The Steelers won their third straight game in dramatic fashion, knocking off the Lions 29-24 to put a major dent in Detroit’s slim playoff hopes. Jaylen Warren totaled 143 yards and two touchdowns as Pittsburgh amassed a whopping seven explosive runs, while Kenneth Gainwell added an unbelievable touchdown catch. The Lions were limited until the fourth quarter, where their 201 total yards were offset by an offensive pass interference call on the goal line as time expired.
NFL Week 16 Recap: Pittsburgh Steelers 29, Detroit Lions 24
Twitter reactions to Bengals’ dominating win over the Dolphins
The Cincinnati Bengals finally seemed to have a complete game against the free-falling Miami Dolphins, but in the end, it was too little too late. They are already eliminated from the postseason, and even this dominant a win doesn’t clear any confusion with the Dolphins benching their starter for a seventh-round rookie. The offense and defense both […] The Cincinnati Bengals finally seemed to have a complete game against the free-falling Miami Dolphins, but in the end, it was too little too late. They are already eliminated from the postseason, and even this dominant a win doesn’t clear any confusion with the Dolphins benching their starter for a seventh-round rookie. The offense and defense both played well against the Dolphins, especially with a dominant third quarter with 21 unanswered points. The Bengals still have two more games to evaluate the roster and try to figure out who is worth bringing back among the coaches and the players. The best test for the Bengals will be this coming week against a Cardinals team that has had some solid offensive performances with Jacoby Brissett. It could also be a big deal for the Bengals’ draft slot, with them currently around pick 10, behind the Cardinals. If they play as they did against the Dolphins, they can probably secure a win and build some confidence in the defense before the offseason, after the rough start to the year. With that said, let’s take a look at the Twitter reactions to the Bengals week 16 game. See More: Cincinnati Bengals scores and results
Vikings Defense Ties Franchise Record
While the Minnesota Vikings’ defense hasn’t been recording quite the numbers as far as turnovers that we’ve become accustomed to in recent years, Sunday afternoon’s victory over the New York Giants saw them tie a mark that this franchise hasn’t seen since the days of the Purple People Eaters. By keeping the Giants’ offense out […] While the Minnesota Vikings’ defense hasn’t been recording quite the numbers as far as turnovers that we’ve become accustomed to in recent years, Sunday afternoon’s victory over the New York Giants saw them tie a mark that this franchise hasn’t seen since the days of the Purple People Eaters. By keeping the Giants’ offense out of the end zone entirely in their 16-13 victory. . .New York’s lone touchdown came on a scoop-and-score fumble recovery. . .it marked the sixth consecutive game that the Vikings’ defense has gone without allowing a passing touchdown. The last time an opposing offense scored a touchdown through the air against this Vikings defense came back in Week 10, when Lamar Jackson found Mark Andrews for a 2-yard score in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ 27-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings’ defense has allowed six touchdowns in the six games that have followed, but they’ve all come via the ground. That ties the team mark set by the 1969 Vikings, who also went six consecutive games without allowing a touchdown through the air. It’s also one shy of the Super Bowl-era NFL record of seven games, which is currently shared by the 1972 Green Bay Packers, the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 1987 Cleveland Browns. The Vikings are going to have their work cut out for them next week if they’re going to join those three teams at seven straight games without a passing touchdown allowed. They’ve got a short turnaround ahead of them before they host the Detroit Lions and their high-flying offense at U.S. Bank Stadium on Christmas Day. See More:
Bengals vs. Dolphins final score: Cincinnati trounces Miami in second-half onslaught
The Miami Dolphins hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in a Week 16 showdown on Sunday afternoon. They played the part of host well, basically allowing the Bengals to do whatever they wanted in the second half in route to a second-straight embarrassing loss to an AFC North team. The game was close at halftime, with the […] The Miami Dolphins hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in a Week 16 showdown on Sunday afternoon. They played the part of host well, basically allowing the Bengals to do whatever they wanted in the second half in route to a second-straight embarrassing loss to an AFC North team. The game was close at halftime, with the Dolphins starting with the ball, only to have multiple turnovers blow the doors off anything Miami wanted to do. The first career start at quarterback for rookie Quinn Ewers, who replaced the benched Tua Tagovailoa, did not do anything to spark Miami’s play. Interceptions, fumbles, and turnovers on downs doomed Miami in the second half. Below you will find our full-game recap of all the action. Reactions are in italics. Final Score Bengals 45 – 21 Dolphins First Quarter Zach Sieler shuts down Bengals opening drive The Dolphins won the coin toss and, after weeks of takin the ball first, elected to defer to the second half. Cincinnati opened the game with the ball, convering on a 3rd-and-8 with a pass from quarterback Joe Burrow to wide receiver Jamar Chase for exactly eight yards on the third play of the drive. Facing a 3rd-and-6 three plays later, Burrow looked to pass, but Miami defensive tackle Zach Sieler cut through two offensive linemen to get to Burrow’s blindside and record a sack. The Bengals were forced to punt. Good defensive start. Getting Sieler hot early will be a good thing for the defense. In a game with a rookie quarterback making his first start, the defense is going to have to be effective. Dolphins punt on opening drive for Quinn Ewers Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers entered the game as the team’s starting quarterback with head coach Mike McDaniel clearly trying to take the pressure off his seventh-round pick. Running back De’Von Achane picked up four yards on the first play, then was stopped for no gain on a pass from Ewers in the flat. On 3rd-and-6, Ewers hesitated on a couple of potential passes, then threw a jump ball as the pressure reached him, with tight end Darren Waller making a play to come down with the 22-yard pass. The drive stalled shortly thereafter, however, with a reverse run from running back Jaylen Wright picking up four yards, Achane adding another four yards, but running back Ollie Gordon II losing a yard on 3rd-and-2, leading to a punt. The third-down pass attempt was scary, with Ewers looking like a rookie surprised by the speed of the pass rush. Waller made a great play to come up with the ball, saving his quarterback. Miami is going to run the ball all day and the Bengals defense knows it, so it will be up to the offensive line to create space for Achane, Wright, and Gordon. Burrow dealing on second possession Cincinnati started at their nine-yard line after a good punt from Miami’s Jake Bailey, but then Burrow laid out a go-route pass to Higgins for a 35-yard gain. An eight-yard gain on a screen pass to running back Samaje Perine was followed by a run from Perine for three yards and a first down in Miami territory. Burrow then threw to Chase on a crossing route, adding 11 more yards. Two plays later, Burrow again targeted Chase, this time finding the receiver wide open in the middle of the field for a 22-yard gain. On 1st-and-Goal from the nine-yard line, Burrow placed the ball deep in the right side of the endzone, with Higgins dragging his toes for the touchdown reception. Burrow was on fire on that drive. Perfectly placed passes, and the receivers made great catches. Other than the 22-yard gain, the Dolphins’ defenders actually were in good positions, but the play was just better. Great drive from Cincinnati. Bengals 7-0. Miami opened with their response with a 16-yard pass from Ewers to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. After Achane was stopped for a one-yard gain, the running back broke through