NEW YORK –– Dec. 21, 2025 –– A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, December 21, the 16th week of the 2025 season.
- Philadelphia clinched the NFC East for the second consecutive season after defeating the Commanders, 29-18, on Saturday and became the first NFC East team to win the division in back-to-back seasons in 21 years (Philadelphia Eagles, 2001-04).
Seattle clinched their first playoff spot since 2022 after defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 38-37, in overtime in Week 16.
With Detroit’s Week 16 loss, Chicago – after defeating Green Bay, 22-16, in overtime – clinched their first playoff spot since 2020, and San Francisco clinched their fourth playoff berth in the past five years.
New England can clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie against Baltimore on Sunday Night Football or an Indianapolis loss or tie against San Francisco on Monday Night Football.
Buffalo, Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Chargers can each clinch a playoff berth in Week 16 should San Francisco defeat Indianapolis on Monday.
Three teams – Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle – clinched a playoff spot in Week 16 after missing the postseason last year. Since 1990 – a streak of 35 consecutive seasons (1990-2024) – at least four teams every season have qualified for the playoffs after failing to make the postseason the year before.
With two games remaining in Week 16, eight games have been decided by seven-or-fewer points and three teams overcame deficits of 10-or-more points to win, including Seattle (16 points), Atlanta (10 points) and Chicago (10 points).
With Buffalo’s 23-20 win at Cleveland in Week 16, quarterback Josh Allen recorded his 87th career regular season win, surpassing Tom Brady (86 regular season wins) and Russell Wilson (86) for the second-most regular season wins by a quarterback in his first eight seasons in NFL history. Only Patrick Mahomes (89 regular season wins) has more.
Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett had a half sack in Week 16 and leads the league with 22 sacks, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jared Allen (22 sacks in 2011 with Minnesota), as well as Mark Gastineau (22 in 1984 with the New York Jets) and Justin Houston (22 in 2014 with Kansas City) for the third-most sacks in a single season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. Only Michael Strahan (22.5 in 2001 with the New York Giants) and T.J. Watt (22.5 in 2021 with Pittsburgh) have more.
- Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin – who is 53 years old – recorded his 200th career win (including the playoffs) in Week 16, since being hired as the Steelers head coach in 2007. With the victory, the Steelers improved to 9-6 this season and secured their 22nd consecutive season with a .500-or-better record, surpassing the Dallas Cowboys (21 consecutive seasons from 1965-85) for the longest such streak in NFL history.
Including the playoffs, Tomlin is the 11th head coach all-time with 200 career wins and the third-youngest head coach to reach 200 in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Don Shula (51 years and 308 days old) and Curly Lambeau (48 years and 222 days old) reached the mark at a younger age.
Tomlin, who has 19 career seasons with a .500-or-better record, ties Marty Schottenheimer (19 seasons) for the fourth-most seasons with a .500-or-better record by a head coach since 1970, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula (24), Andy Reid (23) and Bill Belichick (21). - Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence passed for 279 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown in the Jaguars’ 34-20 victory at Denver.
Lawrence, who had 330 passing yards, five touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in Week 15, is the third player in NFL history with at least 275 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in consecutive games, joining Joe Burrow (2022) and Kyler Murray (2020 and 2021). - Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 309 yards and four touchdowns for a 146.5 rating in his 75th career game in the Bengals’ 45-21 win at Miami.
Burrow, who has 20,269 passing yards in his first 75 career games, joins Patrick Mahomes (22,799 passing yards), Matthew Stafford (21,254), Andrew Luck (20,569) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (20,293) as the only players in NFL history with at least 20,000 passing yards in his first 75 career games.
Burrow has 152 touchdown passes through 75 career games and is the third player in NFL history with at least 150 touchdown passes in his first 75 career games, joining Patrick Mahomes (181 touchdown passes) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (173).
