While six teams came into Week 16 with a playoff berth sewn up, the New York Giants became the first team to claim a division title. The Giants, somewhat beleaguered five weeks ago that head coach Jim Fassel felt the need to "guarantee" a playoff berth, won the NFC East on Sunday night by virtue of their 17-13 victory against the Cowboys.
Now the Giants can clinch home field throughout the playoffs with a victory next week against the Jaguars. Minnesota had home field in their grasp, but a second consecutive loss -- this time at home to Green Bay -- has put others in control of the Vikings' destiny.
In the AFC, Tennessee beat Cleveland to remain in line to clinch home field throughout the playoffs. Miami failed to clinch a playoff berth, and Denver couldn't take advantage of Oakland's loss Saturday.
| Week 16 NFL Recap |
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| Giants 17 (11-4), Cowboys 13 (5-10) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4: Consecutive victories since head coach Jim Fassel guaranteed a playoff berth, which the Giants clinched by winning the NFC East. |
| Player of the Game |
| Emmanuel McDaniel, CB, New York: Fourth-quarter interception set up the Giants' go-ahead touchdown. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Giants stumbled for much of the game, but a 13-0 halftime lead wasn't enough for the Cowboys. Dallas lost two fumbles, threw one interception and allowed five sacks. QB Anthony Wright, making his first NFL start, was 13-for-25 for 119 yards. Giants QB Kerry Collins was 12-of-26 for 140 yards, including a 33-yard TD to Amani Toomer. Giants RB Tiki Barber rushed for 80 yards, including a 13-yard TD. The Giants clinched their first division title since 1997. |
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| Titans 24 (12-3), Browns 0 (3-13) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
2,578: All-purpose yards gained by Titans WR Derrick Mason this year, setting the single-season NFL record. |
| Player of the Game |
| Eddie George, RB, Tennessee: Ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns, giving him a career-high 1,426 yards rushing this season. |
CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Titans remained the front-runner to clinch home field throughout the AFC playoffs behind George on a frigid day in Cleveland. The Titans can clinch home field next week with a win against Dallas or a Baltimore loss to the Jets. George had TD runs of 1 and 2 yards in the first half, then salted the game away with a 35-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher became the winningest coach in the team's history with his 60. Browns head coach Chris Palmer, who tried trickery last week by using two wide receivers at quarterback, tried a pair of running backs under center against the Titans. It didn't work. The Browns gained only 113 yards and were shut out for the fourth time this season. At 3-13, Cleveland improved one game from its expansion season of a year ago. |
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| Lions 10 (9-6), Jets 7 (9-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
25: Interceptions his season by the Lions, tops in the NFL. Stephen Boyd's INT at the Jets' 46-yard line preceded the Lions' game-winning touchdown drive. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jeff Hartings, G, Detroit: The 295-pound lineman jumped on teammate James Stewart's fumble in the end zone, resulting in the game-winning touchdown with 5:43 remaining. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Stewart rushed for a career-high 164 yards for the Lions, who kept their playoff hopes alive. The Jets failed to clinch to playoff berth, but can still get in with a win next week at Baltimore. Jets K John Hall missed a 35-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining that would have tied the game. RB Curtis Martin was held to 52 yards rushing. Detroit is plus-11 in turnover differential with 39 takeaways. Lions QB Charlie Batch was sacked five times. Jets LB Bryan Cox was lost with a broken leg. |
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| Colts 20 (9-6), Dolphins 13 (10-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
47: Third-down percentage converted by the Colts (7-for-15), compared to just 2-for-12 (17 percent) for the Dolphins. |
| Player of the Game |
| Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis: In becoming only the fifth quarterback to pass for consecutive 4,000 seasons, Manning led the Colts out of the gate quickly as Indy posted a 17-3 halftime lead. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Colts kept their playoff hopes alive, but will still need help next week even if they win at Minnesota. The Dolphins failed to clinch a playoff berth for the second consecutive week. After being shut out in the first half of their previous three road games, the Colts needed a fast start and Manning provided it. Manning threw for only 206 yards, but went 21-for-28 with a touchdown pass (50 yards to Marcus Pollard) and a TD run (4 yards). Colts RB Edgerrin James rushed for 112 yards. Dolphins QB Jay Fiedler was 12-for-25 for 150 yards. Colts K Mike Vanderjagt kicked two field goals, including a season-long 48-yarder. |
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| Packers 33 (8-7), Vikings 28 (11-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
13: Home winning streak by the Vikings, which came to an end against the Packers. |
| Player of the Game |
| Ahman Green, RB, Green Bay: Became the seventh runner in Packers history to reach 1,000 yards (1,101) rushing with a career-best 161. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Packers kept alive their slim playoff hopes by winning for just the second time at the Metrodome in the past nine years. For the second consecutive week, the Vikings failed to secure home field in the NFC playoffs. Packers QB Brett Favre hasn't had too many good days at the Metrodome, but threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions, the first time in almost two years he's done that. The Packers held Vikings RB Robert Smith, the NFC's leading rusher, to 26 yards on 10 carries. |
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| Ravens 13 (11-4), Cardinals 7 (3-12) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
