Week 16 of NFL The season continues on Saturday with an action-packed slate, and we bring you all the must-see moments from across the league. As the playoff race continues to heat up, so does the winter weather, with cold temperatures and gusty winds already proving to have a major impact on this Christmas Eve slate.
Eight of the 11 games in the first window had opening temperatures below freezing (many in the single digits) and two of the three night games have temperatures near or well below freezing, according to FOX Sports Research and The FOX weather.
Here are the best plays on Saturday’s board!
Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers
Tribute to Franco Harris
Stay tuned for updates!
Dallas Cowboys 40, Philadelphia Eagles 34
Action from the gate!
Josh Sweat made a huge interception, picking off Dak Prescott and taking it 42 yards to the house to put Philly up 10-0 early.
‘The boys recover
The Cowboys then closed the gap slightly, 10-7, courtesy of a short scamper by Ezekiel Elliott.
It has to be seen to be believed
Gardner Minshew’s pass to Quez Watkins was sneakily intercepted by Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse, giving Dallas the ball quickly.
With a twist!
The turnover and subsequent broken coverage on the corner route by the Eagles defense allowed Dallas to take its first lead of the game, 14-10, early in the second quarter after CeeDee Lamb sank a Prescott’s 36-yard touchdown.
Back and forth battle
The Eagles went back in front, 17-14, after Minshew took it away midway through the second quarter. The two teams traded field goals before halftime to keep it a three-point game, 20-17, with Philly on top.
The Eagles began to pull away in the third quarter, after a wide open touchdown by DeVonta Smith made it a 10-point game, 27-17, early in the frame.
Not too fast!
Dallas had other plans, though. A Michael Gallup field goal and touchdown tied things again heading into the fourth quarter.
Eyes on the prize
The Eagles answered with Smith’s second touchdown of the night, putting Philly up 34-27 in the fourth quarter. That marked the Eagles’ 36th consecutive red zone score, good for the longest active streak in the NFL.
Fourth quarter increase
On the next possession, the Dallas offense wasted no time charging down the field, thanks to TY Hilton.
The Cowboys fired back with another Prescott-Lamb touchdown that tied things up once again. Dallas then added two field goals, the second coming after a costly Eagles fumble with less than two minutes remaining, to seal the win.
San Francisco 49ers 37, Washington Commanders 20
Go, go, go!
It was the 49ers who got on the board first as Ray-Ray McCloud III scampered 71 yards for a score.
in play
Brock Purdy was picked off on the San Francisco sideline after Jauan Jennings threw the ball and landed in the hands of Chiefs safety Darrick Forrest.
How did you get it?
The turnover led to a Washington score, as rookie Jahan Dotson snagged one to tie things up heading into the half.
No doubt
The Niners opened the scoring in the second half with a big 34-yard touchdown run by George Kittle. The four-time Pro Bowl tight end added another score two plays later when San Francisco jumped out to a 21-7 lead late in the third quarter.
At arm’s length
Taylor Heinicke connected with Terry McLaurin, who somehow managed to hold onto the ball with defenders on each shoulder, for a 51-yard pick to put the Chiefs in Niners territory.
Two plays later, McLaurin finished the job, hooking a short pass from Heinicke for the score.
QB2 records the entry
After the Niners added three field goals in the fourth quarter to extend their lead, 30-14, the Commanders inserted Carson Wentz into the game in place of Heinicke, and the veteran signal-caller got a field goal early on. finish
Houston Texans 19, Tennessee Titans 14
Arriving!
Derrick Henry had a monster touchdown run to put the Titans on the board early against the Texans.
How did they draw it?
Houston tied things up late in the first quarter with a Davis Mills touchdown, courtesy of Rex Burkhead.
Man on a mission
Rookie QB Malik Willis picked up his first NFL touchdown on a tough 14-yard run midway through the third quarter to give Tennessee the lead, 14-10.
cooking late
Mills turned to Brandin Cooks late in the fourth quarter, and the veteran receiver came up big for the Texans, booting a 6-yard score to give Houston a 19-14 lead they held until the end.
It was just the Texans’ second win of the season, snapping a nine-game losing streak.
Cincinnati Bengals 22, New England Patriots 18
dynamic duo
The Joe Burrow-Tee Higgins link-up was hot despite the freezing weather, securing a good first quarter score.
Double problem
The Bengals added six more points when Burrow threw one to Trent Irwin, who picked off that pass under pressure while battling Patriots defenders.
Irwin added another score late in the second quarter to extend the Bengals’ lead to 22-0 at halftime.
