NFL NationDec 21, 2025, 05:15 PM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
play0:26James Cook powers in for his 2nd TD of the halfJames Cook extends the Bills’ lead with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the game.
play0:16Bryce Young scrambles, throws TD pass to Ja’Tavion SandersBryce Young escapes Buccaneers defenders and finds Ja’Tavion Sanders in the end zone for a Panthers touchdown.
play0:19Cam Ward links up with Chimere Dike for a TDCam Ward finds a wide-open Chimere Dike for a 1-yard touchdown to extend the Titans’ lead.
play0:22Justin Herbert connects with Ladd McConkey for a touchdownJustin Herbert drops a 25-yard pass right into the hands of Ladd McConkey for a Chargers touchdown.
play0:18Chase Brown spins and dives for Bengals TDJoe Burrow finds Chase Brown who fights his way into the endzone for a Bengals TD.
play1:08Bears stun Packers in OT to grab NFC North leadChicago erases a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Packers in overtime and jump into first place in the NFC North.
play0:27Saquon Barkley stays on his feet for an Eagles TDSaquon Barkley powers into the end zone to pad the Eagles’ lead vs. the Commanders.
Will Reichard drills go-ahead FG for Vikings (0:16)Will Reichard’s field goal is good to give the Vikings a narrow lead late over the Giants. (0:16)
James Cook powers in for his 2nd TD of the halfJames Cook extends the Bills’ lead with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the game.
Bryce Young scrambles, throws TD pass to Ja’Tavion SandersBryce Young escapes Buccaneers defenders and finds Ja’Tavion Sanders in the end zone for a Panthers touchdown.
Bryce Young escapes Buccaneers defenders and finds Ja’Tavion Sanders in the end zone for a Panthers touchdown.
Cam Ward links up with Chimere Dike for a TDCam Ward finds a wide-open Chimere Dike for a 1-yard touchdown to extend the Titans’ lead.
Justin Herbert connects with Ladd McConkey for a touchdownJustin Herbert drops a 25-yard pass right into the hands of Ladd McConkey for a Chargers touchdown.
Chase Brown spins and dives for Bengals TDJoe Burrow finds Chase Brown who fights his way into the endzone for a Bengals TD.
Bears stun Packers in OT to grab NFC North leadChicago erases a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Packers in overtime and jump into first place in the NFC North.
Chicago erases a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Packers in overtime and jump into first place in the NFC North.
Saquon Barkley stays on his feet for an Eagles TDSaquon Barkley powers into the end zone to pad the Eagles’ lead vs. the Commanders.
Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season began with a Thursday night contest between the Rams and Seahawks that had major playoff implications. Seattle converted two 2-point conversions in an overtime win, ascending to the NFC’s No. 1 seed before the final two weeks of the season.
In the first game Saturday, the Eagles started slowly, then poured it on against the Commanders to win their second straight NFC East crown. Saturday’s nightcap featured one of the best comebacks of the season, as the Bears pulled out an OT win over the Packers, who suffered the loss of QB Jordan Love to a concussion.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
What does this mean for the No. 1 overall pick? The Giants are still in the pole position for the No. 1 overall pick. In fact, their chances to land the top pick in the 2026 NFL draft only increased with their ninth straight defeat, coupled with the Titans getting their third win. The Giants’ latest loss only amplifies the importance of next week’s matchup in Las Vegas. That game will go a long way to determining the top pick in next year’s draft.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The pass game never got going. After not throwing a pass until the 17th offensive play, Dart ultimately went 7-of-13 passing for 33 yards with an interception — and only threw for two yards in the first half. The last Giants quarterback with fewer than two yards passing in a first half with a minimum of five attempts was Daniel Jones in 2024’s Week 9 loss to Washington. He was 4-of-6 for 0 yards with a touchdown.
Best quote from the locker room: “Just not let it happen again,” Dart said on what he takes from Sunday’s performance. — Jordan Raanan
Stat to know: Cook had multiple rushing touchdowns in consecutive games for the first time in his career. Sunday marked his sixth career game with at least 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, tying Thurman Thomas for the second-most such games in Bills history (O.J. Simpson, eight), per ESPN Research. The 26-year-old running back also took the NFL-lead in rushing at 1,532 yards (Colts star Jonathan Taylor has 1,443 rushing yards before their Monday night game). — Alaina Getzenberg
James Cook extends the Bills’ lead with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the game.
