NFL Today, Week 16
SCOREBOARD
Monday, Dec. 23
Green Bay at Minnesota, 8:15 p.m. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (11-3) can clinch the NFC North with a win. However the Packers are 0-3 at Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016. The Vikings clinched a playoff spot when the Los Angeles Rams lost on Saturday night. The Vikings are 6-0 at home this year. They are seeking their first undefeated home slate since 2009. The Vikings will be without running back Dalvin Cook who left last week’s game with a shoulder injury.
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STARS
Passing
— Daniel Jones, Giants, was 28 for 42 for 352 yards and five touchdown passes in New York’s 41-35 overtime win over Washington. He joined Matthew Stafford as the only rookie QBs since 1950 to throw for at least 500 yards and at least five TDs in a game.
— Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins, was 31 for 52 for 419 yards and four touchdown passes and an interception in Miami’s 38-35 overtime win.
— Carson Wentz, Eagles, was 31 for 40 for 319 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 17-9 victory over Dallas.
— Andy Dalton, Bengals, finished 33 for 56 for 396 yards and four touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 38-35 overtime loss in Miami.
— Drew Brees, Saints, was 27 for 38 for 279 yards and three touchdowns in New Orleans’ 38-28 win over Tennessee.
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Rushing
— Saquon Barkley, Giants, had 22 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown and added 90 yards receiving and another touchdown in New York’s 41-35 overtime win over Washington.
— Kenyan Drake, Cardinals, made 24 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns in Arizona’s 27-13 win over Seattle.
— Lamar Jackson, Ravens, had 17 carries for 103 yards in Baltimore’s 31-15 win over Cleveland. QB Jackson went over 100 yards for the fifth time this season.
— Phillip Lindsay, Broncos, had 19 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown in Denver’s 27-17 win over Detroit.
— Alvin Kamara, Saints, had 11 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns in New Orleans’ 38-28 win over Tennessee.
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Receiving
— Julio Jones, Falcons, had 10 catches for 166 yards in Atlanta’s 24-12 win over Jacksonville. Jones reached 12,000 yards in 125 games, the fewest in NFL history. It also was his 55th 100-yard receiving game, leaving him just two behind Marvin Harrison on the career list in that category.
— Michael Thomas, Saints, had 12 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown in New Orleans’ 38-28 win over Tennessee.
— Tyler Boyd, Bengals, had nine catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 38-35 loss to Miami.
— Christian McCaffrey, Panthers, caught 15 passes for 119 yards in Carolina’s 38-6 loss to Indianapolis. McCaffrey started the day needing 186 yards receiving to become the third player in league history to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. He is 67 yards short of the feat going into the regular-season finale.
— DeVante Parker, Dolphins, had five catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in Miami’s 38-35 win over Cincinnati.
— Hunter Renfrow, Raiders, had seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in Oakland’s 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Special Teams
— Nyheim Hines, Colts, had an 84-yard punt return and a 71-yarder for touchdowns in Indianapolis’ 38-6 win over Carolina. Hines had 195 yards on three returns — an average of 65.0 yards, shattering a franchise record set by Carl Taseff (148) that stood since October 1956. It also was the highest yardage total by any player in the league since Eddie Drummond (199) in December 2007.
— Jamal Agnew, Lions, returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown in Detroit’s 27-17 loss to Denver.
— Jason Sanders, Dolphins, kicked a 37-yard field goal on the last play of overtime as Miami edged Cincinnati 38-35.
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Defense
— Chandler Jones, Cardinals, had four sacks and two forced fumbles in Arizona’s 27-13 win over Seattle. Jones now leads the NFL with 19 sacks.
— Anthony Walker, Colts, had 10 tackles, one sack and one interception in Indianapolis’ 38-6 win over Carolina.
— Dre'Mont Jones, Broncos, had two sacks in Denver’s 27-17 win over Detroit.
— A.J. Klein, Saints, had two sacks in New Orleans’ 38-28 victory over Tennessee.
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MILESTONES
The Saints’ Michael Thomas finished with 12 catches for 136 yards in New Orleans’ 38-28 win over Tennessee to break Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison's record of 143 for most receptions in a single season in NFL history. Thomas has 145 catches with one game remaining in the regular season. ... Washington’s Adrian Peterson scored his 111th career rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter of a loss to the New York Giants. That broke a tie with Walter Payton and put Peterson in sole possession of fourth on the NFL's career list.
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ON THE CLOCK IN VEGAS
The Cincinnati Bengals have secured the No. 1 overall pick for the 2020 draft in Las Vegas after their 38-35 overtime loss to Miami. This is the fourth time the Bengals will have the No. 1 overall pick.
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PLAYOFF TIME
The Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers have each qualified for the postseason after missing the playoffs last season. From 1990-2019 — a streak of 30 consecutive years — at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before.
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BIG MEN IN THE END ZONE
Miami Dolphins rookie defensive lineman Christian Wilkins (315 pounds) caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick in the first quarter against Cincinnati. He became the sixth player weighing at least 300 pounds with a receiving TD this season.
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STREAKS & STATS
The Ravens earned their 11th consecutive victory and clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs for the first time with a 31-15 win over the Browns. With the loss, the Browns will miss the playoffs for the 17th straight season. ... The Jaguars have lost six of their past seven games and 20 of 27 since a 3-1 start to the 2018 season, which came on the heels of a surprising run to the AFC championship game. ... The Lions' skid reached eight games with a 27-17 loss at Denver. ... The Panthers’ skid reached seven games after a 38-6 loss to Indianapolis.
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ON THE RUN
The Baltimore Ravens rushed for 243 yards in the win at Cleveland. The Ravens are the seventh team since 1970 and first since the 1978 Kansas City Chiefs (eight) and 1978 New England Patriots (11) with eight games of at least 200 rushing yards in a season. Baltimore has 3,073 rushing yards and joined the 1978 New England Patriots (3,165 rushing yards) and 1973 Buffalo Bills (3,088) as the only teams with at least 3,000 rushing yards in a single season.
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SIDELINED
QB Dwayne Haskins was knocked out of Washington's game with an ankle injury but wants to end his rookie season on the field. “I want to play," Haskins said of the season finale next week at Dallas. “And if I can, I will.” He couldn't Sunday after he was sacked on the first play of the second half and carted off the field. ... Fellow rookie quarterback Kyler Murray also was forced out because of an injury. The No. 1 overall draft pick departed with a hamstring injury midway through the third quarter of Arizona's 27-13 victory over Seattle. ... The Pittsburgh Steelers have injury concerns along with a tough road to the postseason after losing three key offensive players in their 16-10 loss to the New York Jets. Quarterback Mason Rudolph (left shoulder), running back James Conner (thigh) and center Maurkice Pouncey (left knee) all left and their availability for a must-win game next week against Baltimore is uncertain. ... The Ravens are unsure of Mark Ingram's availability for that game after the running back sustained a calf injury in Cleveland after surpassing 1,000 yards rushing for the season. Coach John Harbaugh said Ingram sustained no structural damage. ... The Seahawks are down to just one healthy running back after Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise both suffered what coach Pete Carroll called “season-ending” first-half injuries against Arizona. Carson left with a hip injury suffered in the second quarter, and Prosise, his backup, suffered an arm injury on a big hit from Arizona’s Budda Baker later in the quarter and was ruled out.
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SPEAKING
“I just want to say that I'm the best receiver in the league right now. I'm one for one.” Dolphins rookie defensive lineman Christian Wilkins joked after catching a 1-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick in a 38-35 win over Cincinnati. Wilkins joined William "The Refrigerator" Perry as the only rookie defensive linemen with a touchdown reception in the Super Bowl era.
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“We got the victory. We're trying to play and go to a championship right now. At the end of the season, we'll look up and see all the things we accomplished. But right now we're focused on one common goal, and that's a championship.” — Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas after setting the single-season mark for receptions in a 38-28 win over Tennessee.
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