NFL Team Grades for Week 16
'Tis the season.
Actually, where the NFL's concerned, the regular season is winding down. By the time Santa finishes his yearly rounds and another Christmas has come and gone, this year's slate of playoff teams will be set.
As a matter of fact, we already know seven of the eight division winners, from the Los Angeles Rams to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
No, really—both teams are in.
Only the NFC South remains in question.
We also know who will be picking No. 1 overall in next April's draft—as if there was any question.
Cleveland—you are on the clock.
Week 16 has brought with it everything from a Beantown beatdown to a Santa Clara stunner—performances that were both stellar and…not so much.
And just like every week this season, it's time to grade them all.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. New York Giants
Score: Won 23-0
It's been a rough year for the Arizona Cardinals, who have been hit as hard by injuries as any team in the NFL.
It's a testament to Bruce Arians and the staff that despite all the trials and tribulations, the Redbirds continue to fight the good fight.
They certainly fought it in Week 16, dropping a piano on the hapless New York Giants.
Mind you, this isn't the Carson Palmer/David Johnson/Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals. Fitz was the only member of the trio that played against New York.
And Fitzgerald came to play, hauling in nine passes for 119 yards and a score and throwing a 21-yard pass.
The Cardinals played an excellent defensive game as well, holding the Giants to less than 300 total yards, amassing three takeaways and scoring a touchdown on a Robert Nkemdiche 21-yard fumble return.
If the Cardinals can somehow knock off the Seahawks in Seattle next week, Arizona will finish the season 8-8 and ruin Seattle's postseason dreams.
Given everything that has happened in the desert in 2017, that would be quite the accomplishment.
Week 16 Grade: A
Season Grade: C-
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at New Orleans Saints
Score: Lost 23-13
Sunday's Big Easy showdown was everything we love about the NFL. Two division rivals vying for playoff spots who just met a couple of weeks ago going at it. High stakes. Star quarterbacks.
Get your popcorn ready.
Sadly for the Falcons, only one of those two rivals truly showed up in Week 16—and it wasn't Atlanta.
The Falcons have been prone to something of a Jekyll-and-Hyde act this season, and the bad Falcons showed up at the Superdome. Atlanta couldn't run the ball, gaining just 67 yards on 20 carries. The offensive line was pushed around in pass protection, too, allowing five sacks.
The timing and circumstances of Atlanta's turnovers were disastrous as well. One was a wild interception off a defender's backside. The other was a Devonta Freeman fumble at the New Orleans 1-yard line.
At 9-6, the Falcons still control their own fate, thanks to a tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks. But they also have to face a Carolina Panthers team next week that's looking to win the NFC South.
A Panthers team that beat the Falcons in Week 9.
No pressure.
Week 16 Grade: D+
Season Grade: B-
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Score: Won 23-16
The Baltimore Ravens kicked off Week 16 with a clear mission—defeat the Indianapolis Colts in what appeared to be a winnable game and stay on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
The Ravens got the job done, but as has been the case in so many of Baltimore's games this season, the team didn't rack up any style points doing it.
Still, there was at least one bright spot in an otherwise lackluster contest that offers the Ravens some hope that they can not only make the postseason but potentially do a little damage once they get there.
After spending much of the season in a funk, the play of Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco has improved recently. Flacco was efficient against the Colts, missing on just nine of 38 pass attempts and posting a passer rating of almost 110.
It would be quite the stretch to call the Ravens a serious threat to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LII. But assuming that Baltimore takes care of business next week against Cincinnati and makes the tournament, it's not a stretch to say that, given the Ravens' defense and playoff experience, they're a team no one wants to face on Wild Card Weekend.
Week 16 Grade: B-
Season Grade: B-
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Buffalo Bills
4 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at New England Patriots
Score: Lost 37-16
The Buffalo Bills faced a tall order in Week 16. If the team wanted to keep its playoff aspirations on track, all it had to do was travel to Gillette Stadium and beat the Patriots.
The only beating dished out Sunday was to the Bills, not by them.
For a time, it looked like the Bills might actually pull it off. Thanks largely to an inspired defensive effort, the Bills took a 16-13 lead early in the second half.
Unfortunately, the Bills were outscored 24-0 the rest of the way. Buffalo was shredded by tailback Dion Lewis in the final quarter, when the deficit went from just seven points to…more than seven.
Bills fans will probably point to the overturned Kelvin Benjamin touchdown just before the half as proof that either the refs favor the Patriots, the Bills are cursed or both. It certainly appeared to drain the energy from Buffalo.
Buffalo's playoff hopes aren't completely dashed, but the odds of the NFL's longest playoff drought ending in 2017 aren't looking good after this smackdown.
Week 16 Grade: F
Season Grade: C
Carolina Panthers
5 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Score: Won 22-19
For most of Sunday's NFC South matchup in Charlotte, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers outplayed the Carolina Panthers.
Tampa out-gained Carolina by 137 total yards. Jameis Winston had over twice as many passing yards as Cam Newton. The former's passer rating was north of 130. The latter's was south of 70.
But the scoreboard.
Despite all those statistics and a game-winning play in which Newton fumbled the snap only to scoop it up and run it in, the Panthers won the game and reserved a seat at the postseason table. Partly, it was because of Carolina's 115 rushing yards. Partly, it was because of Tampa's three turnovers.
And partly, it was just because good football teams figure out a way to steal a win even when they aren't playing their best. Bad teams figure out a way to let games they should win slip through their fingers.
The Panthers are a good team.
The Buccaneers? Not so much.
Week 16 Grade: B-
Season Grade: B+
Chicago Bears
6 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Cleveland Browns
Score: Won 20-3
In the grand scheme of things, the Chicago Bears' win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 16 really doesn't mean a whole lot. In fact, the rules committee is considering a change wherein victories over Cleveland only count as half a win.
The Bears are still a 5-10 team that will likely be in the market for a new coach this offseason. The victory is only Chicago's second since Week 7.
However, it's at the very least heartening to see a young Bears team playing hard down the stretch. And there were glimmers in this game of what could be for the Bears in 2018.
Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky took good care of the football and found the end zone on a run. Tailback Jordan Howard continued his solid second season, pitching in a pair of touchdowns of his own. And the Chicago defense forced three turnovers and held the Browns out of the end zone.
There's still more than a little work to be done in the Windy City. But some progress is being made.
That's more than you can say about Chicago's opponent.
Week 16 Grade: B
Season Grade: D-
Cincinnati Bengals
7 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Detroit Lions
Score: Won 26-17
Sometimes, at the end of the year, the only thing left to play for is spreading misery.
The Cincinnati Bengals had just such an opportunity Sunday against the 8-6 Lions—a chance to play Grinch and steal Detroit's playoff hopes.
That's exactly what the Bengals did.
The Bengals were led to victory by an unlikely hero. Tailback Gio Bernard is the last healthy man standing in the Bengals backfield, and Bernard gashed the Lions for 116 yards and a score on 23 totes, helping the Bengals grind out the win late.
In the short term, the win means little—other than giving Marvin Lewis a victory in his (likely) home finale.
But the game underscored that this Bengals team has some talent. There's more than a little for the new head coach to work with.
And that should make Cincinnati an appealing destination for potential candidates.
Week 16 Grade: B
Season Grade: D
Cleveland Browns
8 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Chicago Bears
Score: Lost 20-3
Last Christmas Eve, the Cleveland Browns shocked the San Diego Chargers for their only win of the 2016 season.
There would be no such holiday miracle in 2017.
After yet another display of ineptitude Sunday in Chicago, the Clowns are 60 minutes away from joining the 2008 Lions in NFL infamy.
If the two teams were to play one another, my money's on the Lions.
The Browns are, for lack of a better descriptor, a pathetic team. If the defense manages to play decently, the offense stalls. If the offense is moving, then repent your sins—because the Apocalypse is here.
