end zone via a Charbonnet run to go up 10-3. Seattle’s defense then made another big play, intercepting Bryce Young when the young quarterback stared down his receiver.

The Seahawks were able to take advantage of the Young take-away with a Darnold touchdown to Barner. The Panthers came back to trim the margin to seven again via a Young rushing score, but the Carolina defense couldn’t get off the field, with Charbonnet picking up some tough yardage and a second touchdown.

Browns 13, Steelers 6

The Steelers needed this game in the wake of the Ravens’ victory over the Packers on Saturday night, but it didn’t seem like they were aware of the result. The Steelers performed sluggishly, as if they couldn’t clinch the division with a win.

The Browns were able to establish a 10-3 lead when Shedeur Sanders threw a deep touchdown to Harold Fannin where it seemed as though Pittsburgh’s defense fell asleep on the coverage. Fannin got hurt on the play, however, and Cleveland had issues moving the ball after that. Sanders was eventually intercepted upon releasing the ball, but the defense stepped up, giving up no points. Aaron Rodgers, playing without both DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin, was incomplete on a fourth-down overthrow.

The Steelers couldn’t get anything going offensively the entire afternoon. Rodgers was just 3-of-15 on third downs and 0-of-3 on fourth downs, as Cleveland’s defensive line smothered him. The Steelers had a four-and-out late that allowed the Browns to kick a field goal to go up seven.

Pittsburgh had one more chance after that. Rodgers began the ensuing possession with a 15-yard pass to Scotty Miller to reach midfield. Following an incompletion, Rodgers hit Pat Freiermuth down the seam for a 29-yard connection. Another completion to Freiermuth, good for 11 yards, put the Steelers in the red zone. Rodgers, however, then took three shots into the end zone, all of which fell incomplete, giving the Browns the upset victory.

Saints 34, Titans 26

The Saints have been playing impressive football lately, but many of those games occurred in the Superdome. They would be playing outdoors in Tennessee, and things didn’t exactly go their way in the elements. We saw this when recent hero Charlie Smyth missed a 43-yard field goal to begin the game. The New Orleans defenders then showed a miserable tackling effort on a Chig Okonkwo touchdown.

The Titans were able to establish a 13-3 lead, but New Orleans’ defense made a big play when Chase Young ripped the ball out of Cam Ward’s hands and ran back for a touchdown. The Saints, however, surrendered another touchdown to Ward, who was described by the announcers as a quarterback who made several “magical acts” in this game with some inexplicable plays to keep the chains moving. The Titans went into the break up 20-10.

The magic pixie dust wore off Ward, however, as his carriage transformed into a pumpkin in the second half. Ward managed to lead to just six points following intermission, while the Saints scored 24 in the second half. Tyler Shough was incredible, launching a 60-yard pass to Chris Olave on one instance to set up a score to Kevin Austin. The Saints eventually went up eight, but Ward had one more chance. He made another one of his magical acts when he heaved a pass for a first down on fourth-and-10 while scrambling and falling down, but with the pixie dust gone, replay review ruled that Ward was down by contact, effectively ending the game.

Jaguars 23, Colts 17

This was the Murphy’s Law of games for the Jaguars, at least for a while. Inexplicable things allowed the Colts to build a lead that they maintained for most of the first half. It began right away with the Colts getting a long kickoff return to set up a field goal. The Jaguars then entered the red zone, but on a designed play, Jakobi Meyers pitched the ball backward to Travis Etienne, but the two were not on the same page, and a fumble occurred. The fumble variance went to the Colts on another play, as the ball popped in the air on a Philip Rivers throw that landed in the lap of someone named Will Mallory.

Despite all of this, the Jaguars had a chance to take the lead just prior to halftime when they were down 10-7, but another red zone turnover, a Trevor Lawrence interception on a pass into the end zone, allowed the Colts to enter intermission with the lead. The Colts then scored another touchdown following the break, as another long return set up a score. During the drive, Josh Downs was ruled to make a reception along the sideline. It was obvious that he had one foot inbounds, but replay review inexplicably couldn’t overturn the call.

The Jaguars, to their credit, continued to fight through the BS, and they tied the game via a Lawrence touchdown rush. The defense then made a big play, as Jarrian Jones jumped the route on a Rivers pass and intercepted it to set up a field goal. The Colts then had grand aspirations of winning the game on the next drive because on a fourth-and-11, they inexplicably went for it despite having all three timeouts and 3:30 on the clock. The fourth-and-11 failed, allowing the Jaguars to clinch the victory with a field goal.

Patriots 42, Jets 10

Drake Maye heard MVP chants in Baltimore last week, and that continued to be the case at the Meadowlands. Maye throttled the Jets, scoring against their defense with ease. Maye completed his first nine passes on three drives, and it’s not like he was dinking and dunking. Maye made a ridiculous throw to Stefon Diggs along the sideline where he displayed precise accuracy.

As this was happening, the Jets weren’t doing much offensively. Brady Cook threw an ugly interception into double coverage and had some other potential picks that were not converted.

Maye, meanwhile, continued his onslaught. He completed 90 percent of his passes, all while throwing five touchdowns. This game was so lopsided that Maye took a seat on the bench midway through the third quarter. The Patriots could have scored 70 points if they wanted to do so.

Dolphins 20, Buccaneers 17
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Buccaneers had Liam Coen and Dave Canales in the building, and they opted to remain with Todd Bowles. Yikes!

The Buccaneers needed to win against Miami and against Carolina next week to win the NFC South. With the Panthers losing to Seattle, the Bucs’ hopes remain alive despite a loss to the Dolphins. Tampa Bay entered this game 0-7 when Baker Mayfield threw an interception, and they were 7-1 when Mayfield avoided throwing a pick. Mayfield threw two picks and fumbled the ball away, while Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers managed the game well to lead Miami to their seventh win of the season. Both teams stand at 7-9 heading into the season finale.

The Bucs took their opening drive down the field, and it ended with Mayfield connecting with Chris Godwin for a short touchdown. The lead did not last long as Jamel Dean blew coverage on Theo Wease Jr. to let him get wide open for a 63-yard touchdown. After a punt, Ewers hit a chunk completion, and Jaylen Wright ripped off a 32-yard run to set up a field goal. On the ensuing Tampa Bay possession, Mayfield threw a poor pass that was intercepted by Jason Marshall. De’Von Achane provided some good yardage to set up a first-and-goal. To cap the drive, Ewers threw a strike to Greg Dulcich in the middle of the end zone, and Miami took a 17-7 lead. Mayfield came back to hit Jalen McMillan to get across midfield, but a 55-yard field goal was blocked, and that proved to be a huge play in the game. Miami took its 10-point lead into the half.

Midway through the third quarter, Mayfield led a field goal drive, but Miami responded with the same to keep their lead at 10 entering the fourth quarter. Another drive into Miami territory came up short as safety Ashtyn Davis intercepted Mayfield close to the end zone. The Bucs got a punt, and Mayfield drove them across midfield, but the Bucs’ backup left tackle was beaten for a blind-side strip-sack by Bradley Chubb, and the Dolphins recovered the fumble. Late in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins showed terrible coverage downfield to let Chris Godwin race down the field for a 59-yard completion. A few plays later, Mayfield hit Mike Evans with a short touchdown to make it 20-17 with less than a minute remaining. The Dolphins recovered the onside kick to clinch the win for Miami.

Eagles 13, Bills 12
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Couldn’t Jalen Carter have blocked the second extra point so we could have gone to overtime? This a**hole has cost us so much money this year.

The Eagles improved to 11-5, and the Bills fell to 11-5 in a hard-fought game in Buffalo. Philadelphia’s defense was tremendous, and if it plays at this level next month, it will be difficult to keep them out of the Super Bowl. Buffalo’s defense played well in the second half as well, but a blocked extra point and a missed two-point conversion were the difference. The Eagles are locked into the division title, while Buffalo will be a wild-card team, so this outcome does not have a big impact on the postseason.

Midway through the first quarter, Josh Allen laid out a deep ball to Brandin Cooks for a 50-yard gain. A couple of plays later, a questionable call went the Eagles’ way when it looked like Allen had his arm going forward for an incompletion, but it was ruled a fumble. With the ball going backwards and a short return, the Eagles were set up at midfield. Hurts connected with A.J. Brown to move into the red zone. A few plays later, Hurts found Dallas Goedert wide open in the end zone for a touchdown.

Later in the first half, Hurts made a superb play to buy time with his feet before firing a strike to Brown to get across midfield. To cap the drive, they added a field goal to go up 10-0. They then notched another field goal to take a 13-0 lead into the half.

The third quarter saw more superb play from the Eagles’ defense, but late in the third, Tyrell Shavers made a superb catch on a jump ball for a 32-yard gain that set up a first-and-goal. However, Josh Allen was tackled at the one on fourth-and-goal, and Philadelphia held their 13-0 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Bills’ defense kept them in the game, and midway through the fourth, Allen plunged into the end zone. The extra point was blocked to make it 13-6 with five minutes remaining.

Buffalo then quickly forced a punt and had one final possession. They got moving on a completion to Shavers with a lateral to Ty Johnson, who took off for a gain of 25. A couple of plays later, Brandin Cooks made a phenomenal leaping catch for a 36-yard gain. On a fourth-and-goal from the one, Allen went behind the right side for a touchdown. Allen missed an open receiver on the two-point conversion to let the Eagles escape Buffalo with a win.

Giants 34, Raiders 10

The Raiders made it clear that they had no desire to win this game when they shelved a healthy Maxx Crosby after the All-Pro defensive end said that he was going to fight hard to win this contest. Las Vegas’ defense was a complete no-show against Jaxson Dart, who struggled heading into this game.

Despite Dart’s recent struggles, he moved the chains on the Crosby-less Raiders defense all afternoon. He completed most of his passes and did a lot of damage as a runner, scoring twice.

Meanwhile, the Raiders had yet another horrible game from Geno Smith. Despite ESPN DEI hire Mina Kimes saying that Smith was a top-10 quarterback heading into the season, the former Seahawk signal-caller extended his league interception lead with two picks. One interception was an atrocious throw in the red zone, setting up a long Devin Singletary run and an ensuing touchdown run. Smith was ultimately knocked out of the game, giving way to Kenny Pickett in garbage time.

49ers 42, Bears 38

The Bears fought the flu entering this game, but as it turns out, battling a locker room-wide sickness was an easier task than going up against San Francisco’s defense. Both defenses were atrocious in this epic shootout that saw history occur, as this was the first regular-season game to ever be tied at seven, 14, 21, 28, and 35.

There were just a couple of big defensive plays in this game, and we saw one on the first play of the evening when Brock Purdy had a pass to Jauan Jennings deflected and pick-sixed. Adding injury to insult, Trent Williams went into the medical tent. Undaunted, Purdy led touchdown drives on the next two possessions. The Bears, meanwhile, kept up offensively.

Kyle Shanahan made a curious call that nearly cost the 49ers the game in the fourth quarter. Tied at 35, the 49ers opted to punt at the Chicago 43-yard line. The Bears returned that spot in just two plays and ended up kicking a field goal to go up three. The 49ers answered with a touchdown drive, with Purdy finding Jennings for the 38-yard score to go up 42-38.

The Bears, however, still had plenty of time to answer. Caleb Williams converted a scramble on a third down to move the chains and then found Colston Loveland on fourth down. The Bears ventured inside the 5-yard line, but time was running out. They had just one play remaining. Williams danced around in the pocket and hopped over a potential sack, but underthrew the receiver in the end zone to end the game.

Falcons 27, Rams 24

The Rams entered this game without necessarily needing to win to achieve the No. 5 seed. With three offensive linemen missing – Rob Havenstein, Alaric Jackson, Kevin Dotson – it would have made sense for the Rams to rest Matthew Stafford and the rest of the starters. Instead, the Rams pushed and nearly paid the price, as Stafford took a beating behind his injury-ravaged offensive line.

Stafford, who was sacked three times, threw two interceptions in the opening half. He was initially picked on a pass behind his receiver and then was intercepted a second time on a deep shot. The Falcons turned the second take-away into a 93-yard touchdown run by Bijan Robinson. Up 21-0 at the half, the Falcons looked like they were going to run away with a blowout.

The Rams scored a touchdown and a field goal to start the third quarter, but the Falcons were still in position to kick the ball to go up 27-10, which may have coaxed Sean McVay into resting Stafford and company. However, the Rams blocked the field goal and returned it for a touchdown to trim the margin to 24-17. The Rams then looked lke they would tie the game, but Stafford threw his third interception, doing so in the red zone. The Falcons, however, went three-and-out after that, thanks in part to a miserable Kick Cousins throw. The Rams then moved down the field with ease, capping off a drive with a touchdown by Puka Nacua to tie the game at 24.

The Falcons could have easily completed their meltdown, but Cousins hit Kyle Pitts for an 11-yard gain, and then Robinson broke free for a big gain to put the team in field goal range. Zane Gonzalez connected from 51 yards to take the lead. The Rams had one final chance, but a few deep passes were off the mark and a potential pass interference penalty was ignored, clinching the victory for Atlanta.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

NFL Overrated and Underrated Teams: Week 18

Walt — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 15:01:14 +0000

I’ve posted overrated and underrated NFL teams on my NFL Picks page for a while, but I thought it deserved its own section. I’ll update this page every week during the season as well as periodically during the offseason. Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Updated Dec. 29, 2025

NFL Overrated Teams:

Carolina Panthers
The Panthers were the hipster pick of 2025. Everyone loves what they did versus the Chiefs, Eagles, and Buccaneers (first matchup) late last year. And yet, they lost those games, even though the Chiefs, Eagles and Buccaneers didn’t put forth any sort of effort into those contests. When the Panthers battled teams focused against them, they were obliterated by the Cowboys and Buccaneers (second matchup). Bryce Young still can’t see over the line of scrimmage, while the defense could still be a bottom-five unit.

The Panthers lost a “close” game to the Cardinals, but were down 27-3. This would have been a blowout had the Cardinals not fallen asleep at the wheel again. In the other games, the Panthers were demolished by the Jaguars and caught the Falcons completely unprepared to play off a big win on national TV. They got back to their real, losing ways against the Patriots. They beat the Dolphins, but we know how much Miami sucks. They also defeated the Cowboys, but Dallas was missing a million players. They then beat the Jets, but there are powder puff football teams that could probably give the Jets a run for their money. Carolina then got blown out by Buffalo, exposing its true colors.

Seven weeks ago, the Panthers beat the Packers, who were napping off their win against the Steelers. Green Bay was also looking ahead to battling the Eagles next Monday night. And once again, the Panthers showed their true colors in a loss to the Saints. They then beat the Falcons, but only because Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London suffered injuries, and Atlanta was coming off an 11-hour jetlagged flight from Germany. The Panthers embarrassed themselves against the 49ers. They beat the Rams, but Los Angeles was a no-show, much like the Eagles were late last year versus Carolina. And once again, the Panthers showed their true colors in their loss to the Saints.

The Panthers ended up beating the Buccaneers to take a commanding lead in the NFC South, but they still have a negative-67 point differential and would stand to be the worst playoff team in the history of the NFL if they were to reach the postseason, excluding the 1940 Redskins.

Chicago Bears
The Bears are 11-5, but they had a negative point differential heading into Black Friday. They’ve been very lucky to win some of their games. It must be noted that they’re 4-5 against teams in Groups A-C. Five of their 11 wins have come against Groups D and F. Chicago would have lost to the Giants at home had Jaxson Dart not gotten injured. They were very fortunate to beat the Packers at home. Their defense can’t apply any pressure on the quarterback.

Denver Broncos
In two games against the Raiders, the Broncos have scored 10 and 17 offensive points. If you remove the Marvin Mims return touchdown, Denver scored just as many points as Las Vegas in the Week 14 matchup. In other games, the Broncos barely beat the Jets, Titans, Giants, and Chris Oladokun-led Chiefs. Their big wins were against the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs, who have lost to everyone since, and the Packers, who were ahead for most of the game until they lost Christian Watson and Micah Parsons. It was no surprise that the Jaguars destroyed them in Week 16.

San Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are back on the overrated list. With Joe Alt injured, the Chargers won’t be able to block anyone. They barely survived the Titans, so what’s going to happen when they battle real competition? Sure, they beat the Steelers, but is defeating a decrepit Aaron Rodgers really a great feat? Their loss to the Jaguars was staggering. They managed to beat the Chiefs, but everyone beats the Chiefs. They also defeated the Cowboys in a blowout, but Dallas was deflated after being eliminated from the playoffs less than 24 hours earlier.

San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are 12-4, but they haven’t played any team above Group C yet following their major defensive injuries, aside from the Bears and Rams twice. They’ve otherwise taken on seven Group C teams and lost to three and barely won two of those games. Their other opponents were four Group D teams – Giants, Panthers, Browns, Philip Rivers-led Colts – and two Group F teams, the Spencer Rattler-led Saints and the Titans.

NFL Underrated Teams:

Buffalo Bills
I’ve heard some NFL podcasts write off the Bills as a potential Super Bowl champion because they can’t stop the run. That’s the only thing they’re bad at, and that’s not even a permanent thing because they’ll make improvements in that regard once Matt Milano is healthy. The Bills lost to the Eagles, but endured one of the worst calls ever and a foot injury to Josh Allen.

Jacksonville Jaguars
I’ve had the Jaguars in the overrated department earlier in the season, but I believe they are underrated now. Jakobi Meyers has been a huge boon for Trevor Lawrence, who has never had a reliable receiver like Meyers at his disposal. Lawrence has worked with talented receivers like Brian Thomas Jr. and Calvin Ridley, but they’ve been mistake-prone and/or injured. Meyers is something new for Lawrence. Also, Jacksonville’s defense has improved lately; it now ranks eighth in defensive EPA over the past two months.

The Jaguars had their struggles to begin the year, but they’ve had some of the most impressive wins of any team this season, crushing the Chargers and winning by two touchdowns in Denver.

Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have a solid defense and a quality offensive line. They also possess multiple dynamic play-makers. Their issue has been dreadful quarterbacking, but J.J. McCarthy has performed on a much higher level since his soft benching.

New Orleans Saints
The Buccaneers and Panthers are lucky that the Saints struggled with Spencer Rattler earlier in the season because New Orleans is now the best team in the NFC South. The Saints have an incredible defense ranked seventh in EPA, while Tyler Shough continues to improve each week despite missing the injured Alvin Kamara and the traded Rashid Shaheed.

Have any suggestions for overrated and underrated teams? Shout them out to @walterfootball, or see how they’re being used on the NFL Picks page.

2026 NFL Mock Draft - April 20

Fantasy Football Rankings - April 5

NFL Picks - Feb. 9

NFL Power Rankings - Jan. 26

NFL Game Recaps: Week 16, 2025

Walt — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 18:24:34 +0000

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Seahawks 38, Rams 37

Though the final score was close, the Rams dominated for much of the evening. They were able to establish an erly lead despite some miscues on fourth-and-short early in the game. It helped that Cooper Kupp lost a fumble deep in Los Angeles territory, but the Rams went into halftime up 13-7.

The second half is when Sam Darnold’s meltdown began. Darnold threw an interception where he stared down his receiver, leading to a Rams touchdown. Matthew Stafford, by contrast, didn’t need to stare down anyone because he threw a no-look pass for a touchdown. Darnold, meanwhile, threw a second interception when he didn’t see Kobie Turner in coverage. The Rams, up 30-14, came into Seattle with an easy victory.

Or so we thought. A bizarre series of events allowed the Seahawks to claw back into the game. Rashid Shaheed scored on a punt return, and then he made a big play to set up another touchdown. The Seahawks, needing a two-point conversion to tie, saw that fail when Darnold misfired. However, replay review showed that the throw was backward, allowing the Rams to score on a fumble recovery. The Rams then missed on a 46-yard field goal, giving Darnold a golden opportunity to pull off the incredible comeback victory.

Darnold, however, went three-and-out when he took a poor sack and then misfired. That sent the game to overtime. The Seahawks put their tired defense on the field initially, and they paid the price. Stafford completed a third-and-6 to Nacua and then connected with Nacua for a 41-yard touchdown to go up seven. Darnold had a chance to redeem himself, and he did just that. He delivered big throws to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kupp before hitting the former in the end zone. The Seahawks, needing a two-point conversion because they likely weren’t going to get the ball back with 3:13 remaining, had Darnold drop back to throw, and he found Eric Saubert for the game-winning score.

Eagles 29, Redskins 18

The Eagles won this game in a blowout – they were up 29-10 before garbage time – but for a while, it looked like they would suffer another loss as a big favorite. They fumbled the opening kickoff return and were giving up far too many rushing yards to Chris Rodriguez. Add in some Jake Elliott missed field goals, including a 43-yarder, and this was a recipe for an embarrassing loss to the 4-10 Redskins.

Philadelphia, down 10-7 at halftime, dominated following intermission. A big part of that was Marcus Mariota getting injured. Mariota was tested for a concussion, but was ruled out with a hand injury. Josh Johnson gave the Redskins no hope, failing to do anything until garbage time.

Meanwhile, it appeared as though the Redskins gave up in the wake of Mariota’s injury, as they began to surrender big runs to Saquon Barkley. The Eagles eventually went up two scores, and Washington’s effort dropped even further when Dan Quinn refused to go for it on fourth down in obvious situations.

Bears 22, Packers 16

The Packers entered this game with numerous injuries, and they continued to lose players in this contest. “No Cookie” Jordan Love was the latest Packer to go down, suffering a concussion in the middle of the second quarter. Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs also got banged up, but losing a quarterback is always incredibly impactful.

Fortunately for the Packers, they have one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL in Malik Willis, who was able to keep the chains moving with precise throws and key scrambles. The Packers led throughout, as the Bears settled for too many field goals. The third field goal took an eternity, and Cairo Santos’ long setup caused the 2-minute warning to expire. The Bears were down 16-9, but because of the poor clock management, they were forced into performing an onside kick. Doubs reeled in the ball, but fumbled it, giving the Bears possession.

Caleb Williams, who struggled early but caught fire on the preceding drive, stayed hot to move his team into a goal-to-go situation. On fourth down, Williams looked like he would once again choke on the final play of the game versus Green Bay, but instead, he located someone named Jahdae Walker for a touchdown to tie the game.

In overtime, the Packers received the initial possession and moved into Bears territory, but a fumbled exchange on fourth down gave the Bears the ball near midfield. After a few plays, Williams launched a 46-yard bomb to D.J. Moore, who hauled in the pass for the game-winning touchdown.

Bills 23, Browns 20

The Browns entered this contest as double-digit home underdogs, but they didn’t resemble that to start the game. They went right down the field on Buffalo’s defense, as Sheduer Sanders found Harold Fannin on a few occasions, including once in the end zone for a touchdown.

It didn’t take the Bills long to answer, however. James Cook ripped off a 44-yard touchdown run to tie the game, and following a Shedeur Sanders interception that popped off the hands of Quinshon Judkins, the Bills scored another touchdown to go up six.

Another promising drive concluded for the Browns in disappointment after that, with Sanders leaving the game with a pinky injury. Dillon Gabriel took a sack, and then Buffalo’s next drive turned into a touchdown via Cook again. On the ensuing possession, Judkins caught a pass, but fumbled. Judkins grabbed his leg in pain and was later ruled to have a broken leg and a possible torn ACL.

The Bills looked like they were going to run away with this game, but played with their food too much in the second half. They barely ran with James Cook, while Allen was constantly hounded by Cleveland’s pass rush. On one occasion, Allen took a 22-yard sack, half of which was awarded to Myles Garrett, who now has 22 sacks on the year. The Browns eventually had a chance to tie or take the lead, down 23-20, but Sanders was the one who took a big sack this time, getting tackled at his own 1-yard line to effectively end the game.

Saints 29, Jets 6

This was the Taysom Hill show, but not in a good way. Hill was given a carry on the opening drive, but lost a fumble to set up a Jets field goal. Hill was later stuffed on a fourth-and-1 sneak on his own 45-yard line, though the Jets couldn’t capitalize this time.

It wasn’t all bad for Hill, as he converted on another fourth-and-1 after that in his own territory. The Saints marched on to kick a field goal to go up 9-6. Hill even had a great play late when he threw a 38-yard touchdown to Chris Olave to seal the victory.

In between all of that, we saw pure domination by the Saints defense. Brady Cook, whom we are calling “the Chef,” was sacked on eight occasions and was picked once. The Saints struggled to pull away for a while because they kept stalling in or just outside the red zone, but they eventually scored a touchdown when Tyler Shough found Olave for his first score of the afternoon.

Vikings 16, Giants 13

The Vikings entered this game on a hot streak of sorts, but it looked like they wouldn’t continue to win because of constant offensive mistakes. J.J. McCarthy was charged with an early interception because the ball popped off the hands of Jalen Nailor. This set up a Giants field goal, but Nailor wasn’t done screwing up. The Vikings eventually entered the red zone, when McCarthy threw to him again. The ball bounced off Nailor’s hands and into the arms of a Giants player, who returned the interception for a touchdown. Fortunately for Nailor, the Giants were offsides, so the pick didn’t count.

Minnesota eventually went up 13-3 and was driving just prior to halftime. However, McCarthy was blasted on a sack, and he fumbled. The Giants scooped and scored, and this time, the touchdown stood. McCarthy was ruled out for the rest of the game with a hand injury, giving way to the anemic Max Brosmer.

Brosmer had virtually no success, aside from one drive in which the Vikings kicked a field goal. That was all Minnesota needed. Jaxson Dart was even worse than Brosmer in this game. He failed to complete a single pass until just prior to halftime. He had just 33 passing yards in total, and he took some bad sacks, including one on fourth down on what was the final offensive possession of the game.

