Three teams booked their playoff spots after another thrilling weekend of NFL action in Week 16, but Sunday marked a new low for the miserable 2022 Denver Broncos.
Hopes were high in the offseason that Denver had a roster ready to contend for a Super Bowl after that blockbuster trade to acquire Russell Wilson from Seattle.
To say it has not worked out that way might rank as the understatement of the century, The Broncos are already out of playoff contention and on Christmas Day they were embarrassed 51-14 by the struggling Los Angeles Rams.
Wilson and the Denver offense has been a disaster, and Sunday included Russ being roasted by none other than Patrick Star of Spongebob fame during a special Nickelodeon broadcast of the Rams debacle.
Retribution came quickly in the Mile High city as first-season Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired on Monday, just 15 games into a four-year contract.
While Hackett is gone, the Broncos appear to be stuck with Wilson for a good while yet. They better hope his apparent decline is not terminal, with his $242million five-year contract extension including $161million in guaranteed money.
Cutting Wilson now would cost Denver $107million in dead money, and you have to look ahead to 2025 or 2026 before a parting of the ways becomes remotely sensible from a cap perspective.
What appeared to be the final piece in a Super Bowl jigsaw could haunt this franchise for a long time to come.
Our Midweek Update is intended to give you the intel and insight you need whether you are putting together parlay picks or punting against the spread.
NFL Injury Report
Pro football is a brutal game, played by powerful athletes at devastating speed. No wonder then that injuries play a massive part in determining which teams come out on top each February.
Here are some of the major injuries to hit the headlines in Week 16:
La’el Collins (RT, Cincinnati Bengals): Cincy is on a seven-game win streak and now into the playoffs, but injuries are starting to mount up for the streaking Bengals. Signing former Cowboy Collins in the offseason was a smart move as Cincinnati beefed up a porous offensive live, but now he is gone for the rest of the year after tearing his ACL and MCL during Sunday’s win in New England. A major blow for Joe Burrow and co.
Jaycee Horn (CB, Carolina Panthers): A few weeks ago any mention of Panthers and playoffs in the same sentence seemed utterly ridiculous. But the firing of Matt Rhule brought an upturn in fortunes down in Charlotte and now they are in the hunt at 6-9, just a game out of first place in the NFC South. Their post-season bid suffered a big blow on Saturday though when second-year CB Horn fractured a wrist in the win over Detroit. He may now miss the remainder of the season.
Hunter Henry (TE, New England Patriots): Henry left the loss to Cincinnati with a knee injury, and immediately the fear was he could be gone for the season. The Patriots, with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance after a two-game losing skid dropped them to 7-8, got better news on Tuesday though. Henry could yet play in the crucial must-win Week 17 showdown with Miami.
Azeez Ojulari (OLB, New York Giants): An injury-hit season for the exciting Ojulari took another miserable turn when he left the Christmas Eve loss to Minnesota with an ankle injury. The post-game vibes are more positive though and he hopes to be healthy enough to face the Colts this weekend. That would be great news for a player who has been a consistently disruptive force since returning to the field in Week 13 from a previous injury.
Jordan Davis (DT, Philadelphia Eagles): Davis made a terrific start to his pro career in Philly but he’s been quiet in recent weeks after returning from the ankle injury that halted his progress. On Saturday in Dallas he suffered another blow as he sustained a concussion in the 40-34 loss to the Cowboys. He is now a doubt for the New Year’s Day showdown with New Orleans.
Lane Johnson (RT, Philadelphia Eagles): This is a much bigger problem for Philly, with Johnson out for at least the remainder of the regular season after suffering an abdominal tear in Dallas. His status for the playoffs has yet to be determined, and he would be a major loss on a unit which has been a huge strength for the Eagles in 2022.
Avonte Maddox (CB, Philadelphia Eagles): Philly came out of that loss in Dallas with yet another injury blow following the news that slot corner Maddox has a “significant” toe injury. He is out indefinitely, a major issue for a secondary which has been one of the NFL’s best this season.
Abraham Lucas (RT, Seattle Seahawks): Seattle is still on the fringes of the playoff hunt at 7-8 despite losing 5 of its last 6 games. Talented rookie tackle Lucas aggravating a patellar tendon injury is not what the Seahawks wanted then ahead of two games they desperately need to win.
