If they both lose, all chaos could ensue. Here we start with the review of week 16:

⋅ The Colts (7-8) have been inconsistent all season and had to bench starting quarterback Anthony Richardson at one point, but they are coming off a 38-30 win over the Titans that wasn’t as close as the score suggests leaves, very alive.

The Colts have to win and either the Chargers or Broncos have to lose. They should do their part and end up with the Giants and against the Jaguars – two bottom feeders with backup quarterbacks. The Colts also have tiebreakers against the Dolphins and Bengals.

According to ESPN’s analysis, the Colts have the lowest chance of making the playoffs among contenders (4 percent), but of all the longshots, they need the least outside help.

⋅ The Dolphins improved to 7-8 with a 29-17 victory over the 49ers, eliminating San Francisco from playoff contention. The Dolphins have won five of seven games to keep their playoff hopes alive and, on paper, had a forgiving record against the Browns and Jets.

To make the playoffs, the Dolphins (6 percent) must win, the Broncos or Chargers must lose and the Colts must lose a game.

Let’s see if they can handle their own business. Despite finishing with two bad teams, both games are on the road – they are 2-5 this season – in cold weather, conditions in which the Dolphins have lost each time under coach Mike McDaniel.

⋅ Burrow threw three more touchdowns in an easy win over the Browns, Cincinnati’s third straight. The Bengals have entered the “I can’t believe we lost to the Patriots in Week 1” part of their season as they are playing great but need a lot of help.

The Bengals have to beat two strong teams fighting for playoff berth: Denver (at home) and Pittsburgh. Also, the Broncos have to lose and the Colts and Dolphins have to lose once each. ESPN gives the Bengals a 14.8 percent chance, but the task seems daunting.

⋅ In the NFC, the Falcons lost four straight and swapped quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​for rookie Michael Penix, but after a 34-7 win over the Giants, they are suddenly back in the playoffs. Atlanta (8-7) reclaimed first place in the NFC South when the Buccaneers suffered a surprising 26-24 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday night, falling to 8-7. The Falcons hold the tiebreaker after defeating the Bucs in October.

ESPN puts the Bucs at 50.2 percent and the Falcons at 49.8 percent for the playoffs, but the Falcons have the clearer path. Both teams have a final schedule that appears to be more difficult than at the start of the year: each hosts the Panthers, with the Falcons hosting the Commanders in Week 17 and the Bucs hosting the Saints in Week 18.

⋅ Commanders coach Dan Quinn summed it up Sunday when he said rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels “became a strong hitter” in Washington’s 36-33 win over the Eagles. Not only has Daniels likely secured rookie of the year, he could also get votes for MVP.

In a playoff-clinching game against the NFL’s No. 1 defense, Daniels threw five touchdowns – three in the fourth quarter to overcome a 13-point deficit and win with six seconds left. The Commanders became just the fifth team in the last nine years to win despite losing five turnovers.

With double-digit wins for the first time since 2012, the Commanders (10-5) need just one against Atlanta or Dallas to clinch a wild-card spot.

⋅ Jaguars QB Mac Jones: Thrown for 247 yards and a touchdown in a 19-14 loss to the Raiders. The result was his first deep pass of the season, 62 yards to Brian Thomas. Jones is 1 of 17 on passes of more than 20 yards.

⋅ Falcons LB Matthew Judon: He made his first impactful play of the year, throwing an interception 27 yards for a touchdown in a 34-7 win over the Giants. It was his first interception and first touchdown in his ninth NFL season.

⋅ Ravens LB Kyle Van Noy: Had 1.5 sacks in a big win over the Steelers, giving him a career-high 10.5.

⋅ Chiefs LG Joe Thuney: Started at left tackle for the second straight week and helped limit Houston to one sack by Patrick Mahomes in a 27-19 win over the Texans.

One of the worst decisions the Patriots made in the last decade was letting a durable, reliable and versatile offensive player go.

⋅ Cardinals K Chad Ryland: Goed 3-for-3 on field goals against the Panthers and hit a 58-yarder at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. Ryland is 25-for-29 this year (all four misses from 40-47 yards) and perfect on PATs, while the Patriots’ Joey Slye is 23-for-30 with two misses under 40 yards and a missed PAT.

⋅ It feels like Jerry Jones is ready to sign Mike McCarthy to a contract extension, and rightly so. The Cowboys are 7-8 and have won four of their last five games with backup quarterback Cooper Rush.

⋅ All of the top MVP candidates had big weeks except Josh Allen. Saquon Barkley had 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Lamar Jackson threw three touchdowns in a win over the Steelers, Jared Goff threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Bears, and Sam Darnold threw three touchdowns in a win over the Seahawks.

⋅ Chiefs receivers have had just four individual 100-yard games all season, including one in Kansas City’s last 10 and none in Kansas City’s last seven. Xavier Worthy’s 65 yards rushing in Saturday’s win over the Texans was the most by a Chiefs player in three weeks.

⋅ The Eagles need to find a better backup quarterback than Kenny Pickett. They didn’t score a touchdown in the final three quarters and nine possessions against Washington.

⋅ The Rams’ 44-42 victory over the Bills in Week 14 was one of the most exciting games of the year. But that they continue to win low-scoring slugfests — 19-9, 12-6 and 21-14 in the last four weeks — bodes better for their postseason chances.

⋅ Just a brutal injury for Texas receiver Tank Dell, who faces a long recovery from a dislocated kneecap and torn ACL. It seemed to take the last bit of fight out of the 9-6 Texans as they sputtered to the finish line.

⋅ First-year coach Dave Canales continues to impress as the Panthers defeated a Cardinals team that had just dismantled the Patriots. Carolina is only 4-11, but she is lively and building momentum.

⋅ Mark Davis was happy about the win over the Jaguars, but it dropped the Raiders to the No. 6 draft pick. Let’s see how happy Davis is in April when the Raiders miss Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward after missing all six QBs in 2024.

⋅ Burrow became the first player with 250 passing yards and three touchdown passes in seven consecutive games, surpassing Tom Brady’s six consecutive passes in 2007.

⋅ Coach of the Year should likely go to the winner of the Vikings-Lions game in Week 18, which could also determine the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Both teams are 13-2 and Kevin O’Connell and Dan Campbell have been phenomenal.

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Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].