Jayden Daniels makes Commanders a title threat, what else we’re learning in Week 16

Bears: For the love of god, hire Ben Johnson. Bears QB Caleb Williams is having a lost year, to the point where — under any other circumstances — we’d start to wonder whether he’s going to be a bust. He’s the worst of the three top-3 QBs (Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye). Bo Nix is having a better season. But on Williams’ 45-yard touchdown to Keenan Allen, the Bears QB reminded the NFL world — including Johnson, who was standing on the opponent’s sideline watching — just how much potential he has. Williams put as much velocity on the throw as any I’ve seen by any QB this year. Maybe this is a lost year. But Williams isn’t lost altogether. He should be just fine as long as Johnson makes his way from Detroit to Chicago. The Lions OC is such an obvious hire. He’ll be expensive, but he’ll be worth it. Williams is a special player who requires a special coach. The Bears need only look at the offensive playcaller who whooped them this week — the same guy who designed an intentional trip to score a touchdown. — Henry McKenna

Falcons: Michael Penix Jr. looked pretty good in his NFL debut. Most importantly for the Falcons, he avoided the big mistakes that his predecessor, Kirk Cousins, had been regularly making over the past month. Penix was 18-of-27 for 202 yards and one interception. And that one interception was actually a perfect pass to TE Kyle Pitts that might have gone for a touchdown if Pitts didn’t juggle it into the hands of the Giants defense. Penix was mostly a game manager in his first start, which isn’t surprising. But it was clear he had chemistry and timing with his two top receivers — Darnell Mooney (5 catches, 82 yards) and Drake London (5-59). There’s obviously a lot to work with there for the Falcons. And if Penix can keep avoiding mistakes, he might even be able to help them with their late, desperation push toward a playoff berth. They’ll need a little help from the outside, too. — Ralph Vacchiano

Panthers: The numbers were not eye-popping, but second-year pro Bryce Young continues to execute the little things to elevate his team. Facing an inconsistent Arizona defense, Young threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 68 yards and a score, keeping the Cardinals on their heels defensively. Young finished with no turnovers after totaling four miscues in a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. Running back Chuba Hubbard provided balance on offense, finishing with 153 rushing yards, including a 21-yard run for the winning score in overtime. Benched earlier this season, Young has the Panthers competing each week, something head coach Dave Canales can build on for next season. – Eric D. Williams

Commanders: Jayden Daniels isn’t just the NFL Rookie of the Year, he might be the best first-year quarterback to hit this league in a long time. And he also might be the most exciting player in the game right now. What he did on Sunday against the NFL’s No. 1 defense was just remarkable. Forget the numbers: He threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including one with six seconds left after he carried the Commanders for 57 yards in 1:52 to win the game. He was a dazzling, one-man show, completing 24 of 39 passes for 258 yards and five touchdown passes while running nine times for 81 yards. And he did it when he wasn’t getting help from anyone else on his offense. Yes, he threw two interceptions — part of Washington’s five turnovers — but he did more than enough to overcome that. He willed the Commanders to victory against one of the best teams in the NFL. He also might have just established them as a real Super Bowl threat. — Ralph Vacchiano

Bengals: He’s fairly well behind Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen in any real MVP talk, but Joe Burrow has had about as good a season as you can have on a team with a losing record. Sunday brought a typical Burrow day — at least three touchdowns for a seventh straight game. In that seven-game stretch, he has 24 touchdowns against five interceptions in less than half a season. Cincinnati is only 4-3 in those seven games. The Bengals are barely alive for the playoffs at 7-8 and need a perfect scenario with all kinds of help to sneak in, and it’s a shame to see such a great individual season completely obscured as it has been. — Greg Auman 

Colts: Near disaster at the end aside, this is the dynamic run game we all envisioned with an Anthony Richardson-Jonathan Taylor backfield: 38 carries, 288 rushing yards and four touchdowns combined. Sunday’s dominance came against an awful Titans team, but it could be a springboard for the tandem. Indianapolis faces poor run defenses to end the regular season in the Giants and Jaguars, after all. The Colts will need some help to squeeze into the playoffs in the final two weeks, but if they make it, they could be a true wild-card because of their run game. Questioning their viability of going on a run in the postseason is valid, though. Richardson completed just seven passes against Tennessee. His inconsistencies as a passer make it hard to bank on anything with the Colts. — Ben Arthur