Panthers 23, Buccaneers 20

The Buccaneers entered this game on a cold streak, most recently losing to the Falcons at home. They looked like they were going to break out of their funk when they scored an early touchdown and then were awarded with a free set of downs when the Panthers were penalized on a made field goal.

Tampa Bay was up for most of the first half, but the Panthers roared back and eventually took a 13-10 lead when Bryce Young found Tetairoa McMillan for a touchdown. The Buccaneers answered right out of the break in the third quarter, with an 8-minute drive, capped off by a Sean Tucker touchdown run that was set up by a Mike Evans interference penalty in the end zone.

The Panthers put together a great drive to answer the Tucker score, and they eventually scored a touchdown on a Young pass to Ja’Tavion Sanders. The Buccaneers responded, but only with a field goal to tie the game. Young hit a big play on the ensuing possession, finding Jalen Coker for a 34-yard reception. The drive stalled in Tampa Bay territory, but Ryan Fitzgerald hit a 48-yard field goal to go ahead.

Mayfield still had 2:20 remaining to tie or take the lead. He struggled with Carolina’s blitz all afternoon, but broke free for a 26-yard scramble. He then hit Cade Otton for a 9-yard gain on third-and-4. Two plays later, however, there was a miscommunication with Mike Evans, and Mayfield was picked to end the game.

Titans 26, Chiefs 9

The Chiefs entered this game with a skeleton crew roster. Not only was Patrick Mahomes knocked out for the year, but the Chiefs were also missing a high number of other players, including Rashee Rice. And as bad as it was, it only got worse when Gardner Minshew suffered a knee injury. Someone named Chris Oladokun took over for Minshew. Oladokun completed some passes, but was overmatched against Tennessee’s improving defense.

The Tennessee defense actually got on the board first, with Jeffery Simmons blasting Kareem Hunt in his own end zone for a safety. This was a 2-0 game for a while, but the Titans eventually got going offensively. Cam Ward completed a high percentage of his throws, including a dime pass to Chimere Dike along the sideline.

Ward eventually found Dike and Chig Okonkwo for touchdowns, blowing open a big lead for the Titans, who vanquished the Chiefs easily. Kansas City achieved just nine first downs and 133 total net yards in this ugly defeat.

Chargers 34, Cowboys 17

The Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night when the Eagles beat the Redskins. No one seemed to tell Dallas this, as the Cowboys looked like they were trying hard in this game. They took the lead early with a touchdown pass to George Pickens, and after the Chargers scored, Dallas responded with another touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy.

Dallas led 17-14 in the second quarter, but that was all the scoring the Cowboys would do for the rest of the afternoon. The Chargers’ No. 2-ranked defense was unforgiving after that, smothering Dak Prescott throughout the second half.

The Chargers, meanwhile, couldn’t be stopped. When Justin Herbert wasn’t throwing darts to all four of his primary receivers – Tre Harris made some nice plays in this game, but Quentin Johnston hauled in a 50-yard reception – he and Omarion Hampton were gashing Dallas’ poor run defense. On one drive, Herbert sprinted for a 34-yard scamper to set up one of three scores the Chargers had in the second half.

Bengals 45, Dolphins 21
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: I guess we can say that Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t responsible for the team’s poor record. Miami had no chance with Quinn Ewers. Speaking of Ewers, I’d love to know why he didn’t throw to Darren Waller more than once in the second half. He kept throwing to some guy named Wease instead.

This game had no impact on the playoffs with both teams eliminated, but both coaching staffs are trying to avoid the ax and build some momentum for next season. Zac Taylor helped himself as Cincinnati exploded in the second half to blow out Miami. After benching Tua Tagovailoa, Quinn Ewers was making his first NFL start. Ewers had a few mistakes, but it wasn’t bad overall. Miami’s defense was completely dominated and incapable of stopping Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Chase Brown.

Late in the first quarter, Burrow led a scoring drive with a chunk completion to Chase and then a short touchdown toss to Tee Higgins. The Dolphins quickly tied the game at seven with De’Von Achane taking off on a 48-yard touchdown run. Cincinnati took the lead with a field goal, but again the lead didn’t last long as Ewers hit a couple of completions to Jaylen Waddle for 38 yards, moving inside the 15. Malik Washington took an end-around into the end zone to put the Dolphins up 14-10. Late in the first half, Burrow made a superb play, escaping a sack and finding Drew Sample on a checkdown that turned into a 27-yard completion. Samaje Perine scored from a few yards out to put the Bengals up 17-14 at the half.

In the third quarter, Chase Brown scored three touchdowns, with two coming in the air from Burrow. To get the scoring going, on the opening drive, Dolphins tight end Greg Dulcich fumbled the ball away, and Cincinnati recovered. A completion to Chase set up a short touchdown pass to Brown. On the ensuing Dolphins possession, Ewers had a pass deflected, and linebacker Barrett Carter caught the deflection for an interception. A few plays later, Brown scored again with a run up the middle of the Miami defense to put the Bengals up 31-14. Cincinnati got the ball back and moved into position to score with a 36-yard completion to Chase. A few plays later, Burrow completed an easy touchdown pass to a wide-open Brown to go up 38-14 late in the third.

On the Dolphins’ next play from scrimmage, Ewers threw to a blanketed receiver, and Jalen Davis intercepted him. A few plays later, Burrow threw a bullet to Mike Gesicki for a 17-yard touchdown down the seam to put the Bengals up 45-14 early in the fourth quarter. In garbage time, Ewers led a 97-yard drive that ended with Jaylen Wright darting into the end zone from a few yards out to end the scoring.

Steelers 29, Lions 24
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: The most shocking result of the day. It was like all of the ghosts from Detroit’s past came back to haunt them, with former Packer Aaron Rodgers throwing to former Viking Adam Thielen and former Packer Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

This was a must-win game for the Lions, and this loss to Pittsburgh essentially eliminated Detroit from the playoffs. With the majority of their starting secondary on injured reserve, Detroit’s defense was incapable of stopping Pittsburgh on third downs, and they were gashed by Jaylen Warren in the second half. The Steelers’ win moves Pittsburgh to 9-6 and keeps them on track in the AFC North. Pittsburgh clinched an NFL record 22nd non-losing season in a row and the 19th under head coach Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers scored first with Chris Boswell connecting on a 59-yard field goal. Detroit responded with a drive down the field with Goff using tight end Anthony Firkser, but a fourth-and-goal pass was broken up to produce a turnover on downs. The Lions’ defense forced a punt, and Goff connected with Jameson Williams to set up a field goal that tied the game. Aidan Hutchinson got a third-down sack, and Goff moved the ball down the field with a perfect strike to Isaac TeSlaa for a 20-yard touchdown. In the final seconds before the half, Kenny Gainwell made an incredible diving catch and then got up and ran a few yards into the end zone for a 45-yard score to tie it at 10 at the half.

To open the third quarter, the Steelers went down the field, but inside the five, Darnell Washington was stripped by Jack Campbell, and Campbell recovered the ball. However, a few plays later, Goff was sacked for a safety by Kyle Dugger to put the Steelers up 12-10. Pittsburgh ate up nine minutes off the clock and hit a field goal to make it 15-10. The Lions ran only three plays on offense in the third quarter.

After another Detroit three-and-out, Jaylen Warren took off on a 45-yard run to put the Steelers up 22-10 early in the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-short, Goff hit Kaliff Raymond on the run, and he exploded down the field for a 27-yard touchdown to make it 22-17 midway through the fourth quarter. However, the Lions’ defense gave up another big play with Warren ripping off another 45-yard touchdown run to put Pittsburgh up 29-17. The Lions went quickly down the field, and Goff threw a short touchdown pass to Jahmyr Gibbs to make it 29-24 with just over four minutes remaining. Pittsburgh moved down the field, but the drive stalled, and Boswell hit a field goal attempt off the upright to give the Lions more life.

With two minutes remaining, the Lions started at their 27. Two Steelers penalties moved the ball inside the 40, and a 25-yard screen pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown moved it to the 12, a screen TeSlaa moved it to the one, and Goff threw a short touchdown pass to St. Brown, but it was called back on a pass interference by TeSlaa. On fourth-and-goal, it was ruled the Lions were stopped short and had a pass interference on the St. Brown to end the game.

Falcons 26, Cardinals 19

The Falcons were off a comeback, upset victory over the Buccaneers, and it looked for a while that they would lose in a low-effort performance. Kirk Cousins was intercepted on fourth down, and then he took a sack on a later third down. Meanwhile, the Cardinals took the lead with an incredible touchdown by Michael Wilson, where he grabbed the ball that landed on a defender’s leg.

Atlanta did not give up despite the slow start. Bijan Robinson made some massive plays as both a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. Before long, the Falcons took a 19-16 lead in the third quarter. The Cardinals appeared as though they’d answer with an impressive drive, but Chad Ryland missed a 44-yard field goal.

This was devastating for the Cardinals, who allowed another big gain to Robinson, setting up a touchdown on a Kirk Cousins sneak. Up 26-16, the Falcons chewed up some clock, but ultimately failed to convert on a couple of fourth downs. Arizona, however, failed to capitalize. One drive concluded with a field goal, but the final possession of the game was a Jacoby Brissett interception where the pick shouldn’t have stood, but the replay booth made a mistake, which ended the game.

Jaguars 34, Broncos 20

The Broncos have been known as maintaining a stout defense, but that hasn’t been the case. They’ve allowed big games to mediocre or worse offenses, most notably a 26-point performance to Marcus Mariota in a Sunday night affair. Denver’s paper tiger defense would actually be tested in this matchup, and it failed miserably.

The Jaguars couldn’t get anything going on the first couple of drives, but it didn’t take Trevor Lawrence very long to solve Denver’s defense. Lawrence torched Denver’s defense all afternoon; the Broncos had no answer for Lawrence, who is playing the best football of his career. The Broncos even helped the Jaguars, with Bo Nix fumbling an exchange with his running back. This allowed Jacksonville to go up 34-17.

Denver struck back with a long drive, thanks to a big play by R.J. Harvey. The team had a fourth down inside the Jacksonville 5-yard line, but Sean Payton inexplicably opted for the field goal. It ultimately didn’t matter because the Broncos couldn’t get anything else going offensively. Nix threw some horrific passes, and this game ended in tragedy, as Pat Bryant suffered a devastating injury and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.

Texans 23, Raiders 21

This looked like it would be yet another ugly performance by the Raiders when the Texans scored very quickly. Geno Smith had a miscommunication with Tre Tucker, allowing Derek Stingley to snatch an interception and take it back for a touchdown.

The Texans were up 7-0 right away, and this game almost seemed over. The problem was that Houston couldn’t move the ball whatsoever. C.J. Stroud was out of rhythm all afternoon, but it didn’t seem to matter because the Raiders couldn’t do anything offensively.

Houston led 13-7 at halftime, but the Raiders finally broke a big play. Ashton Jeanty caught a pass and took it the distance for a 60-yard touchdown. The Texans answered with a field goal and then turned to Nick Chubb, who rumbled for some big gains. Thanks to Chubb’s runs, and three Raider penalties on the possession, the Texans were able to score a touchdown on a C.J. Stroud pass to Dalton Schultz. This made the margin nine, putting the game out of reach for the Raiders.

Or, so everyone thought. Jeanty broke free for another huge gain, this time sprinting 51 yards into the end zone. The Texans were up just two with four minutes remaining. On the ensuing possession, a pass interference gave the Texans a free first down, and then Stroud stepped up in the pocket to locate Jayden Higgins for another first down. Jawhar Jordan then ripped off an 11-yard run, and then Stroud launched a 24-yard rainbow to Nico Collins to actually end the game this time.

Patriots 28, Ravens 24

The Patriots hadn’t prevailed in a tough game this year, save for their early-season victory at Buffalo. Heading into this Sunday night affair, they knew they could prove themselves by winning at a desperate Baltimore team, all while inching closer to the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

This was a 10-10 affair when the Patriots were given a huge break. The huge break was the injury to Lamar Jackson, who hurt his ribs as he hit the ground. This didn’t look like a major injury, but he was ruled out just after the second half began, so the Ravens would have to prevail with Tyler Huntley.

Despite the injury to Jackson, the Ravens were able to go up 24-13. DeAndre Hopkins made a great catch by the sideline, setting up a Zay Flowers reverse touchdown run. The Patriots then botched a fake punt. Derrick Henry trampled over New England’s defense to give Baltimore its 11-point lead.

Henry had been unstoppable at that point of the game, but he was inexplicably nowhere to be seen after that. For some reason, he never took the field again, even when the Ravens were tasked with running out the clock following a New England touchdown. Instead, he was seen talking to Jackson on the sideline the entire time. The Ravens, as a consequence, weren’t difficult to stop, and the Patriots quickly got the ball back. Drake Maye, putting forth an MVP drive, took the Patriots down the field for a touchdown. Up 28-24, the defense then forced a turnover when K’Lavon Chaisson stripped Flowers to end the game.

