Tag: NFL Week 16

NFL Week 16 Power Rankings: Bills, 49ers, Chiefs the teams to beat

The Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and Kansas City Chiefs topped the Touchdown Wire NFL power rankings to conclude Week 16.

Although there were three games to go in the NFL season, Week 16 showed that the last eight quarters of the 2022 campaign are going to be as meaningful as anything that happened to this point.

Technically, the Buffalo Bills aren’t the No. 1 seed in the AFC yet, but they are playing like the best team in the NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers continue to stack wins with Brock Purdy, and the Kansas City Chiefs are doing what they do in December: win.

The New England Patriots continue to slide, and Washington is on thin ice.

Here are the power rankings to wrap up Week 16.

Film spotlight: Breaking down all the Lions runs vs. the Panthers

Breaking down each of the Lions’ run plays in the Week 16 loss to the Panthers. Detroit gained 30 yards on 14 designed carries.

There were a lot of things that really bothered me about the Detroit Lions’ Week 16 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The team did very little well outside of special teams and some garbage-time passing offense.

This week’s film spotlight changes things up a bit. Perhaps the most bothersome aspect of the game — even more than the wretched run defense — was how poorly Detroit ran the ball on offense. The Lions have been reliably steady on the ground all year with outbursts of greatness. Yet in Carolina, the Lions managed just 45 yards on 17 carries. QB Jared Goff led the team with 15 yards on three carries, and 14 of those came on one improvised scramble.

I went through each of the Lions’ 14 designed run plays and followed the regular film breakdown protocol. A player doing his job well earns a plus, while a player failing at his task gets a minus in the ledger. I evaluated each player on every run.

Here’s the play-by-play for the Lions runs and the plus/minus earned on each.

Lovie Smith still not satisfied with Texans’ run defense

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith is not satisfied with the run defense despite their ability to limit Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry.

The Houston Texans finally snapped Derrick Henry’s streak of 200-yard rushing games against the Tennessee Titans.

The two-time NFL rushing champion had his streak snapped at four games as the Titans running back generated 126 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in the Texans’ 19-14 win on Christmas Eve at Nissan Stadium.

However, the reality is Houston’s run defense gave up over 100 yards, which is hardly a recipe for success in the NFL.

“A lot of times you look at the stats,” Smith said. “I got out of this yard, just terrible on run defense. No, we missed tackles and some critical moments is what has happened. And if you miss certain tackles in critical moments, it can be a breakout. Explosive.”

The run defense was able to tag Henry with three tackles for loss, indicating there were moments Houston’s run defense improved.

Said Smith: “That’s what has happened. We’ve limited that. That’s what we’ve done here lately.”

Smith credited rookie linebacker Jake Hansen for stripping Henry and fellow rookie linebacker Christian Harris for getting an interception. Rookie safety Jalen Litre got a pick to end the game.

“The three takeaways we had, those are rookies,” said Smith. “So it just takes a little bit of time to get it right. And I’m going to say this, again, but if you’re looking at that football team right now, they’ve gotten some things right from run defense to needing a drive.”

The Texans improve to 2-12-1 and have a 2-1-1 record in the AFC South.

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Patriots’ top 10 offensive players in Week 16, according to PFF

These were the Patriots’ top-10 offensive players in Week 16, according to PFF.

It was another Jekyll-and-Hyde performance by the New England Patriots offense in Saturday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The unit was completely shut down and booed off the field in the first half. However, a pick-six by rookie cornerback Marcus Jones sparked life into the team, and the offense started to open things up a bit more in the second half.

It was a pretty remarkable turnaround from a unit that had looked anemic until that point. The Patriots nearly overcame a 22-point halftime deficit by scoring 18 unanswered points in the final two quarters of the game.

However, their late comeback rally was halted on a red zone turnover by running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the final minute of the game. Pro Football Focus handed out the weekly grades for players on the team, following the loss.

So here’s a look at the Patriots’ top-10 offensive players, according to PFF.

Dan Campbell ‘cannot explain’ the Lions poor effort in Week 16 loss to the Panthers

Campbell was at a loss for why his team was at such a loss in Week 16

If you couldn’t figure out what in the world happened to the Detroit Lions in Saturday’s ugly 37-23 loss in Carolina to the Panthers, you are not alone. Lions head coach Dan Campbell was at a loss for his team’s terrible defensive effort and overall flat performance in Week 16.

“I cannot explain that,” Campbell said after the game. “I can’t explain that. I know this, they come off a real tough loss against a physical team and they’re a physical team. And they were not — they were going to make sure that didn’t happen again, and they did that.”

