# NFL 2024-25: Week 16 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [December 17, 2024, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755 "2024-12-17T15:54:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/21 "2024-12-19T00:38:05Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The three opponents determined by finish position in the NFC West: Assuming you’re talking about the 2025-26 schedule? Just curious, where are you finding this information? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/22 "2024-12-19T01:48:00Z")
I can’t find a handy-dandy chart for the 2025 season yet. [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NFL_season) has a summary under “Regular season.” It’s also listed individually [here](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/2025-schedule.htm). Besides each other, the NFC West all play against the whole NFC & AFC South divisions. The remaining three games are against the same-place teams in the NFC North & East and the AFC North. I listed the teams currently occupying those relative spots in today’s standings. I don’t see them changing, at least not the 4th place teams. (And none of those seem candidates for a “worst to first” turnaround.) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/23 "2024-12-19T02:03:57Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NFL_season) has a summary under “Regular season.” It’s also listed individually [here](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/2025-schedule.htm). Thanks. I couldn’t find where the ‘17th’ game is determined, but Wiki spelled that out. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/24 "2024-12-19T13:26:40Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > If nothing else, Josh Allen has served notice that he’s the MVP favorite and he should be. Holy crap on a cracker he’s unreal this year. In that Lions-Bills game there were several times Allen had a defender or three in his face, chasing him down, and it looked for sure like he was going to get sacked or have to throw the ball away, yet he still managed to make some amazing completions. Being the first time I’ve seen the Bills and Allen play this season, it was kind of unreal to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/25 "2024-12-19T16:08:04Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Being the first time I’ve seen the Bills and Allen play this season, it was kind of unreal to watch. You should check out clips of the snow day they had against San Francisco. Here is one with Josh Allen’s best plays of the game: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/yNsPBc_2C00/maxresdefault.jpg "Josh Allen's best plays from 3-TD game vs. 49ers | Week 13") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNsPBc_2C00) And here is another set of clips covering highlights of the entire game if you’re curious: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XrOIYYT8e94/maxresdefault.jpg "San Francisco 49ers vs. Buffalo Bills Game Highlights | NFL 2024 Season Week 13") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrOIYYT8e94) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/26 "2024-12-19T18:20:13Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > You should check out clips of the snow day they had against San Francisco. Here is one with Josh Allen’s best plays of the game: Yeah, very impressive, but, as great as those plays were, it didn’t look like the 49ers were putting as much pressure on Allen as the Lions defense had, at least, at times. Like this play for example, starting about the 1:14 mark-- he has one, then two, then 3 Lions chasing after him, and just before getting sacked, he gets off a completion at the Lions’ 6 yard line. Seems like he was doing that all night against the Lions: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MHuHobGyGn4/maxresdefault.jpg "Josh Allen And Buffalo Bills Light Up Lions In Detroit! | Week 15 Mini Movie!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHuHobGyGn4) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/27 "2024-12-19T18:41:23Z")
A report this morning in _The Athletic_ (which is paywalled, sorry) states that, in the offseason, the Jets were close to making a deal to get Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy. Jets owner Woody Johnson vetoed the trade because the receiver’s rating in “Madden NFL” wasn’t high enough. Jeudy was eventually traded to Cleveland, where, last Sunday, he surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career. The Jets, of course, will miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/28 "2024-12-19T18:44:43Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > A report this morning in _The Athletic_ (which is paywalled, sorry) states that, in the offseason, the Jets were close to making a deal to get Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy. Here’s a non-paywall version. > **[Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly nixed Jerry Jeudy trade due to Madden...](https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-owner-woody-johnson-reportedly-nixed-jerry-jeudy-trade-due-to-madden-rating-allows-teen-sons-to-influence-decisions-144949206.html)** > > Using Madden ratings to judge players is just one example of how Jets owner Woody Johnson is continually hobbling his own team. > Real NFL stats are used to create Madden ratings, but they are calibrated for use in the video game itself, in which the digital players can do things their real, human counterparts can’t possibly do. It’s not clear if Johnson knows the purpose and intent of Madden ratings, or if he’s ever played the game himself. This is plausible. John Madden is legendary in the professional football world, of course, and it’s possible that Woody assumed that a “Madden Rating” was something akin to a QBR or PFF or some other real-world assessment of a player’s performance, rather than a video game statistic. Simply because a 77-year-old, insanely wealthy heir to a fortune may be insulated from such information and may not even know (or care about) the existence of the video game. From that perspective, it seems like a natural (if lazy) assumption to make. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/29 "2024-12-19T18:51:24Z")
