NFL Week 16 winners, losers: Jayden Daniels magic, Jonathan Taylor redemption

Jonathan Taylor, running back, Indianapolis Colts

Taylor was one of the duds in the Colts' second-half collapse against the Denver Broncos a week ago when he made the blooper reel by prematurely dropping the football short of the goal line, opening the floodgates for a Broncos comeback. He worked to redeem himself on Sunday to help the Colts keep their playoff hopes alive by rushing for 218 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries.

Joe Burrow, quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals

Speaking of keeping their playoff hopes going for another week, Burrow had another strong game for the Bengals in their 24-6 win over the Cleveland Browns, completing 23-of-30 passes for 252 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Bengals have to keep winning and get a lot of help, but they are still in it. 

Atlanta Falcons defense

Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. got a lot of help from the other side of the ball in his first NFL start on Sunday, as the Falcons returned two Drew Lock interceptions for touchdowns in a dominant 34-7 win over the New York Giants. The Falcons are still very much alive in the NFC South race. 

Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions

Johnson will be a hot candidate in the next head coach hiring cycle, and outside-the-box play designs like this will be a big reason why.

Justin Jefferson, wide receiver, Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings keep rolling and are still in contention for the top spot in the NFC North and a potential bye week. Their 27-24 win in Seattle on Sunday was highlighted by another great game from Jefferson that saw him catch 10 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. 

Losers

Drew Lock, quarterback, New York Giants

Lock was not the only problem for the Giants on Sunday, nor is the quarterback the only problem on this team, but you can't have two pick-sixes in the same game. The Giants are positioned for the No. 1 overall pick. A quarterback seems likely. 

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, quarterback, Cleveland Browns

With Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston benched, this was a good opportunity for Thompson-Robinson to show the Browns coaching staff that he could be an answer. He did not do that. He completed just 20-of-34 passes for only 157 yards and two interceptions, with one of them coming in the end zone. 

DeVonta Smith, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles

This might be overly harsh when the Eagles defense allowed 36 points and could not get a stop late in the fourth quarter, but Smith had a crucial drop on a wide-open third-down pass that preceded the Commanders' winning touchdown drive. If he holds on to that ball, the Eagles probably win. 

NFC bubble playoff teams

The San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals are all out. The Seahawks are facing a must-win situation next week after losing at home to the Vikings on Sunday. 

Doug Pederson, head coach, Jacksonville Jaguars

Pederson may not have necessarily made any game-losing decisions on Sunday, but when you are the coach of a 3-12 team that is only 4-17 in its last 21 games and lost to a team that was on a 10-game losing streak .... well ... that gets you in the losers section for the week. 

Drake Maye, Quarterback, New England Patriots

Maye has done some good things in a tough spot, but he has to clean up his ball security issues. They were back on Sunday in a 24-21 loss in Buffalo, where he threw an interception in the end zone and fumbled twice, one of which was recovered in the end zone for a Buffalo touchdown. That was a winnable game that slipped away.