Week 16 Observations

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Updated on December 28, 2020 9:57AM EST

That was a lot of football in three days. I wrote up Friday's and Saturday's games already, and after watching the Sunday night game this morning, it all kind of runs together. I had two teams going that I still cared about -- my bad Steak League team which after three strong weeks, is neck and neck with two other teams for being the dreaded double-buyer, and my NFFC Primetime team that just missed the cashing in the regular season and is now fourth overall in the consolation bracket which pays the top three teams. (Maybe if there were a consolation bracket for the consolation bracket that team would finally get its due.) The Steak League side bet runs through Week 17, so I have one more slate over which to sweat, and then I can worry about playoff pools and of course ATS bets through the Super Bowl.

I thought the Titans would play the Packers tougher, but their defense couldn't get stops. Davante Adams (12-11-142-3) went crazy and made it look easy. He now has 17 TDs in 13 games.
Aaron Rodgers now has 44 TDs and five picks. In 2011, when he won MVP, he had 45 TDs and six picks. Then again, he had 9.2 YPA then and only 8.1 this year. And the Packers still need to win at Chicago next week, by no means an easy game, to lock up the top seed in the NFC.
I foolishly made the Rams my best bet after their loss to the Jets, thinking the market had over-corrected to a one-off anomaly. But the Rams offense lacks skill playmakers, and Jared Goff is just a guy. I'll be rooting for the Cardinals and Bears next week to keep them out of the playoffs. (Apparently, Goff might have broken his thumb too, making John Wolford the possible starter against Arizona next week.)
I love Jalen Hurts as a player, but the Cowboys defense shut him down almost completely for three quarters of the game. And the constant false starts by the offensive line made it a tough watch. Hurts still put up good fantasy numbers, though, and got jobbed on a fumble when his knee was clearly down.
For the second week in a row CeeDee Lamb scored a completely garbage TD, this time on a 19-yard run while the Cowboys were running out the clock. Those scores could save me the cost of an extra steak, though, so I hope he gets another one (once the Giants have secured the win) next week.
It's insane the Giants can still win the division if they beat Dallas at home and the Eagles beat the Football Team in Philadelphia.
Dwayne Haskins will be lucky to have Blaine Gabbert's career.
Justin Herbert broke Baker Mayfield's record for rookie TD passes with one game to spare.
Despite playing for a team with a worse record than the Bengals, Deshaun Watson has quietly put up an 8.8 YPA, 30 TD, six pick season with 432 rushing yards and three rushing TDs. Those are easy MVP numbers most years.
The numbers don't show it, but Daniel Jones actually played well. For once, the six sacks were mostly not on him, and he didn't fumble or throw an interception. The Giants were just overmatched.
The Bears can make the playoffs with a win next week, something that seemed unthinkable when Nick Foles was their quarterback. They'll have a tough opponent -- the Packers -- who also need the game for the No. 1 seed and first round bye.
The Jaguars will have Trevor Lawrence, it seems. Gardner Minshew deserves a shot somewhere, and at the very least, makes for an ideal backup.
The Steelers can't run the ball, but their defense throttled the Colts in the second half, and Ben Roethlisberger did just enough. (It was strange they didn't let him throw a Hail Mary from Colts territory at the end of the first half. Does he not have the arm strength to get it 45 yards down the field?) The Colts also went away from Jonathan Taylor too early.
Philip Rivers made some good throws, but also threw a bad pick, down four, on first-and-10 from midfield with six minutes left in the game. On third down, it would've been akin to a punt, but on first, it was a giveaway of the team's penultimate possession. With their running game, defense and offensive line, the Colts might be able to win with a caretaker, but that's never really been Rivers' style.
After being one of the worst teams in league history through 13 games, the Jets just knocked off playoff teams (well, the Rams now have to win in Week 17) back to back weeks. Teams are not particles, they're waves.
The Chiefs walk the line of always winning but never covering. Then again, the Falcons are the Chargers of the NFC (or is it the Lions of the NFC South?) always finding novel ways to lose. Not since Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones has someone been so devastatingly betrayed by a Younghoe.