Tag: NFL Week 16

Studs and duds for Patriots in shocking upset win over Broncos

Who were the studs and duds from the Patriots’ Week 16 win over the Broncos?

The New England Patriots ruined Christmas Eve for the Denver Broncos with a shocking 26-23 victory on Sunday night at Mile High.

Not only did they knock the Broncos out of the playoff hunt, but they did so on an incredible 56-yard field goal kick by rookie Chad Ryland. It was one of the most shocking endings to an NFL game there’s been all season.

The Patriots are quietly 2-1 in their last three games, including wins over the Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. Last week, they gave the Kansas City Chiefs all they could handle in Foxborough.

No one would argue that the Patriots are a good football team, but there is an argument to be made that they’ve improved significantly with Bailey Zappe under center at quarterback.

Here are the studs and duds from Sunday’s game:

Instant analysis: Patriots stun Broncos in Christmas miracle

Chad Ryland kicks a game-winning 56-yard field goal to stun the Broncos on Christmas Eve.

After blowing a 16-point second-half lead, the New England Patriots got a last-second field goal from Chad Ryland to stun the Denver Broncos with a 26-23 victory on Christmas Eve at Empower Field.

The word unsung hero doesn’t even begin to do Ryland’s 56-yard field goal justice. He has been up and down all season, to the point where the team brought in extra kickers to work out and potentially threaten his starting job. Even on Sunday, he missed a field goal and an extra point.

Yet, when the game was on the line, Ryland stepped up and put the ball through the upright for the Patriots’ fourth win of the season.

Unlike the previous two games, the offense got off to a sluggish start in the first half before finally coming alive in the second half. They poured it on in the third quarter with three touchdowns, including passing touchdowns to Ezekiel Elliott and Mike Gesicki, along with a special teams touchdown by Cody Davis on a muffed kick return.

However, the real hero of the game, along with Ryland, was Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who had a monstrous game up front. He finished the game with seven tackles, three sacks and four quarterback hits.

It was the sort of game-changing performance that might weigh heavily when the Patriots come to the negotiating table for a potential contract extension with the former Alabama standout.

Beating the Broncos is without question a feel-good moment for the Patriots, but it hurts their standing in the 2024 NFL draft. With the victory, they have dropped to No. 4 in the pecking order, which could put them out of position to land one of the top three quarterbacks.

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Social media reacts to Tampa Bay drubbing Jacksonville 30-12

The vibes were immaculate on social media after one of Tampa Bay’s most impressive games of the season.

There’s no victory Monday quite like a Christmas victory Monday, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are about to experience that and more.

The Bucs throttled the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-12 on Christmas Eve, moving to 8-7 on the year and becoming just one win away from clinching the NFC South and making the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. It was a dominant win that wasn’t as close as the score would suggest, and naturally, Bucs fans on social media were loving it as the team gave Jacksonville a nightmare before Christmas.

Check out some of our favorite social media reactions to the big win below:

Patriots Week 16 inactives: Trent Brown IN, Matthew Slater OUT vs Broncos

Patriots special teams legend Matthew Slater is set to miss his first game since 2017.

New England Patriots special teams legend Matthew Slater is set to miss his first NFL game since 2017.

Right before kick-off for Sunday’s Christmas Eve clash with the Denver Broncos, the Patriots revealed Slater as inactive for the game. It’s a big loss for New England considering the struggles the special teams unit has faced this season.

They’re going to need Brenden Schooler to step things up significantly to make up for the absence of the greatest special teams player in NFL history.

The Patriots will also be missing tight end Hunter Henry, running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. So they’ll be shorthanded in their attempt to pull off an upset at Mile High.

The good news is offensive tackle Trent Brown is in the lineup, but he’s also been working his way back from injuries, which could impact his snaps in this game. Conor McDermott being out means the team will have to lean on Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to spell Brown when he needs a breather.

Here are the list of inactives for both teams:

Jabrill Peppers being gone on defense just might be the biggest loss for either team. The Patriots’ defensive back went from being a rotational piece to one of the most important players on the field.

They’ll have their work cut out for them in trying to overcome his absence.