the left side of the offense for a 48-yard touchdown run. The Dolphins are not afraid to have their rookie throwing the ball, but the team is going to win today if the running game can get into rhythm. That looked like it was going to find its rhythm. Well done. Tied 7-7. Cincinnati three-and-out ends quarter Chase caught a screen pass for a one-yard loss to start the drive, a possession that felt completely opposite the previous Bengals drive. Perine gained three yards and a pass from Burrow to Chase added six yards. After the quarter break, the Bengals punted on a three-and-out. Good response from the defense after the touchdown drive from Cincinnati on the last possession. Second Quarter Waller converts first down before Miami forced to punt The Dolphins started with a four-yard gain from Achane before an incomplete pass set up 3rd-and-6. Ewers looked to Waller on an out route, with the tight end making a contested catch short of the sticks, but fighting his way forward and reaching out the ball to convert for the first down. Ewers looked down field, but had to check down to Waddle for a one-yard gain on the next play, then a three-yard run from Wright and an incomplete pass led to a Miami punt. Waller is doing what he can to help out his quarterback. Two targets, two catches, 29 yards and two first downs, both on contested catches that he fought to make. The drive could not be sustained, but the Dolphins have Ewers 6-for-8 for 57 yards so far today; if they can keep that up, they could have a good day. Bengals drive stalls
NFL Week 16 live chat & discussion: Late Afternoon, SNF schedule and odds
Please use this thread to follow the NFL’s slate of late-afternoon games and Sunday Night Football. Please follow all site rules in the live threads and other posts on The Phinsider. Please note that SBNation strictly prohibits the sharing of illegal game streams. Sharing, discussing, or requesting illegal game streams may result in a temporary […] Please use this thread to follow the NFL’s slate of late-afternoon games and Sunday Night Football. Please follow all site rules in the live threads and other posts on The Phinsider. Please note that SBNation strictly prohibits the sharing of illegal game streams. Sharing, discussing, or requesting illegal game streams may result in a temporary suspension from the site or a ban from the entire SBN platform. Week 16 2025, Sunday, December 21st -Late Afternoon Games- * All Late Afternoon Games Are At 4:25 PM EST Today Atlanta Falcons (5-9) 3rd NFC South @ Arizona Cardinals (3-11) 4th NFC West Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona Time: 4:05 PM EST TV: FOX Odds: Falcons -2.5; Over/Under 48.5 (via FanDuel sportsbook) Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) 1st AFC South @ Denver Broncos (12-2) 1st AFC West Location: Empower Field at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado Time: 4:05 PM EST TV: FOX Odds: Broncos -3.5; Over/Under 46.5 (via FanDuel sportsbook) LV Raiders (2-12) AFC West @ Houston Texans (9-5) AFC South Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas Time: 4:25 PM EST TV: CBS Odds: Texans -14.5; Over/Under 38.5 (via FanDuel sportsbook) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6) 1st AFC North @ Detroit Lions (8-6) 3rd NFC North Location: Ford Stadium, Detroit, Michigan Time: 4:25 PM EST TV: CBS Odds: Lions -7; Over/Under 51.5 (via FanDuel sportsbook) New England Patriots (11-3) 1st AFC East @ Baltimore Ravens (7-7) 2nd AFC North Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Time: 8:20 PM EST TV: NBC Odds: Ravens -3.5; Over/Under 48.5 (via FanDuel sportsbook) Join the conversation! Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system! See More:
Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers second half live discussion
The Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied 10-10 at halftime. Come join our second half live chat to see if the Lions can come out on top and keep their realistic playoff hopes alive. The Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied 10-10 at halftime. Come join our second half live chat to see if the Lions can come out on top and keep their realistic playoff hopes alive.
