Week 16 SNF Recap

Written by: William Petersen •

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SNF on Christmas Eve

Week 16 of Sunday Night Football found itself competing with Christmas Eve as people finished up their holiday shopping and prepared the Christmas ham as they watched the New England Patriots upset the Denver Broncos 26-23. New England has been notoriously bad on offense all season and lived up to this in a first half that only accumulated 10 points between both teams. Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos were looking to keep their slim playoff hopes alive as they entered the night at 7-7 and battling for the final AFC Wildcard spot with four other teams. Denver was cold and picturesque for a Christmas Eve primetime game but the Broncos ability to stop Bailey Zappe led the Patriots to score 20 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 23-7 lead. The Broncos looked dead in the water and a silent night fell over the Mile High City until Wilson led the Broncos back to tie the game at 23 with less than three minutes left. Wilson had an opportunity to drive down the field to potentially set up the game winning field goal, but the Broncos offense stalled out and punted the ball back to Zappe and the Patriots with 1:09 left. Zappe continued to do what he had been accomplishing all night in dissecting the Broncos secondary finishing, 25/33 for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns. Zappe would complete a huge 26 yard pass to DeVante Parker to give rookie kicker Chad Ryland an opportunity to hit a 56 yard game winning field goal and leave coal in the Broncos stockings. Denver now sits at 7-8 with four teams above them at 8-7 for a race for a Wildcard spot that has now turned into a 5% chance of the Broncos making the playoffs with two weeks left in the regular season.

Bill Belichick now has 4 wins in his worst season as the Patriots head coach and rumors continue to swirl that he will be relieved of his duties at the end of the season. You would think after all the time Belichick has been in the organization he would like to leave them with something to remember him by, meaning a high draft pick. The Patriots are arguably the worst team in the league behind the Carolina Panthers and this win does not help them secure a top five pick even though they will be happy knowing they knocked the Broncos out of playoff contention with this Christmas Eve upset. Ezekiel Elliot continued to fill in for Rhamondre Stevenson and had another productive night finding the endzone and finishing with 12 rushes for 27 yards and 9 receptions for 33 yards. The Patriots now sit at 4-11 on a season that is characterized by confusion on offense but still providing a solid defensive unit that they will need to try to support next season through drafting a quarterback. Bailey Zappe has had a productive second half of the season but he is not the successor to Tom Brady and should be finding himself in a back up role again in 2024 if the Patriots front office uses their brains correctly. New England has another tough test next week as they travel to Orchard Park for a date with Josh Allen and a Buffalo Bills team that has salvaged their season and now sit at 9-6 and in the first Wildcard spot for the AFC. I expect the Bills to cover whatever the points spread is and continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NFL.

A Mile High Christmas Eve miracle almost came to fruition for the Broncos after storming back from 16 down to ultimately lose on Sunday Night Football to a Patriots team that has struggled to score over 20 points in a game all season. Russell Wilson continues to play serviceable football, finishing 25/37 for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns in a loss that has ultimately broken the backs of the Broncos playoff hopes. The Broncos had trouble moving the ball deep down field after Courtland Sutton left the game in the first quarter with an apparent head injury and would never return. Javonte Williams scored the sixth rushing touchdown of his career along with 11 carries for 24 yards and rookie Jaleel McLaughlin finished with 6 rushes for 37 yards. A lot of teams need to lose and everything needs to go right for the Broncos in the final two weeks of the regular season as they are now on the outside looking in, in the AFC playoff race. It will be interesting to see what the Broncos do in the offseason with Wilson’s massive contract that continues to be a massive burden in a plan that has not been executed in the fashion that the Broncos front office would’ve hoped, and now will most likely accrue a middle of the pack draft pick since they will most likely finish 8-9 or 7-10. The Broncos now look towards week 17 for a matchup with the LA Chargers who are reeling after firing head coach Brandon Staley and losing Justin Herbert for the year with a hand injury. I expect the Broncos to bounce back but as a fan I'd like them to lose out in hopes of potentially getting a higher draft pick to potentially draft a solid offensive lineman. Knowing Denver’s front office they will draft another wide receiver and Wilson will continue to struggle behind a line that can’t give him more than one second to make a read.

As I write this recap on Christmas morning I would like to thank each and everyone of you who support the Predictors and read my articles every week. I love every minute of giving you all the best information I can and look forward to growing our following for years to come. Thank you all and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season filled with friends, family, football, and love for the life that we all get to live. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from everyone at the Predictors and I hope you all win your fantasy leagues next week!

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