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Fantasy football inactives, injuries and weather: Week 16

Week 16 weather, injury updates and gameday inactives for the fantasy football lineup decisions.

Sunday updates will begin when teams start releasing official pregame inactives and starter information to the league. This is typically around 60-90 minutes prior to the kickoff of their game.

Weather forecasts are courtesy of The Football Database.

Week 16 gameday inactives, weather and notes

KEY GAME-TIME DECISIONS

Early games: RB AJ Dillon (active), WR Jayden Reed (inactive), RB Kenneth Walker III (active), WR Nico Collins (active)
Afternoon games: QB Trevor Lawrence (active), RB D’Onta Foreman (inactive), TE Cole Kmet (active), WR Tyreek Hill (active)
Sunday night:

Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 61 degrees, cloudy ESE 10 mph (retractable-roof dome)

Colts

Inactives: DL Eric Johnson, WR Michael Pittman Jr., OT Braden Smith, RB Zack Moss, CB Darrell Baker Jr., LB Segun Olubi and OG Jack Anderson

Lineup notes: RB Jonathan Taylor (thumb) practiced all week and will make his return. RB Zack Moss (forearm) and WR Michael Pittman Jr. (concussion, shoulder) were deemed questionable Friday but both have been downgraded to out, joining RT Braden Smith (knee).

Falcons

Inactives: QB Logan Woodside, OG Kaleb McGary, DE Joe Gaziano, DT Tommy Togiai, TE John FitzPatrick, OG Jovaughn Gwyn and P Patrick O’Donnell

Lineup notes: RT Kaleb McGary (knee) is inactive once again. C Drew Dalman (ankle), RG Chris Lindstrom (ankle) and LT Jake Matthews (knee) are all good to go.

Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 62 degrees, cloudy

Seahawks

Inactives: DE Frank Clark, OT Raiqwon O’Neal, S Jamal Adams, WR Dee Eskridge, OG McClendon Curtis, CB Devon Witherspoon and DT Myles Adams

Lineup notes: RB Kenneth Walker III (shoulder) will be out there after a questionable listing. QB Geno Smith (groin) is good to go after full work all week. CB Devon Witherspoon (hip) and S Jamal Adams (knee) won’t go.

Titans

Inactives: OT Daniel Brunskill, DE T.K. McLendon, S K’Von Wallace, TE Trevon Wesco, WR Kyle Philips, QB Will Levis and DB Sean Murphy-Bunting

Lineup notes: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (hand), S Amani Hooker (knee), and DT Jeffery Simmons (knee) went on IR and will miss the rest of the season. QB Will Levis (ankle) won’t play, so QB Ryan Tannehill draws the start. TE Chigoziem Okonkwo (illness) and WR Treylon Burks (illness) will play.

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: Dome stadium

Lions

Inactives: WR Antoine Green, CB Steven Gilmore, LB Derrick Barnes, TE Brock Wright, DL Brodric Martin, CB Jerry Jacobs and QB Hendon Hooker

Lineup notes: Starting C Frank Ragnow (knee, back, toe) will play after a full practice Friday. S C.J Gardner-Johnson (pectoral) won’t be out there just yet.

Vikings

Inactives: OG Chris Reed, WR Jalen Nailor, S Lewis Cine, OT Brian O’Neill, CB Byron Murphy, QB Joshua Dobbs and TE Nick Muse

Lineup notes: RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) is active, but he was demoted to No. 2 on the depth chart. RT Brian O’Neill will not be available.

Washington Commanders at New York Jets (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 45 degrees, cloudy

Commanders

Inactives: LB Andre Jones Jr., CB Kyu Blu Kelly, RB Brian Robinson Jr., WR Mitchell Tinsley, C Nolan Laufenberg, OG Tyler Larsen and OT Charles Leno Jr.

Lineup notes: RB Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring), C Tyler Larsen (knee) and LT Charles Leno (calf) were ruled out.

Jets

Inactives: QB Aaron Rodgers, FB Nick Bawden, OT Austin Deculus, OT Duane Brown, WR Randall Cobb, CB Bryce Hall and QB Zach Wilson

Lineup notes: QB Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) will miss the rest of the season, despite being activated from IR. QB Zach Wilson (concussion) are out.

Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 62 degrees, cloudy

Packers

Inactives: S Darnell Savage, WR Jayden Reed, LB De’Vondre Campbell, DL Brenton Cox, OT Caleb Jones, WR Christian Watson and CB Robert Rochell

Lineup notes: TE Luke Musgrave (kidney) and LB De’Vondre Campbell (neck) aren’t ready yet. WR Christian Watson (hamstring) won’t be out there. RB AJ Dillon (thumb) is active, but WR Jayden Reed (toe, chest) couldn’t get ready in time. WR Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) and CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) overcame questionable designations.

Panthers

Inactives: CB CJ Henderson, WR Terrace Marshall Jr., WR Mike Strachan, DE Eku Leota, DT Chris Wormley and OT Ricky Lee

Lineup notes: No injuries of fantasy relevance.

Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 67 degrees, cloudy (retractable-roof dome)

Browns

Inactives: C Luke Wypler, LB Anthony Walker, LB Jordan Kunaszyk, DL Isaiah McGuire, S Juan Thornhill, DE Ogbo Okoronkwo and CB Kahlef Hailassie

Lineup notes: QB Joe Flacco (calf), RB Jerome Ford (wrist) and RB Kareem Hunt (groin) practiced Friday and will play. S Juan Thornhill (calf) was ruled out.

Texans

Inactives: LB Blake Cashman, QB C.J. Stroud, DT Teair Tart, OT Joshua Jones and DL Will Anderson Jr.

Lineup notes: QB C.J. Stroud (concussion) and DE Will Anderson Jr. (ankle) are out again. WR Nico Collins (calf) and WR Noah Brown (knee) will play.

Late afternoon games

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4:05 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 72 degrees, cloudy

Jaguars

Inactives: OT Chandler Brewer, DT Angelo Blackson, CB Gregory Junior, LB Yasir Abdullah and WR Zay Jones

Lineup notes: QB Trevor Lawrence (ankle, concussion) cleared the protocol and is active. WR Zay Jones (knee) will not be available.

Buccaneers

Inactives: DT Deadrin Senat, OT Brandon Walton, LB JJ Russell, LB Markees Watts and QB John Wolford

Lineup notes: WR Chris Godwin (knee) is good to go after a full session Friday. S Antoine Winfield Jr. (calf) was added Friday as questionable after being unable to participate, but he is active.

Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 46 degrees, cloudy

Cardinals

Inactives: OT Dennis Daley, WR Marquise Brown, TE Travis Vokolek, CB Garrett Williams, DE Tyreke Smith, DE Victor Dimukeje and OT Carter O’Donnell

Lineup notes: WR Marquise Brown (heel) is out. WR Greg Dortch (shoulder) will be available.

Bears

Inactives: OT Teven Jenkins, QB Nathan Peterman, LB Noah Sewell, S Quindell Johnson, RB D’Onta Foreman and WR Equanimeous St. Brown

Lineup notes: RB D’Onta Foreman (personal) won’t be available, but TE Cole Kmet (quadriceps) is ready to roll. WR Darnell Mooney (illness) practiced Thursday and Friday and will go.

Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 74 degrees, cloudy, E 11 mph

Cowboys

Inactives: DL Johnathan Hankins, QB Trey Lance, RB Deuce Vaughn, CB Noah Igbinoghene, OT Tyron Smith, CB Eric Scott Jr. and WR Jalen Brooks

Lineup notes: LT Tyron Smith (back) was downgraded to out. RG Zach Martin (thigh) will tough it out. RB Rico Dowdle (ankle) and RB Tony Pollard (thumb) are good to go after full practices Friday.

Dolphins

Inactives: DL Emmanuel Ogbah, WR River Cracraft, OT Robert Hunt, QB Skylar Thompson, TE Tyler Kroft, S Jevon Holland and CB Cam Smith

Lineup notes: WR Tyreek Hill (ankle) is active for Week 16. RB De’Von Achane (toe) and RB Raheem Mostert (knee, ankle) also are good to go. CB Xavien Howard (hip) will give it a whirl, while S Jevon Holland (knee) couldn’t get right in time. LB Melvin Ingram was elevated to the 53-man roster.

