NFL Week 16 Disappointments: Purdy misses the mark and Chiefs cough it up...

The NFL did a great job of spreading out Week 16’s slate of games throughout the holiday weekend. While this was a present that the league gave fans, not every gift turned out to be a winner. We’ll take a look at the teams and players whose performances were best left under the tree this weekend.

In what was arguably the most anticipated game of the NFL season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy turned in his worst performance of the year. He threw four interceptions against a swarming Baltimore Ravens defense. It will be fascinating to see whether other defenses try to mimic what the Ravens did to confuse the second-year passer.

The Chiefs appear to be discombobulated down the stretch. Whether it was mishandled handoffs, or interceptions returned for touchdowns, Kansas City was in a giving mood against the Las Vegas Raiders. Their offense doesn’t have the talent to overcome such glaring mistakes in 2023, so they’ll have to protect the football better moving forward.

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The Cowboys made some clutch players in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins, but two blunders in the first quarter arguably cost them the game. Tony Pollard somehow didn’t score a touchdown as his body crossed the plane, but the ball didn’t. On the next play, a handoff to fullback Hunter Luepke was fumbled, and the Dolphins took over possession.

It appears as if the mounting injuries in Jacksonville are starting to take their toll. The Jaguars had a tough time getting anything going against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered another injury—this time to his shoulder. The offense is already without Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones’ status remains up in the air.

In a battle of backup quarterbacks, it appeared as if second-string starter Jake Browning had the edge over Pittsburgh’s third string quarterback, Mason Rudolph. However, it was Rudolph who played the better game on Christmas weekend, while Browning was unable to sustain drives for the Bengals.

The Broncos have made admirable strides after some historic setbacks earlier in the year, but they have to deal with another embarrassing situation after Week 16. They squandered a chance to remain in the thick of the playoff race by losing to the hapless New England Patriots at home. Denver also lost top wide receiver Courtland Sutton to a concussion.

The absence of quarterback C.J. Stroud has revealed just how important he is to the Texans. Simply put, it doesn’t look like Houston can compete with playoff-level teams without his services. Their defense didn’t get the job done on Sunday either, as they allowed Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper to have a career day.

It was a roller coaster of a week for Michael Pittman and the Indianapolis Colts. It seemed like Pittman would be ready to roll after clearing concussion protocol late in the week. However, symptoms of the concussion re-emerged, which took the wide receiver out of their team’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a concerning development for the well-being of the player.