There are three weeks left in the NFL regular season, and the playoff spots are beginning to fill up. But who would get their place in the postseason, and who would lose out?
Let’s look back at Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season
The Seahawks make History
We begin with the NFC West. This is the closest division in the NFL, with a three-way race among the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers. The Rams and Seahawks have been exchanging first places over the last few weeks. These teams met on Thursday night in a pivotal game in the division race.
The Rams had the first possession of the game but failed to convert on fourth down, handing possession to Seattle at the Seahawks’ 39-yard line. This error would be costly as the Sam Darnold-led offense was able to make it down to the Rams’ four-yard line quickly. Here, Zach Charbonnet found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give Seattle the lead.
Los Angeles could respond by scoring points of their own. Matthew Stafford would move his offense down to the Seahawks’ one-yard line before finding Terrance Ferguson for the touchdown. However, a penalty on this play against the Rams took the score off the board. The team would settle for a 23-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis. Mevis would find the uprights on the Rams’ next drive as well, giving Seattle a one-point lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis lead disappeared near the end of the second quarter as Stafford found Ferguson for a three-yard touchdown pass. This meant that at halftime, the Rams had a 13-7 lead over the Seahawks.
Seattle had the first possession of the second half and would use it to retake the lead. Darnold and company quickly made it to their 45-yard line before Kenneth Walker found the endzone for a 55-yard rushing touchdown to give the Seahawks the lead. But, this did not last long, as Mevis found the uprights from 41 yards out on the Rams’ next drive to hand it back to Los Angeles.
Then, the Seahawks made a massive mistake when Darnold threw an intercepted pass that was returned by the Rams defense to the one-yard line. One play later, Blake Cormun found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to further the lead. The lead became even larger at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Stafford found Puka Nacua for a one-yard touchdown pass.
Seattle was now 16 points down, and their first drive of the fourth quarter ended in another interception. Luckily for them, the Rams couldn’t do anything with the ball and punted it back. The Seahawks would return the punt for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion followed, making it an eight-point game and giving the Seahawks hope.
The scores were tied after the next drive from Seattle when Darnold found Barner for a 26-yard touchdown pass, which was followed by another successful two-point conversion. It was now the Rams on the back foot, but they had an opportunity to win the game a few drives later, when Mevis was faced with a 48-yard field goal attempt. This missed, and the remaining drives of the game from both teams went nowhere, meaning that we were going to overtime.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Rams had the first possession of overtime and did everything right. Stafford found Nacua for a 41-yard touchdown pass to force the Seahawks to match this score if they were going to stay in the game. The Rams matched the Seahawks, with Darnold finding Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a four-yard touchdown pass. Then, the Seahawks attempted a two-point conversion to win the game. Darnold successfully found E Saubert to seal a 38-37 win.
This win gives the Seahawks a playoff berth and a one-game lead in the NFC West with two games to play. History was also made in this game, with the Seahawks becoming the first team to win in overtime after their opponents scored a touchdown first, and the first to win an overtime game on a two-point conversion. Seattle could very much be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. As for the Rams, they fall to 11-4, but are still in contention for the division title.
Next week, the Seahawks face the Carolina Panthers, while the Rams play a must-win against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Bears do it!
Two weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers met the Chicago Bears in a classic game, with a late interception giving the Packers the win. However, last week’s defeat to Denver brought the Bears back into the NFC North race, and a win here would give them a massive advantage. Will we see another classic game between these long-term rivals?
The Packers had the first drive of the game and got down to the Bears’ seven-yard line. However, a failed fourth-down conversion gave the Bears possession. On their first drive, the Bears made their way down to the Packers’ 10-yard line. Here, a fumble on a fourth-down attempt also lost them possession.
