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NFL Nation, ESPN
The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos on “Thursday Night Football” to open Week 16.
On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs bested the Houston Texans 27-19. The Baltimore Ravens will also face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers with the AFC North title on the line.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
Chiefs
Is Xavier Worthy the Chiefs’ most valuable receiver? Who else could it be at this point? The Chiefs went to Worthy 11 times as a receiver and three times as a ball carrier. He delivered 7 catches, 65 yards and 1 touchdown as a receiver and 10 rushing yards. The Chiefs had some timely contributions from other receivers, most notably Hollywood Brown and DeAndre Hopkins. But Worthy was their go-to receiver.
What we learned about the QB today: Patrick Mahomes can be effective with his high-ankle sprain. He didn’t have his best game but was good enough for the Chiefs to win. He scored the Chiefs’ first touchdown on a 15-yard scramble and also had a 12-yard scramble on the drive.
Most surprising performance: Brown had a promising game for a player who hasn’t been in a game since suffering a sternoclavicular injury during the preseason. Brown didn’t play a lot but caught five passes for 45 yards. One catch came on fourth down, another on third down. Both plays delivered the Chiefs a fresh set of downs. — Adam Teicher
Next game: at Steelers (Wednesday, 1 p.m. ET)
Texans
How will the Texans overcome injuries? The Texans lost three starters in right guard Shaq Mason, wideout Tank Dell and safety Jimmie Ward. All appear to be long-term injuries as Ward and Dell had to be carted off the field. Losing Dell is a bigger loss, as he’s another weapon gone for quarterback C.J. Stroud. Wideout Stefon Diggs already suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 8 and now Dell is most likely going to be out.
What we learned about the QB today: Stroud can and will have to be efficient with Dell out. The only difference-maker he has now is Nico Collins. So whenever teams take him away, Stroud will have to take underneath throws, which he did against the Chiefs, going 10-for-15 for 102 yards.
Biggest hole in the game plan: In four out of the past six games, running back Joe Mixon has under 60 rushing yards. His low production is a result of the shuffling on the offensive line. The Texans are 5-2 when Mixon rushes for over 100 yards but are 2-3 when he rushes for under 60. — DJ Bien-Aime
Next game: vs. Ravens (Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. ET)
Chargers
Are the Chargers’ defensive issues fixable? After being one of the NFL’s best defenses for much of this season, the Chargers defense has fallen off in recent weeks. That continued in the first half Thursday night, as the Broncos scored on their first three possessions, the first time a team has done that to L.A. this season. The Chargers’ biggest issue has been on third down. Through the first 11 weeks, they allowed 32.3% of third down conversions (second in NFL), but from Weeks 12-15, they allowed 47.5% (27th). They adjusted against Denver, allowing six points in the second half and holding the Broncos to 5-of-13 on third down, a sign that their issues could be behind them.
Describe the game in two words: Opportunistic Chargers. The Chargers took advantage of the Broncos’ penalties; Denver racked up seven penalties for 61 yards, while the Chargers had only two for eight yards. A fair catch interference penalty at the end of the first half, which led to kicker Cameron Dicker making the first fair catch free kick in 48 years, turned the game around for the Chargers. They outscored the Broncos 21-6 from that moment to win the game.
Early prediction for next week: The Chargers defense will get its first shutout. The Chargers seemed to find a spark defensively in that second half against Denver and will face a New England Patriots team next Saturday that is 31st in the NFL in points per game (17). This could be the perfect storm for a defense that has had near-shutouts twice this season and a jolt of momentum ahead of the playoffs. — Kris Rhim
Next game: at Patriots (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET)
Broncos
How big of a missed opportunity was Thursday’s loss? It’s more a blow to the Broncos’ psyche than their actual playoff chances, but the loss to the Chargers showed some immaturity in the big moment. The Broncos dropped from the No. 6 seed to the No. 7 (and final) seed with the loss, but they still have a 2.5-game lead on the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins for that postseason spot. The real concern is with how the Broncos lost — a flurry of untimely penalties and an offense that went tepid after scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions. Denver scored 21 points in the first 24 minutes of the game, then six in the remaining 36. The Broncos were ready to end their eight-year playoff drought, which makes the loss, according to coach Sean Payton, “disappointing because there was a lot at stake.”
Describe the game in two words: Didn’t listen. Payton has written it on his call sheet — “Run It!” And despite the Broncos’ early success on the ground — they ran the ball on seven of 10 plays to score a touchdown on their opening possession, then ran it just 14 times the remainder of the game. Payton continues to struggle to find a rhythm in how he calls the run game even as he continues to say how important it will be for the Broncos. But he’s not following through on his words.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Chargers rookie Ladd McConkey came into the game leading their offense in receptions and receiving yards by a substantial margin. But the Broncos chose not to match Pro Bowl cornerback Pat Surtain II on him and struggled to contain the damage. McConkey repeatedly moved the sticks, catching six passes for 87 yards. “We dropped coverage five different times … you can’t have one of their top receivers not covered,” Payton said. — Jeff Legwold
Next game: at Bengals (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET)