2022 NFL Week 16 Takeaways

By Jeff Stinger • December 27, 2022

Another exhilarating week of football is in the books, as Week 16 painted a better picture of what’s in store for the upcoming postseason. Most of the top-tier playoff contenders came away with victories, but there was even more drama for the teams still in the bubble.

Nitrobetting is ready to equip its bettors with the latest news, NFL odds, and special features for the entire duration of the 2022 NFL season. Let’s briefly recap the most notable happenings from Week 16 with our three key takeaways from this week’s action.

Top Takeaways from 2022 NFL Week 16

Justin Herbert. Playoff-bound. pic.twitter.com/LyevT3AfTG
— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2022

Don’t Send Them Packing Just Yet

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers need a string of miracles to make the playoffs this season. This past Sunday, however, they received an extremely fortuitous Christmas miracle to keep their campaign alive. Green Bay came out on top of a gritty road contest against the Dolphins, while the likes of the Commanders, Lions, and Seahawks all lost in Week 16.

In turn, the Packers improve to 7-8; a record they share with Seattle and Detroit, as the three continue to breathe down Washington’s neck for the seventh and final wild-card playoff spot in the NFC. Rodgers and Co. still need a lot of pieces to fall in their favor in the coming weeks, and nothing’s impossible for the boys from Lambeau, especially with their future Hall-of-Fame QB still not giving up the good fight.

Jags Capitalize on Titanic Upset

One major shift in the AFC playoff picture, meanwhile, can be found in the AFC South’s divisional race. In what should’ve been an easy win for current division leader Tennesse, the team was shockingly upset by the visiting Texans, who snapped their nine-game losing streak and won just their second game all season long.

The Titans received the unfortunate news that the ankle injury suffered by starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill is more serious than expected. Rookie Malik Willis subbed in for Tannehill on Sunday and was the weakest link on offense, throwing for under 100 passing yards and two interceptions. To make matters worse, Tennessee’s closest competition in the division race, Jacksonville, is peaking at the right moment.

With a 19-3 win over the Jets last Thursday night, the Jaguars coupled with the Titans’ loss on Sunday, the Jags have leapfrogged their rivals for the division lead. Trevor Lawrence will have a great opportunity to keep that winning streak going with a winnable matchup against the aforementioned Texans this coming weekend before facing off against Tennessee one last time in the season finale, which would likely decide who’ll be crowned the AFC South champion.

Broncos Just Couldn’t Hackett

When you get clowned by an animated character on national television, you know your team has hit rock bottom. That’s exactly what happened to the Broncos, with struggling veteran QB Russell Wilson getting roasted by none other than the voice of Patrick Star of Spongebob Squarepants fame on Christmas Day.

Following the 51-14 beating at the hands of the underachieving Rams on Sunday, Denver’s higher-ups decided to finally fire first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett. The Broncos went 4-11 under Hackett this season and went a miserable 0-8 in games decided by a single-scoring possession; a new NFL record.

The bad news for the Broncos is that they’ve committed so many resources to acquire Wilson from Seattle this past offseason. They are now tied up to what appears to be a washed-up play-caller who has already lost his teammates, particularly his offensive line, even in body language alone. It will be an uphill battle this coming offseason for the Broncos as they try to build around Russ (with limited draft resources at that) in hopes of the former Super Bowl MVP bouncing back from his nightmarish debut in Mile High.

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