49ers 48, Colts 27

The Colts were starting Philip Rivers again, but they came to play. They opened the game with a touchdown drive, and they were able to overcome a fumbled kickoff that allowed San Francisco to score its second touchdown of the evening. Rivers, who just dinked and dunked the previous week against Seattle, took numerous shots downfield to Alec Pierce and Josh Downs. Pierce caught both of Rivers’ touchdowns.

As good as the Colts’ offense was in the opening half, their defense was that much worse. Despite DeForest Buckner’s return to the lineup, the Colts couldn’t stop anything the 49ers were doing. They failed to force San Francisco into a single punt. Brock Purdy shredded an Indianapolis secondary missing its top two cornerbacks, constantly firing to George Kittle and Jauan Jennings. Christian McCaffrey, meanwhile, picked up big chunks of yardage, both on the ground and as a receiver.

Purdy had a hiccup late in the game when he was intercepted. Down 14, the Colts had a chance to trim the margin to one score, but Rivers forced a pass over the middle of the field and was pick-sixed to end the game.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

NFL Game Recaps: Week 15, 2025

Walt — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 04:54:13 +0000

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Falcons 29, Buccaneers 28

Atlanta’s season has been marred by poor coaching and horrible mistakes, and there was plenty of that in this game. The Falcons entered this contest as six-point underdogs, but they battled the Buccaneers down to the wire. They outgained the Buccaneers and averaged more yards per play, but they once again shot themselves in the foot repeatedly, which has been the norm under Raheem Morris.

The Falcons were constantly flagged for penalties in this contest. They were responsible for 14 infractions in the first two-and-a-half quarters, finishing with 19 penalties in total. Some of those infractions negated touchdowns or put the offense in third-and-long. On one instance, two consecutive penalties took the Falcons from a third-and-2 to a third-and-12. Meanwhile, the Falcons were guilty of some drops and fumbles as well. David Sills dropped a wide-open touchdown while down 20-14, and then Bijan Robinson fumbled after a reception, setting up a Chris Godwin touchdown.

The biggest mistake of the game was made by the Buccaneers, however, with Baker Mayfield throwing a reckless interception while up 28-20. This gave the Falcons some life, and it didn’t take them very long to score a touchdown. They missed the two-point conversion, so they needed to get the ball back. They did just that, but seemed to be out of hope following a sack and a holding penalty. However, thanks to two receptions by Kyle Pitts for 14 yards and Sills for 20 yards, the Falcons moved into field goal range. Zane Gonzalez drilled a 43-yard field goal to win the game.

Texans 40, Cardinals 20

The Cardinals have kept many games close this year, but it was very apparent in the early stages of this contest that this would not be one of those instances. The Texans scored a touchdown on their opening possession when C.J. Stroud hit Nico Collins on an intermediate throw, with Collins doing the rest as two Arizona defenders collided. Arizona fumbled the ensuing kickoff return, setting up a Houston field goal almost immediately.

The Texans’ onslaught wasn’t finished. After forcing an Arizona three-and-out, the Texans took over in favorable field position. Dalton Schultz drew a 24-yard pass interference flag, giving way to a Woody Marks rushing touchdown to put Houston up 17-0.

The Cardinals showed some signs of life, as Jacoby Brissett was able to connect with Trey McBride for a pair of touchdowns. However, Houston’s offense was far too lethal, with someone named Jawhar Jordan exceeding 100 rushing yards in the wake of Woody Marks’ injury. Brissett continued to throw for yardage, but only in garbage time.

Jaguars 48, Jets 20

It looked like the Jaguars were going to run away with a blowout victory early in the afternoon. They scored a touchdown on their opening drive in the blink of an eye, as Trevor Lawrence was able to connect with Jakobi Meyers on a couple of occasions before finding Brian Thomas Jr. in the end zone. The Jets then bungled their next drive, going for it on fourth-and-1 in their own territory with a Breece Hall run to the outside that Travon Walker turned into a 6-yard loss. On the ensuing drive, Lawrence once again connected with Meyers before rushing into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown.

The Jets managed to strike back with an inexplicable touchdown drive, but the Jaguars answered with a Bhayshul Tuten score. It appeared as though the Jets would answer again with a punt return touchdown, but a penalty on the return negated the score. Instead, the Jaguars kicked a field goal on the ensuing possession and then managed to intercept Cook on an errant pass in the 2-minute drill. Lawrence took advantage with another touchdown pass to Travis Etienne to go up 31-10 at halftime.

It was all Jacksonville in the second half. Lawrence continued his offensive assault of the Jets, who looked helpless to stop him. Lawrence finished with five touchdowns en route to a blowout victory.

Bears 31, Browns 3

The Bears didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard against the Bears. Despite losing Rome Odunze to an early injury, they were able to move the chains easily against Cleveland in every which way. Caleb Williams completed nine of his initial 11 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, as he connected mostly to Luther Burden and Colston Loveland, though his score was thrown to D.J. Moore. Meanwhile, D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 71 rushing yards in the opening half alone.

Down 14-0, the Browns managed to finally get something going offensively when Shedeur Sanders hit Isaiah Bond with a 42-yard completion. However, Sanders took a sack to move out of field goal range, fumbling in the process. Sanders managed to recover, but this was a mistake that prevented the Browns from getting on the scoreboard in the opening half.

It was more of the same in the second half. The Bears continued to pound the ball with Swift, who nearly hit the century mark. Meanwhile, Sanders made another big mistake when he threw an interception as a result of not seeing a defender in coverage. The Bears scored a touchdown on the next play when Williams once again found Moore in the end zone. Sanders later took another sack in field goal range to ruin another scoring chance.

Bills 35, Patriots 31

Buffalo’s run defense has been a huge liability this season, and that was a major factor in this game. The Bills entered this contest as near-field goal favorites, and yet the Patriots were able to exploit the Bills’ weakness en route to a huge lead in the first half.

The Patriots opened this game with a touchdown drive when Drake Maye completed a deep pass to Kayshon Boutte. Replay showed that the ball hit the ground, but the Bills didn’t challenge. Drake Maye capitalized on this mistake by rushing into the end zone for the initial touchdown of the afternoon. On the ensuing possession, Maye once again ran into the end zone to put the Patriots up 14-0.

Following a couple of failed drives by both teams, the Patriots struck again to really blow open the game. It wasn’t Maye this time, but rather TreVeyon Henderson, who burst for a 52-yard touchdown run. Down 21-0, the Bills were buried.

Or, so we thought. The Bills didn’t quit. They finally put together a touchdown drive prior to halftime, and that sparked them in the third quarter when they put together another scoring possession that was all runs until Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass to Dawson Knox. The Bills then finally took the lead when Allen completed a fourth-and-2 deep shot to Khalil Shakir, setting up another Knox touchdown.

The Patriots, now down 31-28, struck back with a TreVeyon Henderson 65-yard touchdown run. Buffalo had to answer, and Allen did just that when he drew a pass interference on a third-and-4. Following a 12-yard pass to Shakir, James Cook ran into the end zone to go up 35-31.

New England had one more chance to answer, but it couldn’t move the chains at all. Maye seemingly forgot that he was capable of running, as some ineffective passes of his fell incomplete. Maye’s final misfire was batted by Joey Bosa, giving Buffalo the victory.

Ravens 24, Bengals 0

The Bengals slaughtered the Ravens on Thanksgiving night, and they had their chances to establish a lead in the early going despite what this score indicates. Burrow drove into field goal range, but moved out of it on a third-and-4 when he took a horrible sack from Tavius Robinson. Soon after that, Burrow once again moved into the red zone area, but was intercepted on a tipped pass. Burrow had another chance for a big play, but missed Ja’Marr Chase for what could have been a long touchdown.

The Ravens didn’t take advantage of these blunders for a while because of their own mistakes. Lamar Jackson, for instance, was charged with an interception on a ball that bounced off Zay Flowers’ hands. The Ravens couldn’t get anything going offensively for a while, but Baltimore’s running backs finally made some big plays. Derrick Henry rumbled for some substantial gains, while Rasheen Ali scored on a screen pass. Jackson also got going with a touchdown pass to Flowers, which was his first score since Week 1.

Baltimore went up 17-0 on these plays. The Bengals had one more chance to draw to within two scores to have a chance to win. Burrow had a nice drive deep into Baltimore territory, but the possession ended when Burrow threw an interception right to Kyle Van Noy. The Baltimore linebacker handed the ball off to Alohi Gilman, who ran the other way for the pick-six. This ended both the game and the season for the Bengals.

Chargers 16, Chiefs 13

Both teams entered this game with battered offensive lines, but they were each able to engineer multiple scoring drives in the opening half. The Chiefs began by orchestrating a touchdown on their opening possession, with Patrick Mahomes running into the end zone on a 12-yard scamper. The Chargers answered, but Justin Herbert could only manage a field goal.

The Chiefs appeared as though they would take control of the game after that. They intercepted Herbert, who was hit upon release. They turned the short field into three points and then kicked another field goal to go up 13-3. However, the Chargers scored an important touchdown just prior to halftime when Herbert finally got going and connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the end zone.

The Chargers, down 13-10, began the third quarter with an impressive drive. They got out of a first-and-20 with a long pass, and then Herbert found Oronde Gadsen for a 27-yard pass to move to the Kansas City 4-yard line. The Chargers managed just a field goal on the drive, but they were able to tack on another field goal shortly later to go up 16-13.

The Chiefs had one more chance at the end to either force the game to overtime or take the lead, but they had to do so without their left tackle Jaylon Moore, who suffered an injury earlier in the game. It turned out that Moore wasn’t the only Kansas City player who got hurt, as Mahomes grabbed his knee upon hitting the ground on one play. Mahomes was forced out of the game and helped into the locker room. Gardner Minshew replaced him, but after completing some passes, he threw an interception to end the game.

Redskins 29, Giants 21

The Redskins were underdogs to the Giants, but they didn’t look like it in the early going. They rammed the ball down New York’s throat, as it was apparent that the Giants couldn’t figure out how to stop the run during the bye week. Jacory Croskey-Merritt rumbled for some big gains, while Marcus Mariota was able to scramble for some key first downs.

Washington was up 13-0 when disaster struck. Laremy Tunsil went into the locker room with a shoulder injury, which suddenly limited the offense. The Giants took advantage of this opportunity to get on the scoreboard, as Jaxson Dart scrambled for the first time to set up a touchdown.

Just when there was some hope, the Giants punted to Jaylin Lane, who was able to score on a return to put the Redskins up 19-7. Washington then tacked on a field goal on another long return. This one came via an interception, which Dart forced in field goal range.

The Redskins continued to lead in the second half, but the Giants were given some life as a result of Washington turnovers. Dart was able to convert one touchdown, but couldn’t complete the comeback when he misfired on three of four passes on a series on the final possession of the game.

Eagles 31, Raiders 0
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: When I was changing in the locker room at the gym on Friday, I heard an old man declare that he wasn’t going to be watching the Eagles game this week because the “Raiders are gonna trounce ’em.” So much for that!

This game was pure domination for Philadelphia. The Eagles had lost three straight, and drawing the Raiders was a perfect slump buster. The Las Vegas offensive line was pathetic and completely dominated by a depleted Philadelphia defensive front. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley got back on track while the Raiders looked pathetic, starting Kenny Pickett in place of Geno Smith. Las Vegas had only 72 yards on offense. Their offensive line was atrocious. Taking Ashton Jeanty over Armand Membou continues to plague Las Vegas. John Syptek and Pete Carroll did a poor job of team building with that decision, and the Raiders are paying the price. The good news for Las Vegas is that they protect their draft pick status for the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Eagles took the opening drive down the field and finished it with a short touchdown toss to Dallas Goedert. Las Vegas responded with a drive into Philadelphia territory, but a fourth-down pass was batted to kill the scoring opportunity. The next play, Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith for 33 yards. However, Goedert dropped an easy touchdown, and a Maxx Crosby sack forced a field goal to make it 10-0 Philadelphia. Late in the first half, the Eagles put a drive together that ended with Saquon Barkley plunging into the end zone. That gave the Eagles a 17-0 lead at the half.

Early in the third quarter, the Raiders moved into Philadelphia territory, but Pickett threw a bad pass that was intercepted by Zack Baun. Shortly later, a shovel pass to Goedert resulted in a short touchdown. Midway through the second half, Hurts hit A.J. Brown down the seam for a 27-yard touchdown to make it 31-0. After that, the Eagles’ backups continued to move the ball and hold the Raiders from doing anything on offense.

Rams 41, Lions 34
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Hopefully the two Rams receivers are OK. I’m a big Rams fan for those of you who didn’t know. This is because I have lots of future bets attached to them. My favorite team is the one I’m betting on, after all.

The Rams grabbed a firmer hold on the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a huge home win over Detroit. The Lions eliminated the Rams in the playoffs two years ago and beat Los Angeles in the 2024 opener, so Los Angeles and former Lion Matthew Stafford were out for revenge. Detroit was without Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, and Terrion Arnold, and their backup secondary stood no chance of stopping the Rams’ passing attack. The Lions’ chances of making the playoffs suffered a serious blow as they are now in a situation where they must win out and catch some breaks with other teams losing.

The Lions had a good opening drive into Rams territory, but a questionable call by the officials killed the drive, and Jake Bates missed a 43-yard field goal. Los Angeles got moving quickly with some chunk completions to Davante Adams, but Aidan Hutchinson made an incredible play, intercepting a tight end screen, and raced 58 yards to the Rams’ 17 before getting tackled. The next play, Goff threw a frozen rope to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a touchdown. Los Angeles responded by using Puka Nacua for some conversions to move into Detroit territory. A completion of around 20 yards to Terrance Ferguson set up a first-and-goal, and Kyren Williams darted into the end zone to tie the game. Jared Goff and David Montgomery led a drive that ended with Bates making a field goal to put the Lions up 10-7 midway through the first half.

Los Angeles quickly took the lead with a chunk run to Williams, a long completion to Nacua, and then a short touchdown run from Williams. The Lions quickly responded with a 52-yard completion to St. Brown. On third-and-5, Dan Campbell made a great play call, anticipating a blitz, and a slip screen to St. Brown went for a touchdown to put the Lions up 17-14.

After a Rams punt, the Lions went for a fourth-and-1 on their own 29 and hit a pass to St. Brown. A few more completions to St. Brown moved into Los Angeles territory, and Goff ripped a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams. Stafford hit a long completion to Nacua, and on the final play of the half, Los Angeles hit a field goal to cut the Lions’ lead to 24-17 at the half.

On the opening possession of the third quarter, Los Angeles produced a field goal. After a Lions punt, Stafford threw some lasers to move into Detroit territory and lofted in a deep ball to Colby Parkinson. He was down at the one, but the officials blew the call and gave Parkinson a touchdown to put the Rams up 27-24 late in the third quarter. After a Lions three-and-out, Los Angeles hit another explosive play to Nacua, and Blake Corum ran it in from a few yards out to give the Rams a 34-24 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Lions produced a field goal drive to cut the Rams’ lead to 34-27. But the Rams put the game away with another touchdown pass to Parkinson. Detroit produced a touchdown drive with David Montgomery scoring. The Rams ran enough clock, and the Lions were unable to get another viable shot at overtime.

Seahawks 18, Colts 16

All eyes were on Philip Rivers to begin this game. Rivers, a future Hall of Fame quarterback, hadn’t played in five years, yet was called up because of all the injuries the Colts had at quarterback. Onlookers had to wait for some throws from Rivers because the Colts pounded the ball relentlessly with Jonathan Taylor. Rivers tried one deep throw on the opening possession, but the pass fell incomplete.

Rivers eventually completed some passes, but mostly dinked and dunked. Most of his throws did not travel farther than five yards past the line of scrimmage. Rivers eventually got on the board just prior to halftime, giving the Colts the lead entering the break.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, looked like they were going through the motions. With a game against the Rams coming up, it didn’t seem like the effort was there. The game plan was an abomination, however, as the Seahawks didn’t test an Indianapolis secondary missing its top two cornerbacks, opting instead to run the ball with Kenneth Walker, who could do nothing but muster 2-yard gains.

Seattle, down 13-9 in the third quarter, was lucky that Josh Downs didn’t see a Rivers pass heading his way. Perhaps it’s because Rivers wasn’t completing any downfield throws, but the Colts could have gone up 20-9. Nevertheless, the Colts had an opportunity at the end because Darnold threw behind his target in the red zone and had to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown. Rivers was able to connect with Alec Pierce on a 16-yard back-shoulder throw to set up a 60-yard field goal attempt, which Blake Grupe hit to put the Colts up one.

In danger of losing the game, Darnold took over and hit Rashid Shaheed with completions of 17 and eight yards. This set up Jason Myers with a 56-yard field goal, which was also converted to win the game.

Broncos 34, Packers 26

The Packers and Broncos were expected to participate in a grueling defensive battle, but this contest was anything but that, with both offenses scoring all afternoon. However, the first major play of the game was a turnover, as R.J. Harvey lost a fumble near midfield. The Packers picked up a fourth down on the ensuing drive, but stalled and kicked a field goal.

It was all offense after that. The Packers were able to utilize Josh Jacobs well, both as a rusher and a receiver. He scored both ways, including on a 40-yard rushing touchdown. Meanwhile, the Broncos were able to throw on the Packers. Bo Nix completed 15 of his initial 18 passes, as Green Bay’s secondary had no answer for Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin.

A major turning point in this game occurred when the Packers suffered a major offensive injury. Already down Zach Tom, the Packers saw Christian Watson when he hit the ground hard on a deep pass. With no Watson, the Green Bay offense couldn’t really muster anything. “No Cookie” Jordan Love even took his first sack of the game shortly later.

Still, the Packers were up 23-21. They were trying to stop the Broncos when tragedy struck again. Micah Parsons went down with a serious-looking knee injury, and his absence allowed Nix to have a clean pocket to find Troy Franklin for the go-ahead score.

Now down 27-23, the Packers were able to hit a deep pass to Matthew Golden, but stalled in the red zone and had to settle for a field goal. The Broncos, up one, could have run out the clock, but Nix instead threw a bomb to Sutton on fourth-and-3. This set up a Harvey touchdown to put the Broncos up eight.

Saints 20, Panthers 17

The Panthers, perhaps energized by seeing the Buccaneers lose on Thursday night, got off to a hot start in this game. They went down the field in a hurry, culminating with a Rico Dowdle touchdown. The Saints, meanwhile, couldn’t do much for a while, but they answered with a Devin Neal touchdown in the second quarter. Neal, however, would eventually be knocked out with an injury.

Carolina entered the second half with a 10-7 advantage and once again was able to score early in a half with Young locating Jalen Coker for a beautiful touchdown pass. The Saints answered with a field goal and looked like they’d be able to potentially tie, but Shough slid shy of the line to gain on fourth down. On the next drive, a New Orleans illegal formation negated a nice play by Shough. Undaunted, Shough threw a touchdown pass to Chris Olave to knot up the game at 17.

Young looked like he would put the Panthers in position to win with an 11-yard scramble, but he took a big sack. The Panthers pinned the Saints at the New Orleans 9-yard line, but Audric Estime took a screen for 19 yards. Shough then hit Olave for a 15-yard gain. Shough, stationed around midfield, scrambled to get closer to field goal range and took a devastating hit by Lathan Ransom, moving the attempted kick closer. Irishman Charlie Smyth drilled a 47-yard field goal to win the game.

49ers 37, Titans 24

The 49ers entered the game with a questionable Christian McCaffrey, but they were not affected by this injury at all. McCaffrey saw 23 touches, as San Francisco had no issues moving the chains in the afternoon. The only blemish the 49ers had in the first half was a dropped touchdown, so a field goal made the game 17-10 instead of 21-10.

Tennessee was able to stay competitive for a while with some big run by Tony Pollard. Cam Ward was also able to hit Gunne Helm for a 34-yard touchdown, while Van Jefferson hauled in a 43-yard pass that put the ball down at the 1-yard line to set up a touchdown throw to Jeffery Simmons, of all people.

The Titans, however, couldn’t get off the field. They lost three safeties to injury in this game, which allowed the 49ers to do whatever they pleased. San Francisco had a hiccup late in the game when a bunch of procedural penalties forced them into a field goal. This was massive from a betting perspective because it allowed the Titans to score a back-door touchdown on a Pollard run with five minutes remaining.

Kyle Shanahan had other ideas, however. The 49ers took over with about five minutes remaining. Up 10, they hit some big passes, and then Shanahan opted to kick a field goal on fourth-and-1. He had the last laugh as far as the spread antics were concerned.

Vikings 34, Cowboys 26

It initially looked like we would see the same, old Vikings under J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota has disappointed with McCarthy this year, struggling to score in many of its games because of complete incompetence at quarterback. McCarthy’s very first pass against Dallas’ 28th-ranked defense was tipped and picked. The Cowboys went on to score a touchdown on a short field.

Undaunted, McCarthy led a touchdown drive where he hit Jalen Nailor for a touchdown, which was set up by a 16-yard Aaron Jones run and a horse collar penalty tacked on to the gain. It was clear then that the Vikings would be competitive, though they missed some opportunities when a Justin Jefferson touchdown was negated by a procedural penalty and another potential Jefferson score was dropped.

The Vikings, however, managed to score a touchdown via a C.J. Ham run following Jefferson’s drop. Thanks to some missed 59-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey, the Vikings took over on a short field, and McCarthy once again located Nailor in the end zone to go up 31-23. Dallas had one more chance, but turned the ball over on downs when a receiver was just shy of the line to gain. The Vikings then kicked a field goal to put the game out of reach for the Cowboys, who need a miracle to reach the playoffs at this point.

Steelers 28, Dolphins 15

Despite the blowout nature of this game, it looked like the Dolphins would be able to be competitive with the Steelers for most of the first half. They sacked Aaron Rodgers twice on third down and even opened a 3-0 lead. Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception on weak floater, but Miami bounced back and put together a scoring drive.

That score, however, was all the Dolphins could muster until garbage time. The Steelers realized that they could pound the ball down Miami’s throat, as the Dolphins showed no interest in tackling in the cold weather. This was especially apparent on Aaron Rodgers’ touchdown pass to DK Metcalf, who was able to brush off three potential tacklers to score.

Rodgers was excellent in this game, misfiring on just four occasions. Tagovailoa, conversely, was awful. The stats say otherwise, but only because he was able to generate a ton in garbage time. The Dolphins didn’t even clear 100 net yards until the fourth quarter. The Dolphins could have made things a bit interesting at the end, but they took so much time on their offensive drives that they didn’t give themselves a chance. One would think they would have shown more urgency because they were at risk of being eliminated from the playoffs, but they looked like they had no interest in being on the field in frigid weather.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

NFL Game Recaps: Week 14, 2025

Walt — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 04:33:50 +0000

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Lions 44, Cowboys 30

Dallas entered this game as one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Nearly 80 percent of the public was on the Cowboys, but perhaps expectations were high even though they were 3.5-point underdogs. The Cowboys were dreadful on both sides of the ball in a must-win game against the Lions.

The incompetence of the Cowboys’ defense can be seen on the scoreboard. The Lions did whatever they pleased offensively. It helped that Amon-Ra St. Brown was a surprise active, but Jared Goff torched Dallas’ secondary mercilessly. This was more apparent than ever when the Cowboys trimmed the margin to 37-30 at the very end. The Cowboys needed a stop without three minutes remaining, but on second-and-long, Goff ripped a long connection to St. Brown to effectively ice the game.

No one would have been shocked by the Cowboys struggling defensively, but the offense was a mess as well, despite the 30-point output. Dak Prescott was pressued heavily throughout the game. He took four sacks and constantly had defenders flood his backfield. He nearly took a safety on one play early in the game. Meanwhile, his teammates made mistakes. Jake Ferguson lost a fumble and was flagged for offensive pass interference. George Pickens had the ball deflect out of his hands for an interception. Ryan Flournoy, who enjoyed a great game, had the ball ripped out of his hands on the final real play from scrimmage, which turned into an interception.

This was a painful loss for the Cowboys, who weren’t even guaranteed a playoff spot if they ran the table. They’ll need lots of help in the final four weeks of the season.

Vikings 31, Redskins 0

All the buzz was regarding Jayden Daniels’ return, but J.J. McCarthy had something to say about that. McCarthy had been awful heading into this game, but hadn’t battled a defense ranked worse than 14th yet this season. Washington’s defense is 32nd, so McCarthy displayed some hope for the fans for the first time, as he opened the contest 4-of-4 for 46 yards on a touchdown drive.

Daniels tried to answer and appeared as though he would do so when Daniels converted a third-and-13 to Deebo Samuel for 15 yards, but the drive stalled at the Minnesota 1-yard line. The Vikings responded with a touchdown drive of their own, capped off by a Jordan Mason 8-yard run into the end zone to go up 14-0.

The Redskins couldn’t get anything going after that, and everything started to break down when Daniels was intercepted by Andrew Van Ginkel on a tipped pass. Daniels hurt his elbow on the play, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Zach Ertz suffered a devastating leg injury and was carted off the field. As this was happening, Washington’s defense couldn’t do anything to stop Minnesota’s offense.

Dolphins 34, Jets 10

Both of these teams have played better football lately compared to what we saw from them in the first half of the season, but one team suffered major regression. That was not the Dolphins, who zipped up and down the field in the first quarter. Miami scored two quick offensive touchdowns with the help of some long De’Von Achane runs. The Jets then gift-wrapped a third touchdown to the Dolphins when Mason Taylor bobbled the ball, which popped into the arms of a Dolphins defender for a Tyrod Taylor interception. Jaylen Wright rushed into the end zone to go up 21-0.

The Jets were able to get on the board with a punt return touchdown, but they had no hope because Taylor was lost with a groin injury. Undrafted free agent Brady Cook stepped in and wasn’t able to accomplish anything. Cook had a chance to score right before halftime as a result of a long kickoff, but he threw an interception into the end zone.

Miami didn’t do anything for a while either, allowing the Jets to hang around. However, with Tyrod Taylor downgraded to doubtful, there was no hope for the Jets. The Dolphins, meanwhile, finally got on the board in the second half via an Ollie Gordon touchdown run, as Gordon was in the game for Achane, who injured his ribs.

Titans 31, Browns 29

For a game featuring two anemic offenses, there were so many explosive plays in this contest. The Browns had the best unit on the field, but their defense seemingly forgot how to play because they allowed the Titans to do whatever they pleased for most of the afternoon. This includes the opening drive where Cam Ward was 4-of-4 for 48 yards and a touchdown.

Ward gave points back to the Browns where he threw a telegraphed interception, as Devin Bush was able to have a long return to set up a field goal. However, Tony Pollard then broke free for a 65-yard touchdown to put Tennessee up 14-3. The Browns, however, were able to strike back when Quinshon Judkins caught a screen pass and ran for 58 yards to set up a David Njoku touchdown. Shedeur Sanders then fired a 60-yard touchdown strike to Jerry Jeudy to go up 17-14 entering halftime.

The Titans were able to re-take the lead following the break with yet another long Pollard touchdown run. Tennessee then went up two touchdowns on a blocked punt. It looked like the Titans were going to prevail easily, but Sanders engineered two touchdown drives. He scored once on the ground, but failed on a two-point conversion for the margin to remain eight. On the next drive, Sanders located Harold Fannin in the end zone, but once again botched a two-point conversion. The Browns called an end-around, but Sanders forgot to pitch the ball, resulting in a loss, which ended the game.

Steelers 27, Ravens 22

Aaron Rodgers didn’t complete a single pass over the line of scrimmage last week until the third quarter, but it was evident that things would be completely different in this game right away. Rodgers launched a deep pass to DK Metcalf, which was complete down the sideline for 55 yards. This set up a Rodgers touchdown run to go up 7-3.

Rodgers wasn’t done after that. He completed a 13-yard pass to Metcalf, who made an over-the-shoulder reception on third down to set up another score. The Steelers, now up 10-3, had another chance to post points when Lamar Jackson heaved an underthrown pass while moving right. This appeared to lead to another Pittsburgh field goal, but a personal foul penalty on Baltimore allowed the Steelers to continue their drive, and Kenneth Gainwell ran into the end zone to put the Steelers up 17-3.

The Ravens, down 17-9 heading into intermission, were able to outscore the Steelers in the second half. However, it wasn’t by enough, as Jackson made numerous sketchy throws and displayed poor pocket awareness throughout the afternoon. And when Jackson should’ve had success, he was screwed by poor officiating. There were some horrible calls, including a negated touchdown by Isaiah Likely in which the tight end caught the ball and took three steps before losing it. The Ravens weren’t able to get redemption, as the drive ended in no points when Jackson misfired in Mark Andrews’ direction.

Baltimore had one final chance, down 27-22, but the drive couldn’t be successful because Jackson was far too slow in advancing the chains. He also took a horrible sack on the final play in the game.

Seahawks 37, Falcons 9

The Seahawks entered this game in an obvious flat spot. They were able to obtain revenge for Sam Darnold the prior week, and they had the Colts and Rams coming up after this “easy” game. There appeared to be a good chance that the Seahawks would be flat, and that’s exactly what we saw out of them in the opening half. Sam Darnold was nearly sacked in his own end zone, and following a good punt return, the Falcons were able to kick a field goal to go up 3-0. Darnold made another mistake later in the first half when he was intercepted while rolling left and throwing late across his body.

This was a 6-6 score entering halftime, but the Falcons became the team to make mistakes in the third quarter. They surrendered a kickoff return touchdown to Rashid Shaheed right away, and then Bijan Robinson lost a fumble in the red zone on the ensuing drive. The Seahawks capitalized on the ensuing drive with a touchdown, extending the lead to 20-6.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the next possession saw Kirk Cousins throw an interception around midfield. This set up a Seattle field goal, and the onslaught continued throughout the second half.

Jaguars 36, Colts 19

Daniel Jones was entering his second game with a fractured fibula, but he didn’t last very long. Because of the injury, Jones was putting more stress on his other leg, and that was apparent early in this game. Jones, who opened with an interception thrown right to a Jacksonville defender, grabbed his leg on a non-contact injury during the final minute of the opening quarter. He was quickly ruled out with what appeared to be a torn Achilles.

Adding insult to injury, the Colts put themelves behind the eight ball with a lost Jonathan Taylor fumble. The Jaguars, up 14-7 at the time, were able to get a 28-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne to go up 14. On other drives, Trevor Lawrence was able to complete some deep throws to Brian Thomas Jr. and other receivers.

Riley Leonard, playing for Jones, was able to make some nice completions, but was charged with an interception when Jacksonville cornerback Greg Newsome ripped the ball out of the arms of Michael Pittman Jr. This effectively ended any chance the Colts had of winning this game with their third-string quarterback.

Bills 39, Bengals 34

This game was played in snowy conditions, but neither offense got the memo because there were so many explosive plays for both teams. However, there were enough big defensive instances that turned the tide in this electric shootout.

The Bengals were unstoppable for much of this game. Joe Burrow, looking extremely comfortable in his second game back from injury, torched Buffalo relentlessly for much of the afternoon on passes primarily to Tee Higgins, who made his return from a concussion. Burrow led three touchdown drives in the opening half, taking a 21-11 lead into the break.

The Bills appeared to be storming back in the second half. They scored a touchdown and then were driving again, down 21-18. James Cook seemed to score a touchdown, but a penalty negated the score. Cook then lost a fumble at the goal line. The Bengals took over and scored another touchdown to go up 28-18. The Bills, however, answered very quickly. Josh Allen, repeatedly slicing though Cincinnati’s defense via passes to both of his tight ends, took matters into his own hands, or rather legs, with a long touchdown run.

Buffalo was still down 28-25 and saw Cincinnati drive into its territory with a tough reception by Ja’Marr Chase. However, the game completely turned when Christian Benford made a leaping interception, taking the turnover back for six. Burrow, now trailing, had another interception tipped at the line of scrimmage. This set up an Allen to Spencer Hawes touchdown. The Bengals, winning throughout the entire afternoon, were suddenly losing 39-28.

Burrow was able to bounce back from the two give-aways with a quick touchdown drive. He found Higgins in the end zone once again to draw to within five. The Bengals needed one stop to have a chance a win, and they seemed like they’d have it when they sacked Allen on second down of the ensuing drive. However, Allen ran for 18 yards on a third-and-15 to ice the victory.

Saints 24, Buccaneers 20
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Condolences to those who made it to Week 14 in survivor and ended up losing to Tyler Shough. This just shows how difficult it is to call a winner for 18 weeks.

The Saints pulled off a shocking upset behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. In rainy conditions, Shough outplayed Baker Mayfield and led New Orleans to their third win of the season. At 7-6, this was a painful loss for Tampa Bay in their tight NFC South race with Carolina. Losing this game puts the idle Panthers in a tie for first place with the Buccaneers.

The Saints returned the opening kickoff 54 yards to set up Shough across midfield, and Shough hit a few passes to set up a short touchdown run for Devin Neal. The lead didn’t last long as Baker Mayfield ripped the ball through the New Orleans defense and tied the game with a 24-yard scoring strike to Bucky Irving. Saints defensive end Carl Granderson made a superb tackle for a loss on a fourth down near midfield to give Shough good field position again, but New Orleans missed the field goal to keep the score tied.

Early in the second quarter, Shough and Chris Olave were not on the same page as Olave stopped his route when Shough thought he would run a go route. That led to an easy interception for Zyon McCollum that set up the Bucs at the Saints’ 40. The Buccaneers turned that into a field goal to take a 10-7 lead at the half.

At the start of the third quarter, Mayfield was intercepted by Alontae Taylor to set up the Saints across midfield. The Saints surprised Tampa Bay on a zone-read run, and Shough raced 34 yards down the field for a touchdown to put the Saints up 14-10. Tampa Bay responded with a quick drive down the field and retook the lead with a short touchdown plunge from Sean Tucker. Devin Neal started rolling over the Bucs defense and moved inside the 20. At the end of the third quarter, New Orleans settled for a field goal to tie it at 17 entering the fourth quarter.

The Saints’ defense got a fourth-down stop, and New Orleans took advantage of good field position again. Shough made a great play on a checkdown to Devin Neal, and then Shough dodged a few sacks and took off on a 13-yard touchdown run to put New Orleans up 24-17 with over eight minutes remaining. Tampa Bay responded with a drive into New Orleans territory, but Emeka Egbuka dropped a touchdown, and they settled for a field goal to cut the Saints’ lead to 24-20. Shough ran some clock, but the Bucs had one more opportunity in the final two minutes. On a fourth-down catch, Cade Otton fell just a few feet short of the first down, and the Saints’ defense got off the field.

Packers 28, Bears 21
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Caleb Williams … yikes! What a terrible throw at the very end. He made some great passes, but his underthrow in the end zone is what everyone will remember.

At his introductory press conference, Bears head coach Ben Johnson said he enjoyed going 2-0 against Matt LaFleur. But as head coach of Chicago, Johnson is 0-1. Johnson’s offense was terrible in the first half, and the Bears’ defense allowed some coverage busts to lose at Green Bay. The loss moves the Bears (9-4) from the No. 1 seed into second place in the NFC North. The first-place Packers (9-3-1) are in control of the NFC North with four games remaining.

The Packers moved into Chicago territory before Jordan Love threw a terrible pass right to the chest of C.J. Gardner-Johnson for an interception. It wasn’t even close to a Packers receiver, and it looked like Gardner-Johnson was the intended receiver. After the return, the Bears were set up at the Packers’ 36-yard line but Chicago went backwards and had to punt. Early in the second quarter, Green Bay took the lead with Love lofting in a 23-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson. Chicago responded with a field goal drive to make it 7-3. In the final minute before the half, Love lofted in a 45-yard touchdown pass to Bo Melton, and the Packers took a 14-3 lead into the locker room.

Partway through the third quarter, Caleb Williams made a few nice plays to lead Chicago down the field. Olamide Zaccheaus made a superb diving catch for a touchdown, and Kyle Monangai charged into the end zone with a two-point conversion to cut the Packers’ lead to 14-11. Green Bay quickly got points back as Christian Watson roasted Gardner-Johnson on a short slant, and he raced down the field for a 41-yard touchdown.

Midway through the second half, the Bears started to find some success running the ball as they wore down the Packers’ defense. Chicago tied it up at 21 with a short touchdown toss to Colston Loveland. Green Bay responded with a completion to Jayden Reed and a number of excellent runs by Josh Jacobs to set up a first-and-goal. On third-and-goal, Jacobs powered in to grab a 28-21 lead with 3:30 remaining. Williams hit completions to Luther Burden and Devin Duvernay to get inside the 25. On fourth-and-1 just inside the 15-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining, Williams rolled out and threw a terrible pass that was easily intercepted by Keisean Nixon to clinch the win for Green Bay.

Broncos 24, Raiders 17

The Broncos prevailed by 10 points and were up 17 before a garbage-time touchdown by the Raiders. However, this was a misleading score because the Broncos scored a touchdown on a Marvin Mims punt return touchdown in the second quarter. This contest was tied at seven when that touchdown occurred, and Denver took a 14-7 lead into the break.

The Raiders were hanging around for a while, but the Broncos were able to put together a touchdown drive in the third quarter. R.J. Harvey, who had a big afternoon, put together a great game, both as a rusher and a receiver. Harvey entering the end zone put Denver up 14. This put the game out of reach for the Raiders, who could have possibly came back from down seven, which shows how big the punt return touchdown was.

Nevertheless, Geno Smith tried to engineer a touchdown drive, but he suffered an injury. Kenny Pickett entered the game and failed on fourth down, ending a drive that went deep into Denver territory. Pickett eventually threw a touchdown pass, but it was too little, too late for the Raiders as far as the straight-up result was concerned. The Raiders, however, kicked a field goal at the buzzer to cover the spread in a very shady move.

Rams 45, Cardinals 17

The Rams suffered a loss to the Panthers in a low-effort game last week. We’d learn a lot about them based on how they bounced back this week, and so we can probably say that they are one of the teams to beat, based on how they dismantled the Cardinals to redeem themselves from what occurred the prior Sunday.

Things didn’t look too promising for the Rams when they surrendered an opening touchdown to the Cardinals, as Jacoby Brissett completed some impressive passes to Michael Wilson. This, however, was the only touchdown Arizona scored until garbage time, as Los Angeles’ defense clamped down on Brissett. The Rams placed tons of pressure on Brissett, who was intercepted when he failed to see Nate Landman in coverage.

Meanwhile, the Rams did whatever they pleased offensively. They moved the chains with ease an seldom had any third downs before the game was out of hand. Whether it was Matthew Stafford’s passes to Puka Nacua, or runs by Blake Corum or Kyren Williams, the Rams were tremendous no matter in every regard, ultimately holding a 45-10 lead before resting the starters.

Texans 20, Chiefs 10

The Chiefs entered this game without their two starting tackles and their best guard, and things got even worse for them on the offensive line. On the first play from scrimmage, the Chiefs lost their backup left tackle Wanya Morris, making it much more difficult for them to have any sort of offensive success in this game. As a result, the Chiefs didn’t score a single point in the opening half. Conversely, the Texans put together a touchdown drive with the help of a bogus pass interference on third down. Nico Collins hit a bg play, setting up a Woody Marks touchdown run to give Houston a 10-0 lead.

The Texans looked like they were in full control, but that changed in the third quarter. C.J. Stroud began the second half 0-of-8, while the Chiefs were finally able to get something going offensively. They tied the game, which is when Andy Reid made one of the most asinine decisions of his coaching career. Tied at 10 early in the fourth quarter, Reid went for it on fourth-and-1 on his own 31-yard line. The pass fell incomplete, allowing the Texans to score a touchdown on a short field. Houston hadn’t been doing anything offensively in the second half, so it was very odd that Reid gift-wrapped a score to the Texans.

The Chiefs had two more drives to potentially tie the score. The first possession concluded when Rashee Rice dropped a potential conversion on fourth-and-4, and on the ensuing drive, Travis Kelce also committed a drop, which turned into an interception.

Chargers 22, Eagles 19

The Chargers seemed like they would be off to the races in this game. They took the opening drive down the field for a touchdown, thanks to a 60-yard screen pass by Kimani Vidal. This, however, would be the final time the Chargers would reach the end zone in this entire game, as they lost their third tackle, Trey Pipkins, which severely limited them.

The Chargers were a mess offensively for much of the evening. Following the Pipkins injury, Justin Herbert lost a fumble when he was hit hard, and then threw an interception when a defender contacted his arm upon release. Herbert was sacked on seven occasions. The Chargers would’ve been blown out had the Eagles gotten anything from their offense, but that wasn’t the case. Jalen Hurts threw three picks in regulation, twice because he didn’t see the defenders in coverage.

The Eagles looked like they would lose, but things changed when Saquon Barkley broke free for a rare, long touchdown run, putting them up three. However, another Hurts interception – this one was off of A.J. Brown’s hands – gave the Chargers a free field goal. The teams exchanged two more kicks, and this contest went to overtime, tied at 19.

Prior to overtime, the Eagles surrendered a field goal drive to the Chargers, thanks to some clutch Herbert scrambles. Philadelphia won the coin toss, but foolishly put its exhausted defense out on the field again. The Chargers didn’t waste much time moving into field goal range. Cameron Dicker hit his fifth field goal of the night to put the Chargers up, 22-19.

Down three, the Eagles were in a third-and-16, but Hurts drilled a 28-yard dart to DeVonta Smith. The Chargers then committed a neutral zone infraction to give the Eagles a free first down on an ensuing fourth down. Hurts then hit Dallas Goedert to move inside the red zone, but his next throw was tipped and picked. Hurts’ fourth interception ended the game, giving the Chargers a win in overtime.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

Fantasy Football Add/Drop: Week 17

Walt — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 05:02:33 +0000

A list of fantasy football players you should add, drop or ignore for Week 17. Follow @walterfootball for updates.

Don’t know whom to start? Check out the Weekly NFL Fantasy Football Rankings to see whom I’d use in my fantasy lineup.

Fantasy Football: Add

Blake Corum, RB, Rams (Priority: Very High)
Blake Corum is owned in just 30 percent of ESPN leagues somehow. He should be owned much higher than that. He’s splitting carries evenly with Kyren Williams.

Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals (Priority: High)
Michael Carter is now the primary runner in Arizona because of all the injuries. Carter gets a great matchup against Cincinnati next week.

Fantasy Football: Buy Low

With most trade deadlines expired, buy low players will return next year.

Fantasy Football: Sell High

With most trade deadlines expired, buy low players will return next year.

Fantasy Football: Ignore

Browns Running Backs
Quinshon Judkins is out, but the Browns may deploy a committee against a tough run defense.

Fantasy Football: Drop

Cooper Kupp, WR, Seahawks
Cooper Kupp is somehow still owned in 50 percent of ESPN leagues. Why!?

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Browns
Quinshon Judkins broke his leg against the Bills.

Don’t know whom to start? Check out the Weekly NFL Fantasy Football Rankings to see whom I’d use in my fantasy lineup.

2026 NFL Mock Draft - April 20

Fantasy Football Rankings - April 5

NFL Picks - Feb. 9

NFL Power Rankings - Jan. 26

NFL Game Recaps: Week 13, 2025

Walt — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 04:43:55 +0000

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Packers 31, Lions 24

It didn’t appear as though this would be a high-scoring game. Jared Goff didn’t complete a single pass in the opening quarter, and it didn’t help that Amon-Ra St. Brown was lost to an ankle injury. The Packers, meanwhile, kicked an early field goal and were stuck on a fourth down in Detroit territory. Eschewing a field goal, the Packers had “No Cookie” Jordan Love throw a pass to Dontayvion Wicks for a touchdown, giving Green Bay a 10-0 lead.

There was some question as to whether Wicks caught the touchdown, but there was even greater controversy on a botched call on the ensuing touchdown. The Packers false started on another fourth-down try, but the officials incorrectly ruled that Matt LaFleur called a timeout before the penalty. On the ensuing play, the Packers scored to extend the lead to 17-7.

Throughout the rest of the second quarter and second half, both teams exchanged scores with some big plays. Jameson Williams scored a touchdown when he spun out of a tackle by Carrington Valentine. Meanwhile, Christian Watson hauled in a 51-yard bomb. The streak of scores finally snapped when Goff, who completed 14 consecutive passes beginning in the second quarter, had a bad miss on fourth down. Jahmyr Gibbs was also stuffed on a fourth down on a questionable play call.

The Lions were still up 10 late in the fourth quarter, but they were driving. Micah Parsons sacked Goff, forcing Detroit to settle for a field goal. The Packers took over, up seven, with three minutes on the clock. They were then stuck on a fourth-and-3 near midfield, but instead of punting, they went for the win. Love connected with Wicks, who made a leaping grab to end the game.

Cowboys 31, Chiefs 28

Both the Chiefs and Cowboys entered this game in desperation mode. The winner would keep their season alive, while the loser would be in dire straits in regard to their playoff lives.

It initially appeared as though the Chiefs would be able to cruise to a victory. They intercepted Dak Prescott on Dallas’ opening drive, setting up a Patrick Mahomes touchdown to Rashee Rice for the initial score of the game. The Chiefs scored on another touchdown right after that, with Mahomes finding Travis Kelce to go up 14-7.

The Chiefs looked like the better team to start, but the Cowboys controlled the game for the majority of the evening after that. Prescott rebounded nicely from the interception and was nearly flawless after that, particularly on throws to George Pickens. The former Steeler continued to prove that his former team goofed by trading him, as he made some crucial receptions, one of which featured an impressive hurdle in the red zone. With the Kansas City offense sputtering as a result of three offensive line injuries, the Cowboys managed to go up 31-21.

Kansas City was on life support at that point, and Mahomes appeared to revitalize the team with a 42-yard pass to Xavier Worthy and a subsequent touchdown to Marquise Brown. However, Pickens and CeeDee Lamb both drew pass interference flags on the ensuing possession. The nail in the coffin was a 13-yard pass to Pickens to end the game.

Bengals 32, Ravens 14

The Ravens had prevailed in five consecutive games, but they hadn’t performed well in recent weeks because Lamar Jackson was playing with an injury. The Bengals, meanwhile, would have their own injury question mark at quarterback, with Joe Burrow returning from a turf toe injury that prevented him from playing in Week 2. It wasn’t clear how well Burrow would look off the injury, so there were multiple unknowns heading into this contest.

Burrow began the game 4-of-4, but missed some throws after that and squandered some opportunities created by his defense. Yes, his 32nd-ranked defense. Cincinnati was able to pressure Jackson and force five turnovers. Jackson lost two fumbles, one on a strip-sack, while Isaiah Likely lost a fumble just shy of the goal line in between the Jackson turnovers. Three of the turnovers occurred prior to intermission, while the fourth was a Jackson second-half interception that occurred because of a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage.

As this was happening, Burrow was catching fire. His squandered opportunities transformed into precise throws. Burrow diagnosed Baltimore’s defense with ease and made all the right decisions in the second half. He threw multiple touchdowns following intermission, ultimately building a 29-14 lead with the ball in the red zone with four minutes remaining. A field goal would have sealed the victory because it would have made the margin a three-score lead, but a Samaje Perine lost fumble gave the Ravens a slim chance. However, Baltimore’s fifth turnover occurred a few plays later when Zay Flowers lost a fumble after making a catch near midfield.

Bears 24, Eagles 15

The Eagles must not have watched any of the Thanksgiving games because they would have seen all three favorites lose outright. Perhaps Nick Sirianni could have alerted his players that this occurred, but maybe he didn’t watch either. Or, if he did, his message didn’t reach his players. Either way, the Eagles completely embarrassed themselves in a non-effort game as a big favorite over the Bears.

Amazingly, one team rushed for 282 yards in this game, and it wasn’t the Eagles, who were going up against a Chicago linebacker corps missing its top three players. The Eagles weren’t doing much offensively, with Saquon Barkley once again struggling to find any sort of running room. Jalen Hurts, meanwhile, was completely erratic on his throws. The passing stats don’t look abysmal, but Hurts did most of his damage in garbage time. Hurts also ran only three times, one of which was a sneak that saw him lose a fumble in the red zone on a Tush Push. It’s unclear why Hurts failed to run very much in this contest, outside of his continued lethargy this season.

The Bears, meanwhile, did whatever they pleased on offense. Both Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift trampled a completely uninterested Philadelphia defense. They took turns gashing the Eagles, carrying a Chicago offense that couldn’t sustain success aerially because of the windy conditions.

Texans 20, Colts 16

Daniel Jones entered the game with a fractured fibula. It was apparent that he wasn’t going to run very much, but it was clear that his passing was adversely affected. He struggled to complete some passes, with one of his early big gains being a dump-off to Jonathan Taylor. Jones also wasn’t in on a sneak. Instead, it was Tyler Warren, who was charged with a lost fumble on a botched snap.

The Texans, meanwhile, were gifted a major injury on the other side with Sauce Gardner suffering a very early injury. C.J. Stroud threw an interception on a high throw, but was otherwise effective in moving the chains. The Texans were also aided by sketchy officiating. There was one sequence where the Colts were flagged for a phantom pass interference, surrendered a touchdown, and then saw the extra point being missed, only to have the officials say that the kick was good. The announcer in this game said, “Colts fans, go get a drink after that series of events.”

Houston was now up 20-16, but the Colts had a couple of chances to tie. However, Indianapolis couldn’t generate anything offensively, as Houston clamped things down and willed the team to another victory. On the final sequence, the Colts entered Houston territory, but three consecutive incompletions from Jones ended the game.

Jaguars 25, Titans 3

The Titans entered this game having played three close games in a row. Two of those contests came via Chimere Dike punt return touchdowns, but a sign that this would go the other way was that Dike lost a fumble on a kickoff return.

Another sign was that Cam Ward didn’t scramble on a single occasion in the opening half. Ward ran much more than usual last week, so it’s unclear why he didn’t use his best asset – his legs – at all in this game. Meanwhile, the Jaguars repeatedly hit big plays in the passing game. Trevor Lawrence had numerous 20-yard completions to his receivers, including Jakobi Meyers, who snatched a 50-yard reception. And thanks to a dumb decision by the Titans to go for it on fourth down with limited time left in the second quarter, the Jaguars were able to build an 18-3 lead by intermission.

Nothing really happened in the second half, save for a lone Jacksonville touchdown by Bhayshul Tuten. Ward inexplicably scrambled one time, which undoubtedly left Tennessee fans completely confused by what transpired in this game.

Panthers 31, Rams 27

The Rams entered this game as huge favorites, but their defense didn’t get the message that they were supposed to dominate. They allowed some long runs to Carolina backs and even surrendered a 35-yard touchdown to Chuba Hubbard on a third-and-8. The Panthers were able to win the time of possession by 11 minutes with some substantial gains on the ground.

