Five worst Week 16 NFL performances: Baker Mayfield clunker forces Buccaneers to win out for playoff berth

Miami Dolphins defense

With rookie seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers making his first career start, the Dolphins (6-9) defense needed a big game to keep pressure off their young, inexperienced quarterback. Instead, Miami forced Ewers into a shootout with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in a 45-21 loss.

The Bengals (5-10), coming off a shutout the previous week, scored a season-high 45 points and finished with touchdowns on all six red-zone possessions. Ewers ended the game with two interceptions but otherwise had a respectable start, completing 66.7% of his passes and averaging 8.7 yards per attempt. Too bad that because of Miami's defense, he needed to be perfect.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart

Dart's promising rookie season has lost some of its shine of late, and the 2025 first-round pick had his worst game of the season in a 16-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings (7-8). The Giants (2-13) finished with as many net passing yards as points, with Dart going 7-of-13 for 33 yards and an interception while losing 20 yards on five sacks.

New York Jets offensive line

The New Orleans Saints (5-10) have been inconsistent at generating sacks this season, but that changed after facing the awful Jets offensive line. New Orleans had a season-high eight sacks in the 29-6 home win after entering the game with 29 (2.1 per game). The unit didn't give rookie quarterback Brady Cook, making just his second career start, much of a chance. And when the Jets (3-12) gained a semblance of momentum, the line set the team back with penalties, including an illegal chop block that wiped out an early third-down conversion and two holding penalties. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield

The Bucs (7-8) fell to second in the NFC South on Sunday with a 23-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers (8-7), thanks in large part to a subpar performance from Mayfield, who was 18-of-26 for 145 yards, one touchdown and a game-sealing interception.

On a 2nd-and-9 from Carolina's 42-yard line with under a minute remaining while trailing by three, 23-20, Mayfield threw an off-platform pass that badly missed his target, leading to rookie safety Lathan Ransom's interception.

With the result, Tampa Bay must win its last two games to clinch the NFC South for a fifth consecutive season. But based on Mayfield's play of late, the Bucs might already be done.