51: Rushing yards allowed the Ravens, 11 fewer than their NFL-best 62-yard-per-game average. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jamie Sharper, LB, Baltimore: Set up the Ravens' only touchdown by plucking an interception from the hands of Chris Gedney and returning it 45 yards to the Cardinals' 6-yard line. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Ravens remained on the heels of the Titans in the AFC Central with their sixth consecutive victory. While failing to record a shutout for an NFL-tying fifth time, the Ravens did keep the lowly Cardinals from scoring on 4-of-5 possession inside the Baltimore 30. Resembling Ravens of the first half of the season, Baltimore couldn't muster any offense either, gaining only 214 yards to 309 for the Cardinals. Ravens QB Trent Dilfer was only 12-of-22 for 70 yards, but RB Jamal Lewis rushed for 126 yards. Jake Plummer return to the Cardinals' lineup and passed for 266 yards (23-of-43) but threw two interceptions. |
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| Chiefs 20 (7-8), Broncos 7 (10-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
264: Season-high rushing yards by the Chiefs, who came into the game ranked 26th in the league in rushing with an average of 82 yards per game. |
| Player of the Game |
| Tony Richardson, RB, Kansas City: Celebrated his 29th birthday with 156 yards rushing, the most by a Chief since 1990. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Broncos failed to take advantage of the Raiders' loss Saturday and remained one game behind Oakland in the AFC West. The Broncos failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time in almost a year in having their six-game winning streak stopped. The Chiefs swept the season series from the Broncos for the second consecutive year. The Chiefs held Broncos RB Mike Anderson to 62 yards. Chiefs DE Eric Hicks had two sacks for the second consecutive game and has 14 on the season. |
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| Saints 23 (10-5), Falcons 7 (3-12) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
7-0: Saints record against NFC West opponents with sweeps of the Panthers, 49ers and Falcons. |
| Player of the Game |
| Aaron Brooks, QB, New Orleans: Completed 24 of 25 passes for 285 yards in just his fourth NFL start. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Saints' feel-good season took another step closer to the playoffs with its first home victory against the Falcons in five years. New Orleans will clinch a playoff berth after Monday night's St. Louis-Tampa Bay game, regardless of the winner. Only a tie keeps the Saints out. The Saints' defense stifled the Falcons, limiting Atlanta to 163 total yards. Falcons QB Doug Johnson completed only 5 of 10 passes for 45 yards, threw an interception that Saints S Sammy Knight returned 31 yards for a TD, and was sacked four times before being benched. Saints WR Joe Horn caught seven passes for 116 yards. |
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| 49ers 17 (6-9), Bears 0 (4-11) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
20: NFL-record number of passes caught by 49ers WR Terrell Owens . |
| Player of the Game |
| Terrell Owens, WR, San Francisco: It was supposed to be Jerry Rice's swan song at 3ComPark, but Owens stole the spotlight with 283 receiving yards and a TD. He also broke Rice's team-record of 16 catches. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| If this was indeed Rice's final home game as a 49er, San Francisco put forth an effort reminiscent of its glory days. QB Jeff Garcia was 36-of-44 for 402 yards and two TDs, including a 27-yard strike to Owens. Owens' 20 catches surpassed the 18 by Tom Fears of the Los Angeles Rams against Green Bay on Dec. 3, 1950. The 49ers' defense also showed glimpses of old, holding the Bears to just 104 yards of offense. In his first game back from injury, QB Cade McNown completed just 9 of 19 for 73 yards and an interception as the Bears never crossed midfield. |
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| Bengals 17 (4-11), Jaguars 14 (7-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
9: Temperature at game time with a wind chill of 20 below. It was the coldest game in Jaguars history and the second-coldest in Bengals history. |
| Player of the Game |
| Danny Farmer, WR, Cincinnati: Playing in his first snow game, the native Californian caught passes of 38, 22 and 19 yards to set up the Bengals' winning field goal. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Even in victory Cincinnati's poor reputation just keeps getting worse. After the game all the talk centered on Paul Brown Stadium's maligned field, which was completely torn up afterward. It was the third consecutive game the field was more treacherous than the Bengals. K Neil Rackers found a good enough spot on the field, however, to boot the game-winning field goal from 27 yards as times expired. Previously, Jaguars K Mike Hollis slipped and fell on a 28-yard FG try that would've given Jacksonville a 17-7 lead. Jaguars RB Fred Taylor (110 yards) continued his second-half running rampage, tying Walter Payton with his ninth consecutive 100-yard game, third longest in NFL history. |
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| Patriots 13 (5-10), Bills 10 (7-8), OT |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4: Consecutive losses by the Bills, their longest losing streak since dropping six in a row in 1985. |
| Player of the Game |
| Adam Vinatieri, K, Buffalo: Came back after missing a 27-yard field goal at the end of regulation, and 7 of 11 overall in Buffalo, to kick the game-winner from 24 yards with 19 seconds left in overtime. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| QB Drew Bledsoe (13-of-26 for 156 yards) completed his 19th career comeback in either the fourth quarter or OT by leading the Patriots 83 yards to set up the game-winning FG. Bills QB Rob Johnson was knocked out of his fifth of 11 starts when he suffered a concussion after being hit by Patriots DE Greg Spires. QB Doug Flutie came on and finished 15-for-25 for 193 yards and a TD. Patriots P Lee Johnson set an NFL record for career punts with 1,159.
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| Panthers 30 (7-8), Chargers 22 (1-14) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
1-14: Record of the Chargers, who clinched the first pick in the NFL draft. |
| Player of the Game |
| Special teams, Carolina: Iheanyi Uwaezuoke scored on a 64-yard punt return and Doug Evans returned a blocked field goal 54 yards for a touchdown for the Panthers. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Chargers had this one in hand, but mistakes snatched victory from their grasp. Despite throwing for 259 yards on 23-for-43 passing, Chargers QB Ryan Leaf threw his 17th interception of the season, which led to a Panthers field goal, and lost a fumble. The Panthers were held to just 11 yards rushing and 169 total, compared to 358 for the Chargers. |
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| Steelers 24 (8-7), Redskins 3 (7-8) |
Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
5: Turnovers committed by Washington. On
backup quarterback Brad Johnson's 30-yard completion to Stephen
Alexander in the fourth quarter, Alexander fumbled just before he crossed the goal line and the ball went out of bounds for a touchback. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jerome Bettis, RB, Pittsburgh: Most of the Steelers' ground game came from Bettis, who had his seventh consecutive 100-yard-plus performance. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Other than the fact that this was the final game at Three Rivers Stadium, the matchup had little meaning. The Redskins, much like Three Rivers itself will, imploded. Alexander's fumble inches from the end zone crystalized the Redskins' season. In a game in which they had to send a message, they did. The problem for Redskins fans is the message was "we give up." |
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| Seahawks 27 (6-9), Raiders 24 (11-4) |
Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
196: Return yardage for Seattle, which racked up 17 on two punt returns, 144 on six kickoffs and 35 on two INTs. That's a lot of territory without running a play. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jeff Feagles, P, Seattle: Sometimes the most memorable performances are the worst. Because the Seahawks won, their punter can now laugh about having one punt blocked, one go off the side of his foot and another bobbled on the snap resulting in an incomplete pass attempt. He also botched the PAT hold after the go-ahead touchdown, leaving Oakland within a field goal. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Marquez Pope's fumble recovery turned into a safety despite the fact that Pope slid into the end zone while corralling the loose ball on a slip-n-slide playing surface. Seattle scored on the ensuing possession to steal a victory and perhaps cost the Raiders their first division title in 10 years. More bad news for Oakland: Tyrone Wheatley left the game with a leg injury in the third quarter and did not return. He still finished with 146 yards on 26 carries. Seattle RB Ricky Watters countered with 168 yards on 26 carries. Oakland QB Rich Gannon may have marred an MVP season with 3 INTs, completing just 5 of 17 passes for 136 yards. |
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| Buccaneers 38 (10-5), Rams 35 (9-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
0-3: Rams QB Kurt Warner's record on natural grass this season. |
| Player of the Game |
| Warrick Dunn, RB, Tampa Bay: Diminutive workhorse rushed 22 times for 145 yards and three touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| If Warner has an Achilles' heel, it's playing on natural grass: 0-3 this season with only three touchdowns and nine interceptions. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, just will not quit. The Bucs, left for dead during an early season four-game losing streak, have rebounded to win seven of eight. No one thought the defending Super Bowl champion Rams would need help to make the 2000 playoffs, but unless they defeat New Orleans and Chicago upsets (or ties) Detroit, St. Louis will be making postseason vacation plans by 4 p.m. Sunday. |