Burrow, who has at least four touchdown passes in nine games since entering the NFL in 2020, surpassed Jeff Garcia (eight games), Andrew Luck (eight) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas (eight) for the fifth-most such games in a player’s first six seasons in NFL history. Only Patrick Mahomes (16 games) and Josh Allen (10) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino (16) and Brett Favre (10) have more.
Burrow has 27 career games with at least 300 passing yards, tied with Matthew Stafford (27 games) and Jameis Winston (27) for the fifth-most games with at least 300 passing yards in a player’s first six seasons in NFL history. Only Patrick Mahomes (41 games) and Justin Herbert (31, in sixth season) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino (32) and Kurt Warner (30) have more. - Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns for a 132.8 rating and rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers’ 34-17 win at Dallas.
Herbert, who passed for at least 300 yards in 31 games since entering the NFL in 2020, surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner (30 games) for the third-most such games in a player’s first six seasons in NFL history. Only Patrick Mahomes (41 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (32) have more.
Per Next Gen Stats, Herbert – who was blitzed on a season-high 54.5 percent of his drop backs in Week 16 – completed nine of his 11 passes attempts under pressure for 108 yards and a touchdown without being sacked.
For more information on Next Gen Stats, check out NFL Pro, available within NFL+ Premium. With NFL+ Premium, get access to NFL Pro and track advanced analytics powered by Next Gen Stats and watch All-22 film. Available on desktop and mobile web, visit pro.nfl.com for more information. - Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson had 168 scrimmage yards (92 receiving, 76 rushing) and a touchdown reception in the Falcons’ 26-19 victory at Arizona.
Robinson, who is 23 years old, has 5,376 career scrimmage yards, surpassing Clinton Portis (5,327 scrimmage yards) for the third-most scrimmage yards by a player under the age of 24 in NFL history. Only Christian McCaffrey (5,443 scrimmage yards) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders (5,391) have more.
Robinson is the fifth player since 2000 with at least 75 rushing yards and 75 receiving yards in consecutive games, joining Le’Veon Bell (2017), Mewelde Moore (2004), Priest Holmes (2001) and Charlie Garner (2000).
Additionally, Robinson is the fourth player since 2000 with at least 75 rushing yards and 75 receiving yards in three games within a single season, joining Ezekiel Elliott (2018), Priest Holmes (2001 and 2002) and Christian McCaffrey (2018 and 2019). - Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson had six receptions for 85 yards in the Vikings’ 16-13 victory at the New York Giants.
Jefferson has 567 receptions since entering the league in 2020, the most receptions by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. - Additional notes from Sunday include:
- Detroit quarterback Jared Goff completed 34 of 54 pass attempts (63 percent) for 364 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh in Week 16, including a touchdown pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Goff, who has 3,395 completions since entering the NFL in 2016, surpassed Matthew Stafford (3,372 completions) for the fourth-most completions by a player in his first 10 seasons in NFL history. Only Matt Ryan (3,630 completions), Derek Carr (3,576) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (3,468) have more.
Goff has 4,036 passing yards and 32 touchdowns this season and is sixth quarterback all-time with at least 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes in three consecutive seasons, joining Drew Brees (nine consecutive seasons from 2008-16), Josh Allen (three from 2020-22), Patrick Mahomes (three from 2020-22) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (three from 2012-14) and Dan Marino (three from 1984-86).
Goff is the fifth player in NFL history with at least 350 passing yards in 20 games in his first 10 career seasons, joining Patrick Mahomes (23 games, in first nine seasons), Drew Brees (21), Matthew Stafford (21) and Dak Prescott (20, in 10th season).
Gibbs has 48 career touchdowns and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders (47 touchdowns) for the most touchdowns by a player under the age of 24 all-time and the most touchdowns by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history.
Gibbs has 30 career games with a touchdown and joined Pro Football Hall of Famers Barry Sanders (31 games), Randy Moss (31) and Gale Sayers (30) as well as Maurice Jones-Drew (30) as the only players in NFL history with at least 30 games in their first three seasons with a touchdown. - Denver quarterback Bo Nix passed for 352 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville in Week 16.
