Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season saw the Pittsburgh Steelers become overwhelming favorites to win the AFC North, while the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff hopes crashed into the single digits.
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6)
Following a 29-24
win over the Detroit Lions, the Steelers are now the overwhelming favorites to win the division with a two-game lead at the top.
Mike Tomlin’s Steelers have never finished with a losing record, and that won’t change this year. Sunday’s victory ensured a 19th winning season for the longtime coach. While Steelers fans are frustrated with Tomlin’s failure to win a playoff game since 2017, his results with a string of below-average quarterbacks between Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers speak for themselves. Having Rodgers this year may give Tomlin a chance to notch that elusive playoff win.
On Saturday night, the 42-year-old quarterback finished with 27 completions on 41 attempts for 266 yards, one touchdown, and zero turnovers. Jaylen Warren racked up a team-high 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, while fellow running back Kenneth Gainwell led the passing attack with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Pittsburgh’s defense completely took away the Lions’ dangerous two-headed rushing attack, limiting Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to a combined 16 rushing yards and zero touchdowns. Perhaps the biggest story of the game, though, was the ejection of D.K. Metcalf. The star wide receiver had a physical altercation with a fan in the stands and has since been suspended for the remaining two games of the regular season, which will cost him $555,556 in salary while also voiding $45 million in future guaranteed money.
Baltimore Ravens (7-8)
Any hopes of the Ravens making the playoffs this season took a massive blow with a 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. Baltimore’s only path to the postseason now includes winning their final two games against the Green Bay Packers and the Steelers, while also needing Pittsburgh to lose in Week 17.
The Ravens started the game strong before a Derrick Henry fumble on the second offensive drive derailed all momentum. Two drives later, Lamar Jackson was injured when he took a knee to the back at the end of a run. Jackson did not return to the field, leaving Tyler Huntley to finish the game. Jackson went 7 of 10 for 101 yards before exiting the game, while Huntley finished 9 of 10 for 65 yards. Henry was borderline-unstoppable outside of his early fumble, finishing with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. John Harbaugh and Todd Monken have been under severe scrutiny following the game, as Henry was left on the sidelines after his second touchdown run put Baltimore up 24-13 with 12:50 remaining in regulation. An otherwise stellar night for Zay Flowers, who led the team with seven catches for 84 yards while adding an 18-yard rushing touchdown, was marred by a fumble at the end of the game.
Outside of an early interception by Marlon Humphrey, the Ravens’ defense allowed Drake Maye to do whatever he wanted through the air. Baltimore struggled to get pressure on Maye throughout the game, leading to multiple big passing plays. Stefon Diggs in particular gave the Ravens trouble as the former Maryland star caught nine passes for 138 yards.
Cincinnati Bengals (5-10)
The Bengals bounced back from being shut out in Week 15 with a 45-21 win over the Miami Dolphins.
A week after one of the worst games of his career, Joe Burrow delivered a near-perfect performance against the Dolphins, going 25 of 32 for 309 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. As usual, Ja’Marr Chase was his go-to guy in the passing attack; the duo connected nine times on 11 targets for 109 yards. Tee Higgins returned from a one-game absence due to a concussion to catch three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Chase Brown was the team’s leading rusher with 66 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries while also adding 43 yards and another pair of scores as a receiver.
Cincinnati’s defense faced off against rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers in his first NFL start following the benching of Tua Tagovailoa. The Bengals snagged a pair of interceptions from the seventh-round rookie.
Cleveland Browns (3-12)
The Browns dropped their fourth game in a row on Sunday with a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
It was another rocky day for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders as he completed 20 of 29 passes for 157 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions while also leading the team with 49 rushing yards on four carries. Trayveon Williams was the leading receiver with just 38 yards on four catches, while rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. caught Sanders’ lone touchdown. Unfortunately for Cleveland, promising rookie running back Quinshon Judkins’ season was ended when he suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula on a pass play in the second quarter. The second-rounder finishes his rookie campaign with 230 carries for 827 yards and seven touchdowns, as well as 171 receiving yards on 26 receptions. Judkins is reportedly looking at a 4-6 month recovery timeline.
The Browns’ defense held the reigning MVP Josh Allen to just 130 yards and zero touchdowns on 19 passing attempts, but failed to contain running back James Cook, who finished with 117 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Myles Garrett notched half a sack against Allen, putting him just half a sack behind the all-time single-season record with two games remaining.
