The 40 things we learned from Week 16 of the NFL season:

1. All we want for Christmas is a return to the “clear and obvious” standard of replay reviews. No more “survive the ground,” no more “did the ball move?” no more “was he a runner?” It shouldn’t be this difficult, as we saw once again Sunday when a touchdown by Buffalo’s Kelvin Benjamin was overturned after a lengthy review. (Even after officiating chief Al Riveron’s explanation that Benjamin had only one foot down when he gained control, it’s hard to see how that was a clear and obvious enough evidence to change the on-field ruling.)

2. Saints-Falcons is approaching Steelers-Bengals for bragging rights as the nastiest rivalry in the NFL. Just look at what happened Sunday in New Orleans, where fans commissioned a plane to pull a banner that read “28-3 Merry Christmas” above the Superdome

3. (We gotta wonder, though, how effectively are you trolling a visiting team in a domed environment with an airplane banner?)

4. But the Saints’ game day operations staff brilliantly used the MARTA bus graphic to block out the Falcons on the Jumbotron during pre-game introductions. (Google “Georgia Dome implosion MARTA” if you missed this the first time …)

5. And players feel it too — especially Falcons RB Devonta Freeman, who was flagged for two personal fouls in the first 17 minutes of the game. Freeman, you may recall, was on the receiving end of the “choke” gesture from Saints head coach Sean Payton earlier this month.

6. Saints CB Marshon Lattimore was already a leading candidate to win defensive rookie of the year honors, but his “Butt Interception” of Matt Ryan may have sealed it.

7. New Orleans QB Drew Brees, who threw for 239 yards in Sunday’s playoff-clinching win, surpassed 70,000 yards for his career. He joined Peyton Manning and Brett Favre as the only members of the 70K club, and Brees did it in his 248th career game — 10 fewer than it took Manning, and 45 fewer than Favre.

8. Strong competition for “Catch of the Day.” Nominees include Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski for his one-handed TD; Chiefs TE Travis Kelce for his contested TD grab against Miami; and Rams rookie WR Cooper Kupp’s diving TD catch against the Titans.

9. Jeff Fisher was at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday to watch his former teams face off, surely feeling good about himself for his role in drafting Rams RB Todd Gurley. But Fisher must have been confused to see Gurley score two receiving touchdowns during Los Angeles’ win over the Titans. (Gurley had no such scores in the two seasons he played for Fisher.)

More: NFL playoff picture: Week 16

More: NFC South takes spotlight as NFL’s best Week 17 drama

10. It’s time to consider Gurley as a serious MVP candidate. He now has a league-best 19 TDs and more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage as he’s powered one of the NFL’s most exciting offenses.

11. Gurley’s first touchdown Sunday is a sign of why the Rams could be dangerous in the playoffs. He was lined up as one of three receivers in a trips formation near the goal line, showing that coach Sean McVay is still coming up with creative ways to use his star running back.

12. But the Rams’ kicking situation is Ficken ridiculous and is going to be an issue moving forward as the team tries to survive without injured Pro Bowler Greg Zuerlein. Newly signed Sam Ficken missed his first two kicks (a PAT and FG) against the Titans.

13. What a huge day for QB Jared Goff as the Rams clinched the NFC West for the first time since 2003. He threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns (one fewer than his total number of TDs as a rookie in 2016).

14. Kansas City clinched its second consecutive AFC West title by beating Miami. Could it have been QB Alex Smith’s last regular-season game in Arrowhead Stadium, as the Chiefs have rookie Patrick Mahomes waiting in the wings? If so, it was a gem: 304 yards and one touchdown as Smith went over 4,000 yards passing for the first time in his career. Smith was the first Chiefs passer to hit that mark since Trent Green in 2005.

15. Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill’s insane sideline catch didn’t count — there wasn’t a sufficient angle to show if both feet were in bounds — but it shouldn’t take anything away from another spectacular day. He had six catches for 109 yards and remains one of the most dangerous deep threats in the NFL.

16. Here’s something you rarely see: The Jets surprised the Chargers by recovering an onside kick to start the game. But in a perfect summation of the Jets’ season, they failed to score on that drive.

17. With his interception of a Hail Mary at the end of the first half against the Jets, Chargers WR Keenan Allen became the third player in NFL history to have at least 1,000 receiving yards and an interception in the same season. The others? Randy Moss in 2009 (with the Patriots) and Hall of Famer Don Hutson, for the 1942 Green Bay Packers.

18. If you didn’t get points for Allen’s INT in your fantasy championship game, better lobby your commissioner for a rule change.

19. The Chargers, who started the season 0-4, remain alive for an AFC wild-card spot. Since the 1970 merger, the 1992 Chargers are the only team to reach postseason after an 0-4 start.

20. Broncos GM John Elway spent Friday in Boise watching University of Wyoming QB Josh Allen’s bowl game. Sunday, Elway got to evaluate another potential future Bronco, Washington QB Kirk Cousins, who threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-11 win over Denver.

