Welcome to another installment of my weekly NFL Column. My goal is to watch everything so that you don’t have to. I will present to you the best games to watch back; the craziest moments; the best individual performances and the season-long stat leaders and records. I will also be previewing the upcoming gameweek, too.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check in each week.
Not everybody in the UK has the ability to watch almost 20 hours of live NFL every week, but I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything you’d wish you didn’t. Without further delay…
This is what happened This Week in the NFL.
Game of the Week
If you can only watch one full game in its entirety, watch this one:
Dallas Cowboys @ Miami Dolphins
This wasn’t the highest-scoring game that took place over the Christmas weekend, but it was a really fun and hard-fought matchup, with twists and turns and drama from the first minute to the last. The Dolphins, with their high-flying offensive powerhouse, hosting one of the best defenses in the league, Dallas. If you can only watch one game from this week’s action, I’d choose this one. This was a real battle.
Other games to watch back
Baltimore Ravens @ San Francisco 49ers
New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
Upset of the Week
Las Vegas Raiders 20 – 14 Kansas City Chiefs
11.5-point underdogs, on the road, at Arrowhead. And the Raiders won… Without completing a single pass after the end of the first quarter. Now that’s what I’d call a Christmas Miracle.
Las Vegas, reinvigorated under interim HC Antonio Pierce, showed up in Kansas City and defensively dominated the Chiefs who have tormented them for so long. As the TV coverage always reminds us, Patrick Mahomes doesn’t lose late-season divisional games, but he looked uncomfortable from the first moment he stepped onto the field until the moment he walked off it. His receivers couldn’t do anything and the running game was weak, too. Robert Spillane and Nate Hobbs were tackle machines and Malcolm Koonce had himself a day, as the D balled out.
Raiders fans may not have particularly big aspirations for this season, but the way that they have played over the past two weeks – with one incredible offensive output and then an equally impressive defensive performance – they have something to celebrate. Plus, winning for just the second time in the last 10 years on the road at Arrowhead is pretty sweet.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
Buffalo Bills (9-6)
Atlanta Falcons (7-8)
Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
Detroit Lions (11-4)
New York Jets (6-9)
Green Bay Packers (7-8)
Cleveland Browns (10-5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
Chicago Bears (6-9)
Miami Dolphins (11-4)
New England Patriots (4-11)
Las Vegas Raiders (7-8)
Philadelphia Eagles (11-4)
Baltimore Ravens (12-3)
Losers
New Orleans Saints (7-8)
Cincinnati Bengals (8-7)
Los Angeles Chargers (5-10)
Indianapolis Colts (8-7)
Tennessee Titans (5-10)
Minnesota Vikings (7-8)
Washington Commanders (4-11)
Carolina Panthers (2-13)
Houston Texans (8-7)
Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7)
Arizona Cardinals (3-12)
Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
Denver Broncos (7-8)
Kansas City Chiefs (9-6)
New York Giants (5-10)
San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
Standout Individual Performers
Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns
11 receptions on 15 targets FOR 265 RECEIVING YARDS and 2 TD’s…
Just to repeat that: Eleven receptions for two hundred and sixty-five receiving yards and two touchdowns.
This wasn’t just a standout performance of the week, this is one of the standout performances – if not the standout performance of the entire season. Amari Cooper went bloody nuclear this week, and he knocked me out of a semi-final in fantasy football while doing it. 11 receptions. 265 receiving yards. 2 TD’s. What an unbelievable performance. This not only exceeded Cooper’s previous career-high receiving game by 39 yards, it broke the all-time franchise record in Cleveland. Joe Flacco was throwing dimes, and Cooper seemed to be open literally every single play, as he tormented the Texans all afternoon.
Joe Flacco, QB, Cleveland Browns
64.3% completion rate, 368 passing yards and 3 TD’s with 2 INT’s. 96.1 QB Rating.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, and interceptions aren’t usually prominent in my standout performers section, but I have to show some respect to Joe Flacco. Since getting off his sofa a month ago, he’s averaged over 300 yards passing a game and now has led the Browns to three straight wins as they posture towards a playoff berth. This week he threw 3 TD’s and 2 INT’s, while firing some gorgeous passes to Amari Cooper, who went nuts. His 368 yards this week follow after 374 last, as Flacco makes a case for a potential Comeback Player of the Year!
George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
4 receptions on 6 targets for 195 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
While Amari Cooper stole the show, to say the least, on Sunday… Saturday was George Pickens’ to celebrate. In a comfortable 34-11 victory over the Bengals, he exploded for a whopping 195 yards on just 4 receptions. In one of the more electrifying performances you’ll ever see, Pickens found the end zone on two long scores, first one of 86-yards on just their second offensive snap of the game, and then the second a 66-yarder in the third quarter. Just those two plays alone were enough to win this football game, and put up a huge day for the young Steelers WR.
