National Football League

Jayden Daniels makes Commanders a title threat, what else we're learning in Week 16

Updated Dec. 22, 2024 9:48 p.m. ET

Ben Arthur and 4 more

FOX Sports' NFL experts provide the biggest takeaways from every Sunday game in Week 16 and what they mean for each team going forward.

Lions: They are a better team when Jahmyr Gibbs touches the ball more. I get that he and David Montgomery make for a special tandem. Sonic and Knuckles — it's fun branding. And Gibbs is 5-foot-9, 200 pounds, which means he's probably not the type of guy who can last the whole season with a massive workload without dealing with injuries. So it's smart to put Gibbs in tandem with Montgomery in the long run. All that can be true — and I still think the Lions offense looks more explosive with Gibbs out of his timeshare. Montgomery's injury has pushed more onto Gibbs' plate. His performance on Sunday (23 carries, 109 rushing yards, 1 TD; 4 catches, 45 receiving yards) showed that, when Montgomery returns, the Lions should protect Gibbs' touches. They were in an almost perfect 50-50 split going into this game. I want to see Gibbs taking on 75-25 when the playoffs roll around. The Lions will be better for it.

Bears: For the love of god, hire Ben Johnson. Bears QB Caleb Williams is having a lost year, to the point where — under any other circumstances — we'd start to wonder whether he's going to be a bust. He's the worst of the three top-3 QBs (Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye). Bo Nix is having a better season. But on Williams' 45-yard touchdown to Keenan Allen, the Bears QB reminded the NFL world — including Johnson, who was standing on the opponent's sideline watching — just how much potential he has. Williams put as much velocity on the throw as any I've seen by any QB this year. Maybe this is a lost year. But Williams isn't lost altogether. He should be just fine as long as Johnson makes his way from Detroit to Chicago. The Lions OC is such an obvious hire. He'll be expensive, but he'll be worth it. Williams is a special player who requires a special coach. The Bears need only look at the offensive playcaller who whooped them this week — the same guy who designed an intentional trip to score a touchdown. — Henry McKenna

Giants: It's almost impossible to imagine Giants co-owner John Mara justifying another season of Brian Daboll at this point. It's not just that they're 2-13 and have lost 10 straight games. Daboll earned the job three years ago because he was considered a brilliant offensive coach. But his offense has become completely dysfunctional. The Giants managed just 234 yards against a Falcons defense that ranked 20th in the NFL. They scored seven points or fewer for the fifth time this season. They've averaged only 14.3 points per game this season and 11.8 in the five games since their bye week. They have big personnel issues, particularly at quarterback, but there are teams with quarterback issues that generate at least some offense. Daboll looks completely lost. They're going to draft a quarterback in April. They can't trust a rookie quarterback to this coaching staff.

Falcons: Michael Penix Jr. looked pretty good in his NFL debut. Most importantly for the Falcons, he avoided the big mistakes that his predecessor, Kirk Cousins, had been regularly making over the past month. Penix was 18-of-27 for 202 yards and one interception. And that one interception was actually a perfect pass to TE Kyle Pitts that might have gone for a touchdown if Pitts didn't juggle it into the hands of the Giants defense. Penix was mostly a game manager in his first start, which isn't surprising. But it was clear he had chemistry and timing with his two top receivers — Darnell Mooney (5 catches, 82 yards) and Drake London (5-59). There's obviously a lot to work with there for the Falcons. And if Penix can keep avoiding mistakes, he might even be able to help them with their late, desperation push toward a playoff berth. They'll need a little help from the outside, too. — Ralph Vacchiano

Cardinals: Another week, another head-scratching turnover by Kyler Murray. With his team down three points and driving for the winning score late, Murray threw the ball into coverage instead of running it out of bounds, resulting in an interception by the Panthers. However, Arizona's defense held, giving Murray a chance to redeem himself and he moved the offense into position for a Chad Ryland 58-yard field goal to force overtime. But the Cardinals couldn't move the ball in the extra period and were officially eliminated from the postseason with the loss. Murray now has seven turnovers since Week 10, and the Cardinals are 1-5 since their bye. They wasted a gutsy performance from bruising back James Conner, who finished with 117 rushing yards and a touchdown, but had to leave the game with a knee injury in the third quarter.

Panthers: The numbers were not eye-popping, but second-year pro Bryce Young continues to execute the little things to elevate his team. Facing an inconsistent Arizona defense, Young threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 68 yards and a score, keeping the Cardinals on their heels defensively. Young finished with no turnovers after totaling four miscues in a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. Running back Chuba Hubbard provided balance on offense, finishing with 153 rushing yards, including a 21-yard run for the winning score in overtime. Benched earlier this season, Young has the Panthers competing each week, something head coach Dave Canales can build on for next season. – Eric D. Williams

Eagles: Saquon Barkley is very deserving of being in the conversation for NFL MVP, but this game showed how indispensable QB Jalen Hurts is to the Philadelphia Eagles. Hurts left in the first quarter with a concussion and the Eagles leading 7-0. Kenny Pickett came in and finished a touchdown drive and then got a 68-yard Barkley touchdown run on Phillys' next drive. But after that? Not a lot. Nine drives, four punts, five field goal attempts (four made). The Eagles had 111 yards on two drives with Hurts playing most of them. They totaled 227 on 11 drives after that (and 68 of those came on the one Barkley run). They were fortunate to get five turnovers out of the Commanders, but still couldn't put them away because they couldn't sustain drives or reach the end zone. Barkley can make this team dangerous on his own, but the Eagles better hope Hurts returns quickly and doesn't get hurt again in order to make a Super Bowl run.

