Week 16 of the NFL regular season brought some of the most entertaining matchups of the year, as there were stunning upsets and photo finishes.
After 16 weeks, the AFC East still has just one team at the top of the division – the Miami Dolphins at 11-4.
Mike McDaniel’s team, coming off of a shutout victory over the New York Jets, made it two in a row by squeaking out a win over the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve. The offense and defense had their moments in the contest, but it was the special teams unit, led by Jason Sanders’ five made field goals, including three from beyond 50 yards and a game-winner, that really secured the result.
The Buffalo Bills were nearly defeated by the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night despite the fact that their opponent was led by an interim head coach and a backup quarterback. After building a 21-13 lead after three quarters, the Bills allowed the Chargers to set up and make three field goals to take a 22-21 lead with five minutes remaining. Josh Allen then led them down the field and put Tyler Bass in position to kick a game-winner himself with under 30 seconds to go.
Robert Saleh’s Jets outlasted the Washington Commanders 30-28 on Sunday. With Trevor Siemian back under center, the Jets threw the ball 49 times, resulting in 217 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Luckily, their rushing attack was potent, as Breece Hall rushed for 95 yards and two scores on 4.8 yards per attempt. Siemian, on New York’s final drive, put Greg Zuerlein in position to kick a 54-yard field goal to give them the win, and he did so.
The New England Patriots played on Sunday night when defeated the Denver Broncos and became the fourth team in the division to win on a game-winning field goal with less than a minute to go. New England had built a 23-7 lead after scoring on a Broncos fumble on a kickoff in the third quarter. However, they surrendered two touchdowns late to Denver, forcing rookie Chad Ryland, who had already missed an extra point and a field goal earlier in the game, to seal it with a 56-yarder.
Week 17 AFC East matchups:
- Miami Dolphins (11-4) vs. Baltimore Ravens (12-3)
- Buffalo Bills (9-6) vs. New England Patriots (4-11)
- New York Jets (6-9) vs. Cleveland Browns (10-5) – TNF