NFL Game Recaps: Week 16, 2024

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

Chargers 34, Broncos 27

The Chargers showed no resistance against the Buccaneers on Sunday, and it appeared as though this game would be a repeat of that. The Broncos began the game with a trio of touchdowns on their first three drives. They were lucky to score one of them when the officials missed an obvious ineligible man downfield, but the fact remained that the Chargers had no answer for what Denver was doing offensively. This looked like a completely lopsided affair.

The Chargers scored 10 points to trim the margin to 11, but Justin Herbert made a huge mistake where he rushed a throw in the 2-minute drill and was intercepted on a shot to the end zone. It looked like the Chargers would trail by two scores at the break, but a penalty on a Denver punt allowed the Chargers to perform a fair catch for a free kick, something that hasn’t transpired in almost 50 years. Cameron Dicker drilled the 57-yard free kick to draw to within eight.

All the scoring the Broncos did in the opening half seemed like a distant memory after intermission. Save for one drive, Denver could hardly move the ball, as the Charger pass rush came alive. Herbert also played mistake-free football, delivering constant strikes to Ladd McConkey and Joshua Palmer. The Chargers eventually took the lead and then went 95 yards on the ensuing possession to go up 10, which put the game away.

The Chargers made some poor coaching decisions in the first half of this game. They overcame those blunders, but they won’t get away with them against superior opponents.

The Broncos are still in good shape to make the playoffs, but they still haven’t beaten a team above Group C this year.

Chiefs 27, Texans 19

It unclear a few days ago if Patrick Mahomes was going to even play in this game. Mahomes was dealing with a high ankle sprain, and yet, that was a complete non-factor immediately when Mahomes scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown on the opening drive.

The Texans bounced back with some scores to take a 10-7 lead, but the Chiefs responded with a pair of scores as well to go up 17-10 at halftime. C.J. Stroud, despite enduring some miserable play-calling by Bobby Slowik, launched a deep pass to Tank Dell for what appeared to be the tying touchdown. Unfortunately, Dell grabbed his knee in pain. His leg was immobilized, as Stroud was completely distraught. Adding insult to injury, Ka’imi Fairbairn missed the extra point, so the Chiefs still led, 17-16.

Mahomes responded with a touchdown drive of his own. Mahomes, revitalized with Marquise Brown on the field for the first time this regular season, kept the chains moving all afternoon. He engineered a touchdown drive to Xavier Worthy. He then played keep-away with a possession that sucked nearly seven minutes off the clock in the final quarter, culminating with a field goal. Down 27-19, Slowik opened with a running play on what was Houston’s final offensive drive of the game, which put Stroud in a rough spot once again.

It’s amazing that Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain six days prior to this game because this was one of his best performances of the year. With Brown available, and Xavier Worthy developing, the Chiefs may once again have another great playoff run.

The Texans suffered a defeat in this game, but the biggest loss was Dell going down with his knee injury.

Ravens 34, Steelers 17

Two sequences decided this entire game. The first occurred in the second quarter when the game was tied at seven. Russell Wilson had a long scramble toward the goal line, but coughed up the ball inside the 5-yard line. Lamar Jackson took over and engineered a 96-yard touchdown drive where he hit Rashod Bateman for yet another score.

The Ravens maintained their seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, which is when the second sequence occurred. The Steelers decided to go for it on a fourth-and-6. With George Pickens sidelined, Russell Wilson had to go to a lesser option. This lesser option was Calvin Austin, who didn’t have a prayer of catching the ball. Derrick Henry responded with a long run, but Jackson threw an interception on a miscommunication after that. It looked like the Steelers had new life, but that didn’t last very long. Wilson heaved a poorly thrown pass that was pick-sixed.

The Ravens, suddenly up 31-17, had complete control of this game. They swarmed Wilson on the ensuing drive and then kicked another field goal to seal the victory.