Lions vs. Steelers live score updates, highlights, injury news
If the Detroit Lions are going to make the playoffs this year, they’re going to have to largely earn it themselves. After getting no help from the Rams or Packers this week, the Lions find themselves in a situation where even if they win their final three games and get to 11-6, there is no […] We waited months and months for the Detroit Lions to turn the corner of their mediocre season, but it appears that turn is not coming. The Lions saved their worst outing of the year for their most important one. In a gotta-have-it game, the Lions looked outmatched in every way. On offense, they were without a running game yet again, and Jared Goff looked disjoined from the passing game until it was too late. On defense, Detroit gave up three explosive touchdowns, having no answer for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rushing attack. Detroit nearly mounted a furious comeback, but they failed to punch the ball in late despite several opportunities in goal-to-go situations. The Lions are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but they are extreme long shots. They’ll need to win their two remaining games and need the Green Bay Packers to lose their final two games. Here’s how Detroit’s letdown home finale played out. First quarter The Steelers won the toss and deferred, giving the Lions the opportunity to score first. Instead, they went three-and-out. A second-down sack from Keeanu Benton put the Lions behind the sticks and a screen pass to Jahmyr Gibbs went nowhere. Pittsburgh would strike first after a methodical drive by Aaron Rodgers and company. Rodgers completed an 18-yard pass to Darnell Washington to convert a third-and-5. However, when they got into Lions territory, Detroit’s defense stiffened up. Aidan Hutchinson notched a second-down sack… ..and Alex Anzalone broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage to force a long field goal. Chris Boswell drilled the 59-yarder to make it 3-0 Steelers just under six minutes in. Detroit’s offense mounted a promising drive in response. Although, Gibbs fumbled on the opening play, resulting in a 4-yard loss, Kalif Raymond pulled them out of the hole with a 13-yard gain on third-and-long. Then Anthony Firkser made a pair of contested catches for 18 and 14 yards to get the Lions into the red zone. Unfortunately for Detroit, they completely stalled in goal-to-go situations. Detroit opted to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, and Goff could not find an open receiver, resulting in a turnover on downs. The Lions defense had a chance to get off the field quick on a third-and-5, but Rodgers found Calvin Austin for an 8-yard gain that give the Steelers some breathing room. Second quarter Join the conversation! Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system! The Steelers would get more room with a Kenneth Gainwell 18-yard run, but that was it for the drive after a couple of incomplete passes from Rodgers. A punt and a penalty on the Steelers set the Lions up at their own 38-yard line. The Lions would get into field goal range after a 21-yard catch from Jameson Williams and a 20-yard gain from Amon-Ra St. Brown to convert on a third down. However, Detroit’s red zone struggles continued with a negative run, a Gibbs drop, and a third-and-long failure. Jake Bates did cap the drive with a 36-yard field goal to make it a 3-3 tie with 10 minutes left in the half. The three teams traded three-and-outs. Two for the Steelers, one for the Lions. But this sack from Hutchinson—his second of the game—helped swing field position in Detroit’s favor. Kalif Raymond returned the ensuing punt to the38-yard line, giving the Lions their best opportunity to take their first lead of the game. And they did just that. Goff started out the drive with 13-yard passes to both Isaac TeSlaa and Jahmyr Gibbs. A few plays later, Goff went back to LaPorta for a deep shot up the seam and the rookie receiver caught the ball in traffic for a nice 20-yard touchdown catch. 10-3 Lions. The Steelers had 1:55 left and two timeouts to cut into the Lions’ lead. Detroit’s defense had three third-and-10s to get off the field, but Rodgers completed an 11-yard pass to Pat Freiermuth, a 12-yard pass to Adam Thielen, and another 13-yarder to Thielen to move to the Lions’ side of the field. Then one of the more ridiculous plays you’ll ever see happened. Rodgers uncorked a deep shot to running back Kenneth Gainwell, who had been dragged down by linebacker Alex Anzalone. Gainwell caught the ball from on the ground, got up, and scampered in for a 45-yard touchdown with 2 seconds left. 10-10 tie. Third quarter The Steelers nearly took the early lead in the second half with a long drive. Rodgers completed two key passess—and 12-yarder to Metcalf and an 18-yarder to Thielen—to convert third downs. After 21-yard run from Jaylen Warren, the Lions caught a huge break. Jack Campbell punched the ball out of Darnell Washington’s hands and Campbell recovered for a red zone turnover. But Detroit’s offense would give the Steelers the lead. After two ineffective passing plays, the Steelers sent a blitz on third down and took down Goff for a safety. 12-10 Steelers. The Steelers promptly mounted an extremely long, draining drive. The drive, which ran 17 plays and bled nearly 10 minutes off the clock, included a third-and-9 conversion, and a pair of fourth down conversions, including this nifty tush-push fake: A couple of penalties in the red zone pushed the Steelers back, and Detroit got a third-and-goal stop to force a field goal attempt on the other side of the intermission. Fourth quarter Boswell made a 23-yard field goal to make it 15-10 Steelers on the first play of the fourth quarter. Detroit promptly went three-and-out on three incomplete passes, continuing