Green Bay would be able to get the first points of the game on its next drive. Jordan Love and the offense made their way down to the Bears’ eight-yard line before stalling. This set up Brandon McManus with a 26-yard field goal attempt, which was successful. McManus would double the Packers’ lead on their next drive. However, Love would get injured on this drive, forcing Malik Willis to be the quarterback for the rest of the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesAt halftime, the Packers had a 6-0 lead over the Bears, but would the change in quarterback help or hinder the Packers’ chances?
The Bears had the first possession of the second half and scored their first points of the game. Caleb Williams led his offense down to the Packers’ 28-yard line before stalling. This set up Cairo Santos with a 46-yard field goal attempt which was successful.
The Packers looked like extending their lead on the next drive, with the team making it down to the Bears’ three-yard line. Here, a mistake happened. Josh Jacobs fumbled the ball and lost both possession and the chance to score. Luckily for him, the Bears did nothing with this possession, and Willis found Romeo Doubs for a 33-yard touchdown pass on their next drive. This meant that, going into the fourth quarter, the Packers had a 13-6 lead over the Bears.
Chicago would cut into this lead on their first drive of the quarter, when Santos found the uprights from 51 yards out. Any advantages of this were immediately removed when McManus kicked a 28-yard field goal on the next drive. Another field goal from Santos with 2 minutes left made it a one-possession game. But, the Bears needed to get possession in order to have a chance to challenge the Packers.
Chicago successfully made an onside kick to keep possession and to give them their scoring opportunity. Williams and company move down the field to the Packers’ six-yard line. Here, the quarterback found Jahdae Walker for the touchdown pass to level the score. Green Bay did nothing on the final drive, meaning that this game was going to overtime.
The Packers had the first possession of overtime and made it down to the Bears’ 36-yard line. Here, a critical fourth-down conversion had to happen. Unfortunately for Green Bay, Willis fumbled the ball, and Green Bay lost possession. This gave the Bears a massive opportunity to win the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Bears’ offense made it down to the Packers’ 46-yard line, and here, Williams found DJ Moore for a 46-yard touchdown pass to give the Chicago Bears a 22-16 win over the Green Bay Packers.
This comeback win has been dubbed the “Windy City Miracle” and shows that the Bears, along with the Seahawks, could be challengers in a tight NFC. The Bears improve to 11-4 with the win and have clinched a playoff spot. They lead the NFC North by two games, and could win the division with a win next week or a Packers loss. As for Green Bay, they fall to 9-5-1 and are still in playoff contention.
Next week, the Bears face the San Francisco 49ers, while the Packers play the Baltimore Ravens.
Can the Jags actually become champions?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have, in the last few weeks made themselves not only the favourite to win the AFC South (partly thanks to the collapse in form of the Indianapolis Colts) and the AFC. A main rival for the latter is the Denver Broncos, whose numerous close wins this season have given them a strong record coming into this game. These teams met in a pivotal game for playoff seeding in the AFC.
The first three drives of the game all ended in punts, and it was the Broncos who had the first opportunity to break this deadlock. Led by quarterback Bo Nix, the offense made its way down to the Jaguars’ 26-yard line. Here, the drive stalled, setting up Will Lutz with a 44-yard field goal attempt, which missed, keeping the score tied.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis deadlock would be broken on the next drive by the Jags. Trevor Lawrence led his offense down to the Broncos’ 12-yard line. Here, he found Parker Washington for the touchdown pass to give them the lead. The lead did not last long, however, as Nix would find Courtland Sutton for a 15-yard touchdown pass on the next drive to level things up.
Denver would be able to take the lead on their next drive through a 54-yard field goal from Lutz. In response to this, Lawrence would find Brenton Strange for a three-yard touchdown pass to swing it back to the Jaguars. A late field goal from Cam Little meant that at halftime, the Jaguars had a 17-10 lead over the Broncos.
The Broncos had the first possession of the second half and would use it to level the score again. Nix and company made their way down to the Jaguars’ 38-yard line, when RJ Harvey would find the endzone for a rushing touchdown to tie the game.
