On Christmas Eve, the Baltimore Ravens gifted themselves and secured a playoff ticket.
With a 17-9 home win against the Atlanta Falcons, the Ravens improved their record to 10-5 and can plan for the postseason. Baltimore benefited from the bankruptcy of the New England Patriots.
“Having the playoffs secured with two games to go is absolutely remarkable,” said head coach John Harbaugh. “The team stuck together, they had each other’s backs.”
The Atlanta Falcons are now at a record of 5-10.
We’ve rounded up the results of Week 16’s early NFL games.
New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings 24:27
The Minnesota Vikings won the game against the New York Giants with a last-minute field goal from kicker Greg Joseph. The Vikings’ record in games by a score is 11-0 in 2022.
A win would have meant the playoffs for the Giants, now the franchise from the Big Apple has to be patient.
Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears 35:13
The Buffalo Bills secured their third consecutive AFC East title with a comfortable win in Chicago.
The Bears are 3-12 and have no playoff chances left.
Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots 22:18
Setback for playoff hopes for the New England Patriots, who are 7-8 after losing to the Bengals. The Patriots offense started late and didn’t score their first points until the fourth quarter.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 375 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs 10:24
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve and are now 12-3. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had 224 passing yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes scored another touchdown himself.
The Seahawks are now 7-8 from a 6-3 start. So it was Seattle’s fifth loss in the past six games.
Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers 23:37
The Carolina Panthers laid the foundation for success with their strong running game in the first half. The Panthers, now 6-9, rushed for 240 yards before the break.
The Detroit Lions are now 7-8. German-American receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught seven balls for 76 yards.
New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns 17:10
The New Orleans Saints improved their record to 6-9, while the Cleveland Browns lost their last playoff hopes by losing to a 6-9 record.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson didn’t manage a touchdown with 135 passing yards, he underwent an interception.
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans 19:14
The game started an hour late because the Nashville power grid was out of action due to the cold temperatures. The Titans also experienced the next blackout and gave up the fifth game in a row.
Tennessee lost the top spot in the AFC South to Jacksonville (both 7-8) with the loss.
The Texans (2-12-1) managed only their second win of the season.