The Bills/Pats game was flexed to the Sunday 4:25 slot so that more people can see MVP-in-waiting Josh Allen play. But face it, this is going to be like watching Mike Tyson in his prime fighting the president of the high school AV club. I’m just wondering if the general hatred of the Pats (which was perfectly sensible) in the rest of the fan base is still strong enough to make that something people will want to watch? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/30 "2024-12-19T18:58:30Z")
For those who don’t want to read the whole thing, there are credible reports Johnson is basically just listening to his sons. That is, his teenage sons. The elder of which just started college and is widely considered the de facto GM. And this is widely known in the building. The Jets have, of course, denied the claims. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > I’m just wondering if the general hatred of the Pats (which was perfectly sensible) in the rest of the fan base is still strong enough to make that something people will want to watch? Nope. But the Bills are exciting enough to hopefully draw a few more eyeballs as they close out the season ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/31 "2024-12-19T19:06:10Z")
Ok, I didn’t realize the Bills’ other opponent in the final 3 weeks was the Jets, so it’s not like there’s a _good_ game that can be flexed to let more people see them. It is pretty amusing to think when they made the schedule that the league was probably expecting some exciting and meaningful Allen/Rodgers showdown in week 17. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/32 "2024-12-19T19:07:34Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Allen/Rodgers showdown 🤣🏈 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/33 "2024-12-19T19:13:29Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > The Jets have, of course, denied the claims. To be clear, the reports that Johnson is making decisions based on suggestions from his teenage sons come from ex-GM Joe Douglas. That’s also the source of the story on the Madden Rating. Now, you have to take everything with a grain of salt, though. Douglas may have been bitter (who could blame him) and we might not know the context of the statements he made; they could have been sarcasm or exaggeration due to frustration he was feeling. And these are second-hand; “multiple league sources” have said that Douglas made these statements, it’s not like Douglas himself sat down for an interview and gave all of this info to a reporter or anything. On the other side, Jets spokespeople are the ones denying it, and it’s their literal job to make the Jets look good, so you can’t fully trust that either. It’s a funny and disturbing story with some plausibility, and it could explain some of the otherwise inexplicable decisions that have been made by the Jets organization (and their long-running failures), but who knows how much truth there is to any of it. (I personally would love to believe it’s all true though.) ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/34 "2024-12-19T19:16:51Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s a funny and disturbing story with some plausibility, The fact it’s his teenage sons calling shots is what gives it the plausibility. If you’re a former employee with an axe to grind, there are way more plausible scenarios if you wanted to sling mud. Otherwise, it’s too bizarre a claim not to have at least some legs. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/35 "2024-12-19T19:19:01Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Otherwise, it’s too bizarre a claim not to have at least some legs. Too weird to not be true, LOL. “You can’t make this stuff up.” ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/36 "2024-12-19T19:21:12Z")
If I had to go back to the end of the 20th century and explain just the last 5 years of sports to my younger self (much less anything else going on in society), I don’t think I’d believe me. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/37 "2024-12-19T19:23:59Z")
In other news, someone has way too much time on their hands… The Vikes, Eagles, and Lions are all 12-2. If the Eagles win out, they will obviously finish 15-2. The Vikes and Lions play each other in the last week of the season, so if the Vikes win out and finish 15-2, the Lions will be at best 14-3. So if both the Eagles and Vikes win out, who gets the #1 seed? Believe it or not, but it will go down to the fifth tiebreaker, strength of schedule. And that could even be tied, so the next tiebreaker is strength of victory. It’s all explained here. > **[Who Gets the 1 seed if PHI and MIN win out?](https://nflplayoffscenarios.com/2024/week/16/what-happens-if-PHI-and-MIN-win-out/)** > > I have had more people than I can count ask me about this, so I thought I’d break it down in detail. Tiebreaker rundown First, we have to consider that in winning out, MIN gives DET a 3rd loss since they play week 18. That means that only PHI &... ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/38 "2024-12-19T19:31:46Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > So if both the Eagles and Vikes win out, who gets the #1 seed? Believe it or not, but it will go down to the fifth tiebreaker, strength of schedule. And that could even be tied, so the next tiebreaker is strength of victory. It’s all explained here. Simple solution; let the Seahawks win on Sunday, and the Vikings will be down a game. That makes it easier. 😜 (No, I’m not biased in any way…) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/39 "2024-12-19T21:52:34Z")
Mahomes is [cleared to play](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43062143/chiefs-mahomes-most-likely-start-vs-texans-reid-says). ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755/40 "2024-12-20T02:51:21Z")
A fair catch kick for a field goal! I’ve been waiting literally my entire life to see one 😄 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2024-25-week-16/1011755.md?page=3)