Christmas weekend didn’t lack for intrigue. Whether it was the Texans beating the Chargers or the Bills winning the battle of the AFC East, there were plenty of eye-catching performances. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from Week 16 of the 2021 season.
The Good
Bills win AFC East battle – Buffalo got a much-needed win to keep the divisional race alive. Josh Allen and the offense looked good, despite the absences of Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis. This forced New England to move away from their running game and that never looked like a comfortable transition. They converted just one of ten first downs and had just 4.2 yards per pass attempt. The two are now tied at 9-6 and the Bills will clinch the division title with wins over the Falcons and Jets.
Burrow electric against Baltimore – Baltimore were playing without a number of big names, but Burrow’s performance was impressive nonetheless. He finished up 37 of 46 for a career-high 525 yards and four touchdowns. The 525 yards put Burrow fourth on the all-time single game passing yards list and is the most by any quarterback since 2012. He averaged a ridiculous 11.4 yards per attempt as the Bengals took control of the AFC North with their 41-21 win.
Trevon Diggs makes history – Diggs caught his 11th interception of the season against Washington, making history in the process. The pick tied the franchise record, set by Everson Walls in 1981. There are now only three players with more interceptions in a single season since the 1970 NFL merger. Diggs could legitimately challenge Lester Hayes’ NFL record of 13, set in 1980. Diggs’ season has been markedly by huge highs and big lows in coverage, but there is no denying his ball-hawking talent.
The Bad
Chargers lose to Texans – It speaks volumes about the Chargers’ struggles on defense that they gave up 189 rushing yards to a Houston backfield of Rex Burkhead and Royce Freeman. They weren’t much better in the passing game either. They couldn’t stop big plays and allowed the Texans to convert nine of 13 third downs. Perhaps the biggest surprise came on offense. They struggled to convert in key situations and paid the price with two bad interceptions from Justin Herbert.
Cardinals’ slide continues – The Cardinals have picked the worst time to have a mini-crisis. After starting out 10-2, they have now lost three straight games. This weekend’s test against the Colts was always going to be tough, but one you would hope to win if you are a legitimate playoff team. In the end it came down to mistakes and missed opportunities. They committed 11 penalties, costing them 85 yards. Matt Prater also missed two field goals and an extra point, which could have changed everything in a 22-16 loss.
Giants’ second half performance – There hasn’t been much to smile about if you are a Giants fan this season. At halftime it looked like this weekend could be the rare exception, with them tied at 3-3 with the Eagles. Then came the second half. Their defense went AWOL, giving up 31 points, including scores on four of the Eagles’ five second half drives. They weren’t helped by another terrible offensive performance, with a pick six from Mike Glennon.
The Ugly
Broncos offensive woes – This weekend’s game marked Drew Lock’s first start since Week 17 of 2020, which also happened to be against the Raiders. It is safe to say this weekend’s game was far more disappointing. Denver looked stilted on offense, managing just 158 yards all game. This included just 18 rushing yards on 16 attempts. This was against a Raiders defense that ranked 26th in defensive DVOA and 31st in points allowed per drive.
Carolina’s quarterback carousel disappoints – John Madden was often quoted as saying that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one. No team embodies that sentiment better than the Panthers. Matt Rhule’s continued commitment to rotating his quarterback resulted in a terrible offensive performance this weekend. Cam Newton and Sam Darnold combined for just 251 passing yards and six points against the Bucs in a terrible loss.
Week 16 MVP
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals – There is nobody more deserving of this than Burrow. He had a career game against a divisional rival, breaking the franchise single game passing yard record in the process. Cincinnati are now in pole position in the AFC North.
Rookie of the week
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons – Pitts was outstanding against the Lions, finishing up with six catches for 102 yards. This accounted for almost half of Atlanta’s receiving production. This was the third time this season he has exceeded 100 receiving yards.
Stat of the week
23 – Antonio Brown registered his 23rd game with 10+ receptions. In doing so he broke his tie with Andre Johnson and set a new NFL record.