And the turnovers. My goodness, the turnovers. DeShone Kizer threw two more interceptions, bringing his league-leading total to 417 for the season.
OK, he only has 21. It just feels like more.
There's no silver lining. No potential glimmer of hope.
This team might be the worst single-season team in the history of the NFL.
It sure played like it in Week 16.
Week 16 Grade: S (for Sad)
Season Grade: L (for Losers)
Dallas Cowboys
9 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Score: Lost 21-12
Sunday's game in Dallas was supposed to a battle to the death between two contenders barely clinging to hopes of making the playoffs.
It turned into a battle of wills between two clubs trying to see who wanted to lose more.
As it turned out, that was the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite out-gaining the Seahawks by a margin of over 2-to-1, the Cowboys managed to score just 12 points. Despite having Ezekiel Elliott back from suspension, the only touchdown the Cowboys were responsible for was a pick-six thrown by Dak Prescott.
Toss in another Prescott interception and two missed field goals by the usually reliable Dan Bailey, and the game was a comedy of unforced errors.
The Cowboys haven't looked in 2017 like the team that won 13 games in the NFC East last year—both with and without Elliott in the backfield.
Perhaps it's fitting that it ended this way—the team that bumbled around Jerruh World Sunday has no business in the playoffs anyway.
Week 16 Grade: D-
Season Grade: C
Denver Broncos
10 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Washington Redskins
Score: Lost 27-11
You can bet the rent money that Denver grand poobah John Elway spent much of Sunday's loss to Washington trying to figure out how much money he plans to offer Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins in the offseason.
Because Denver's most glaring need is undoubtedly at that position.
The Broncos aren't a bad team. Sure, they could use some offensive line help (who couldn't?), but they have talent at the offensive skill positions. And the defense is better than it's looked of late—it's been put in an untenable position by an offense that can't stay on the field.
The most important position in football is a dumpster fire for the Broncos. Whether it's been Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch under center, all have had one thing in common this season.
They all stink.
It was Osweiler's turn to be putrid in D.C. The worst part is his afternoon of 193 passing yards and an interception on 22-of-38 completions was probably one of his better efforts this season.
Mr. Cousins, Mr. Elway is on Line 1.
Week 16 Grade: D-
Season Grade: D-
Detroit Lions
11 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Cincinnati Bengals
Score: Lost 26-17
The Detroit Lions entered Week 16 one of a handful of NFC teams clinging to faint playoff hopes. To bolster those hopes, all the Lions had to do was down a Bengals team that appeared to have quit in blowout losses each of the last two weeks.
The Lions choked.
It was a group effort. Matthew Stafford completed just 19 of 35 passes and threw a pick. Detroit's anemic run game was held under 90 yards. Detroit's defense allowed 364 yards of total offense and gave up a big game to running back Gio Bernard.
And head coach Jim Caldwell bizarrely failed to challenge a fourth-quarter incompletion to Golden Tate that appeared on replay to have been a catch.
The Lions didn't play with the urgency of a team with its back against the wall. They played like a squad that didn't really want to go to the postseason at all.
Mission accomplished.
Week 16 Grade: D
Season Grade: C
Green Bay Packers
12 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Score: Lost 16-0
Someone in Green Bay must have broken a mirror. Walked under a ladder. Something.
Because if it wasn't for bad luck, the Packers wouldn't have any in 2017.
And it just keeps getting worse.
It's not bad enough that Green Bay has been without the services of Aaron Rodgers for much of the season. Or that the Packers will miss the playoffs this year for the first time since 2008. Or that Saturday's embarrassing shutout loss to the Vikings guarantees Green Bay its first non-winning season since that same year.
It was an ugly game in ugly weather in which Brett Hundley hit on just 17 of 40 passes for 130 yards and a pair of interceptions...because Green Bay didn't miss Rodgers enough already.