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
20 rush attempts for 95 rushing yards and 2 TD’s, plus 12 receptions for 96 receiving yards.
If your fantasy football league is Full PPR (points per reception), this performance from Breece Hall was quite unbelievable. He carried the ball 20 times for a very respectable 95 yards and found the end zone twice. However, the wild statistic from this game was his 12 receptions, which he turned into 96 more yards through the air. Even if CMC put up that line I would be amazed, so to see Hall post it was quite something.
Christian Barmore, DT, New England Patriots
5 solo tackles and 3 assists, including 3.0 Sacks and a forced fumble.
As the Patriots secured a meaningless win again this week, to the dismay of hopeful Broncos fans, Christian Barmore logged the best performance of his young career. He made 8 combined tackles, including three sacks on Russell Wilson. This performance helped secure a close-fought victory, which was sealed by a walk-off kick, to put a dent in Denver’s playoff seed, dropping them even below Las Vegas.
Malcolm Koonce, DE, Las Vegas Raiders
5 solo tackles and 1 assist, including 3.0 Sacks.
The Raiders defense isn’t exactly a deep unit, but it is definitely not just the Maxx Crosby show anymore. This week, the star of their epic upset-victory was Malcolm Koonce, lined up on the opposite side. As he is earning more and more reps under Antonio Pierce, Koonce is starting to prove himself to be a real playmaker. Last week, he had two Sacks on Justin Herbert in the 63-point win, but this time it meant so much more. Koonce recorded the first hat-trick of his career with 3.0 Sacks on Mahomes, helping to secure the 20-14 win in one of the toughest stadiums in the league to visit. What a performance.
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
9 receptions on 11 targets for 164 receiving yards and a TD, plus 16 rushing yards.
The LA Rams have a legitimate superstar rookie in their offense, this year. Puka Nacua has gone from a fifth-round pick to a legit household-name within a single campaign. This week he hauled in 9 of his 11 targets for an impressive 164 receiving yards, putting him on 1,327 for the season, behind only Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown. He also found the end zone for the fifth time in the win over the Saints.
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
6 receptions on 10 targets for 141 receiving yards and a TD.
The NFL is simply a better place when Justin Jefferson is healthy. The Vikings face of the franchise is one of the most dominant players in the league, and at just 24 years old, he has plenty of time to keep terrifying defenses. Since returning from injury, he’s shown that he still has it in flashes, but this week was his true return to form, posting 141 receiving yards on 6 catches and a trademark JJettas touchdown, diving for an athletic catch in the corner of the end zone.
Stat Leaders Through Week 16
Passing Yards – Tua Tagovailoa MIA, 4214
Passing TD’s – Dak Prescott DAL, 30
Rushing Yards – Christian McCaffrey SF, 1395
Rushing TD’s – Raheem Mostert MIA, 18
Receiving Yards – Tyreek Hill MIA, 1641
Receiving TD’s – Mike Evans TB, 13
Total TD’s – Christian McCaffrey SF and Raheem Mostert MIA, 21
Tackles (combined) – Zaire Franklin IND, 161
Sacks – T.J. Watt PIT, 17.0
Interceptions – DaRon Bland DAL, 8
Week 17 Preview – What to watch
Your fantasy football championship games!!!
Good luck, everyone.
Week 17 Best Games
Miami Dolphins @ Baltimore Ravens
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs
Tyler’s Bold Week 17 Prediction
The Baltimore Ravens will assert their AFC dominance, beating the Dolphins by double digits.
Week 17 Storylines
A Flacco-led Cleveland has the opportunity to secure their spot in the playoffs with a win or tie. Jets @ Browns, TNF
Detroit have secured their division title, but Dallas are still hunting their’s. Lions @ Cowboys, Saturday Night, 1:15am (Sunday morning)
Atlanta can’t afford to lose another game. Falcons @ Bears, 6pm
Las Vegas look to keep up their sudden burst of momentum, as they try to knock Indianapolis out of a wildcard spot. Raiders @ Colts, 6pm
The Rams will clinch their playoff spot if they win and Seattle lose to Pittsburgh. Rams @ Giants, 6pm
Can New Orleans stay alive, or will Tampa Bay clinch the division and their spot in the playoffs? Saints @ Buccaneers, 6pm
An AFC Championship preview? Dolphins @ Ravens, 6pm
Pittsburgh are doing their best to stay in the playoff hunt, while playing spoiler to Seattle. Steelers @ Seahawks, 9:05pm
Cincinnati has a huge playoff probability swing available in KC (7% if lose – 58% if win). Bengals @ Chiefs, 9:25pm
