Week 16 kicks off at SoFi Stadium as the Broncos can claim a playoff berth by beating the Chargers. It ends on Monday night at Lambeau Field as the Packers can also wrap up a postseason invitation (if they hadn’t already) by knocking off the Saints. In between, there are 14 other games, including a fascinating doubleheader on Saturday involving four clubs that have already secured playoff invitations.
Meanwhile, here are five more statistics that may or may not raise some eyebrows.
247
Sean Payton’s team is riding a four-game winning streak, and during that stretch the Denver Broncos have outscored the opposition by a combined 139-70. The Los Angeles Chargers have dropped three of their last four contests, and allowed 102 points in those outings. The clubs meet at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night, and both share the NFL lead in the fewest points allowed in the league.
Dating back to the 1970 merger, the only time the Broncos gave up the fewest points in the league was 1989, when they reached Super Bowl XXIV. Meanwhile, the Chargers have never allowed the fewest points in a season in the NFL.
30
Last season, the Baltimore Ravens finished with the NFL’s best record. John Harbaugh’s club led the NFL in fewest points allowed and sacks, and tied for the league lead (with the Giants) with 31 takeaways. It’s been a different year for the reigning AFC North champions, who have had their issues on defense and have not been nearly as opportunistic.
Baltimore has forced only 12 turnovers in 14 contests. On Saturday at Baltimore, the Pittsburgh Steelers can wrap up a division title by completing a sweep of the Ravens. Mike Tomlin’s squad leads the NFL with 30 takeaways, three of those in the Week 11 win over Baltimore.
35
There has been plenty written about the best division in the NFL this season, one that owns a combined 38-18 record even with the Chicago Bears owning a 4-10 record. There are seven teams in the league with 10 or more wins, and the NFC North houses the 12-2 Lions, 12-2 Vikings, and 10-4 Packers. There are also 10 clubs that have forced at least 20 turnovers, four of those in this division.
The Bears and Packers are tied for fifth in the league in turnover differential (plus-10), followed by the Vikings (plus-8) and Lions (plus-7). Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota, and Detroit have 35 more takeaways (95-60) than the opposition.
14
It’s been an odd year for the NFC West, to say the least. The team that won it by two games last season sits at the bottom of the division with a 6-8 record. The club that finished in the basement in 2023 has almost doubled their win total from a year ago. The 6-8 San Francisco 49ers have fallen hard in 2024, and are the only team in the NFC West with a losing record.
Regardless, there is quite the oddity when it comes to these four clubs in terms of scoring. The Seahawks are 14th in the league with 315 points, Arizona and San Francisco are tied for 15th (314), and the Rams are 17th in the NFL with 310 points.
9
The Raiders used a first-round pick in 2019 on University of Alabama running back Josh Jacobs. In 2022, they opted not to pick up the fifth-year option on the productive runner. He would go on to lead the league in rushing in ’22, and the club would slap the “franchise” tag on him. Jacobs inked a deal with the Packers this offseason, and he’s the big reason Matt LaFleur’s club is tied for fourth in the NFL in rushing.
Only Saquon Barkley (1,688) and Derrick Henry (1,474) have more rushing yards than Jacobs (1,147), who has run for nine TDs in his last five games. Las Vegas has eight rushing touchdowns in 2024.