Now, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Packers could be in hot water with the NFL for placing Rodgers back on injured reserve. Since Rodgers didn't suffer a new injury, by the letter of the law, Green Bay should (in theory) have to release Rodgers once he's healthy.
That's not going to happen, of course. But the kerfuffle over Rodgers is a fitting end to the worst season in Titletown in a decade.
Week 16 Grade: F
Season Grade: C-
Houston Texans
13 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Score: Lost 34-6
The only good thing that came from Monday's blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Houston Texans is that the game was in Houston. At least the players could go home and spend the latter part of Christmas Day with their family.
Of course, their mood might not be so great after what happened Monday afternoon.
In a season filled with low points, this may have been rock bottom. Houston managed all of 227 yards of total offense. For a time, the team was forced to turn to Taylor Heinicke at quarterback.
Yes, that's an actual person.
No, it did not go well.
The game was Houston's season in a nutshell—one great DeAndre Hopkins catch lost amid a sea of awful in a stadium filled with fans wondering what might have been had Deshaun Watson not gotten hurt.
Oh. And J.J. Watt.
And Whitney Mercilus.
And so on and so forth.
Week 16 Grade: F
Season Grade: F
Indianapolis Colts
14 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Baltimore Ravens
Score: Lost 23-16
It's been a long season for the Indianapolis Colts.
To their credit, the Colts at least kept it close Saturday afternoon in Baltimore. But Indy's comeback bid came up short, and the team fell to 3-12 on the season—easily the worst year of the Chuck Pagano era.
It's also probably the last year of the Chuck Pagano era, but that's a story for another day.
It's easy to point to the Andrew Luck injury as the reason the Colts are awful in 2017. And of course the loss of their starting quarterback was a huge blow.
But the Colts would probably be below .500 with Luck.
The Colts can't run the ball. Or stop the run. Or rush the passer. Or protect their own—the two sacks Indianapolis allowed to the Ravens brings the number for the season to an eye-popping 55.
The cold, hard truth is the Indianapolis Colts are just a bad football team.
Luck's (hopeful) return in 2018 isn't going to magically fix that.
Week 16 Grade: D
Season Grade: F
Jacksonville Jaguars
15 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at San Francisco 49ers
Score: Lost 44-33
The Jaguars entered their Week 16 tangle with the San Francisco 49ers the freshly crowned champions of the AFC South after the Tennessee Titans fell to the Los Angeles Rams.
By the end of the game, the Jaguars had been crowned a second time—right upside the head.
There wasn't a more surprising result in Week 16 than the ease with which the 49ers handled the Jaguars. A Jacksonville defense that came into the week third in the NFL in yards per game allowed 369 yards of total offense and a bucketful of points.
Yes, the Jaguars offense racked up 472 total yards and Blake Bortles amassed a career-best 382 passing yards, but the latter came in comeback mode and/or garbage time and Bortles threw three interceptions.
The best thing for the Jaguars likely is to forget about this game as quickly as possible. Jacksonville can still earn a Round 1 bye if things break the right way.
But Sunday put the brakes on the Jaguars hype train.
Week 16 Grade: D
Season Grade: B
Kansas City Chiefs
16 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Miami Dolphins
Score: Won 29-13
The Kansas City Chiefs have been the NFL's streakiest team in 2017. Five straight wins were followed by six losses in seven games. Then came three more wins, culminating in Sunday's victory over the Dolphins that clinched the AFC West.
The Chiefs are in the playoffs and back in the Super Bowl "Hunt" because the team remembered it has one.
Once again in Week 16, the Chiefs gave a heavy workload to rookie tailback Kareem Hunt. Hunt carried the ball 29 times for 91 yards and a touchdown, adding 15 more yards on four catches.
And as was the case in six of the eight games entering this week where Hunt had 20 or more touches, the Chiefs won.
Still, next week it might just be a good idea to break from that script for one game.
If the Chiefs find themselves locked into the AFC's No. 4 seed, it would be wise to give the youngster some rest.