 

22. Let’s hope some all-pro voters were watching the Vikings beat the Packers on Saturday night. Minnesota S Harrison Smith, who had a pair of interceptions, was a notable Pro Bowl snub but has been the unsung hero of a stellar Vikings defense.

23. Nearly everything has gone wrong for the Colts this year, and now this: K Adam Viniateri told The Indianapolis Star after Saturday’s loss to Baltimore (when he had two misses, including a block, during a rainstorm) that he plans to play in 2018 — but there was no guarantee he’d re-sign with Indianapolis.

24. The clock has officially started for the Cleveland Browns, who clinched the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight draft after their 15th loss of the season. And considering that rookie QB DeShone Kizer threw two more picks Sunday against the Bears (and how has an NFL-high 21), expect new GM John Dorsey to be looking at passers.

25. The Browns are the first team to secure the No. 1 pick in consecutive years since … the 1999-2000 Browns, who used the selections on QB Tim Couch and DE Courtney Brown. Welp

26. After being the subject of trade speculation, Lions TE Eric Ebron may have played himself into a long-term future in Detroit. In four December games, he caught 24 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

27. One guy who should perhaps be worried about his job in Detroit is coach Jim Caldwell, whose team looked unprepared and unmotivated in a loss against a Bengals team that had nothing to play for. Three losses in their last five officially eliminated the Lions from playoff contention.

28. And if there’s one thing that should tell you just how bad things have gotten in Cincinnati, just check the banner some fans hung in what may be coach Marvin Lewis’ last home game. It read: “WHAT ABOUT OUR FEELINGS?” Thanks to The Athletic’s Chris Burke for sharing a photo on Twitter.

29. Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey set a franchise record for receptions by a rookie (75). The previous mark (73) belonged to Kelvin Benjamin.

30. Coincidentally, Benjamin — he was traded to Buffalo in October — is a player the Panthers surely could’ve used Sunday. Carolina got a playoff-clinching victory, but its 140 net passing yards against a Buccaneers team that entered the week ranked dead last in in passing defense is concerning.

31. Bucs WR Mike Evans is such a physical receiver — sometimes to his detriment. He was called for offensive pass interference in the end zone Sunday against Carolina, six days after he was flagged for the same penalty twice against the Falcons.

32. So much for the idea that the Bills could get some retaliation against Gronkowski for his dirty hit at New Era Field three weeks ago. Instead, Gronkowski’s TD against was his 12th score against Buffalo (his hometown team) — the most by any player against any team since 2010, when Gronkowski was drafted.

33. The Jaguars may have clinched the AFC South on Sunday by virtue of the Titans’ loss, but Jacksonville revealed talk it was ready to contend may be premature after a dispiriting loss to the 49ers.

34. You had to know Jaguars QB Blake Bortles had one of those multi-interception games left in him, and sure enough he threw three against San Francisco. The Jags have to hope that was an aberration, and not Bortles reverting to form. (We imagine Texans DE Jadeveon Clowney was watching at home in Houston, just nodding, “I told you so.”)

35. We thought Ezekiel Elliott’s return was supposed to take pressure off Dak Prescott. While Elliott had 97 rushing yards in his return from a six-game suspension, the Cowboys’ passing game had issues — none bigger than Prescott’s intercepted screen pass in the third quarter that was returned for a Seahawks touchdown. It was his fourth pick six this season after not throwing any as a rookie in 2016.

36. Many things went wrong for the Cowboys in their 21-12 loss to Seattle, but this sequence in the fourth quarter might be what ultimately ended Dallas’ season: With a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line, the Cowboys didn’t hand the ball to Elliott once as they moved backwards because of a holding penalty and a sack before usually reliable K Dan Bailey missed a 34-yard field goal.

37. A depleted Seahawks defense deserves major kudos for holding the Cowboys to just 12 points a week after their meltdown against the Rams. Seattle remains alive in the NFC wild-card race and will need a similarly strong defensive performance against the Cardinals next week (plus an Atlanta loss) to get into the postseason .

38. Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham caught his 10th touchdown of the season — his first time with double-digit scores since he was traded to Seattle in 2015. While Graham has had some injuries during his Seahawks tenure, it’s baffling that it took them this long to truly utilize him as a red zone weapon

39. Major respect to Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, who, with nine catches in Sunday’s win against the Giants, has recorded more than 100 for the third consecutive season — at 34 years, 115 days old. According to the Cardinals, that makes him the oldest player in NFL history to catch 100 passes in a season. Jerry Rice was 34 years, 63 days old when he caught his 100th pass in 1996. (Even more impressive is that Fitzgerald got there this year by catching passes from three different quarterbacks: Carson Palmer, Blaine Gabbert and Drew Stanton.)

40. Patriots QB Tom Brady threw his first regular-season pick-six since Week 13 of 2015. It marked Brady’s first stretch of INTs in five consecutive games since 2002. For a reminder of just how long ago that was, four of his opposing quarterbacks at the time were Brett Favre, Jay Fiedler, Trent Green and Vinny Testaverde. (The fifth? Drew Brees, who was in his second season with the Chargers.)

PHOTOS: Week 16 NFL action

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