Baltimore clinched playoff berth with this victory. Jackson and Henry both had great games, aside from Jackson’s interception.

The Steelers are still in the playoffs, but they’re going to keep losing until they get George Pickens back from injury.

Bengals 24, Browns 6

The Browns initially looked like they came to play. Jerome Ford ripped off a 66-yard run on the opening possession to eventually set up the team on a goal-to-go situation at the 1-yard line. D’Onta Foreman received a carry at the goal line with Ford resting, and he was ruled to have scored a touchdown. However, replay review saw that Vonn Bell punched the ball out, giving the Bengals possession at their own 1-yard line.

Despite being pinned back in their own territory, the Bengals made the most out of the take-away. There were big plays from Ja’Marr Chase, Chase Brown, and Tee Higgins, with Joe Burrow hitting the latter with a touchdown to complete the 99-yard drive.

Cincinnati continued to move the chains well throughout the opening half, with the only misstep being a missed 47-yard field goal when Zac Taylor curiously eschewed a fourth-and-3 opportunity. The defense, meanwhile, swarmed an overwhelmed Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Bengals carried a 17-0 lead into halftime. There was some drama toward the end when the Browns threatened to make this a one-score game, but Thompson-Robinson was intercepted on a helpless throw into the end zone, and then Cleveland couldn’t take advantage of a free possession when Burrow took a 20-yard strip-sack on a third-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

The Bengals stayed alive in the playoff race with this victory. It’s troubling that they couldn’t really score in the second half, as Myles Garrett gave Cincinnati’s offensive line major issues.

The Browns predictably lost after making the move to Thompson-Robinson, but that was part of the plan in this obvious tank job.

Panthers 36, Cardinals 30

This game looked to be a blowout in Carolina’s favor. The Panthers got out to a 20-3 lead in the second quarter. Bryce Young was doing a great job of moving the chains, hitting Adam Thielen for a touchdown and scrambling for a score himself. Carolina was helped by Michael Carter losing a fumble when Carter was curiously used over James Conner on a carry during the midway point of the second quarter.

The Cardinals decided that enough was enough with Carter because they fed James Conner despite the 20-3 deficit. The results were fruitful, as Conner exceeded the century mark before halftime. Arizona scored two touchdowns to trim the lead to 20-17 heading into the break.

Arizona couldn’t deploy this strategy in the second half, however, because Conner injured his knee. The team had far less success moving the chains in the second half without their star running back. They found themselves down 30-20, but Murray led a comeback, which included a field goal drive in the final seconds. The Panthers punted initially in overtime, and the Cardinals took over and converted a fourth-and-2. Murray, however, took a huge sack on the ensuing third down, which gave the Panthers great field position. Carolina took advantage of this with Chuba Hubbard generating some nice runs, including his final carry that went for a 21-yard touchdown to win the game.

The Cardinals have been eliminated from the playoffs in the wake of this defeat. Their defense was pathetic in attempting to stop Carolina’s offense. Jonathan Gannon has his work cut out for him next offseason.

The Panthers helped ruin their draft positioning, but the important thing is developing Young and giving him more confidence.

Redskins 36, Eagles 33

This would have been a tale of two running backs if it weren’t for an injury to one of the league’s better quarterbacks. It started when Brian Robinson was stuffed on a fourth-and-1. The Eagles took over in favorable field position and scored on a Saquon Barkley touchdown run. The troubles continues for Robinson, who lost two fumbles after that, with one coming after a long kickoff, and the second occurring in the red zone. Barkley, meanwhile, responded with a second touchdown on a 68-yard burst to give the Eagles a 21-7 lead. At that point in the game, Barkley was on pace to rush for 439 yards.

Philadelphia, however, couldn’t pull away because Jalen Hurts left the game after four pass attempts. He scrambled and had his head hit the ground. He gave the official a thumbs up, but it didn’t matter because he was forced out of the game. Kenny Pickett took over and threw a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown, but then helped set up a Washington touchdown when he was intercepted upon staring down his receiver.

