The opposite AFC championship contenders is perhaps clever to work collectively to be sure that the Buffalo Payments should not invited to the playoff get together.
It was simple to neglect throughout their disappointing 6-6 begin, however the Payments had a few of the finest preseason odds to win the Tremendous Bowl — tied with the 49ers, behind solely the Chiefs and Eagles.
It seems the Payments have been only a sleeping large — awoken earlier this month when embattled head coach Sean McDermott seemed more likely to lose his job for a wide range of causes.
The Payments doubled down on final week’s eye-opening win towards the Chiefs with a press release victory Sunday towards the Cowboys.
Nonetheless on the skin of the AFC playoff image due to tiebreakers, the Payments appear to be the potential low-seeded group that nobody would need to face — in the event that they handle to sneak in — as they reclaim their place among the many authentic Tremendous Bowl contenders.
Listed here are The Submit’s NFL energy rankings for Week 16:
1. 49ers 11-3 (1)
Make it six straight wins for the 49ers, who clinched the NFC West behind Brock Purdy’s career-high-tying 4 landing passes and Christian McCaffrey scoring three touchdowns in a 45-29 win towards the Cardinals. Charvarius Ward returned an interception for a landing. It was 14-13 within the second quarter earlier than the 49ers exercised their muscle.
2. Ravens 11-3 (2)
The Ravens turned the third NFL group since 1970 to steer within the last two minutes of every of their first 14 video games, becoming a member of the 2 who went undefeated within the common season. One other 250-yard day on the bottom (led by Lamar Jackson’s 97) for the league’s best-rushing offense sparked a 23-7 prime-time victory towards the Jaguars.
3. Dolphins 10-4 (5)
Tyreek Hill’s pursuit of turning into the primary 2,000-yard receiver in NFL historical past took successful when he didn’t play. However the offense stored buzzing anyway, with Raheem Mostert setting a franchise document for single-season touchdowns (20) in a 30-0 rout of the Jets. Jaylen Waddle picked up Hill’s slack with a 60-yard landing reception.
4. Cowboys 10-4 (3)
A letdown on the heels of an emotional win towards the Eagles? Or a trigger for concern? Both means, their 31-10 loss to the Payments was ugly. The Cowboys managed a season-low 195 yards of offense and MVP candidate Dak Prescott didn’t throw a landing go. The Cowboys, who may not play a house playoff sport, fell to 3-4 on the highway.
5. Lions 10-4 (6)
Jared Goff tied a career-high with 5 landing passes — none larger than the second of three to rookie Sam LaPorta that responded to the Broncos’ second-half-opening landing drive — in a 42-17 victory to maneuver to the cusp of clinching the Lions’ first division title since 1993. LaPorta and one other rookie, Jahmyr Gibbs, mixed for 164 yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns.
6. Eagles 10-4 (4)
OK, it’s time to fret concerning the Eagles, whose panic transfer to vary defensive play-callers from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia after back-to-back losses backfired. Patricia’s protection let up the game-winning 92-yard landing drive in a 20-17 loss to the Seahawks. Jalen Hurts rushed for 2 touchdowns however threw two fourth-quarter interceptions because the dropping streak hit three.
7. Chiefs 9-5 (7)
The Chiefs scored 20 straight factors after falling behind the lowly Patriots and gained, 27-17, on the power of Patrick Mahomes’ 305 passing yards. Mahomes threw two landing passes and operating again Jerick McKinnon threw one other on a trick play, however the Chiefs’ season-long case of the drops continued with offenders Travis Kelce (shock) and Kadarius Toney (once more).
8. Payments 8-6 (9)
The craziest a part of their destruction of the Cowboys? Josh Allen — who entered the week with an NFL-best 35 touchdowns accounted for — accomplished simply seven passes for 94 yards. This win was about stifling protection and a 266-yard floor assault led by James Cook dinner (179). The Payments chewed the clock with 20 speeding first downs.
9. Browns 9-5 (10)
The Browns put collectively three fourth-quarter scoring drives of 50-plus yards to erase a 10-point deficit and beat the Bears, 20-17. The win wasn’t safe, nonetheless, till a last-play Hail Mary slipped out of Darnell Mooney’s fingers. Joe Flacco overcame three interceptions to go for 374 yards, with David Njoku and Amari Cooper each topping 100 receiving yards and scoring touchdowns.
10. Texans 8-6 (12)
A gentle kicker is a luxurious and Ka’imi Fairbairn matches the invoice. The Texans didn’t lead the Titans till Fairbairn drilled a 54-yard walk-off discipline aim to shut out a 19-16 win. Making simply his third begin since 2019, Case Keenum — filling in for an injured C.J. Stroud — shook off a pick-six to throw the game-tying landing late within the fourth quarter.
11. Bengals 8-6 (13)
12. Jaguars 8-6 (11)
13. Colts 8-6 (14)
14. Broncos 7-7 (8)
15. Rams 7-7 (16)
16. Seahawks 7-7 (18)
17. Buccaneers 7-7 (19)
18. Saints 7-7 (22)
19. Packers 6-8 (15)
20. Vikings 7-7 (20)
21. Steelers 7-7 (17)
22. Raiders 6-8 (28)
23. Bears 5-9 (23)
24. Falcons 6-8 (21)
25. Titans 5-9 (25)
26. Jets 5-9 (24)
Make it 13 straight years with no playoff look for the Jets, who have been eradicated by a mixture of things, together with their loss. Zach Wilson was knocked out with a head damage, and Trevor Siemian threw two interceptions in aid. Wilson’s misplaced fumble that arrange the Dolphins on the 1-yard line for his or her first landing was the largest play.
27. Giants 5-9 (26)
Press pause on Tommy DeVito Mania. DeVito seemed extra like an undrafted quarterback because the Giants’ three-game successful streak ended by failing to attain a landing in a 24-6 loss to the Saints. It wasn’t simply an offensive failure. The protection, which generated 11 takeaways in three video games, didn’t pressure a turnover. Darren Waller and Saquon Barkley each have been quiet.