Nix, who has 724 completions since entering the league last year, is the fourth player in NFL history with at least 700 completions in his first two seasons, joining Justin Herbert (839 completions), Trevor Lawrence (746) and Kyler Murray (724).
Nix has 53 career touchdown passes, tied with Derek Carr (53 touchdown passes) for the third-most touchdown passes by a player in their first two seasons in NFL history. Only Justin Herbert (69 touchdown passes) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (68) have more. - Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott passed for 244 yards and three touchdowns for a 116.5 rating while wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had six receptions for 51 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Prescott, who has 35,612 passing yards and 241 touchdown passes since entering the league in 2016, joins Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Dan Marino as well as Derek Carr, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes (in ninth season), Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 35,500 passing yards and 240 touchdown passes in a player’s first 10 career seasons in NFL history.
Prescott has 61 games with at least 240 passing yards and two touchdown passes, surpassing Matthew Stafford (60 games) for the fourth-most such games by a player in his first 10 seasons in NFL history, trailing only Patrick Mahomes (68 games, in ninth season) and Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino (68) and Peyton Manning (65).
Lamb has 67 career games with at least five receptions, the most such games by a player in his first six career seasons all-time.
Lamb has 565 career receptions, the second-most receptions by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history, trailing only Justin Jefferson (567 receptions, in sixth season). - Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce ranks third in the NFL among tight ends with 803 receiving yards this season.
Kelce, who has 803 receiving yards in 2025, joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (12 consecutive seasons from 1985-96) as the only players in NFL history with at least 800 receiving yards in 12 consecutive seasons. - Las Vegas rookie running back Ashton Jeanty had a career-high 188 scrimmage yards (128 rushing, 60 receiving), including a 51-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard touchdown catch, at Houston.
Jeanty is the third rookie all-time with at least 50 receptions, five rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns, joining Alvin Kamara and Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor.
Jeanty is the fourth rookie in NFL history with a 50-yard rushing touchdown and 50-yard touchdown receptions in the same game, joining Clinton Portis (Dec. 15, 2002 with Denver), Jimmy Thomas (Dec. 6, 1969 with San Francisco) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers (Dec. 12, 1965 with Chicago). - New Orleans quarterback Taysom Hill had a 38-yard touchdown pass, 42 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards in the Saints’ 29-6 victory over the New York Jets.
Hill joins Christian McCaffrey (Dec. 17, 2018, with Carolina) as the only players since 1990 with at least 35 passing yards, 35 rushing yards and 35 receiving yards in a single game.
Hill has 23 career games with a completed pass, rush attempt and reception, surpassing John David Crow (22 games) for the most such games in NFL history.
Hill – who has 2,426 passing yards, 1,002 receiving yards and 2,551 rushing yards in his career – is the first player in the Super Bowl era and fourth player all-time with at least 1,000 passing yards, 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in their career, joining Bob Hoernschemeyer, George Taliaferro and Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Trippi. - Cleveland rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger recorded 12 tackles and a sack against Buffalo.
Schwesinger, who has at least 10 tackles in each of his past six games, ties Luke Kuechly (six consecutive games in 2012 with Carolina) for the longest such streak by a rookie since 2000.
Schwesinger, who has at least 10 tackles in seven games this season, ties Jon Beason (seven games) and Shaquille Leonard (seven) for the fifth-most such games by a rookie since 2000. Only Luke Kuechly (10 games in 2012 with Carolina), Pro Football Hall of Famer Patrick Willis (10 in 2007 with San Francisco), DeMeco Ryans (nine in 2006 with Houston) and Kiko Alonso (eight in 2013 with Buffalo) have more.
- Detroit quarterback Jared Goff completed 34 of 54 pass attempts (63 percent) for 364 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh in Week 16, including a touchdown pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