The Eagles moved the chains in the second half, but settled for far too many field goals. This allowed the Redskins to mount a comeback despite their five turnovers. The Eagles’ fourth field goal of the afternoon gave them a five-point lead, though it would never have happened had DeVonta Smith not dropped a ball on third down to clinch the victory. Though the kick was good, the Eagles left far too much time for Jayden Daniels. The Offensive Rookie of the Year took over with 1:58 remaining. He hit Terry McLaurin for a 10-yard pass, then scrambled for a 12-yard gain. He found McLaurin for seven more yards, then handed the ball off to Robinson, who picked up a third-and-1. With 10 seconds left, Daniels located Jamison Crowder for the decisive touchdown.

The Eagles’ chances of wrapping up the No. 1 seed took a major hit in this game because Hurts was ruled out with a concussion. They’ll likely be the No. 2 seed.

The Redskins took advantage of an injury to the opposing quarterback to achieve their 10th victory. Their win eliminated the Cowboys, whom they battle in Week 18.

Falcons 34, Giants 7

Michael Penix Jr. made his first start of his career, but he looked like the seasoned quarterback compared to his counterpart. Drew Lock was a disaster in this game, single-handedly costing the Giants a potential victory. Of course, this was part of the plan, as the Giants originally benched Daniel Jones so they could lose on purpose.

The Giants were up 7-3 when Lock gave the Falcons the lead with a pick-six on a telegraphed pass. A bit later while down 17-7, Lock lost a fumble on a strip-sack. The Falcons had a chance to score, but a Penix pass to Kyle Pitts in the red zone was juggled and popped into the arms of a Giants player. Undaunted, Lock delivered another pick-six in the third quarter because of a deflection at the line of scrimmage.

Penix, meanwhile, had a solid showing. He completed two-thirds of his passes, and aside from the Pitts bobble, he wasn’t charged with a turnover. He did a good job of moving the chains as the Falcons extended their lead in the second half.

Penix passed his first test, and it’s evident that he gives Atlanta the best chance to win because the clearly injured Kirk Cousins is so inept.

The Giants’ plan to tank continues to succeed. They are two losses away from securing their next franchise quarterback.

Colts 38, Titans 30

You can never bet against Rudolph with three days to go until Christmas, and so it was no surprise that Mason Rudolph connected on a 38-yard bomb touchdown to Calvin Ridley. The Titans took a 7-0 lead with their backup quarterback. Tennessee’s defense then turned over Anthony Richardson when the beleaguered quarterback threw off his back foot.

And yet, the Colts scored the next 38 points to completely dismantle the Titans. Jonathan Taylor and Richardson ran well, with the former redeeming himself with a long touchdown run where he made sure to hold on to the ball with two hands. Rudolph then was intercepted, setting up a Richardson touchdown to Josh downs, who scored on a poor tackling effort to extend the Indianapolis lead to 24-7.

The poor defensive effort continued for Tennessee in the second half. On the first play from scrimmage to begin the third quarter, Tylor burst for a 70-yard touchdown where the Titan defensive players took some horrible angles. Taylor then scored a third time from the 1-yard line. A 7-0 Tennessee lead turned into a 38-7 deficit just like that. Tennessee made it somewhat interesting late with some garbage touchdowns, but the Colts were able to run out the clock at the end.

I guess we should have seen Taylor’s outburst coming. He single-handedly ruined Indianapolis’ potential victory last week with his idiotic dropped ball, so he did everything in his power to redeem himself.

The Titans did well to lose and entertain their fans in the process. They generated 307 net yards of offense, but almost all of it was in garbage time.

Rams 19, Jets 9

The Jets finished last week’s game with a great offensive drive, and that carried over into the beginning of this game. Despite being pinned at his own 1-yard line, Aaron Rodgers drove the length of the field, hitting Davante Adams once again for a touchdown. Anders Carlson missed the extra point, but the Jets looked like they were in full control when they intercepted Matthew Stafford on a horrible overthrow.