Chaos!
On third-and-29, Mac Jones sent a Hail Mary into the end zone that somehow landed in the hands of Jakobi Meyers for the touchdown. So the Patriots scored 18 unanswered points after falling into a 22-0 hole in the first half.
Down to the wire
After each team went down on back-to-back drives, the Patriots fumbled the ball with less than a minute to play. However, they had to clear it and were unable to mount a comeback.
Minnesota Vikings 27, New York Giants 24
history made
With a 25-yard reception in the first quarter, Justin Jefferson (1,661 yards) set the Vikings’ new single-season receiving yardage record, breaking Randy Moss’ (1,623) 2003 record after reaching the last season (1,616).
Then, with momentum on their side, the Vikings got on the board first with a touchdown courtesy of TJ Hockenson.
Magic!
After the Giants closed the gap to 10-7, Daniel Jones found Isaiah Hodgins for a dazzling 29-yard gain that brought New York fans to their feet.
Another!
Kirk Cousins threw one for Hockenson, who didn’t let any number of Giants defenders stop him from scoring.
Cousins then found Jefferson for a wild 17-yard touchdown to take a 24-16 lead.
From here to there
The Giants weren’t going down without a fight, responding with a score of their own on the next drive.
Saquon Barkley went for a 27-yard touchdown, and Daniel Bellinger made the two-point conversion to tie things at 24 apiece as the two-minute warning approached in Minnesota.
W!
In the end, it all came down to Greg Joseph, who nailed a 61-yard field goal as the clock expired to seal the home win.
Carolina Panthers 37, Detroit Lions 23
jumping early
The Panthers took the lead in their first game, thanks to the fantastic footwork of Raheem Blackshear.
Quick response
The Lions came back with an opening score of their own as Jared Goff connected with tight end Shane Zylstra.
Bombs away!
Sam Darnold threw one to DJ Moore, who had an impressive 47-yard catch, followed by a touchdown on the next play.
So Carolina had a 31-7 lead midway through the third frame and never relinquished the lead.
Buffalo Bills 35, Chicago Bears 13
Moving
Justin Fields connected with a wide open Dante Pettis on the bears‘ start of play to take a 7-0 lead over the invoices.
Closing the gap
Gabe Davis caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to make it a one-point game, 7-6, midway through the first quarter after high winds resulted in a missed extra point.
Need for speed
Buffalo opened the scoring in the second half with a 33-yard touchdown run by Devin Singletary, taking its first lead of the game, 14-10. James Cook then added a 27-yard touchdown run to extend the Bills’ lead, 21-10.
Highlight reel!
Fields found Velus Jones Jr. with a 44-yard gain before turning the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter as the Bills ran away with a double-digit road win.
Kansas City Chiefs 24, Seattle Seahawks 10
Struggling early
After going three-and-out on their first drive, the Chiefs came back big on their second possession when Patrick Mahomes hit Kadarius Toney for an 8-yard touchdown to give KC an early lead.
Expanding leadership
Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon raced into the end zone, pushing past two Seahawks defenders to extend KC’s lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
What can’t he do?
Mahomes went all-out on his way to the end zone, diving into the pylon to put the Chiefs up 24-3 late in the quarter as the Chiefs cruised to an easy win at home.
Baltimore Ravens 17, Atlanta Falcons 9
Change of direction
Just as the Falcons were able to cross into the red zone, Drake London couldn’t hold onto the ball, and Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen picked up the fumble to give the ball back to Baltimore.
Strong aerial game
The turnover was a golden opportunity for Baltimore. Tyler Huntley, filling in for an injured Lamar Jackson, connected with Demarcus Robinson in the corner of the end zone for six. It was the first touchdown by a Ravens receiver since Week 3.
The Ravens held off the Falcons and came away with the win at home, 17-9.
New Orleans Saints 17, Cleveland Browns 10
Chosen!
The brown the defense shut out Andy Dalton just like the saints crossed the middle of the field, and the loss led to a touchdown and a 7-0 lead for the Browns on the ensuing drive.
History books
After trading field goals to close the second quarter, the Saints started the third quarter scoring with an 8-yard touchdown run up the middle from Taysom Hill. With that score, Hill set a new record for most rushing touchdowns by a non-running back in Saints history.
Right place, right time
The Saints defense came up with a big interception late in the third quarter on a tipped ball. The drive led to Alvin Kamara’s 4-yard touchdown run to give the Saints a 17-10 lead that they held until the end.
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