Sunday Night Football

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (8:20 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 24 degrees, cloudy

Patriots

Inactives: RB Rhamondre Stevenson, DT Sam Roberts, TE Hunter Henry, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR Matthew Slater, SS Jabrill Peppers and QB Nathan Rourke

Lineup notes: RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) are out. TE Hunter Henry (knee) was downgraded on Saturday and also won’t play.

Broncos

Inactives: C Alex Forsyth, S JL Skinner, DL Thomas Incoom, QB Ben DiNucci, DT Elijah Garcia, TE Nate Adkins and LB Nik Bonitto

Lineup notes: TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring, foot) and LB Nik Bonitto (knee) will not play.

Quick takeaways from the Lions harrowing road win over the Vikings

Quick takeaways from the Lions harrowing road win over the Vikings that seals Detroit’s first-ever NFC North title

The Detroit Lions are the NFC North champions. I repeat: the Detroit Lions are NFC North champions!

It took a harrowing, exciting win over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve to seal the franchise’s first division title in 30 years. Detroit held on for a 30-24 win when Ifeatu Melifonwu picked off Vikings QB Nick Mullens near the goal line to end a very scary threat by the home team to ruin the holiday spirit for millions of Lions fans everywhere.

Here are my quick takeaways from watching the Week 16 triumph in real time.

Bucs inactives list for Week 16 vs. Jaguars

All healthy scratches today for the Bucs as they face the Jaguars on Christmas Eve.

For the first time in a while, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are almost fully healthy.

The team announced its inactives list on Christmas Eve, and every inactive player is a healthy scratch. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and defensive lineman Will Gholston are both active, leaving no injured players inactive for the matchup. The only player not playing is wideout Rakim Jarrett, who is still on Injured Reserve.

Here’s what the Bucs inactives look like for Sunday’s matchup:

  • QB John Wolford (3rd QB)
  • LB J.J. Russell
  • DT Deadrin Senat
  • OLB Markees Watts
  • OL Brandon Walton

And here’s who’s inactive for the Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence is starting and set to play against Tampa Bay.

  • WR Zay Jones
  • CB Gregory Junior
  • OLB Yasir Abdullah
  • OL Chandler Brewer
  • DT Angelo Blackson

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Patriots-Broncos game day poll: Who wins on Christmas Eve?

Who wins on Christmas Eve? Patriots or Broncos?

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Not even Santa Claus could save the New England Patriots from a historically bad season, but he might be able to help them get their fourth win in Sunday’s Christmas Eve tilt against the Denver Broncos.

However, the Patriots won’t be the only team with the Christmas wish of winning their primetime Week 16 matchup.

The Broncos are barely hanging on by a thread with their playoff hopes nearly dead in the water. So this is clearly a must-win game for them at home. They got blown out last week by the Detroit Lions, and there will be plenty of motivation for them to knock off a Patriots team that is amongst the worst in the league.

Coach Sean Payton has them playing like a well-oiled machine. They don’t make a bunch of mistakes, and so far, they’ve stuck well to his script. But their defense is vulnerable against the run, and even with Rhamondre Stevenson, the Patriots have two capable gashers in Ezekiel Elliott and Kevin Harris.

Will the banged-up offensive line hold up its end for New England? The answer to that question could mean the difference between a win and a loss on Sunday.

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Lions inactives for Week 16 vs. Vikings: Rookies and injuries abound

The Detroit Lions inactive players list for Week 16 vs. Vikings is loaded with injured players and rookies

The Lions have released the inactive players list for the Week 16 visit to the Minnesota Vikings. It’s a fairly predictable list given the injuries and current construction of the 53-man roster.

With CB Jerry Jacobs and TE Brock Wright previously ruled out due to injury and LB Derrick Barnes listed as doubtful with a shoulder injury, half the list was predetermined.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker will be inactive for his first game on the active roster. Hooker is listed as the No. 3 and emergency QB. Rookies Antoine Green, Brodric Martin and Steven Gilmore round out the inactive players.