The Jets, however, failed to take advantage of the take-away, as Breece Hall was stuffed on a fourth-and-1. This was not the only time the Jets would blow an opportunity to score deep in Rams territory, as Rodgers threw incomplete on a fourth-and-4 to ruin a long drive to start the third quarter.

This was a 9-9 affair in the fourth quarter when the game completely turned in the Rams’ favor. Rodgers lost a fumble deep in his own territory to set up a short field for the Rams. Stafford made amends for his prior mistake with a touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee, who made his return from his ACL tear. The Rams added a field goal after that, so the Jets needed two scores. They settled for a 49-yard field goal, but Carlson missed again to effectively end the game.

The Rams didn’t really need this win, as the division will likely come down to their Week 18 battle against the Seahawks. Still, they have to be happy to get Higbee back in action to further help the offense.

Though the Jets lost, they outgained the Rams, 321-242. This was yet another instance in which the special teams sabotaged a potential victory for Rodgers.

Lions 34, Bears 17
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: So much for all of those Detroit injuries! It doesn’t really matter when battling a team with no real head coach or offensive coordinator.

The Lions got their 13th victory and set a franchise record for wins in a season. They also set the franchise’s record for points scored in a season as Jared Goff and the scoring attack dominated Chicago. Detroit jumped out to a big lead thanks partly to a pair of Rome Odunze fumbles, but the Bears’ defense stood no match against the Lions’ lethal scoring attack.

After a Bears three-and-out to open the first quarter, Jared Goff led Detroit down the field using Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown to produce a field goal. On the ensuing possession, Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze fumbled a handoff, with Josh Paschal recovering for Detroit in Chicago territory. A 23-yard screen to Jahmyr Gibbs moved into the red zone, and Gibbs scored from a yard out to put the Lions up 10-0. The Bears got into Detroit territory, but Odunze fumbled the ball away again, and the Lions recovered at their 40-yard line. Detroit turned that into another Jake Bates field goal. Early in the second quarter, Goff threw a perfect pass deep down the field and hit Jamison Williams in stride for an 82-yard touchdown.

The Bears finally put a good drive together going down the field, and on third-and-goal, Williams connected with Cole Kmet for a touchdown to make it 20-7. Detroit moved back down the field with Gibbs and Williams getting conversions, and then St. Brown pinballed his way on a wide receiver screen for a touchdown to make it 27-7. The Bears’ offense took advantage of busted coverage, with Williams hitting Keenan Allen downfield, and he took off for a 45-yard touchdown to make it 27-14 at halftime.

On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Lions executed another brilliant trick play where both Goff and Gibbs faked stumbling in the backfield, and that drew the Bears’ defense up and out of their landmarks. Goff then straightened up and lofted a 21-yard touchdown pass to LaPorta. Chicago answered with Williams connecting with Odunze for a fourth-and-1 conversion, and the Bears got a field goal to make it 34-17 entering the fourth quarter. Both defenses got stops, and the Lions drained the clock to clinch the win.

Raiders 19, Jaguars 14
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: What will the Raider fans do with those “Tank for Shedeur” signs that we saw on Monday night?

It was a pyrrhic victory for Las Vegas. While they enjoyed breaking their 10-game losing streak, the Raiders lost control of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft because of this win. The Jaguars improved their draft positioning with a loss to Las Vegas, and at this point in the season, winning does nothing for Jacksonville. Winning might save some jobs in the front office, coaching staff, and roster spots, so neither team was quitting and tanking for other people to take their jobs.