The Chiefs are going to need him once the postseason begins.
Week 16 Grade: B+
Season Grade: B
Los Angeles Chargers
17 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at New York Jets
Score: Won 14-7
At 7-7 entering Week 16, the Los Angeles Chargers were in a sort of postseason no-man's land—not officially eliminated but in need of about 42 things all happening in a specific order to get in.
The Bolts are still the longest of long shots, but Sunday's win over the Jets at least keeps them in the hunt for a wild-card spot.
The win ensures that the Chargers will at least finish at .500 for the first time since 2014.
And that's about the nicest thing I can think of to say about it.
Granted, the Chargers didn't play badly. Philip Rivers threw for 290 yards, and tailback Melvin Gordon piled up 128 total yards and scored a touchdown. But the team also allowed almost 200 yards on the ground and let the Bryce Petty-led Jets hang around.
The Chargers will finish the season next week at home against Oakland with a shot at a nine-win season. And while they've been outshined by the Rams in 2017, there's room for some optimism regarding the future.
Week 16 Grade: B-
Season Grade: C
Los Angeles Rams
18 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Tennessee Titans
Score: Won 27-23
For the first time since 2003, the Los Angeles Rams are the champions of the NFC West.
But after downing the Tennessee Titans on Sunday to move to 11-4 on the season, the Rams have their sights set higher than just a division title.
The Rams were propelled to victory in Week 16 by their high-octane offense. Quarterback Jared Goff threw four touchdown passes. Tailback Todd Gurley improved his case to be named the NFL's Most Valuable Player, exploding for 276 total yards and two scores.
That stat line swung many a fantasy championship this week.
This magical first season back in L.A. is no fluke. The Rams have played a total of eight games this year against teams that entered Week 16 with winning records.
Sunday's victory lifted the Rams to 5-3 in those games.
As things stand now, it looks like the Rams will enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed, so the team won't be getting a week's respite before the playoffs start.
But whatever unlucky soul draws the Rams in the Wild Card Round is going to have a ton of work to do defensively.
Week 16 Grade: B+
Season Grade: A-
Miami Dolphins
19 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Kansas City Chiefs
Score: Lost 29-13
Miami's Week 16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was its season in a nutshell.
Disappointing and hard to watch.
As has been the case for much of the season, the Miami offense sputtered. The Dolphins rushed for just 59 yards, didn't convert a single third-down attempt, went 0-of-2 in the red zone, held the ball for just 22 minutes and turned it over twice.
Other than that, though, things went fine.
Well, except for the defense allowing over 400 total yards and 8-of-16 third-down attempts.
And the 11 penalties for 75 yards that resulted in four Chiefs first downs.
It was an ugly game in what's been an ugly season for the Dolphins. Yes, the team lost Ryan Tannehill in the preseason, but that doesn't fully explain the stagnant offense or sloppy play that has defined Miami in 2017.
At least there's only 60 more minutes of this to endure from the Dolphins this year.
Week 16 Grade: F
Season Grade: D
Minnesota Vikings
20 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Green Bay Packers
Score: Won 16-0
In the history of the NFL, no team has ever played a Super Bowl in its home stadium.
That may well change in 2017.
The Minnesota Vikings didn't exactly light up the scoreboard on a chilly Saturday evening at Lambeau Field, managing just 236 yards of total offense. But the Vikings did one vitally important thing the Packers did not.
Minnesota scored points.
On a night when yardage was hard to come by, Minnesota's defense carried the day. The Vikings held a listless Green Bay offense under 250 total yards, allowed the Packers to convert on just four of 15 third downs and forced a pair of game-changing turnovers.
You wouldn't necessarily know it by looking at just this game, but the Vikings are legit—a hard-nosed 12-3 team that has adopted the personality of head coach Mike Zimmer.
Now, all the Vikings need to do is down a similarly struggling Bears team in Week 17 to lock up a week off before they try to make some Twin Cities history.
Week 16 Grade: B+
Season Grade: A
New England Patriots
21 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Buffalo Bills
Score: Won 37-16
The New England Patriots are incredibly annoying.
It's not just the Super Bowl wins. Or the 113 straight AFC East championships. Or the pretty-boy MVP quarterback with the supermodel wife.
It's that the Patriots shake off injuries that would devastate many teams with a sort of bored indifference.
With wide receiver Chris Hogan and tailback Rex Burkhead on the shelf, the Pats missed exactly zero beats in dismantling the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Dion Lewis racked up over 150 combined yards and found paydirt twice. Tom Brady completed passes to nine different receivers.
The defense got into the act, too. The Bills had 326 yards of total offense, but Buffalo's only touchdown in the game was a Jordan Poyer interception return.
All the Patriots have to do now is take care of what's left of the New York Jets at home next week to sew up a 13-3 season and the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Like I said…annoying.
Week 16 Grade: A
Season Grade: A
New Orleans Saints
22 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Score: Won 23-13
It doesn't look it just based on the score, but the New Orleans Saints may have put forth the best effort of the early games in Week 16.
Just a couple of weeks after falling to the Falcons in Atlanta and with a playoff berth (and possibly even the NFC South) up for grabs, the Saints came out at home and played inspired football.
This game wasn't as close as the score.
And the way the Saints won the game might be the most impressive part of all.
On a day when the Falcons actually out-gained New Orleans and the Saints running game scuffled a bit, the defense compensated. The Saints harassed Matt Ryan to the tune of five sacks and forced a pair of turnovers, including a huge fumble recovery as the Falcons were driving in for a score at the New Orleans 1-yard line that would have cut it to a one-possession game.
With the win, the Saints are in the postseason. Beat the Buccaneers next week, and they are division champions.
The NFC playoffs are going to be so good this year.
Week 16 Grade: A-
Season Grade: A-
New York Giants
23 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Arizona Cardinals
Score: Lost 23-0
The 2017 New York Giants have been an exercise in constantly punching through rock bottom to a new, even lower nadir.
The Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, but at least they tried. They gave the Eagles a game.
In the desert Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals...
Total flatline.
The Giants had 20 carries in the game—for 43 yards.
New York had 14 third-down conversion attempts. It was successful once.
And Eli Manning—oh my goodness Eli Manning.
Manning was staggeringly awful against the Cardinals, connecting on 27 of 45 attempts for 263 yards with a pair of interceptions. He also lost a fumble that was returned for a score.
The defense was just as putrid, allowing such stars as Drew "Who?" Stanton and Kerwynn "Seriously, Who?" Williams to move the ball for Arizona.
The Giants were supposed to be a playoff team in 2017. Instead, Big Blew is 2-13.
They looked it Sunday—and then some.
Week 16 Grade: F
Season Grade: F
New York Jets
24 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Score: Lost 14-7
The New York Jets are a plucky team that's been significantly better than expected in 2017.
But plucky doesn't win football games, and "better than expected" doesn't mean the Jets are good.
In fairness, the loss of starting quarterback Josh McCown essentially hobbled the offense. With Bryce Petty under center, the Jets ran the ball 30 times against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. They had success, too—piling up almost 200 rushing yards and averaging 6.6 yards a carry.
However, Petty passed for just 119 yards and averaged a mere 4.3 yards per attempt.
When the quarterback averages fewer yards per attempt through the air than the team's running backs are on the ground, that is not good—unless it's 1953.
Frankly, a strong argument can be made that the result the Jets got in Week 16 was exactly what they needed.
This team needs draft position (and a young quarterback) a lot more than a meaningless December win over another AFC also-ran.
Week 16 Grade: D+
Season Grade: D
Oakland Raiders
25 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Philadelphia Eagles
Score: Lost 19-10
In some respects, it’s too bad the Oakland Raiders still have a game left to play next week.
Blowing a winnable game in Philly against the NFC’s best team (record-wise) would have been the perfect capper for the mess that’s been Oakland’s 2017 season.
On a night when neither team managed 300 yards of offense (a rarity for Oakland’s opponents this year), the Raiders still found a way to lose.
On a night when the Raiders ran the ball for 137 yards against the NFL’s best rushing defense, Derek Carr passed for 140 and threw two picks with a passer rating of 48.1.
This was supposed to be a Super Bowl contender led by a young quarterback who was going to earn his fat new contract by joining the ranks of the elite. The Raiders were supposed to be celebrating an AFC West title by now.
Instead, they are a deeply flawed team led by a rattled quarterback throwing passes up for grabs with regularity—which is a good idea exactly never.
It’s too bad the Raiders have to play another game.
Because the offseason can’t get here soon enough.
Week 16 Grade: D
Season Grade: D
Philadelphia Eagles
26 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Oakland Raiders
Score: Won 19-10
The Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Oakland Raiders to close out Week 16 and give the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC to Philly is an exercise in perspective.
Supporters of the Eagles will point to it as a gutsy victory in less-than-perfect conditions. On a night when the Philadelphia offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders, the defense stepped up.
A win’s a win and all that good stuff.
There’s just one problem. The Eagles offense wasn’t firing on any cylinders.
Four Nick Foles touchdown passes in Week 15 masked the fact he only threw for 237 yards in that game. In Week 16, it was 163 yards and one score. With an interception. And a passer rating of less than 60.
And numerous missed throws. And sacks that Carson Wentz wouldn’t have allowed.
With Wentz, the Eagles were the NFL’s best team on third down. With Foles on Monday, the Eagles were 1-of-14.
That’s the rub.
Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles are a 13-win division champion with home field throughout the NFC playoffs.
But without Wentz on Monday, the Eagles also looked a lot like the 2016 Raiders.
A really good team headed for one-and-done in the postseason because of one crippling injury.
Week 16 Grade: B-
Season Grade: A-
Pittsburgh Steelers
27 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Houston Texans
Score: Won 34-6
Never has the delineation between contenders and pretenders in the NFL been so clear.
The Pittsburgh Steelers gave themselves a Christmas gift on Monday by laying waste to a clearly overmatched Houston Texans team that's been absolutely decimated by injuries.
It can be dangerous to take too much away from one game—especially one as lopsided as this.
But in Week 16 at least, the Steelers looked the part of a team that can survive the loss of Antonio Brown. With Brown out, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 226 yards to six different receivers. Tailback Le'Veon Bell went over 400 touches for the season, piling up 97 total yards and finding the end zone once.
The defense was also stellar. Pittsburgh dialed up the pressure to the tune of seven sacks and limited the Texans to minus-seven passing yards in the first half.
With the Steelers closing the season against the NFL's ultimate tomato cans in the Cleveland Browns, it may be hard to accurately gauge just how big Brown's absence might be in the postseason.
But by throttling Houston, at least the Steelers bought an extra week in the hopes they won't have to find out.
Week 16 Grade: A
Season Grade: A-
San Francisco 49ers
28 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Score: Won 44-33
You know, it's starting to look like Jimmy Garoppolo can play.
After the 49ers' stunning throttling of the Jaguars (this game was not 11-points close, folks), Garoppolo remains undefeated as a starter in the NFL. Against the NFL's best pass defense, Garoppolo threw for 242 yards and two scores, ran for another and posted a passer rating of over 100.
It wasn't just Garoppolo, either. Carlos Hyde and Matt Breida combined to rush for 128 yards and two scores. The San Francisco defense picked off Blake Bortles three times, returning one for a touchdown.
Mind you, this is a 49ers team that dropped its first nine games. And they flat-out whupped the AFC South champions.
The 49ers have now won five out of six and four straight with Garoppolo at the helm. A team that was thought to be in the conversation for the worst in the league has two straight wins over teams with winning records.
And 2018 can't get here fast enough for fans who want to see what happens next.