Commanders: Jayden Daniels isn't just the NFL Rookie of the Year, he might be the best first-year quarterback to hit this league in a long time. And he also might be the most exciting player in the game right now. What he did on Sunday against the NFL's No. 1 defense was just remarkable. Forget the numbers: He threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including one with six seconds left after he carried the Commanders for 57 yards in 1:52 to win the game. He was a dazzling, one-man show, completing 24 of 39 passes for 258 yards and five touchdown passes while running nine times for 81 yards. And he did it when he wasn't getting help from anyone else on his offense. Yes, he threw two interceptions — part of Washington's five turnovers — but he did more than enough to overcome that. He willed the Commanders to victory against one of the best teams in the NFL. He also might have just established them as a real Super Bowl threat. — Ralph Vacchiano

Browns: This is Cleveland's 2024 offense in a nutshell, in the first five plays of the fourth quarter: Dorian Thompson-Robinson touchdown run negated by a holding penalty. Incomplete. Another holding penalty. DTR recovers his own fumble, and then throws an interception on third down. The Browns have thrown more interceptions than any other team in the NFL, whether it's Deshaun Watson or Jameis Winston or Thompson-Robinson. They're 3-12 and still potentially not picking in the top five. It seems like Kevin Stefanski is safe, but this has been a bad product all year. The Browns are 30th in scoring. They're 31st in turnover margin. And the Watson contract is still an albatross keeping them from addressing their needs in the offseason. Where does any optimism come from in Cleveland?

Bengals: He's fairly well behind Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen in any real MVP talk, but Joe Burrow has had about as good a season as you can have on a team with a losing record. Sunday brought a typical Burrow day — at least three touchdowns for a seventh straight game. In that seven-game stretch, he has 24 touchdowns against five interceptions in less than half a season. Cincinnati is only 4-3 in those seven games. The Bengals are barely alive for the playoffs at 7-8 and need a perfect scenario with all kinds of help to sneak in, and it's a shame to see such a great individual season completely obscured as it has been. — Greg Auman

Titans: The future of this Titans regime has to be in serious question. It's just Year 1 of the Brian Callahan-Ran Carthon partnership, but it's been that bad. You have to commend Tennessee for nearly pulling off an improbable fourth-quarter comeback, but the reality is that it still gave up 335 rushing yards (most ever in the franchise's Titans era) and four rushing touchdowns on 6.7 yards per carry in Sunday's blowout loss to the Colts — days after Callahan went on an expletive-filled rant about those accusing his team of being soft. The kind of progress you look for in a struggling team with a first-year coach hasn't been evident. There's a jarring lack of promising young players to build around, including a clear verdict that Will Levis isn't their quarterback of the future. The long-term prospects of the franchise look bleak. The pink slips feel inevitable.

Colts: Near disaster at the end aside, this is the dynamic run game we all envisioned with an Anthony Richardson-Jonathan Taylor backfield: 38 carries, 288 rushing yards and four touchdowns combined. Sunday's dominance came against an awful Titans team, but it could be a springboard for the tandem. Indianapolis faces poor run defenses to end the regular season in the Giants and Jaguars, after all. The Colts will need some help to squeeze into the playoffs in the final two weeks, but if they make it, they could be a true wild-card because of their run game. Questioning their viability of going on a run in the postseason is valid, though. Richardson completed just seven passes against Tennessee. His inconsistencies as a passer make it hard to bank on anything with the Colts. — Ben Arthur

Rams: In his first game back since suffering an ACL injury in a playoff loss to the Lions last season, veteran tight end Tyler Higbee was responsible for the winning score, an 11-yard touchdown catch. Winners of four straight, the Rams are 13-1 in December since Matthew Stafford took over as the team's starter during the 2021 season. Also, the NFC West leaders started this season 1-4, but have won eight of their past 10 games. Stafford is now 5-13 against fellow greybeard Aaron Rodgers.

