NFL Week 16: Lions Playoff Bound; Chiefs, Cardinals, Seahawks Out

We have seen 16 weeks in the 2011 NFL season and everything has gone as expected.

Actually, that’s a lie. It’s all been completely unexpected. The Packers are 14-1 and look like one of the best teams in NFL history. The Giants and Cowboys will settle the NFC East next weekend and Philly is already out. Drew Brees is about to break a 20-plus-year-old record. The 49ers might be Green Bay’s toughest test (if they meet in the playoffs). The Jets are en route to missing the playoffs. Tim Tebow and Co. still control their own destiny but Oakland is coming quick.

Photo after the jump.

Previous entries can be found here, here and here.

For complete stats on the game, check out SB Nation’s box score. For a local angle, check out 49ers blog Niners Nation and Seahawks blog Field Gulls.

The Detroit Lions are playoff bound after clinching a wildcard spot with a win over the San Diego Chargers on Saturday evening. The Lions found themselves in the driver’s seat with two games to go in the regular season, needing just one win to lock up a playoff spot. And they found it in convincing fashion, jumping out to a 24-0 lead over the Chargers and breezing to a 38-10 finish.

The Chargers were also eliminated from playoff contention, leaving the AFC West race to the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. Earlier in the day, the Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated with a loss to the Raiders.

Following a blocked punt by the Seahawks that set them up at the 4-yard line, Lynch took the ball on the first play, went around the left end and fought his way into the end zone. It was the first rushing touchdown the 49ers had allowed all year and gave Lynch a franchise-record 11th straight game with a touchdown.

Lynch was already having a pretty solid game up until that point. The Seahawks running back has racked up 98 yards rushing in the game and has now scored a rushing touchdown in four straight games and rushed for at least one touchdown in 10 of 11 games. He has scored 13 touchdowns during his touchdown streak.

This kind of sums up the conversation between the two. Seems nice and civil.

But Jacobs was full of fun quotes, and this was only the beginning.

Ravens 20, Browns 14: Baltimore kept its hopes for an AFC Central title and a first-round bye alive with the victory. The Ravens (11-4) can clinch both of those things with a win in their final game over the Bengals.

Fore updates and info on these two teams, visit Seahawks blog Field Gulls and 49ers blog Niners Nation.

When the New York Giants beat the New York Jets earlier in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, the Philadelphia Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs. The lone, farfetched scenarious that would have allowed the 6-8 Eagles to sneak into the playoffs involved the Jets beating their crosstown rivals, which they failed (miserably) to do.

That hasn’t seemed to faze the Eagles, however, who have dominated the Cowboys from the opening bell, including injuring quarterback Tony Romo and knocking him out for the game with an injury to his throwing hand. The Eagles are leading 14-0 thanks to two touchdown passes from Michael Vick; one to Brent Celek, another to Jeremy Maclin. Though it’s admirable, it’s got to be frustrating for Eagles fans who are wondering where this team has been all season long.

The Chargers have just 17 rushing yards from their backfield, a number that has to increase if they want to come back and keep their playoff hopes alive.

For updates on these two teams, visit Lions blog Pride of Detroit and Chargers blog Bolts From The Blue.

Still, as this screencap shows, that hand is rather swollen and, frankly, pretty gross.

Look at that thing, especially over the pinky. His hand looks like a white version of what I imagine Eddy Curry’s hands look like after a week that Golden Corral had members-only specials. I’m not familiar with the complexion of Romo’s hand when it’s not injured, but there are some red dots in there, which could indicate broken blood vessels, or just really weird freckles.

The Titans jumped out to a 10-0 lead and the Jaguars were never able to entirely close that gap. The closest they got was after Jones-Drew’s touchdown made it 10-7 in the second quarter.

For complete stats on the game, check out SB Nation’s box score. For more of a local angle, check out Jaguars blog Big Cat Country and Titans blog Music City Miracles.

For more on the Giants, check out Big Blue View. For more on the Jets, check out Gang Green Nation.

He throws with his right hand, so chances are, regardless of the severity of Romo’s injury, we won’t see him return in this game. which has been rendered meaningless. Unless he can play 100 percent healthy, head coach Jason Garrett will likely elect to rest him.

For continued updates, info and analysis of these two teams, visit Eagles blog Bleeding Green Nation and Cowboys blog Blogging The Boys.

For complete stats on the game, check out SB Nation’s box score. For a local angle, check out Bills blog Buffalo Rumblings and Broncos blog Mile High Report.

Adding insult to (literal) injury, you just know that Coughlin was upset about Ware going out of bounds instead of ending that run in bounds.

For a complete box score, check out SB Nation’s stats page. For more of a local angle, check out Cardinals blog Revenge of the Birds and Bengals blog Cincy Jungle.

For more on these two teams, visit Lions blog Pride of Detroit and Chargers blog Bolts From The Blue. For continued action on all the Christmas Eve NFL action, stick with this StoryStream.

Carolina moves to 6-9 for the season, and concludes its year next week at New Orleans.

For more on the Panthers, check out Cat Scratch Reader. For all things Buccaneers, check out Bucs Nation.

A quick Raider three-and-out then gave way to one last chance for the Chiefs in regulation. They attempted a 49-yard field goal for the win, which was blocked, sending the game into overtime.

It’s been a game marred by turnovers (four INTs) and penalties (26 for 180 yards) but both squads decided to make it interesting late in the game. Better late than never.

Batch finished the game 15-of-22 for 208 yards and an interception. The turnover was early on and Batch settled in for a consistent day and the most yards he’s throw in years. He also showed some elusiveness that the Steelers appreciated in lieu of a gimpy Big Ben.

He breaks the previous record held by Barry Foster, who set it during the Steelers’ 1992 season (2,034).

On the year, Brown has 63 receptions for 1,018 yards as well as 669 yards on kick returns and 320 yards on punt returns.

The first one was returned 37 yards by Jairus Byrd. The ball was pretty badly under thrown and Byrd was able to work his way down the sideline for a touchdown.

If there was any hope for a comeback at that point, it quickly went away. On the very next play from scrimmage, Tebow was hit in the back while throwing and the ball ended up in the arms of Spencer Johnson. It probably could have been ruled a fumble, but it is being called an interception right now. That also makes for a slightly cleaner narrative.

The New York Giants took a 17-7 lead over the New York Giants after an Ahmad Bradshaw rushing touchdown late in the third quarter. Bradshaw ran it into the end zone from 14 yards out, but the score was just a nice addition to a run marked by Bradshaw pounding through a Jets defender.

After breaking through a mass of bodies at the line of scrimmage, Bradshaw found himself one-on-one with Jets safety Brodney Pool. Like any good running back should, he lowered his shoulder and trucked Pool. It was all daylight from there to the goal line, something Bradshaw underscored by sticking the ball out into the air as he finished off the run.