Week 16 Grade: A
Season Grade: D
Seattle Seahawks
29 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Dallas Cowboys
Score: Won 21-12
The Week 16 meeting between the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys was a playoff game before the playoffs. The loser would be finished as far as the playoffs are concerned.
However, fans hoping for an epic struggle instead got a slopfest. The Seahawks came out with the win, and to be fair, the Seahawks' injury-ravaged defense deserves substantial credit for how it played—limiting the Cowboys to four field goals and notching three takeaways.
In fact, the defense gets all the credit—because the offense was horrible.
Consider these numbers.
Russell Wilson was 14-of-21 for 93 yards. For the game.
Tailback Mike Davis carried the ball 15 times—for 25 yards.
The Seahawks had more penalty yards (142) than total yards (136).
Had the Cowboys not been even more self-destructive, Seattle's season would be over. This is a game the Seahawks should have lost.
Wilson and Seattle's postseason experience supposedly makes them dangerous. But there wasn't much difference between this team and the one that got shelled at home against the Rams last week.
They were just luckier in Week 16.
Week 16 Grade: C+
Season Grade: C+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: at Carolina Panthers
Score: Lost 22-19
The Buccaneers had it.
For most of Sunday's tilt with the Panthers, the Buccaneers were the better team. Jameis Winston carved up Carolina's defense to the tune of 367 passing yards. Through the majority of the first half, Tampa Bay's defense held Cam Newton and the Panthers offense in check and out of the end zone.
But the Buccaneers are 4-11 now for a reason.
There was a special teams lapse that allowed a 103-yard touchdown on a kick return. While Winston moved the offense up and down the field, the Bucs were a woeful 1-of-6 in the red zone. And when the Tampa defense needed to get one last stop, it couldn't, allowing Newton to guide the Panthers to a last-second win.
Then after Winston turned it over to seal the game, the young quarterback drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for an on-field meltdown.
That's the problem with the Buccaneers in 2017: On-field meltdowns have been something of a theme for the team.
Week 16 Grade: D+
Season Grade: D-
Tennessee Titans
31 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Score: Lost 27-23
As recently as the beginning of December, the Titans were an 8-4 football team in first place in their division and looked well-positioned to make their first playoff appearance since 2008.
Now, the Titans are a reeling unit set to miss the postseason altogether.
Sunday's home loss to the Rams was Tennessee's third straight setback. It was also a game filled with problems both old and new.
The old problems were the Titans' offensive issues. The Titans ran for just 97 yards as a team, and quarterback Marcus Mariota continued to struggle, tossing an interception and managing a passer rating of just 67.8.
The new problem was a Titans defense that had no answer for Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and the Rams, surrendering over 400 yards of total offense and approximately all the yards ever to Gurley.
The Titans aren't dead yet. They're still clinging to the No. 6 seed in the AFC.
But it's hard to have much confidence in this team's chances of downing the AFC South champion Jaguars a second time next week.
That convincing win over Jacksonville back in Week 2 feels like it was years ago.
Week 16 Grade: D
Season Grade: C-
Washington Redskins
32 of 32
Week 16 Opponent: vs. Denver Broncos
Score: Won 27-11
Life is about to get very interesting for Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.
There won't be any playoffs for Washington in 2017, so the stretch run is an audition of sorts for Cousins—an opportunity to showcase his talents before he likely hits the open market next spring.
Cousins certainly didn't hurt himself against Denver. Playing against one of the better pass defenses in the NFL, he had an excellent game, coming up just short of 300 passing yards with three touchdowns and a pick.
Despite a pass-catching corps that's had its fair share of injuries, Cousins spread the ball around well. Eight different receivers caught passes. Six caught more than one. Three found the end zone.
The Redskins have a chance to salvage a .500 season when they travel to New York next week, and then it's time for some decisions that could impact the franchise for years to come.
Chief among those is whether or not to finally lock Cousins up to a long-term deal.
A $34 million franchise tag probably isn't on the table.
Week 16 Grade: B+
Season Grade: C-
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