Sunday Night Football: Patriots vs. Ravens
The NFL Week 16 slate of Sunday games will cap off with a Sunday Night Football matchup between the New England Patriots (11-3) and the Baltimore Ravens (7-7) The Patriots lead the all-time series between these AFC teams, 9-3, but the Ravens have won two of their three most recent meetings. One of those wins […] The NFL Week 16 slate of Sunday games will cap off with a Sunday Night Football matchup between the New England Patriots (11-3) and the Baltimore Ravens (7-7) The Patriots lead the all-time series between these AFC teams, 9-3, but the Ravens have won two of their three most recent meetings. One of those wins was the last time they faced off back in 2022, with the Ravens winning big in New England, 37-26. They did go head-to-head in the 2024 preseason, but that probably wasn’t a big help for their prep this week. Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game. New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens TV Schedule Game time: 8:20 PM EST Channel: NBC Date: Sunday, December 21, 2025 Location: M&T Bank Stadium | Baltimore, MD Announcers: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark Online Streaming Odds via FanDuel New England Patriots: +3.5 (+156) Baltimore Ravens: -3.5 (-186) Over/under: 48.5 points SB Nation Blogs Patriots: www.PatsPulpit.com Ravens: www.BaltimoreBeatdown.com This is an open thread — discuss the game in the comments below! See More: Philadelphia Eagles discussion
NY Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings: 4 things we learned in Week 16 loss
At this point in the 2025 NFL season, there really isn’t much left to learn about this New York Giants team. They’re bad. As a former scientist, I do appreciate that ownership has tried to apply the scientific method to understand why. Two hypotheses were offered by fans and the Giants beat writers in mid-season. The Giants are bad because (a) the coaches are bad, or (b) the players (and hence the general manager) are bad. They couldn’t realistically fire the entire coaching staff in mid-season, but they did fire the two most frequent targets of fans’ and writers’ wrath, head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. They’ve now run the experiment for five weeks, taken the Petri dish out, and the results are in: The Giants still stink. So we now know it wasn’t (just) the coaches, although it’s possible that Mike Kafka and Charlie Bullen are as bad as Daboll and Bowen. No scientific experiment is perfect, but today we got another data point. What did we learn from the Giants’ 16-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings? Is Mike Kafka the second coming of Joe Judge? When Brian Daboll was still head coach, the Giants had some of their most successful offensive games this season after Jaxson Dart took over as starter. That more or less continued until Dart’s concussion in Chicago, during another blown fourth quarter lead, precipitated Daboll’s dismissal. Kafka, who supposedly had been given back the play calling this year, now had complete charge of the offense, and it looked good, even great at times, in his first two games as head coach with Jameis Winston at the helm. Since Dart returned, though, things haven’t been the same…except for the losing. Dart has played some of his worst ball since returning to the lineup against New England. Today was clearly the worst game of his Giants career, with only 33 yards passing on the day. Maybe the absence of designed runs has taken something important from his arsenal. Or maybe Kafka is coaching scared. Last week I was upset at how often he called running plays on 2nd and 10 after incomplete passes. Today Kafka just bypassed first down passes completely for a while. Kafka called runs on the Giants’ first four offensive plays. The first two worked for big gains, but the next two didn’t. Kafka finally called passes on two consecutive plays, neither of which worked, but both of which were canceled by Minnesota penalties. Given new life at the Vikings’ 16 yard line, Kafka called three consecutive runs that only got them to 4th and goal at the 5 yard line. THEN, rather than kick the field goal to get back to a 3-3 tie, he decided to have Dart pass…which resulted in a sack and change of possession. This is terrible play calling. You’re telling your QB that you have no faith in him. It brought back memories of the final two games of the Joe Judge Experience, when he refused to let Mike Glennon pass at all after the first quarter in Chicago, and then had