ESPN staffDec 21, 2025, 08:26 PM ET
The holiday season means more for NFL fans -- but it also signals the playoff picture coming into focus. And throughout Week 16, contenders continued to separate from pretenders.
Before the completion of "Sunday Night Football" between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, six of the day's 12 games were decided by one score, while five matchups turned into blowouts.
The mix of close finishes and lopsided results provided plenty of fuel for trash talk and sharp sound bites, as some of the week's best moments came before and after the whistle. Players and coaches carried their momentum from the field to the podium, delivering standout lines in their postgame sessions.
From bold declarations to perfectly timed one-liners, here are the best quotes from around the NFL in Week 16.
"Chaos ... I'm going to enjoy this one and we're going to turn on the Sunday night game and root for the Patriots." Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers
The Steelers' 29-24 victory over the Detroit Lions delivered one of the wildest finishes of Week 16 -- and possibly of the entire season.
Pittsburgh led 29-17 with five minutes left in regulation, a margin that has long signaled safety under head coach Mike Tomlin. Entering Sunday, the Steelers were 103-0-1 when leading by at least 12 points entering the fourth quarter.
That streak nearly snapped as Detroit surged back, and the outcome hung on the final snap.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff 's last-play touchdown was wiped out by an offensive pass-interference penalty on Amon-Ra St. Brown, who pushed off cornerback Jalen Ramsey before throwing the ball back to Goff near the goal line. The ruling came after an extended on-field huddle, drawing boos from the Ford Field crowd.
The win kept Pittsburgh alone atop the AFC North and pushed its division title odds to 78% regardless of other results, per ESPN Analytics. After the game, Rodgers noted the Steelers would be watching "Sunday Night Football" closely -- and hoping the Patriots will knock off the Ravens to extend Pittsburgh's cushion.
"I'm having fun playing football. Not playing football is not fun." Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow
Burrow delivered a big performance in the Bengals' 45-21 rout of the Miami Dolphins, becoming the fifth-fastest quarterback to reach 20,000 career passing yards. He finished with 309 yards and four touchdowns through the air with a 146.5 passer rating.
The showing came one week after a 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that officially eliminated Cincinnati from playoff contention -- a game he described as one of the worst performances of his career. Burrow, who missed nine games this season with a toe injury, said that enjoying the game was essential for his professional future.
After the win over Miami, Burrow confirmed he felt that joy in Week 16.
"Just not let it happen again." New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart
Despite just a three-point margin being the difference in the Minnesota Vikings' 16-13 victory over the Giants, New York's offense struggled in the contest.
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart didn't attempt a pass until the 1:44 mark of the second quarter and finished just 7-of-13 for 33 yards with his fifth career interception. After the game, he acknowledged it was a performance he should not repeat.
"It's definitely MVP caliber." Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh
The Chargers shut out the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of their 34-17 win, but it isn't just the defense that deserves high praise. Los Angeles' head coach was very complimentary of his quarterback, too.
Herbert, who has been playing with a broken left hand, went 23-of-29 for a season-best 79% completion rate, throwing for 300 yards with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score. It marked his 31st career 300-yard passing game, breaking a tie with Kurt Warner for the fourth most by a player in his first six NFL seasons, according to ESPN Research. Only Patrick Mahomes (41), Andrew Luck (33) and Dan Marino (32) have more.
"We have a chance of doing something special.'' Carolina Panthers RB Rico Dowdle
The Panthers edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 to take sole possession of first place in the NFC South with two games left.
Carolina (8-7) can clinch the division next Sunday with a win over Seattle and a Tampa Bay (7-8) loss to Miami. If the Bucs beat the Dolphins, the Panthers would need to defeat Tampa Bay in the regular-season finale to end the Bucs' four-year run atop the division.
Running back Rico Dowdle said the team knows it is close to doing something special -- which could include snapping a seven-year playoff drought and securing its first division crown in a decade.
"It's one of those games where you feel like you did a good job but it doesn't translate to the scoreboard." Miami Dolphins QB Quinn Ewers
Making his first NFL start, the Dolphins rookie quarterback helped produce two scoring drives before throwing two interceptions in Miami's second straight loss following a four-game winning streak.
The seventh-round pick out of Texas opened strong Sunday. Ewers went 10-of-12 in the first half and finished 20-of-30 for 260 yards, but Miami still wound up on the wrong end of a 45-21 result -- leaving Ewers with mixed emotions after his debut.
