Week 16 of the 2021/22 National Football League (NFL) regular season was possibly the most predictable thus far with only one true upset in the Houston Texans (4-11) beating the Los Angeles Chargers (8-7) by a 41-29 score line. The other games last weekend basically played true, and the two closing encounters provided enough content to fill a month-long highlight reel.

On December 12, the Dallas Cowboys dominated the Washington Football Team (WFT) for three quarters then had to survive a fourth-quarter collapse. Washington, with backup Kyle Allen at quarterback (QB) for most of the fourth quarter, turned what had been a 24-point deficit into a one-score game, but the Cowboys ultimately hung on for a 27-20 win, ending WFT’s four-game win streak.

Last Monday night, December 27, Washington had ambitions to repeat their fourth-quarter performance of two-week prior, but the Dallas defense had completely different plans. The WFT offense opened the game with an interception to cornerback Trevon Diggs – his 11th of the season (tying the team record held by Everson Walls since 1981) – and ended with eight Cowboys’ touchdowns plus the biggest margin of victory in the history of this storied divisional rivalry (56-14).

The game was over by half-time when the Cowboys led 42-7 and the Dallas starters finished the night by sitting out the fourth quarter. Along with Diggs, who is on track to surpass Dick Lane’s single-season record of 14 interceptions (which has stood since 1952), rookie linebacker Micah Parsons (who has all but guaranteed Defensive Rookie of the Year honours) is also chasing history since, with his 13th sack of the season last Sunday, he is 1.5 behind Jevon Kearse’s 1999 NFL rookie record and has two more games in which to eclipse same.

The Dallas defense did more than just mitigate the Washington scoring, they also did some scoring of their own in the beatdown last Sunday: defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence (265 pounds) and Chauncey Golston (277 pounds) both scored touchdowns. Plus, Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott became the first QB in NFL history to throw touchdowns to a running back, wide receiver, tight end, and offensive lineman in a regular-season game – Kurt Warner did the same in the 1999 play-offs.

The Cowboys (11-4) welcome the slipping Arizona Cardinals (10-5) this Sunday into AT&T Stadium for their penultimate regular season game. The Cardinals are 7-1 on the road this year and will look to break their three-game losing run, but the Cowboys are averaging 51 points at home and have ambitions to win the National Football Conference (NFC) – this should be a good one.

The Miami Dolphins – led by a dominant defense – made NFL history on Monday, December 27 by becoming the first team to lose seven-straight games and win seven straight games in the same season as they beat the New Orleans Saints 20-3 on the road. A substantially depleted New Orleans team provided very little resistance and Miami’s defense registered its first eight-sack game since 2012.

The Saints competed without 22 players due to COVID-19 protocols and were forced to start rookie QB Ian Book with both Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian on the COVID-19 reserve list. Down to their fourth string QB (Jameis Winston was the season starter before being injured in Week 7), the Saints tried to entice former stars Drew Brees and Philip Rivers out of retirement for the game but were unsuccessful.

Book struggled in his NFL debut against a blitzing Miami’s defense that had him on in their grasp (and on the ground) too many times for comfort – he finished 12 of 20 passing for 135 yards and two interceptions. The Dolphins’ QB, Tua Tagovailoa didn’t fare a lot better (19 of 26 for 198 yards with one interception and the one touchdown) but entered the game with an NFL-best 69.9 per cent completion rate and finished with 73.1 per cent for the game.

The Dolphins (8-7) started the season 1-7 and now, with the second-longest active winning run (second only to the Kansas City Chiefs’ eight-game streak), they have placed themselves squarely in play-off contention. However, they have beaten only two teams with winning records this year and have the Tennessee Titans (10-5) and the New England Patriots (9-6) to close the regular season. Win both, and Miami would become the first team in league history to make the playoffs- after starting 1-7 and would secure the franchise’s first back-to-back 10-win seasons in twenty years.

First up are the Titans this Sunday with QB Ryan Tannehill leading the charge. He was a Dolphin for seven seasons but was unceremoniously released by head coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier, so he will certainly have a chip on his shoulder. Defensively, the Dolphins will march into Nissan Stadium knowing they have allowed a meagre 11.7 points per game over their last seven, limiting opponents to 10 points or fewer in five of these outings.

The Dolphins have not made the play-offs since 2016 and have not won a postseason game since 2000 but hold the key to their own destiny this season. Only time will tell if they make it past the regular season but, for now, they enter 2022 in the American Football Conference (AFC) play-off race, making for a very happy new year in Miami.

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Super Bowl LVI ChampionTeam Odds

Kansas City Chiefs 4.75

Green Bay Packers 5.25

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7.25

Los Angeles Rams 10.00

Buffalo Bills 10.00

Dallas Cowboys 11.00

New England Patriots 16.00

Indianapolis Colts 19.00

Tennessee Titans 19.00

Arizona Cardinals 21.00

*Only Top 10 odds shown (see website for full list)