It was a loss that defied explanation when compared to how well the Lions had been playing. The Lions had a top-5 run defense against running backs (excluding QB runs) in the four weeks prior to playing Carolina. That defense allowed a Panthers’ team record 320 on the ground, almost all of it to RBs Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman. Both Foreman (165) and Hubbard (125) set career-highs in rushing in the game.

After letting the question mull in his head a bit, the coach got more introspective.

“You get what you deserve in this league,” Campbell said. “That’s why you love it. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also why I love it, man. And we all love it. If you’re a true competitor, we got exactly what we deserved today. I mean, by the way we played we deserved that, and just like we deserve what happened to us before that. By the way we played, we earned it. We earned what we got today, and we earned the six wins before that.”

The key now for Campbell and his staff is to discern why the team flopped so badly after such an impressive run of games. The Lions still have a decent chance to make the postseason for the first time since 2016, but they’ll need to recover quickly from the resounding defeat in Carolina.

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Lions hit some season lows in PFF grades vs. Panthers

The PFF grades are out for the Lions vs. the Panthers and, as expected, Detroit earned some really bad grades

Befitting a blowout loss, the Detroit Lions’ grades from Pro Football Focus for Week 16 against Carolina are lumps of coal in the stocking.

The individual grades were not pretty, but the PFF overall team grades were also (deservingly) low. Detroit’s defense recorded its worst coverage grade of the season at 34.7, the first time all season the Lions have been below 40. The tackling grade of 42.9 was the second-worst; only the 28.8 against the Bears in Week 10 was worse. PFF logged 13 missed tackles by the Lions and 52 total tackles, creating a missed tackle rate of 25 percent. The overall defense grade of 40.9 was the second-worst of the season and the first time below a 58.0 mark since Week 10.

The offense fared little better. Detroit’s run grade of 41.9 was its worst by almost 20 points. The previous low was a 58.0 grade against Dallas. Detroit’s run blocking grade of 48.9 was the second-worst to the Buffalo game on Thanksgiving. The Lions’ overall team grade of 59.4 was its third-worst of the season, trailing Minnesota in Week 3 and Philadelphia in Week 1.

On an individual level, the tight ends thrived on offense and a couple of youngsters scored well in limited duty.

Top offensive grades

TE James Mitchell – 88.5

TE Shane Zylstra – 82.9

QB Jared Goff – 78.6

WR Kalif Raymond – 72.3

WR DJ Chark – 71.9

Bottom offensive grades

Jonah Jackson – 46.4

Evan Brown – 46.4

Frank Ragnow – 49.3

Jamaal Williams – 50.0

Garrett Griffin – 51.0 (in 10 snaps)

Top defensive grades

James Houston – 87.0 (14 snaps)

Derrick Barnes – 80.7

Benito Jones – 68.8 (10 snaps)

John Cominsky – 60.5

Mike Hughes – 60.2

Bottom defensive grades

Alex Anzalone – 29.9, handily his worst grade of the season after scoring 71.5 or higher in the previous three

Josh Paschal – 33.4 (13 snaps)

Ifeatu Melifonwu – 35.6

Malcolm Rodriguez – 43.1

Will Harris – 43.3

Reserve LB Chris Board logged a 25.5 but only played seven snaps.

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5 areas where Texans Wire Countdown got it right against the Titans

Texans Wire Countdown nailed five areas that would decide Week 16 between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.

Each week the Texans Wire publishes a countdown of 10 items for fans to keep an eye on throughout a Houston Texans game. These 10 notes could be significant in deciding the outcome to the game.

The Week 16 tilt with the Tennessee Titans was no exception. The game would come down to how the Texans met the challenges surrounding the 10 statistics or areas of concern. Could Houston play to their strengths, avoid their vulnerabilities, and similarly compel Tennessee to make mistakes?

Here are five of the 10 notes from Week 16’s Texans Wire Countdown that ended up being significant to Houston’s 19-14 win over the Titans.

Texans coach Lovie Smith says he took a nap during weather delay before kickoff against the Titans

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith says he took a nap during the weather delay that postponed kickoff with the Tennessee Titans in Week 16.

Rolling blackouts in the Nashville area forced kickoff between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans to endure a weather delay on Christmas Eve.

The 12:00 p.m. Central Time kickoff was postponed an hour with the decision being made 90 minutes before scheduled kickoff. The decision meant that the Texans and Titans would not square off for another two and a half hours.

Coach Lovie Smith can account for about 20 of those extra minutes.

“I think I might have taken a nap for about 20 of those minutes,” Smith said.

The sugarplums in Smith’s head of beating the Titans came to life as Houston snapped its nine-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over Tennessee.

Smith told the players to use the extra time to mentally prepare themselves to take on the Titans.

Said Smith: “That’s pretty much what the guys you know — ‘Hey, guys, we’ve got an extra hour. We’ll get back on our routine an hour from now.’ Right now, you’ve got a little bit more time to mentally get prepared to play.”

There were initially talks of postponing the game to another day, but a one-hour weather delay ahead of kickoff was sufficient.

“So, ‘Hey, guys, we’re not postponing the game. The game is going on, so get ready to go,'” Smith said. “That’s what they did.”

The Texans forced rookie quarterback Malik Willis to throw two interceptions and forced a fumble of running back Derrick Henry. The Texans have now won three of their last four contests at Nissan Stadium and are currently on a two-game winning streak in that venue.

Lovie Smith says Texans can meet goal of having winning record in division games

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith says that the team can still meet their goal of achieving a winning record in AFC South games.

The Houston Texans are keeping it in the family.

The Texans’ only victories this season — and even the tie counts as a half-win — have come against their AFC South opponents: the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.

Houston staved off a series sweep at the hands of the Titans with a 19-14 win on Christmas Eve at Nissan Stadium. The Texans’ victory also improved Houston’s record in AFC South games with a 2-1-1 mark. The Texans’ last two games are at home against the Jaguars, who they beat in Week 5, and the Colts, who they tied in Week 1.

Coach Lovie Smith has used the aspect of their last three games being division games as a motivator despite the fact Houston has long been eliminated from the playoffs and are more likely to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

“We have a three-game season in our division,” Smith explained what he told the players. “‘Guys, the best we can do this year is to have the best record against division opponents.’ That was our goal and Tennessee was the first one that was up. So based on what all we’ve gone through to be able to finish up against your division.”

The Texans must win either one of their last two games to ensure a winning record in the division, which they have not had since 2019, the last time Houston won the AFC South, which is a goal of Smith’s.

Said Smith: “We plan to someday be the division champ. And this is the division champ, of course, that we’re playing. So that’s been our motivation. We’re playing in our division. That should get you pumped up about it. You shouldn’t need any more. You shouldn’t need any more incentive, of course, except for that.”

The Texans have also inserted themselves into the playoff equation by beating the Titans. With Tennessee and Jacksonville at 7-8 exiting Week 16, both clubs appear to be on a collision course for Week 18 to decide who goes to the playoffs as the AFC South champion.

Of course, the Texans could spoil it for Jacksonville with a victory at NRG Stadium in Week 17.

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Lovie Smith says Texans have been ‘playing tough’

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith says that the team has been “playing tough” in recent weeks.

These aren’t the same Houston Texans.

Although the Texans snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over the Tennessee Titans Christmas Eve at Nissan Stadium, the trend towards winning was already present in previous weeks.

“I think, first, we have to analyze exactly how we’ve been playing,” coach Lovie Smith said after the victory that improved Houston to 2-12-1 on the year. “And, you know, the last two teams that beat us have a chance to win it all.”

Houston played the Dallas Cowboys to 27-23 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Dallas needed a 98-yard drive to win the game in Week 14.

The Texans took the Kansas City Chiefs into overtime at NRG Stadium, but ultimately lost 30-24.

Although the Titans have fallen to 7-8 and are in danger of losing the AFC South to the surging Jacksonville Jaguars, Smith has utmost respect for the reigning division champions, who a year ago locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

“This team could win it all,” said Smith. “I mean, they have a chance to represent our division. And we’ve been playing tough.”

Smith believes that anyone watching football for the past few weeks would concur that the Texans are among one of the tougher teams in December.

Said Smith: “If you’ve been watching our football team play and you know football, you’d say that, ‘Hey, this is a team that’s trending here.’ That’s what we’re doing. We’re getting better. As I told the team in there, I mean, we’re playing good football right now.”

Partly what has helped Houston is the improved play from second-year quarterback Davis Mills. The former third-rounder from Stanford has thrown just two interceptions to three touchdowns in his past three games. Mills has also rushed for a touchdown.

The Texans will close out their slate of games at NRG Stadium against the Jaguars in Week 17, who need to sustain their three-game winning streak if they hope to unseat Tennessee for the AFC South title.

“An opportunity to beat anybody we play and we’re going to get a chance to do that because Jacksonville is playing outstanding football, too,” said Smith. “So we’re going to enjoy this, but we understand what’s at stake next.”

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