Still, the Rams should have held a big lead entering halftime, but were up only four because of two interceptions. Matthew Stafford entered the red zone on an early drive, but had a pass deflected for an interception. On the ensuing drive, he threw a pick-six on a pass behind Puka Nacua.

Despite all of this, the Rams held a 21-17 lead entering the third quarter. The rain began to come down, and the announcers said the Panthers would continue to feed their running backs. However, on a fourth-and-3, Bryce Young launched a deep ball to Jalen Coker for a touchdown to take the lead.

A bit later, the Rams, up 28-24, had a chance to take over on a fourth down. However, Young lobbed another deep ball to Tetairoa McMillan for a touchdown to take the lead. The Rams looked like they would either re-take the lead or tie when they drove into the red zone, but Stafford committed his third turnover on a strip-sack, allowing the Panthers to run out the clock and end the game.

Dolphins 21, Saints 17

The Saints have to see what they have in Tyler Shough because they foolishly spent the 40th-overall pick on him despite the fact that he was a fifth-round prospect. Shough, however, could end up helping the Saints earn a high pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, given his complete incompetence.

Shough was anemic for long stretches in this game. Down 10-0 because of a long De’Von Achane run, Shough turned the ball over as a result of a lost fumble on a strip-sack. This occurred near midfield, ruining a potential scoring opportunity. The Dolphins gave the ball back right away with a Tua Tagovailoa interception on a deep ball, but the Saints couldn’t post any points on the next possession, or any possession in the opening half. Shough was responsible for another turnover a bit later with a telegraphed throw in the red zone.

The Saints were down 16-0 at halftime, but finally were able to get something going in the second half. Shough engineered two touchdown drives, with the second one drawing the score to within 19-17 with less than two minutes remaining. The Saints went for two, but Shough was picked. The defender returned the attempt for two, which was huge because the Saints recovered the ensuing onside kick and drove deep into Miami territory. However, the Saints couldn’t kick a field goal to win because the margin was four instead of two. Instead, Shough tried a sneak for a first down on fourth-and-1, but was stuffed, giving Miami the win.

Jets 27, Falcons 24

The Falcons have struggled coming off wins because of Raheem Morris’ poor coaching. Would they once again disappoint following a victory? It sure seemed that way early on when they muffed a punt. The Jets turned that into a quick touchdown with a Breece Hall run. The Falcons, meanwhile, were doing nothing for a big chunk of the game, but finally were able to string together some first downs with big runs. Tyler Allgeier ran into the end zone to tie the game, and then Bijan Robinson scored to open the third quarter to go up 14-7.

Atlanta looked like it would be able to take control of the game, but that quickly changed. Tyrod Taylor, who had done nothing all afternoon against the Falcons’ strong passing attack, launched a 52-yard bomb to Adonai Mitchell to tie the score at 14.

The Falcons were able to re-take the lead on a great play by David Sills, while the Jets answered on a Taylor touchdown run. The two teams exchanged punts, and just when it seemed like the game would go to overtime, the Falcons had a bad punt that set up the Jets in favorable field position. Taylor completed some passes to move into position for a Nick Folk 56-yard field goal, which was good at the buzzer.

49ers 26, Browns 8

Shedeur Sanders made his second professional start in this game. Things weren’t promising right away, however, as he missed a wide-open Jerry Jeudy for a potential touchdown on the first drive. The Browns punted and surrendered a long return to Skyy Moore, setting up a San Francisco touchdown on a short field. On the ensuing drive, Quinshon Judkins was sacked on a fourth-and-1.

Sanders, however, was able to bounce back and complete a high percentage of his throws. He led a touchdown drive with a score to Harold Fannin, and with a two-point conversion, was able to take an 8-7 lead. Later, following a 49ers field goal, the Browns were driving, but made another crucial mistake. Fannin lost a fumble in his own territory, setting up another short field for San Francisco. Brock Purdy scored on a rushing touchdown to go up 17-8.

The Browns still had some life, but that came to an end when they muffed a punt to set up yet another short field for San Francisco. The 49ers converted with a Purdy touchdown to Jauan Jennings to seal the victory. The 49ers prevailed by 18 despite being outgained by a yard as a result of all the short fields created by the defense and special teams.

Buccaneers 20, Cardinals 17
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Baker Mayfield is tough. I didn’t think he’d even play this week with a sprained AC joint, but he actually performed on a high level. I was glad to see the Cardinals get the cover at the end though.

The Buccaneers were desperate to end their losing streak, and they got a nice draw on their schedule with the lowly Arizona Cardinals. Baker Mayfield played with his injured left shoulder, and even though he was clearly not himself, it was good enough to beat the Jacoby Brisset-led Cardinals. Tampa Bay improves to 7-5 to keep pace with the upstart Panthers for the NFC South title. This loss drops Arizona to 3-9 and eliminates them from the playoffs.

In the first quarter, the Cardinals had a good drive going into Tampa Bay territory, but Brissett threw a bad pass that was deflected by Jamel Dean and intercepted by Antoine Winfield Jr. Early in the second quarter, Mayfield connected with Chris Godwin for a 31-yard completion to set up a first-and-goal. However, Godwin dropped a touchdown pass, and the Bucs settled for a field goal. Late in the first half, Tampa Bay put a drive together, and on third-and-goal, Mayfield connected with Tristan Wirfs on a tackle-eligible play for a short touchdown. The Cardinals were able to produce a field goal drive to close out the half to cut the Bucs’ lead to 10-3 at the half. At the start of the third quarter, Bam Knight fumbled the ball away and set up the Buccaneers near midfield. Arizona’s defense forced a punt, and the Cardinals let another scoring opportunity get away from them with a missed field goal midway through the third quarter. Tampa Bay took advantage of the momentum with a short drive that ended with a Bucky Irving touchdown. Arizona’s offense rediscovered Trey McBride with a few completions, and Brissett tossed a 20-yard touchdown to a wide-open Bam Knight to make it 17-10 Tampa Bay entering the fourth quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals had a fourth-and-1 stopped for no gain, and Tampa Bay turned that into points with Chase McLaughlin hitting a 57-yard field goal. Arizona narrowed the lead with a scoring strike to McBride to make it 20-17 with five minutes remaining. Arizona got the ball back with less than two minutes remaining, starting deep in their own territory, but the Bucs defense forced a four-and-out to clinch the win for Tampa Bay.

Bills 26, Steelers 7
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Steelers looked like they had a great chance to cover, but Aaron Rodgers aggravated his hand injury to start the second half. I guess that’s what you get for siding with an injured quarterback.

The Bills needed a win in the competitive AFC, and Buffalo cruised in Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ offense was completely inept with an injured Aaron Rodgers, a lack of playmakers, and a vanilla game plan by Arthur Smith. At 8-4, the Bills maintain control over a wild-card spot. Pittsburgh falls to 6-6, tied with the Ravens for first place in the AFC North, but momentum is not on the Steelers’ side.

The Bills’ opening drive moved into Pittsburgh territory, but a pass intended for Gabe Davis was picked off by Brandon Echols. After a scoreless first quarter, James Cook fumbled the ball away, and Pittsburgh recovered at the Bills’ 45. The Steelers took advantage of the short field with some completions and runs to set up a short rushing touchdown for Jaylen Warren. Buffalo had a long, time-consuming drive to close out the half that resulted in a short field goal.

At the start of the third quarter, Joey Bosa strip-sacked Rodgers and Christian Benford scooped up the fumble with a short return for a touchdown to make it 10-7. Rodgers was injured on the play, aggravating his left hand injury, and Mason Rudolph replaced Rodgers on the ensuing possession. Rudolph promptly threw an interception to Benford, and Buffalo was set up at midfield. James Cook set up a first-and-goal with a 31-yard carry. On fourth-and-goal, Allen scrambled and found Keon Coleman in the back of the end zone for the score. Buffalo missed the extra point, so the lead went to 16-7.

In the first minute of the fourth quarter, Allen used his legs and power to get over the goal line. That put the Bills up 23-7, and Allen set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Pittsburgh drove deep into Buffalo territory, but on fourth-and-2 inside the 10, the Bills got a stop for no gain to hold their 16-point lead. Buffalo drained more clock, and then added a field goal late in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring.

Seahawks 26, Vikings 0

The Vikings were starting undrafted rookie free agent Max Brosmer in this game, but Sam Darnold made the first mistake in an obvious revenge game. Darnold lost a fumble on a strip-sack, setting up Minnesota in favorable field position. Any hope the Vikings had ended there, as Brosmer made a completely bone-headed play on a fourth down where he threw an underhanded pass while being dragged down. The pass was picked and taken back for six, giving the Seahawks a 10-0 lead.

This Brosmer pick-six was the first of five turnovers the Vikings were guilty of on the afternoon. Aaron Jones lost a fumble following a long T.J. Hockenson completion. Brosmer then was intercepted on three more occasions. One pick was a high throw, the second was the result of a deflection, and the third was a telegraphed throw that was fumbled by the intercepting player.

Despite the lopsided win, the Seattle fans grumbled in the stands because the team couldn’t score an offensive touchdown for a while. That changed late when Zach Charbonnet found the end zone in the fourth quarter. The starters were pulled on the ensuing possession.

Chargers 31, Raiders 14

The Chargers had a scary moment in this game. Justin Herbert injured his non-throwing hand and was taken into the locker room. Trey Lance had to play some snaps while Herbert wasn’t on the field, but Herbert emerged with a white glove on his left hand.

Herbert was rusty in his return, throwing an interception into the end zone. However, the Chargers were given new life when a defender of theirs picked off Geno Smith on a crazy double deflection near the sideline. The Chargers were stuffed on an ensuing fourth down, giving the Raiders some hope.

The Raiders tied this game at seven heading into overtime, but Herbert couldn’t be stopped following intermission. Whatever the training staff did to him in the locker room must have worked wonders because Herbert misfired on only five occasions. He was able to engineer four scoring drives in the second half, giving the Chargers a 17-point victory.

Broncos 27, Redskins 26

Many expected a Denver blowout of the Redskins in a Sunday night game that NBC seemingly forgot to flex. However, no one gave the Redskins the memo that they needed to just roll over. The Redskins, down 3-0, looked like they would tie or take the lead when they entered the red zone, but Mariota attempted a silly jump pass and was intercepted. However, the Redskins responded on the ensuing drive. Following a Denver field goal, the Redskins were given a free touchdown with an unsportsmanlike penalty.

Denver entered halftime with a 13-7 lead, thanks to a great 2-minute drill by Bo Nix in which he threw a touchdown to Courtland Sutton while falling down. The Redskins did not go away, however, as they had their own special touchdown when Treylon Burks skied in the air and hauled in the score with one arm. Still, the Broncos were in control, up 20-14 with possession, when Nix threw a horrible interception where he didn’t see Bobby Wagner in coverage.

The Redskins were able to convert a field goal off the interception. Down 20-17, they had one more chance with three minutes remaining. Mariota had a nice run to pick up a first down, but was betrayed by two horrible calls by the officials. Stuck in a second-and-25, Mariota converted the first down on two throws to move into field goal range. Jake Moody drilled a 32-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.

Denver scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the extra session, thanks to a 41-yard reception by Evan Engram. Mariota ventured into Denver territory, but appeared to be sacked on a fourth down. However, the sack was negated by pass interference. Mariota then launched a touchdown to Terry McLaurin, but a holding penalty negated the score. Undaunted, Mariota fired a shot to Deebo Samuel down to the Denver 1-yard line. Four plays later, Mariota found McLaurin for the touchdown. The Redskins went for two, and it appeared they’d have a walk-in score, but Nik Bonitto deflected the ball to give Denver its 10th win of the year.

Patriots 33, Giants 15

We’ve endured some miserable luck with special teams concerning our picks this year, and this may have been the most egregious example of that. Nothing will be more painful than the blocked field goal returned by Jordan Davis versus the Rams back in September, but this was a death by a thousand cuts, or rather, a lost cover by a trio of blunders.

The trouble started when the Patriots, up 3-0, returned a punt for a touchdown. A bit later, the Giants’ kicker did something no one has ever seen. In Charlie Brown-type fashion, Younghoe Koo stubbed his toe before being able to kick the ball, resulting in a sack of the holder. And if that wasn’t enough, the Giants fumbled on a special teams return. The end result was 14 points for the Patriots and a removal of three possible points for the Giants.

This comedy of errors shouldn’t take anything away from Drake Maye, who was spectacular in this game. Strengthening his case for MVP, Maye torched the Giants relentlessly and picked up some clutch first downs with his legs. The Giants, meanwhile, bungled any sort of chance they had at a comeback. Interim head coach Mike Kafka showed his inexperience by continuously calling runs despite being way down in the second half and then punting while down 15 with nine minutes to go. He also punted on fourth-and-inches near midfield just prior to halftime, allowing the Patriots to score a field goal.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.