NFL Odds: Stock Rising
Week 16 delivered more fantastic performances which had a significant impact on the betting lines. Here are some of the displays which really jumped out:
Chris Jones (DT, Kansas City Chiefs): A lack of pressure off the edge might be the biggest weakness on a terrific KC roster. Good job they have Jones inside then to terrorise opposing QBs. He was fantastic again on Saturday, giving Seattle’s offensive line fits in a 24-10 win. He will be key to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl hopes in January and February.
Dexter Lawrence (DT, New York Giants): Along with the aforementioned Jones, Dexter might be the best DT in the league now with Aaron Donald sidelined by injury. The Giants ultimately lost a heartbreaker in Minnesota on Saturday but Lawrence was again a dominant force inside. He will be key to New York’s hopes of hanging onto the playoff spot they currently hold.
CeeDee Lamb (WR, Dallas Cowboys): All that talk about Dallas needing another WR, and the interest in Odell Beckham Jr, appears to have fired up Lamb in a big way. He went off again on Saturday, catching 10 Dak Prescott passes for 120 yards and a pair of scores in the win over Philadelphia. The recent acquisition of T.Y. Hilton should mean more open field for CeeDee and he is growing into the true WR1 that Dallas hoped he would be.
Nick Bosa (DE, San Francisco 49ers): Bosa is on an unstoppable run right now, one that appears likely to hand him the award for NFL Defensive Player of the Year ahead of long-time Dallas front runner Micah Parsons. Bosa was stellar again on Saturday as the 49ers defeated Washington to stretch their win streak to eight games. He had two sacks and a forced fumble and was a nightmare all afternoon for the overmatched Commanders offensive line.
Danielle Hunter (DE, Minnesota Vikings): Another big-name pass rusher in prime form is Vikings star Hunter. He has had an excellent year and appears to be hitting top gear at the right time. He had two sacks and a forced fumble in the close win over the Giants in Week 16.
DeVonta Smith (WR, Philadelphia Eagles): A.J. Brown may have claimed most of the WR headlines in Philly this season, but DeVonta is hitting form too at just the right time. He’s been terrific in the last four games, racking up 405 receiving yards and 4 TDs. He had a stellar day in Dallas in Week 16, catching all eight of his targets for 113 yards and a pair of scores.
NFL Playoff Scenarios: Who makes the post-season?
It’s never too early to start talking about the playoff schedule and post-season scenarios, and those spots are starting to fill up fast now with Cincinnati, Baltimore and the Los Angeles Chargers all booking their positions in Week 16. Here is the latest NFL playoff picture:
AFC
- Buffalo Bills 12-3 (clinched playoff berth and division title)
- Kansas City Chiefs 12-3 (clinched playoff berth and division title)
- Cincinnati Bengals 11-4 (clinched playoff berth)
- Jacksonville Jaguars 7-8
- Baltimore Ravens 10-5 (clinched playoff berth)
- Los Angeles Chargers 9-6 (clinched playoff berth)
- Miami Dolphins 8-7
NFC
- Philadelphia Eagles 13-2 (clinched playoff berth)
- Minnesota Vikings 12-3 (clinched playoff berth and division title)
- San Francisco 49ers 11-4 (clinched playoff berth and division title)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-8
- Dallas Cowboys 11-4 (clinched playoff berth)
- New York Giants 8-6-1
- Washington Commanders 7-7-1
NFL Game of the Week: Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals (1.30am UK, Tuesday)
The stakes could not be higher for an epic matchup that we circled on your calendars in our season previews way back when.
The 12-3 Bills visit the streaking 11-4 Bengals for a Monday Night Football showdown which could very well decide who takes the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs next month.
A loss for the Bills would be catastrophic as they are currently ahead of 12-3 Kansas City only on a tiebreaker, while the Bengals themselves would hold a tiebreaker over both the Bills and Chiefs with a win here.
Cincy could sneak into that #1 spot with two wins to close out the season and a Kansas City loss somewhere along the line.
Josh Allen vs Joe Burrow features the NFL’s best two QBs not named Patrick Mahomes, and it should be a mainstay of primetime showdowns for a decade to come.
Throw in playmakers like Ja’Marr Chase and Stefon Diggs and this has the potential to be a shootout for the ages, with a lot on the line. Set the alarm clocks, and enjoy!