Every win brings joy to the NFL – even if a season has long been out of control.

When the Carolina Panthers entered the NFC South basement with a 3-11 record on Sunday, they didn’t have much to gain but were proud of their battle with the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium.

Well, pride and the ability to play spoilsport.

The Panthers took an early 20-3 lead before ultimately picking up their first win since November 10 in overtime. The result meant Arizona was officially eliminated from the postseason, joining Carolina.

After the game, Panthers linebacker Jadeveon Clowney had little sympathy for their opponents’ plight.

“I’m glad we knocked them out of the playoffs. You can go home when we go home – in two weeks,” he said.

Panthers OLB Jadeveon Clowney on Cardinals’ elimination from playoffs: “Good!” pic.twitter.com/VtN9gFSqp3

– David Newton (@DNewtonespn) December 22, 2024

Here are some of the other joke highlights after the win from Week 16 of the NFL season.

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“Costco is great – Costco has to appeal to me.”

Penix Jr., the Falcons’ first-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft last spring, made his first start on Sunday – and it paid off as Atlanta cruised past the New York Giants 34-7.

The rookie — who was in the Costco food court when he learned he would be starting against the Giants earlier this week — admitted he had something a little fancier in mind for his postgame celebration. However, he expressed his appreciation for the chain as well as his interest in a possible sponsorship deal.

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“We don’t flinch at all.”

Commanders rookie signal caller Jayden Daniels shined against the Philadelphia Eagles. The last of his five touchdown passes on Sunday came with just six seconds left to give Washington a 36-33 victory in an NFC East showdown.

It’s not the first time that Daniels and the Commanders have shown a flair for making the most of late-game dramatic moments.

Back in October, Washington shocked the Chicago Bears with a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown as time expired. According to ESPN Research, Daniels has nearly as many points with two passes in the final 10 seconds of regulation/overtime as the rest of the NFL quarterbacks combined (3).

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“I was totally confused. I’ve never seen that before.”

Los Angeles took a big step in the AFC playoff race on Thursday night, defeating the Denver Broncos 34-27 in a divisional matchup.

Three of the Chargers’ points came through unconventional means – a 57-yard fair-catch free kick from kicker Cameron Dicker at the end of the first half. The rule allows a team to attempt a kick from the spot where a fair catch was made – or the spot where a fair catch penalty moved the ball.

A penalty by Broncos cornerback Tremon Smith put Los Angeles in position to attempt such a free kick – the NFL’s first free kick attempt since 2019 – which Dicker converted to cut Denver’s lead to 21-13 at halftime.

Edwards drew plenty of reaction from Chargers players and staff reminiscing about the game after the game. The mood ranged from bewilderment (Edwards, linebacker Bud Dupree) to enthusiasm from head coach Jim Harbaugh.