Jake Fromm not even attempt to get first downs deep in his own territory. I get it – Brian Flores runs a difficult defense to diagnose, and you’re risking disastrous turnovers if he’s confusing your rookie QB. But Flores was blitzing Dart about 70% of the time, and play callers are supposed to have hot reads for the QB to throw to in order to blunt the effect of the pressure. If you don’t let your QB experience that, you’re stifling his development. If you’re using 12 personnel and then almost always running out of it rather than passing, you’re tying your QB’s hands. You’re not in good hands with the Giants’ receiving corps The counter to my point above is that minus Malik Nabers, the Giants’ receivers are a really unreliable group. On the rare occasions that Dart did try to pass, he was undercut by his receivers’ inability to corral the ball. Darius Slayton bobbled and lost another pass that would have been a first down. Wan’DaleRobinson, among the more sure-handed of the Giants’ receivers, let a pass hit him in the face mask and be bobbled before he got hit and it fell incomplete. Admittedly it was a pass that Dart floated rather than putting velocity on so Robinson could gather it in well before contact, but it was still a drop. Finally, Theo Johnson once again could not bring in a pass that he should have been able to go get, letting it bounce off his hands for an interception. The pass rush is looking up Granted, the Vikings’ OL is not the best, but the Giants got good pressure on J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer today. The beneath-the-surface story of today’s game was that the QB the Giants chose not to draft last year faced the QB they chose to trade up for this year. McCarthy, after a rough start to his career, had played great the previous two games, making the Viking offense suddenly look like a juggernaut. Today, The Giants sacked McCarthy three times and Brosmer once and held the two of them together to 160 yards passing. Brian Burns had two more sacks, continuing his excellent season, and Abdul Carter was active again, with another sack on a beautiful inside spin, his signature move, plus several other pressures. In addition, Chauncey Golston, who has been injured for much of his first Giants season and invisible when he’s been out there, got his first sack and was generally active when he was in the game. Maybe it was the pass rush, maybe it was the inexperienced QBs, but today was the first day that I thought the Giants’ secondary played well this season. Paulson Adebo had his first interception as a Giant. Jevon Holland had what should have been a pick-6, but it was called back because Abdul Carter lined up in the neutral
NY Giants NFL Draft order 2026: Where New York stands after Week 16
Another week, another loss, and the New York Giants still hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Giants lost in embarrassing fashion to the Minnesota Vikings, and in doing so both preserved their possession of the first pick in the draft and put their offensive needs on full display. At the same time, the Tennessee Titans upset the Kansas City Chiefs, giving the Giants a bit of breathing room in the Top 10. Of course, the Giants’ loss and Titans’ win also sets up next week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders to (potentially) be for the first overall pick. Updated NFL Draft order New York Giants (2-13) Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)* Cleveland Browns (3-12) Tennessee Titans (3-12) New York Jets (3-12) Arizona Cardinals (3-11)* Washington Commanders (4-11) New Orleans Saints (5-10) Cincinnati Bengals (5-10) Los Angeles Rams via Atlanta Falcons (5-9)* *The draft order will be updated following the 4:30 games The Giants’ defense played well (albeit against an injured Vikings’ offense), however New York’s passing game was virtually nonexistent. That was thanks to a highly conservative gameplan called in fear of Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy defense, a depleted offensive line, and some terrible play from the Giants’ receivers. The Giants’ offensive line and pass catchers conspired to make Dart’s life miserable. Too often, the pass protection broke down in the face of Flores’ blitzes either resulting in hits on Dart or ineffective scrambles. And when the pass protection held up long enough to give Dart time, his pass catchers were unable to get open — or hang onto the ball when he was able to find them. This game further reinforces the Giants’ pressing need for multiple receivers who can be reliable targets for the Giants’ young quarterback, as well as young linemen who can provide long term stability for the offensive front. The good news is that talented underclassmen receivers like Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), Makai Lemon (USC), Chris Brazzell (Tennessee), and Ja’Kobi Lane (USC), and linemen like Olaivavega Ioane (OG, Penn State) and Caleb Lomu (OT, Utah) are declaring for the draft. Holding the first overall pick would give the Giants the opportunity to trade down and fill multiple positions with talented players, getting some much-needed help for Dart. See More: New York Giants Draft