NFL Research spotlights the best nuggets from each slate of games. Here are the most eye-popping statistical accomplishments from Week 16 of the 2025 season.
1) Lawrence's current stretch is on par with past MVPs
The Jaguars went into Denver and knocked off Sean Payton's top-seeded Broncos. Jacksonville has now won six consecutive games, the team's longest winning streak in a season since 1999, when Tom Coughlin led the Jags to a 14-2 finish. In his first year as an NFL head coach, Liam Coen has led the Jaguars to 11 wins with two games still to go, already their most victories since going 11-5 in 2007 -- back when Coen was the starting quarterback at the University of Massachusetts.
Maybe the biggest win for the Jaguars in 2025 has been the play of Trevor Lawrence, particularly during the winning streak. Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension prior to the 2024 season. He has accounted for 33 touchdowns this season, which ranks third behind MVP favorite Matthew Stafford and reigning MVP Josh Allen.
In just his last two games, Lawrence has totaled 10 touchdowns (eight passing, two rushing) and has avoided turning the ball over. The only other players in NFL history with 10 touchdowns and zero turnovers in any two-game span in a season are Lawrence, Allen (2024 MVP season), Drew Brees (2019) and Patrick Mahomes (2018 MVP season).
Lawrence in Week 16 became the third quarterback since the 1970 merger to throw for at least three touchdowns, rush for a TD and avoid throwing an interception in back-to-back games. The other two quarterbacks to do so? Joe Cool and Joe Brr: Montana had a pair of those games during his 1989 MVP season and Burrow did so in 2022.
2) Steelers, Tomlin make history with another winning season
Death, taxes and, well, you get the point. Mike Tomlin's Steelers held on for the nail-biter of all nail-biters in Week 16 against the Lions to move to 9-6 on the season, securing his 19th consecutive season without coaching his team to a losing record.
Week 16 was the 200th win of Tomlin's career, including playoffs. At just 53 years old, Tomlin became the third-youngest head coach in NFL history to reach 200 career wins, trailing Hall of Famers Curly Lambeau (48 years old) and Don Shula (51).
As a franchise, the Steelers have now gone 22 consecutive seasons without finishing below .500, surpassing the Cowboys (21 seasons from 1965-1985) for the longest such streak in NFL history.
Pittsburgh still has work to do to clinch a playoff berth, but the Steelers should feel good about their experience under center if and when that happens; Aaron Rodgers has more postseason wins (11) than the six quarterbacks helming the other AFC teams currently in playoff position combined (10).
3) Burrow joins elite signal-callers through 75 career games
Joe Burrow might be having fun again.
Coming off a shutout loss at home to the Ravens in which he threw two interceptions, the two-time Comeback Player of the Year bounced back against the Dolphins in Week 16. He threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns in the Bengals' 45-21 win.
The contest marked the 75th regular season game of Burrow's young career, and his four TD passes brought his career total to 152, making him just the third player in NFL history to reach 150 passing touchdowns in his first 75 games -- alongside Patrick Mahomes (181) and Hall of Famer Dan Marino (173). Burrow also joined Mahomes, Marino, Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck as the only players with at least 20,000 passing yards in their first 75 career games.
Running back Chase Brown was the recipient of half of Burrow's four TD tosses versus Miami. Brown, who also scored a touchdown on the ground, became the first player in Bengals history with a rushing touchdown and multiple receiving touchdowns in the same game.
4) Ward sets Titans rookie record
The 3-12 Titans defeated the reigning AFC champion Chiefs, 26-9, in Week 16 (no further context will be provided for this).
Cam Ward, the future of the franchise at quarterback, threw multiple touchdown passes for his third consecutive game after failing to do so once through his first 12 NFL starts. He also broke the franchise record for passing yards by a rookie (2,866), surpassing Marcus Mariota's mark of 2,818 set in 2015.
Ward's second touchdown went to fellow rookie Chimere Dike, who now has four receiving TDs and two punt return TDs this season. Dike became just the fourth rookie in NFL history to score four receiving touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns, joining Tyreek Hill (2016), Dez Bryant (2010), and Eddie Kennison (1996; finished top five in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting).
