2024 NFL Week 16: Sunday’s standout games and what to look out for
By Adam Renuart, CNN
(CNN) — To borrow a golf term, Sunday of the NFL’s Week 16 could be called a “moving day” as teams jockey for playoff spots and seeding.
After a Thursday night game and a Saturday double-header that had huge playoff implications for the AFC, Sunday will see NFC squads try to differentiate themselves from the pack.
With only three games left in the year to establish a playoff pecking order, fans can expect to see the intensity of December football on full display.
Here are three games you don’t want to miss from the Week 16 schedule:
New York Giants (2-12) at Atlanta Falcons (7-7) – 1:00 p.m. ET
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback position has been hotly contested this season, largely due to the franchise’s own questionable personnel decisions, and that contest comes back into focus this weekend.
Originally, it seemed that former Vikings signal–caller Kirk Cousins would be the Falcons’ quarterback of the near future after the 36-year-old veteran signed to a four-year-deal in March.
That perception changed in April, when the Falcons used their first-round pick on QB Michael Penix Jr., fresh off leading the University of Washington to an appearance in college football’s National Championship game.
The move generated surprise across the league, including from Cousins himself – with his agent telling ESPN there was confusion that the team didn’t use the pick to improve the team for the upcoming year, perhaps with a running back or receiver to bolster the Falcons’ offensive attack.
Despite the controversy, the Falcons started the season strong with Cousins, going 6-3 as the quarterback danced with fans to the city of Atlanta’s unofficial anthem “Swag Surfin’”. But after losing four of the last five games, the shine has worn off. Cousins tossed nine interceptions with only one touchdown during that stretch, and now he finds himself benched in favor of Penix.
This change comes with the hope that Atlanta can still compete for the NFC South title, sitting second behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, their hopes are somewhat slim – NFL.com gives the Falcons only a 38 percent chance of making the postseason even with a win this week.
Penix, who received a call of support from Cousins earlier in the week, said there are ways he wants to emulate the veteran – especially his connection with Falcons fans.
Luckily for him, Penix’s first crack at an NFL victory will come against a team that is no stranger to quarterback issues.
The New York Giants cut Daniel Jones, the team’s first round pick in 2019, earlier this season after a run of middling play. Despite the change, New York hasn’t fared any better with Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock or Tim Boyle under center – they’re on a nine game losing streak.
After a 9-7-1 season in 2022, the Giants will suffer a second straight losing season under head coach Brian Daboll. All the Giants will be playing for is pride, and a chance to reignite Atlanta’s quarterback controversy.
Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) at Washington Commanders (9-5) – 1:00 p.m. ET
The Philadelphia Eagles have continuously been one of the best teams in the league since bringing onboard head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts in 2021, but that hasn’t always translated to playoff success.
Though the Eagles went to a Super Bowl in 2022, they suffered Wild Card exits in the 2021 and 2023 playoffs. This year, they’re fighting for the top seed in the NFC, tied for the conference’s best record with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. One reason for the Eagles’ success has been the addition of superstar running back Saquon Barkley – who is leading the league in rushing yards.
Barkley only had one postseason appearance in his six seasons with the New York Giants and is looking to finish the season strong to guarantee the advantage that comes from the raucous Lincoln Financial Field crowd.
“The beauty of winning the division is that you’re locked in to a home playoff game,” said Barkley in a Friday presser, remembering the “loud and hectic” atmosphere in Philadelphia when he visited for a playoff game as a Giant.
The other reason Philadelphia has been a success this season is a stifling defense, led by coordinator Vic Fangio. The former NFL Assistant Coach of the year has created a scheme that allows a league-fewest 275.6 yards a game, and has only conceded 26 touchdowns this year.
The team is led by a youth movement at linebacker, with Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean leading the team in total tackles – while Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith Jr lead the team in sacks.
Nick Sirianni pointed to the two-way street that Fangio has established with his young players in order to be ready for big-time games: “The thirst for knowledge is huge – these guys are motivated, and they see Vic can help them get better – and that’s where a relationship can start. Vic has done a great job connecting with our guys, and putting our guys in a position to succeed, and they’ve played well, so it’s been a true group effort.”
The group effort will be needed to slow down Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, an electric rookie who has helped Washington far exceed expectations this year.
Both NFL.com and ESPN picked the Commanders 26th in their preseason power rankings, but the team had a 7-2 start out of the gate. They followed that with three straight losses, but the Commanders have since righted the ship with back-to-back wins.
Winning has been a welcome sight for the beleaguered fan base which has had only four winning seasons since the turn of the century, the last one coming in 2015.
The Commanders are second to the Eagles in the NFC East and are working to secure the final playoff spot – NFL.com giving them a 94% chance of reaching the playoffs with the win.
Head coach Dan Quinn says it’s easy to praise Daniels’ running and throwing prowess, but adds that the “intangibles” Daniels possesses have been a big reason for the Commanders’ success.
“He came in with a rock-solid background, so for me…it’s the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet,” said Quinn. “It’s getting to the right protection, taking care of the football with great decisions.
Minnesota Vikings (12-2) at Seattle Seahawks (8-6) – 4:05 p.m. ET
One of the most compelling games of the afternoon slate is a duel between former journeyman quarterbacks who have since resurrected their careers. The common denominator? They both found greener pastures after leaving the New York Jets.
Sam Darnold was highly touted coming out of college, going third overall in 2018, but never had the success expected of him during his early years in the league. That changed with his stellar play this season for the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to one of the league’s best records while being top five in touchdowns thrown.
On the other side of the field is the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year, Geno Smith. Like Darnold, Smith came into the league as a starter but lost his starting job following two up and down seasons and seemed destined to be a back-up. But he took the reins at the Seahawks in 2022, leading them to consecutive winning seasons – and has them poised for another this year.
Smith is coming off an injury suffered in last week’s loss to Green Bay but is expecting to play Sunday. He wanted to stay on the field despite the injury, saying: “It’s the toughest thing, trying to fight the competitiveness,” especially as it halted a four game Seahawks winning streak.
But Smith said those things are what has made him – and also made the game meaningful for him: “I think that’s part of the NFL – the ups and downs, the wins and loses, the nicks and bruises, those are the things that make the game so special – the adversity you face and push through. I think I’m a living example of that.”
The Seahawks are in a tight race in the NFC West – sharing an 8-6 record with the Los Angeles Rams. Seattle will be looking for a signature victory, and part of that will require a quick start against the high-powered Vikings offense.
Seattle does not have an opening drive touchdown this season, and head coach Mike Macdonald is hoping to change that this week: “There’s always going to be stuff that we’re chasing, that we’re trying to be better at. This is one of those things…hopefully we start this game fast.”
The Vikings also have a tight race in their division, as they and the Lions both have identical 12-2 records. However, there’s a little less pressure on the Vikings, as they’ve already clinched a playoff spot.
Tight end TJ Hockenson said part of the reason for the team’s success is the tight knit feeling among the group: “The Vikings (as an organization) love team camaraderie, that’s what they preach and that’s what they build. It shows up on the field – when you know a guy, and you’re friends.”
The Vikings will look for that camaraderie to lead them to an eighth straight win as they take on Seattle.
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