Midway through the first half, the Jaguars struck first with Tank Bigsby plunging into the end zone. The Raiders answered with a 29-yard pass to Tre Tucker, setting them up at the 1-yard line, and Alexander Mattison dove into the end zone to tie the game at seven. In the second quarter, Las Vegas added two Daniel Carlson field goals to go up 13-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Mac Jones put the Jaguars in the lead, connecting downfield with Brian Thomas Jr, and he took off down the sideline for a 62-yard touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, the Raiders moved down the field, distributing the ball, and Ameer Abdullah put Las Vegas back in the lead with a seven-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed, and the Raiders settled for a 19-14 lead. Both defenses produced some stops, and Jones had one more chance late in the fourth quarter, but a holding call took away a fourth down conversion, and the Raiders got a stop on the next play to clinch the win.

Vikings 27, Seahawks 24

The Vikings got off to a hot start in this game. They drove down the field on the opening drive, with Sam Darnold finding Jordan Addison for a touchdown. The teams then exchanged touchdowns, with Darnold hitting Justin Jefferson for a score to go up 14-7. That seven-point lead turned into a 17-7 advantage after Geno Smith was intercepted as a result of being under heavy pressure.

Smith rebounded from the pick to deliver some impressive strikes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf. They drew to within a field goal for a while when both teams began exchanging punts. It was 20-17 for a long time until the Seahawks forced a punt and then had Smith engineer his third touchdown drive of the afternoon. He got out of a second-and-16 with a 17-yard pass to Tyler Lockett and then found Smith-Njigba and Noah Fant for gains of 13 and 17 yards, respectively. Smith then hit A.J. Barner in the end zone to go up for the first time all afternoon.
,br> With four minutes remaining, the Vikings appeared to be stalled when Darnold took a sack, but the Seahawks were tagged with a face mask penalty. The Vikings took advantage of this break with Darnold launching a deep bomb to Jefferson for the touchdown to go back up by three. Seattle had two more chances, but Smith took a sack that forced a 60-yard field goal that was short. Smith was then intercepted because of a miscommunication with Metcalf.

The Vikings are now 13-2. This is their best regular-season record through 15 games since 1998 when Randy Moss was a rookie. However, they were outgained by the Seahawks in both net yards and yards per play.

Despite this loss, the Seahawks are in control of their own destiny. If they win their next two games, they will be NFC West champions.

Bills 24, Patriots 21

The Patriots entered this game as two-touchdown underdogs, but they never got the memo that they were supposed to roll over and allow the Bills to win. The Patriots came out and engineered a couple of impressive drives to begin the game. The second possession was a 16-play, 97-yard drive that lasted seconds shy of 10 minutes. This gave New England a commanding 14-0 lead.

Josh Allen, perhaps frustrated that he was on the sideline for so long, made some mistakes. He took a careless deep shot and was intercepted. He was nearly picked on the next possession. Allen then proceeded to turn to James Cook, which worked like a charm. Cook burst for a 46-yard score and then tied the game with a touchdown catch. The Bills then took the lead with a field goal, and that’s when it was Maye’s turn to make mistakes. He drove down the field into Buffalo territory, but saw heavy pressure in the pocket and was picked as a consequence.

The Bills didn’t do anything following the interception, but they didn’t need to do so because Maye made another crucial error. Maye threw a backward pass that fell incomplete. The Bills pounced on the ball in the end zone for a defensive touchdown to go up 10, effectively ending the game.

It’s not a surprise that the Bills had a sleepy performance in this game. They were coming off a huge win at Detroit, so they were bound to be flat as a two-touchdown favorite.

The Patriots lost, but they continue to give their fans hope by playing close games. Maye made some mistakes, but the upside is very apparent.

Dolphins 29, 49ers 17

The 49ers were eliminated from the playoffs just prior to kickoff, but they didn’t appear to be aware of that because they played with energy in the early going. Brock Purdy showed some great evasion in the pocket to complete some passes, ultimately hitting Deebo Samuel for a touchdown. The Dolphins, meanwhile, were slow to get going because of two Tyreek Hill drops to begin the game.