The tie did not last long, as on the first Jags drive of the half, Lawrence found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown. It became a two-possession game soon after when Lawrence found Travis Etienne for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Broncos needed to get something on the board on their next drive if they were going to launch a fourth-quarter comeback. Unfortunately for them, Nix fumbled the ball on their 39-yard line and lost possession. The Jaguars would be able to convert this into three more points via a 26-yard field goal from Little.
The best Denver could do in this quarter was a 21-yard field goal from Lutz immediately after Little made his kick. They struggled in this quarter, and the win slipped away.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had defeated the Denver Broncos 34-20.
The win improves the Jags to an 11-4 record and has sealed their spot in the playoffs. They have a one-game lead over the Houston Texans, but face the Colts and Titans in their last two games. Jacksonville could not only win the division but also be the top seed in the AFC if things go its way. As for Denver, the defeat means they fall to 12-3 for the season. They are still the current top seed in the AFC, but are now tied with the Patriots.
Next week, the Jaguars face the Colts, while the Broncos face the Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
What happened in the other games?
The Philadelphia Eagles faced the Washington Commanders this week, where a win would give the Eagles their second consecutive NFC East title. Saquon Barkley ran for 132 yards and one touchdown in the Eagles’ 29-18 victory to seal the division and a playoff berth for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
After their win over the New England Patriots last week, the Buffalo Bills faced the Cleveland Browns. This was not an easy game for the Bills, but 117 yards from James Cook alongside two touchdowns was enough to get a 23-20 win.
The Los Angeles Chargers kept themselves in the playoff race with a win over the Dallas Cowboys. Justin Herbert threw for 3000 yards and two touchdowns in their 34-17 victory. The AFC West is still available for the Chargers for one more week.
Last week, Patrick Mahomes went down with an injury and is out for the rest of the season. Gardner Minshew was his replacement as the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Tennessee Titans. But Minshew did not last long in the game and was replaced by Chris Oladokun. He struggled in this game, and the Titans dominated, recording a 26-9 win.
Former Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers made his NFL debut this week as the Miami Dolphins faced the Cincinnati Bengals. Ewers had an adequate game, throwing for 260 yards and two interceptions. But Joe Burrow had a game to remember, throwing for 309 yards and four touchdowns in the Bengals 45-21 win.
Tyler Slough continued his good rookie season as the New Orleans Saints faced the struggling New York Jets. He threw for 308 yards and one touchdown in the Saints’ 29-6 win.
The battle for the NFC South heated up this week as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Carolina Panthers. A late field goal from Ryan Fitzgerald gave the Panthers a 23-20 win to put them in first place in the division.
The Atlanta Falcons faced the Arizona Cardinals this week. Kirk Cousins threw for two touchdowns in the Falcons’ 26-19 win.
The Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Detroit Lions in a very tight game. A late touchdown pass for the Lions would have given them the win. However, a penalty on the play against the Lions cost them the touchdown and the win. This gave the Steelers a 29-24 win, putting them one win away from the AFC North title.
The Houston Texans stayed in the AFC South race with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders. CJ Stroud threw for one touchdown and 187 yards in the Texans’ 23-21 victory.
The New England Patriots kept up with the Broncos and Bills in their respective races with a win over the Baltimore Ravens. A late touchdown from Rhamondre Stevenson gave the Pats a narrow 28-24 victory over the Ravens.
Philip Rivers continued his surprise return to football as the Indianapolis Colts faced the San Francisco 49ers. Rivers threw for two touchdowns in this game. But this was nothing compared to Brock Purdy, who threw for five touchdowns in the 49ers’ 48-27 win.
The New York Giants played the Minnesota Vikings this week. The Giants’ offense barely turned up, as the Vikings won 16-13.
Next week, we have Christmas games (but none of them are mouth-watering affairs). We also have the Eagles facing the Bills, the Bears vs the 49ers, and the Giants face the Raiders in the battle for the number one pick.