Week 16 was a big week for the wide receivers as more than 10 receivers racked up more than 100 yards. The action was spread across 4 days and it was a jolly NFL weekend. In the AFC, the entire AFC South division lost so nothing changed there but the AFC North had a lot of action. The Bengals another divisional game to the Steelers, the Ravens kept rolling, and the Browns crushed the C.J. Stroud-less Houston Texans. It was a good week for the AFC East as all four of their teams won and the Bills and Dolphins got big wins to keep it tight at the top. In the NFC, the Lions, 49ers, and the Eagles are tied for the 1st seed with their 11-4 records so it’ll be an important last 2 weeks for these 3 teams.
One of the big games on Sunday was the Texans against the Browns and it was the Amari Cooper show in this one. He and Flacco have only played a couple games together but they have great chemistry already and Cooper is stepping up for Cleveland. They need that reliable receiver in the playoffs and that Flacco Cooper connection will be big. Having a pocket quarterback helps Cooper because Flacco throws more than Watson and is definitely better in the passing game. Cooper broke a bunch of franchise records in this game as he went for 11 catches, 265 yards, and 2 touchdowns. The defense was solid once again and the Browns are becoming the complete team that others should be afraid of. On the Texans side, they really missed Stroud in this game because Keenum and Mills weren’t very good. This team has gotten no break with injuries and if they are to make the playoffs, they’ll be without Tank Dell who suffered a season ending injury. Nico Collins and Stroud need to get things going in the offense this week because as of now, they’re in the 8th seed which won’t make the playoffs. Final Score: 36-22 Browns win.
Sunday’s top game was the Cowboys against the Dolphins and it was a nail-biter which went down to the last kick. It wasn’t the high scoring back and forth game that we expected but it was a defensive battle. On the Cowboys 1st drive, they had a great drive going but on 4th and goal from the 1 yard line, Dak Prescott and Hunter Luepke didn’t get a clean handoff so Luepke fumbled and Miami recovered. It was a positive drive they had but the difference in them losing and winning could’ve been that drive. They missed the chance to get 7 points and even though it was early in the game, that was a real game changer. When I said Lamb wasn’t going to have a big game in my prediction for this game, I was wrong. He was the only bright spot in the offense and he played like a superstar in his 6 reception, 132 total yards, 1 touchdown day. It was another road loss for Dallas and they have to get better playing away from home. For Miami, this was exactly what they wanted and they finally beat a team over .500. The defense was great and holding the Cowboys to only 20 points is a feat. It wasn’t a fast game like they like to play but I think it’s impressive how Miami adapted and won by only 1 touchdown. Jason Sanders was magnificent and his 5 field goals propelled Miami to victory. He made 3 field goals over 50 yards and when the offense can’t score touchdowns, it’s good to know they have a dependable kicker. Final Score: 22-20 Dolphins win.
Only 2 more weeks are left and the race for the 1st seed in each conference is heating up. The Ravens and the Dolphins play a gigantic game next week and if the Ravens win, they clinch the top seed but if Miami wins, they clinch the AFC East and they’ll have the same record as Baltimore. What will happen next week with the AFC’s top teams?
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