Trend to watch: Defensive end Myles Garrett inched closer to the single-season record with a half-sack, giving him 22 on the season. With two games left, he is one sack away from breaking the NFL’s single-season sack record shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. — Daniel Oyefusi
Bryce Young scrambles, throws TD pass to Ja’Tavion Sanders
Turning point: With 3:16 to go in a tie ballgame, Young connected with Jalen Coker on a 34-yard pass, beating Benjamin Morrison in coverage to set up a 48-yard field goal by Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald to make it 23-20. Still, the Bucs had a chance to go downfield and win it with 2:20 to go, but Mayfield was picked off on the seventh play of the drive. — Jenna Laine
Cam Ward finds a wide-open Chimere Dike for a 1-yard touchdown to extend the Titans’ lead.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Despite the Chiefs already being out of the postseason, Reid still decided to play more veterans than rookies or inexperienced players. Safety Mike Edwards, a six-year veteran, was on the field more than Jaden Hicks, a second-year player. Rookies such as receiver Jalen Royals, linebacker Jeffrey Bassa and running back Brashard Smith rarely saw the field. Why not let the youngsters get more game experience to help their development? — Nate Taylor
What to make of the QB performance: Herbert finished 23-of-29 passing for 300 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 45 rushing yards and another score. It was his 31st career 300-yard passing game, tying him for second with Bills quarterback Josh Allen since Herbert entered the NFL in 2020. In a season that has fluctuated between bad and good for Herbert, his performance Sunday shows why the Chargers believe he can lead them to a championship. — Kris Rhim
Justin Herbert connects with Ladd McConkey for a touchdown
Justin Herbert drops a 25-yard pass right into the hands of Ladd McConkey for a Chargers touchdown.
Turning point: If the Cowboys had any faith in their defense, then Brian Schottenheimer likely would have attempted a field goal to cut the Chargers’ seven-point lead late in the third quarter. Instead, he opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Los Angeles 16. Fullback Hunter Luepke was stopped short, and the Chargers went on a 14-play drive that ended with a field goal and a 10-point lead. — Todd Archer
Trend to watch: Cincinnati defensive end Myles Murphy continues his strong close to the season. The 2023 first-round pick had a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery against Miami. With defensive end Trey Hendrickson on IR (hip/pelvis), Murphy has received ample playing time. And he has made the most of it, playing with a lot of confidence as he approaches the end of his third NFL season. — Ben Baby
Joe Burrow finds Chase Brown who fights his way into the endzone for a Bengals TD.
Most surprising performance: Miami’s defense was thoroughly beaten by quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Granted, Cincinnati benefited from short field position during its 21-0 run in the third quarter. But without safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins couldn’t contain Burrow and allowed season highs in points and passing yards (309). To their credit, Sunday marked the first time that the Dolphins’ allowed a 300-yard passer this season. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Most surprising performance: Without receivers Rome Odunze (foot) and Luther Burden III (ankle), Walker was given an opportunity and proved how important it is to stay ready. Walker’s first career catch went for a first down, and it was his touchdown late in the fourth quarter that forced overtime. Walker is the only rookie undrafted free agent on the Bears’ 53-man roster. His performance highlights how vital the Bears’ depth is on offense.
Troubling trend: The Bears were their own worst enemy at times with 10 penalties for 105 yards. It was the first time since 2000 that the Bears had two roughing-the-passer penalties and two unnecessary roughness penalties in the same game, according to ESPN Research. Late in the fourth, Jaquan Brisker dove onto Malik Willis after the quarterback slid, giving the Packers 15 yards to move into Chicago territory for a field goal that made it 16-6 with 5:03 left. — Courtney Cronin
Turning point: Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean intercepted Josh Johnson’s pass late in the third quarter, setting up a Barkley touchdown run that pushed the lead to double digits. Johnson entered the game in the second half for an injured Marcus Mariota and made a critical miscue when he threw across the field on third-and-long. DeJean swooped in for the interception, and the Eagles reached the end zone seven plays later.
Stat to know: Dallas Goedert’s third-quarter score was his 10th receiving TD of the season, tying Pete Retzlaff (1965) for the most by a tight end in Eagles history. Goedert, who is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season, had never had more than five receiving TDs in a season. — Tim McManus