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2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 16
Welcome to the 2025 NFL Season Weekly Discussion Thread! 🏈🎅🎄🎁
Share your thoughts on Week 16 — wins, losses, fantasy fumbles, predictions, or anything else football-related.
I wasn't going to watch the Dolphins game because without a chance of the playoffs, I don't really care too much. But on Saturday the kids found some old Dolphins jerseys in my closet and put them on and asked when they could watch the Dolphins. sigh It was cute and it warmed my bitter, frostbitten Dolphins heart. Two little 6 year olds wearing their father's oversized Dan Marino jerseys? I couldn't not watch football on Sunday. Also one of my favorite pictures of them as babies is from Week 1 of the 2019 season. They were still babies and we had cute little Dolphins onesies we put them in and I sat on the couch in my Ricky Williams jersey ready to watch the game. I held them both, one in each arm and they started crying, so I pretended to cry too while my wife took a picture. The Dolphins went on to lose 43-0 to the Patrtiots. That, my friends, is what being a Miami Dolphins fan is all about. Multi-generational disappointment.
So my son and I (my daughter was busy drawing) started watching the game together. He's too young to really enjoy watching football for longer than 10 minutes at a time, so he'd leave the room, go play with his sister, then come back and cheer them on with me. All the while I was stuck watching a team I swore off earlier in the season play a game I didn't care about.
But eventually I had to go do a chore around the house and stopped watching the game. When I left it was 17-14. And given the opponent, I just kind of assumed a narrow victory was guaranteed. Later on in the day I checked the score...and wow. 45-21. I don't really know what happened after I stopped watching and I'm not sure I want to find out.
I broke the news to them and they were super disappointed. My daughter then asked about the Commanders, remarking that "they always win". :| Girl, no they do not. I don't know if I want to ruin their Christmas by letting them watch the Commanders/Cowboys play.
Your resident Panthers fan here...
It's been nearly a decade since I've had hope and enjoyment like this with the team. We are playing not only meaningful football in December, but because our season most certainly comes down to the last week of the regular season, we also are playing meaningful football in January too.
This past game was a solid showing of where Bryce has developed in his third year. I'll be honest, I was very anxious about his performance midway. There were a few games where it felt like he didn't quite step up... but then he's since put those fears to rest. In this game? The run game was stuffed and non-existent. Neither Chubba or Rico, both very talented and recently accomplished RBs, couldn't get anything going. This required Bryce to step up and lead this team to a win and he most definitely did that. His stat line isn't as showy as his outings earlier this year, but he moved the ball efficiently and didn't turn it over. He also was elusive, he reminded me of early years Russel Wilson where no matter what you tried, he just is barely out of reach and then he makes the play. If he keeps growing like this, then I'm very happy with the trajectory of this team and where we will be next year.
As for next week... for the first time in a LONG while, the outcome of a game that the Panthers are playing in doesn't really matter. Sure, a win really would help but even if we lose, we still just win the division the last week of the season in a winner-take-all bout in Tampa Bay. The ONLY way this doesn't happen is if A) The Panthers beat the Seahawks (Not likely, but we beat the rams who they just beat so anything is possible) AND B) The Bucs lose to the Dolphins. I don't think I need @hamstergeddon to reiterate: This is HIGHLY unlikely to happen. The fins are dead in the water and while the Bucs are struggling, the Fins are struggling more. Honestly, I would not be surprised if we pull our starters in the second half if the Bucs game is out of hand. No need to risk injury if it doesn't change anything in the standings.
This is probably an aside, but was the fight between the Commanders and Eagles pretty atypical or is there more NFL fighting than I usually hear about? I saw the fight and the aftermath of every flag and a hat on the field but I don't watch football often so I couldn't really gather how exceptional it was.
I had completely spaced that there were games on Saturday until after they happened so I missed that highlight and I went to look at it just now. Yeah, that's an intense fight, closer to what I would expect from a hockey game. Usually an NFL fight is just some colorful word exchanges and maybe a punch or two. Most players are smart enough to know not to punch helmets because you are the one who will lose more ( Helmets hurt) and the penalties and fines aren't really worth it. For those curious, here is the highlight on Reddit
That being said, seeing an Eagles player take on like 8 Commanders and still not go down easy was impressive. Also, #0 from the Commanders is a coward. Started that shit and dipped out to avoid any penalties. At least finish what you start, even if it is swinging at a guy twice your size.
If he hadn't have pivoted away from the rest of the team he'd probably have still had backup! Also the ref's hat went down early
I actually saw the video because I have been getting hockey videos recently - my friend is obsessed with Heated Rivalry and I am getting algorithmed - and it went from "don't touch the goalie" fights to this one. Glad I could show you something new! And I appreciate the double check on the football fight status quo
I have a few more Bo-themed songs in the chamber for when (if?) the Broncos win, but I didn't have one/couldn't think of one for a loss. I guess I need to listen to more sad music.
Not much to say about this one. Jacksonville is good and the Broncos were due for a stinker. Denver's defense needs to make a few tweaks, especially with the loss of Brandon Jones. They are not going back on fraud watch, and it's still too early for fraud advisory, so maybe it's fraud outlook for now. I wish I felt better about a Thursday night game against KC's third string QB, but it's Christmas and weird shit happens. It should be an easy get right game, but can't shake this feeling that Denver will be playing for the division title in week 18. Probably should've put a few bucks on LA last week as an emotional hedge, I'm sure the payoff would've been nice.
Still, what a week! That Thursday night game between the Rams and Seahawks was an all-timer, then we were treated to another fantastic game between the Packers and Bears. The AFC still has a ton of possibilities and somehow the 49ers control their own destiny. This is one of the best seasons in recent memory.
Edit: I cannot stress enough how much I hate the fact that both Denver and KC will be dome teams in the near future. Arrowhead and Mile High were two iconic stadiums (even though Mile High isn't really Mile High anymore). At least the Waltons are paying for Denver's monstrosity. The KC move to the Kansas side of things will probably go down as one of the biggest WTF con jobs in history.
Denver is getting a new stadium???
It will be a while, but yeah. The Wikipedia article has all the important info. It's supposed to be a retractable roof, but I doubt they'll ever have it open for snow games. It's a bummer, because those dark, cold, snowy games are my favorites.