Week 16 Reactions: We Want To Kick

I thought it was the best thing to do.

Getting a full story about anything from Belichick is highly unlikely, though he did eventually add that they they were "looking at field position," whatever that means. But let's remember, if they decide to kick and the Jets score a touchdown on their first possession, the game is over. And what happened? The Jets marched down the field and won it on a six-yard touchdown catch by Eric Decker.

The Patriots' offense wasn't nearly as dominant as it was in the teams' first meeting this season, but they did score a game-tying touchdown with 1:55 left in regulation on an 11-play, 66-yard drive, capped off by a nine-yard touchdown reception by James White. It's not to say that Tom Brady finally figured out the Jets' defense, but the offense was playing better and they had an opportunity to get the ball to start overtime. "Looking at field position" and kicking off implies you don't believe your offense can score, even a field goal, which is baffling when you have the best quarterback and tight end in football. We'll never get a firm explanation of why Belichick believed kicking was the right thing to do, but it's clear he was wrong Sunday.

Decker's touchdown catch was only his third reception of the day, but he's now found the end zone 11 times in 11 different games this season. Meanwhile, Brandon Marshall had another big performance, catching eight passes on 10 targets for 115 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 12 scores this season, which have come in 11 different games. Amazingly, the two share the league-lead for most games with a touchdown reception this season.

Additionally, Decker and Marshall have caught touchdown passes in the same game eight times this season, the most for a duo in NFL history, according to ESPN Stats & Info. It's no wonder Ryan Fitzpatrick has been able to pass for a career-high 29 touchdowns, which ties him with Vinny Testaverde for the single-season franchise record. Worth (or maybe not) noting: the Jets made the AFC Championship Game when Testaverde passed for 29 regular-season touchdowns in 1998 (Keyshawn Johnson and Wayne Chrebet were the Jets' leading receivers).

Marshall's eight catches Sunday pushed him to 101 for the season, the sixth time he's reached the century mark, which is the most in league history.

Not to be overlooked, the Jaguars' duo of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns were at it again thanks to the Saints' league-worst defense. Robinson caught six of nine targets for 151 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown, while Hurns caught eight of 10 targets for 106 yards and two scores. The former has scored 14 times (10 different games) this season while the latter has scored 10 times (nine different games). Quarterback Blake Bortles has 35 passing touchdowns this season, which is more than triple what he had during his rookie season last year, and his wideout tandem is obviously a major reason for that increase. Fantasy players are going to be all over Bortles in drafts next season, and there's a legitimate argument that he could be one of the first five (three?) quarterbacks off the board.

Speaking of quarterbacks who are likely to be drafted early, Cam Newton's impressive season hit a bump Sunday, as the Panthers lost to the Falcons, ending their run at a perfect season. After carving up the Falcons two weeks ago by completing over 70 percent of his passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns, Newton struggled Sunday, passing for only 142 yards and failing to throw a touchdown pass for just the second time this season. Despite the reduced output, Newton still managed to rush for a touchdown, becoming the first player in league history with at least 30 passing touchdowns and eight rushing scores in the same season.

Backfield Looks

Four running backs scored multiple touchdowns this week: Tim Hightower, DeAngelo Williams, Frank Gore and Ka'Deem Carey. While the latter three were heavily used, Carey did his damage on only eight touches, rushing seven times for 16 yards and a score and adding a one-yard touchdown reception. For DFS players who thought the Buccaneers' run defense was exploitable but couldn't decide whether to pick Matt Forte or Jeremy Langford, don't worry; Carey stopped both of them from being big producers.

While none of those four seem to have realistic shots at being big fantasy contributors next season, one player who has completely broken out is Cardinals rookie David Johnson, who racked up 127 total yards and a touchdown Sunday against the Packers, a game that was such a blowout in favor of the Cards that he didn't even touch the ball in the fourth quarter. Johnson has produced more than 100 yards from scrimmage in four consecutive games, scoring five touchdowns over that span. The rebirth of Chris Johnson was nice and all, but David Johnson will dominate the Cardinals' backfield for years to come.

And speaking of running backs who will lead their teams for the next few seasons, Todd Gurley rushed 19 times for 85 yards and a touchdown in the Rams' upset win over the Seahawks, giving him 1,108 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He is the second rookie in team history with at least 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns, joining some guy named Eric Dickerson. And don't forget Gurley missed the first two games of the season due to injury.

Best Wideout in the NFL Competition

Odell Beckham was suspended for Sunday's game against the Vikings, so he didn't get a chance to show that he's the best wide receiver in the NFL, but Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins made their cases: