Week 16: The highs and the lows
Let’s take a dive into week 16. Five highs and five lows. With only 2 weeks of the regular season left, the festive weekend cooked up and gave us endless surprises, perfect for this time of year.
Highs
Baker Mayfield: The Buccaneers QB wins again and takes Tampa Bay into a very strong position to win the division. He also makes it really hard to see the Bucs not bringing him back on a much more lucrative deal.
George Pickens responds to the critics: 195 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now that’s not a bad day’s work. It was needed from him and he certainly put on a display to remind people of the talent he has.
Flacco and Cooper have themselves a day for the Browns: Flacco continues to put on impressive displays since joining the Browns, 368 passing yards and 3 TD’s. Cooper had just 265 receiving yards and 2 TD’s. Cooper’s performance was record breaking and it was incredible to watch.
Lamar Jackson, on a MVP surge?: Lamar Jackson has won the award before and he more than likely secured winning it again and joining an elite list to have done so. Lamar looks fantastic and if he keeps plays the way he is at the moment, his elusiveness will be a problem for opposing teams in the offseason. He’s proving he’s one of the best players in the league this year.
Eagles get back to winning ways: A closer game than they wanted but they won it, so that doesn’t matter. They showed some fight and a win was desperately needed. This has to be a building block for Philadelphia now.
Lows
Jaguars losing their edge: Trevor Lawrence is playing tough through injuries, though they don’t look the same recently and they are dangerously flirting with losing a playoff spot. Something no one saw coming until recently, but the Jaguars are in a real rut at the moment.
Colts 10 point performance: The Colts put in a lacklustre display against the Falcons, which we haven’t seen often from them this season. Luck may be running out, this was an opportunity that they let slip away to take control of their division.
Purdy and the 49ers: The 49ers were given a lesson at home from the Ravens. Purdy’s 4 Interceptions will be hard to forget and this really was a gut wrenching loss for them. They were beaten in every area and their credentials were wobbled again.
Cowboys road loss: The Cowboys are a great team but they lost again away from home and it does leave a question mark hanging over them. Especially with the playoffs looming.
Chiefs downfall continues: Beaten by a Raiders team who looked to have wanted it much more. Mahomes was hunted down all game long and he rarely had an outlet to get the ball too. Kelce has been scarily quiet for too long now and we are starting to see cracks in their armour. Worrying signs for the reigning champs.
We now move to the penultimate round of fixtures for the regular season and there are some juicy matchups to get excited about. The Lions head to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. Miami head to Baltimore in what could be a defining game for both teams.
The Raiders go on the road to face the Colts in what is now a massive playoff game – if Indy loses this one they are out of the playoff spots. Tampa hosts the Saints and the Bucs will be looking to secure their playoff spot. The Steelers head to Seattle for another showdown, both teams sitting at 8-7 so this could be a cagey affair.
This is setting up to be some week of football and it’s only getting harder to even try and predict what may happen. With that in mind, just sit back, relax and enjoy whatever unfolds. Just expect the unexpected.