The Dolphins eventually got their act together and were able to generate some scoring drives, as Tua Tagovailoa released some quick passes to connect with De’Von Achane and Jonnu Smith. Hill even redeemed himself with a touchdown. Meanwhile, the 49ers had problems moving the chains following the Samuel touchdown, as the Dolphins eventually went up two scores with a field goal at the end of the third quarter.

The 49ers didn’t quit, however. They engineered a touchdown drive where Purdy hit a backup tight end after going 60 yards to trim the margin to 19-17. However, Achane broke free for a 50-yard touchdown to distance the Dolphins from the 49ers to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Dolphins kept their season going with this victory. They’ll need to win their next two games, and they’ll need a lot of help as well.

The 49ers didn’t fully quit upon getting eliminated just prior to kickoff. They lost, but they’re just not good enough with all of their injuries. They’ll be able to rebound next year.

Cowboys 26, Buccaneers 24

The Buccaneers appeared to have a great edge heading into this game when the Cowboys were eliminated prior to kickoff. One team certainly played harder than the other, and it wasn’t Tampa Bay.

The Cowboys came out of the tunnel completely energized, almost as if they didn’t know that they were eliminated. The defensive line swarmed Baker Mayfield. Cooper Rush found receivers completely wide open against Tampa Bay’s flawed defensive scheme all evening. And Mike Evans was a complete no-show, taking himself out of the game often in the second half.

Dallas led throughout, as the lethargic Buccaneers made mistakes all evening. Evans and Sterling Shepard dropped passes, including one by the latter on a third-and-3, which was a precurssor to a Cowboys touchdown. The coaching staff had a horrible game, opting to kick a field goal while down 12 at the end of the third quarter, which turned this two-score game into a two-score game. Even Liam Coen, glorified by many as the next great head coach, stuck to the run for far too long, opting to call rushing plays despite trailing by two scores in the fourth quarter.

This game got interesting once Coen finally ditched the run. Mayfield drove down the field in a blink, trimming the margin to two. The Buccaneers forced a punt, but on the first play of the final possession, Mayfield lofted an underhanded pass to Rachaad White while under pressure. DaRon Bland ripped the ball out of White’s hands before the running back hit the ground, ending this game in Dallas’ favor.

This was a painful loss for the Buccaneers because they lost control of the NFC South. However, they get to play the Panthers and Saints to close out the year. If the Falcons trip up once, and the Buccaneers take care of business, the NFC South will go to Tampa Bay.

The Cowboys will be given credit for trying hard despite being eliminated, but this could be a very harmful loss for them if it leads Jerry Jones to foolishly retaining Mike McCarthy again.

Packers 34, Saints 0

The Saints were severely outclassed in this game. There was a such a talent disparity that the Packers could name the score if they put forth full effort. However, if they didn’t, they’d perhaps be in danger of suffering the same fate as they did on a Monday night last year when they lost to Tommy DeVito.

These Packers made sure that didn’t happen again. They scored touchdowns on their first two drives and then added a third touchdown prior to halftime. Meanwhile, the defense prevented New Orleans from doing anything. The Saints, who barely crossed midfield, generated just 169 net yards of offense by the time the Packers made it 34-0 with 2:41 remaining in the fourth quarter. Spencer Rattler was swarmed all night and was forced into multiple turnovers.

Everything went right for the Packers, who leaned on Josh Jacobs early before pulling him to give him some rest. “No Cookie” Jordan Love hit some deep throws to Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft as well. The only blemish on the evening was Christian Watson suffering injury after a 14-yard end-around. Watson tried to return to action, but had to leave again.

The Packers can obtain the No. 5 seed if they beat Minnesota and Chicago to close out the year, and the Vikings lose to the Lions in Week 18. The No. 5 seed is highly coveted because that team will be able to battle the NFC South winner in the opening round of the playoffs.

Despite the loss, the Saints’ draft pick remains unchanged at No. 10. This is because the Saints are the only 5-10 team in the NFL.