Jets: New York suffered another late-game meltdown and have now lost six games this season when ahead entering the fourth quarter with a lead. Losers of 10 of their last 12, the Jets also have struggled in close games in 2024, going 3-7 in one-score games this season. And here's a first for the Jets: They didn't punt but scored only nine points, the first team to accomplish that dubious feat in the past 25 seasons. – Eric D. Williams

Vikings: Big players show up in big games, and on Sunday, Justin Jefferson showed why he's the best receiver in the NFL. Playing against one of the more talented defensive backfields in the league, Jefferson consistently created separation for big plays. The LSU product finished with 10 receptions for 144 receiving yards and two scores, including the winning touchdown on a 39-yard reception with 3:58 left to play. On the strength of Jefferson's heroics, the Vikings earned a big road win over Seattle and still have a shot to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Seahawks: The Seahawks still can't beat good teams in their first year under head coach Mike Macdonald. With a late-game loss to Minnesota, Seattle is now 2-5 against teams with winning records. Turnovers and unforced mistakes have been at the heart of Seattle's issues. Geno Smith threw two interceptions, including one to end the game. He now has 15 interceptions this year. And Seattle finished with 11 accepted penalties for 77 yards. The Seahawks are a game behind the Rams in the NFC West and remain in the playoff hunt, but they must win at Chicago next week to have a shot of playing for the division title in Week 18 in Los Angeles. – Eric D. Williams

Patriots: Drake Maye needs to get better in the clutch. It's one place where the rookie QB clearly needs to improve. Now, before I draw the ire of Patriots fans who love Maye, I'll say this: He's a really good player who has already improved in spades from his days at UNC. There's so much to like about what he's done this season for the Patriots. But there's also no denying that he has taken his team out of contention with fourth-quarter or overtime turnovers. It happened in this game, in the Rams game and in the Titans game. (The Tennessee game was a situation where he scored a touchdown as time expired, which sent the game into overtime — where he threw a game-ending INT.) Maye kept it close against the Bills on Sunday, but his two fourth-quarter turnovers were the difference. Every rookie will have places where he can grow. Every rookie will spend the offseason addressing those places. Maye's weakness is clear: He needs to get smarter in the situations that matter most.

Bills: Buffalo's leading receiver had 26 yards. And it wasn't a receiver. It was running back James Cook. Even for a Bills team that preaches winning in different ways, this was a weird game. But hey, they won. That's what matters. And to me, that shows why Buffalo is a championship-caliber team. The team's most reliable pass-catcher, Khalil Shakir, couldn't haul in two massive plays and finished with just two catches on six targets. Quarterback Josh Allen dealt with a hand injury. On a brutally cold day, the MVP candidate played poorly and seemed out of sync with his pass-catchers. But the defense showed up, even after allowing 43 points per game in the past two matchups. In this game, the defense generated an interception and a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. This win is reminiscent of something the Chiefs would do. And that's a really good thing for Buffalo, which will probably have to pull off something just like this to beat K.C. (and others) in the playoffs. — Henry McKenna

49ers: San Francisco had been eliminated from playoff contention before Sunday's game even kicked off, and this was another disappointing loss for a depleted team. Brock Purdy had decent numbers (313 passing yards, 2 TDs), but with the game on the line, needing a touchdown to win, he was intercepted to end any hope. Despite having George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, the offense couldn't muster a play longer than 28 yards. The lack of any run game — decimated by injuries — allows defenses to drop more in coverage and force the 49ers to work underneath. San Francisco has now lost five of its past six games, and what was once a wide-open NFC West is now out of reach. That shifts the focus fully to the offseason, and the biggest question is what the 49ers will do with Purdy, soon eligible for an extension.

Dolphins: Miami entered Sunday barely mathematically alive for the playoffs, and the Dolphins kept that hope alive for another week. Unsung in Miami's offense this season has been Jonnu Smith, who had six catches for 62 yards against the 49ers and set franchise single-season records for catches (76) and receiving yards (802) by a tight end. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been underwhelming, but Smith has been a pleasant surprise and a reliable target for Tua Tagovailoa. Miami now needs to not only win its last two games, but have the Colts lose one and have either the Chargers or Broncos both lose their two remaining games. — Greg Auman

Jaguars: Travis Hunter would look great in a Jaguars uniform. Why? Well, Sunday's loss was a reminder of their dearth of young receiver talent outside of Brian Thomas Jr., who surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for the season on Sunday. And though the secondary wasn't a huge issue against a Raiders team that is talent deficient at wide receiver, Jacksonville entered the game league-worst in pass defense. The Colorado star, of course, could help both issues with his two-way ability. The Jaguars are currently pegged to select No. 3 overall, per Tankathon, putting them right behind the Patriots, another team that could be targeting Hunter. The Hunter sweepstakes is one to watch in the last couple weeks of the season.

Raiders: The Raiders hurt their case for the No. 1 overall pick by snapping their 10-game losing streak, but I don't think they care. Even though their victory Sunday wasn't pretty, it was indicative of the pride they're still playing with. In their first game without superstar edge rusher Maxx Crosby, the Raiders recorded multiple takeaways for just the second time this season and showed up big in the fourth quarter. The crowd at Allegiant Stadium was engaged too, seemingly wanting a victory just as badly as the team. Antonio Pierce could be coaching for his job, so Sunday's game may be one that helps him — but not Las Vegas' chances for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. The Raiders have dropped to sixth in the draft order, according to Tankathon, behind three quarterback-needy teams: the Giants (No. 1), Titans (No. 4) and Browns (No. 5). — Ben Arthur

The following writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano); Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams).