When MVP chants are heard by a player on the visiting team, he's probably doing something right.
That was the case for sophomore quarterback Drake May, who led the New England Patriots to a surprise 28-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
The win clinched the 12–3 Patriots' playoff berth and tied the Denver Broncos for the best record in the AFC.
But more importantly, it was a compelling display of resilience after last Sunday's collapse against the Buffalo Bills.
After being down 10 points in the final quarter, May orchestrated two touchdowns and completed the first fourth-quarter comeback of his career.
May threw for 380 yards – the first time he's topped 300 yards in his career – while completing 70 percent of his passes.
It's a performance worthy of the MVP serenade he received on the road and essentially guarantees that the award will go to him and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford at season's end.
For the Ravens, the loss capped a disappointing season. Star QB Lamar Jackson was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with a back injury, a devastating blow, especially with Baltimore's playoff hopes hanging in the balance.
It was yet another injury to Jackson, who had already been forced to miss time earlier this season. Jackson's injuries throughout the season, combined with an inability to finish games, left the Ravens looking like a shell of what many expected them to be at the start of the season.
With Sunday's loss, the 7-8 Ravens are no longer in control of their playoff destiny. A Pittsburgh Steelers win next week or a Ravens loss would eliminate Baltimore from the postseason and render the Week 18 finale between the two division rivals irrelevant.
Meanwhile, the Patriots are officially back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021, leading the MVP favorite.
Here are some more takeaways from Week 16:
Lions' playoff hopes take a big hit after bizarre finish against Steelers
The Detroit Lions entered Week 16 knowing that they essentially needed to win to have any chance of making the postseason.
And that makes the way they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday even more heartbreaking.
Trailing 29-24 late in the fourth quarter, the Lions drove all the way down the field and were in position to score a touchdown on the run.
On the final play of the game, Jared Goff threw a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown near the goal line. When the Steelers defenders stopped him, St. Brown passed the ball back to Goff, who appeared to dive for the game-winning touchdown.
But when the flag appeared on the field and both teams were convinced that they had won the game, the officials huddled together to discuss the game.
After an agonizingly long call, officials announced that St. Brown had been assessed a pass interference penalty that negated the TD, and the Steelers walked away with a 29-24 victory.
Right or wrong, it was a devastating blow to Detroit's chances of making the playoffs. According to NFL.com, the Lions now have just a six percent chance of making the playoffs.
Their only hope is to win their last two games and force the Green Bay Packers to lose both of their last two games.
For a team that entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, Sunday's loss was yet another chapter in Detroit's disappointing season.
It's official that the Jacksonville Jaguars are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Despite entering Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos on a five-game winning streak, the Jaguars still appear to have little respect in the league.
Heck, Broncos head coach Sean Payton even called Jacksonville a “smaller market” this week ahead of the game.
The Jaguars responded by taking Payton's team on Sunday, completely outplaying the Broncos in a 34-20 road win and snapping Denver's 11-game winning streak in the process.
“I'm grateful that a small market team like us can come to a place like Mile High and get it done,” first-year Jaguars head coach Liam Cohen told reporters after the game.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Sunday's win was what the Jaguars did with the Broncos' star defense.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence continued the best stretch of his career as he accounted for four more touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in the win, now giving him 10 over the last two games.
Against a Broncos defense that could very well break the record for sacks in a season, Lawrence stood in the middle of the chaos and made some great throws that Denver couldn't answer.
The win not only keeps the Jags at 11-4 in the AFC South lead, but also puts them in a position to claim the top spot in the AFC. Just one game behind the 12-3 Broncos, the Jaguars now hold the tiebreaker if Denver suffers another loss in its final two games.
But no matter where the Jaguars end up in the playoffs, Sunday proved they can beat any team the league has to offer.
Panthers take control of the NFC South
There has been no more Jekyll and Hyde team in the NFL this season than the Carolina Panthers.
But to their credit, a good version of the Panthers showed up when they needed it on Sunday.
After a shocking loss to the New Orleans Saints last week, the Panthers bounced back in Week 16 with a big 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The win moved the Panthers to 8-7, one game ahead of the 7-8 Buccaneers in the NFC South.
Most importantly, the Panthers are now guaranteed that in a rematch with the Bucs in Week 18, they will have a chance to capture the division title, no matter what happens next week.
This is especially important considering the Panthers host the NFC-leading Seattle Seahawks next Sunday.
For Tampa Bay, the loss continues what has been a downward spiral for Baker Mayfield's team. The Buccaneers have lost six of their last seven games and will need to beat the Miami Dolphins next week if they want to guarantee a chance to bounce back in Week 18.
Herbert is doing everything he can to help the Chargers grow.
Justin Herbert isn't currently in the MVP discussion, but perhaps he should be.
Because it can be argued that no QB in the league does more to carry his team to the postseason.
Herbert, missing both of his star tackles for the season and playing with a broken hand, was the driving force behind the Chargers' four-game winning streak following Sunday's 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite hitting the major leagues 123 times this season, Herbert overcame the pressure and pain to lead the Chargers 11-4 and on the brink of a playoff berth.
Herbert threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Dallas. This is the 31st time he has thrown for at least 300 yards since entering the league in 2020.
It was another reminder of why, no matter who guards him, the Chargers will always be a threat with him under center.
“He's amazing, his accuracy, his ability to slip, his ability to throw on the run,” Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs said of Herbert after the game. “He has everything.”
AFC No. 1 seed up for grabs
It's crowded at the top of the AFK.
At 12-3, the Broncos and Patriots are the frontrunners in the race for first place in the conference and the coveted first-round bye that comes with it.
But the Jaguars, Chargers and Buffalo Bills are just one game behind at 11-4.
With only two games remaining in the regular season, the battle for the top spot in the AFC should be an exciting spectacle.
