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Week 16 in the NFL began on Christmas Day with a great performance from the New Orleans Saints and Alvin Kamara, who became the second running back in league history to run for six touchdowns in one game. The Saints also won the NFC South with a victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handed Detroit Lions an unbalanced defeat by securing a playoff spot for the first time since 2005. Then the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, who lost control of their own playoff fate.
All this and more in the NFL Nation Week 16 biggest results.
Featured Performer: 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr., 183 running yards, 1 receiving TD
If you didn’t believe in defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s candidacy as head coach, you should now. Playing without Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Richard Sherman, Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt and Javon Kinlaw, among others, Saleh’s group found a way to limit Kyler Murray & Co. in a frustrating victory. Saleh’s defense was ravaged by injuries throughout the season and somehow managed to keep the 49ers in most games, even though the attack had turned the ball several times in the past few weeks. The victory will hurt San Francisco’s position in the draft, but should only reinforce Saleh’s position by an available position as a head coach in the coming weeks.– Nick Wagoner
Next game: vs. Seahawks (4:25 pm ET, Sunday, January 3)
The Cardinals’ hopes in the playoffs are starting to fade after Saturday’s loss to the 49ers. All Arizona needed to do was win and the Cardinals would have kept track of their fate in the playoffs. Instead, they lost and now have to rely on the Chicago Bears to lose their last two games to reach the postseason for the first time since 2015. – Josh Weinfuss
Next game: at Rams (4:25 pm ET, Sunday, January 3)
Featured Performer: Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, 348 passing yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs
Brady helped end the NFL’s second biggest playoff drought by throwing four touchdown passes in a burst victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday, taking the first playoff spot in Tampa Bay since 2007. Brady, appearing in his 300th game in the same city where his career began – Detroit, 20 years ago on Thanksgiving Day – led five scoring attempts in the first half, before giving way to Blaine Gabbert in the second half, while the team accumulated 588 yards of total attack. “It’s just the beginning. Our goal when we started, especially this year, was just to get into the dance,” said coach Bruce Arians. “And now it is to win 11 games. And to see where we are and where we are going, to know who we are playing. Very, very proud.” – Jenna Laine
Next game: vs. Falcons (1:00 pm ET, Sunday, January 3)
What is there to say, really? It was a horrible defeat for the Detroit Lions in scoring (47-7), in allowed yards (588) and in health (Matthew Stafford missed all but one series due to an injury to his right ankle). This on top of the team going there without their primary coach, defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, linebacker coach and secondary coach, all of whom had to sit down due to close contact protocols with COVID-19. It was one of the worst losses in the franchise’s history – and the worst home defeat in the Super Bowl era. “The problem was with the attack and we couldn’t stay on the pitch,” said the head coach / head coach Robert Prince. “And in defense, we couldn’t leave the field.” – Michael Rothstein
Next game: vs. Vikings (1:00 pm ET, Sunday, January 3)
Featured Performer: Santos running back Alvin Kamara, 155 running yards, 6 running TDs
Friday’s victory over the Vikings was another emphatic reminder that the Saints can win games in many ways. This time, it was the Kamara NFL record with six TD races and a total of 264 yards (the second highest total in New Orleans since 1986). This was great on a day when the Saints’ corps and defense were beaten up by injuries and were playing for a short week. The Saints (11-4) still have an outside chance at NFC seed # 1. Regardless, they now have extra rest before week 17, with a chance to recover and peak in January. – Mike Triplett
Next game: at the Panthers (1 pm ET, Sunday, January 3)
This is the worst defense the Vikings have had in seven seasons under coach Mike Zimmer and the rebuild will take much longer than expected. Things are expected to be better in 2021, assuming Anthony Barr and Danielle Hunter return from injury and Michael Pierce to return after giving up. Vikings still need to reformulate the defensive line, especially the three-handed technique, after the unit has put pressure on Drew Brees and the third lowest rate (23.2%) of any team this season. “If you look at the playoff game last year and look at the guys who were playing in that game and the guys who were playing today, it’s completely 100% different,” said Zimmer. – Courtney Cronin
Next game: at Lions (1 pm ET, Sunday, January 3)