Chargers-Patriots, Broncos-Bengals, Cardinals-Rams on NFL Network: What We Learned from Saturday tripleheader

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• REWATCH: Chargers-Patriots on NFL+ Premium
• READ: Chargers clinch playoff berth in Harbaugh's first season

Michael Baca's takeaways:

1. Ladd, Derwin star in blowout win for playoff-bound Chargers. The Chargers put together an impressive team win to blow out New England and clinch a 2024 playoff berth on Saturday, but a pair of individual performances on both sides of the ball stood out. Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey excelled for a Bolts offense that scored on eight of its 10 total possessions, hauling in two touchdown receptions. The second-round pick weaved through defenders on a short-yardage route to nab a ball in traffic in the end zone on the first score and screamed up field to haul in a 40-yard dime from Justin Herbert to highlight Saturday's rout in the third quarter. McConkey, who started the afternoon with a drop, finished with eight catches for 94 yards and two TDs to maintain a fantastic rookie campaign. Derwin James was just as impactful on defense, notching two sacks and a fumble recovery to lead a Chargers unit that was outright dominant. The veteran safety was especially tough when lined up at the line of scrimmage, and his threatening presence was key for a defense that saw a confidence boost in Week 17.
2. Lack of support for Maye continues. Boos cascaded down Gillette Stadium late in the fourth quarter as New England headed toward its 13th loss of the season. Those jeers were warranted after the Patriots generated just 181 yards of total offense, 11 first downs and three turnovers on downs against the Chargers, but it wasn't exactly the result of Drake Maye's play. Maye, who exited briefly in the first quarter after sustaining a blow to the head on a scramble, was harassed all game to the tune of four sacks and a number of pressures against a blitz-happy opponent. His supporting cast didn't help, with receivers dropping balls and a ground game producing just seven rushing yards through three quarters. Maye was the team's leading rusher (32 yards) up until garbage time and the lack of any rushing attack made things easy for the Chargers. It also prevented Maye from flashing his strong arm, but the rookie did make a nice -- albeit risky -- throw on a 36-yard TD to Demario Douglas in the second frame. Maye finished 12-of-22 passing for 117 yards with a TD and zero interceptions, but his development continues to be a complicated measure thanks to the team around him. 
3. Dobbins' return sees slow start, strong finish. Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins returned to action following a four-game absence due to a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve. The veteran got off to a slow start, averaging just 3.2 yards off nine carries at halftime, but Dobbins found a groove in the second half, producing 47 yards (10 carries) and finding the end zone on a 2-yard push early in the fourth quarter. Dobbins, who added one catch for 7 yards in his return, needed to knock off some rust but showed some giddy-up as the game went along. Getting their lead RB back into form will be essential for Jim Harbaugh's physical offense as they head into the postseason. That process started on Saturday, and it's poised to improve with one more game to play before L.A. aims for its first playoff win since 2018.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Chargers-Patriots (via NFL Pro): Drake Maye faced a blitz on 32.3% of his dropbacks in Week 17, completing just one of seven passes for 7 yards while taking three sacks (-42.8% CPOE). When not blitzed, Maye completed 11 of 15 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown (+13.6% CPOE). Maye has completed just 54.8% of his passes against the blitz this season, the second-lowest in the NFL and only higher than Anthony Richardson (39.7%).

NFL Research: Ladd McConkey, who passed Keenan Allen for the most receptions in a rookie season in Chargers history, tied Odell Beckham for the most consecutive games with 50-plus receiving yards in a rookie campaign in the last 20 NFL seasons.

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• READ: 'Warrior' Higgins, Burrow keep Bengals' playoff hopes alive

Michael Baca's takeaways:

1. Burrow weathers hellish storm to keep Bengals' playoff hopes alive. Concluding one of the better regular-season games you'll ever see, Joe Burrow zipped a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins in overtime to beat the Broncos and keep Cincinnati in the playoff hunt. It was a fitting end for a duo who connected 11 times for 131 yards and three scores, but Burrow, who essentially led three game-winning drives by the end of Saturday's thriller, put on a legendary performance that will be talked about for quite some time. There were several big-time plays he made: a beautiful 31-yard dime to Higgins to set up the game-winner, a 38-yarder to Ja'Marr Chase after escaping a collapsing pocket late in the fourth quarter and a perfect TD toss to Higgins in the corner of the end zone to re-take the lead in the third, which was preceded by the QB's 19-yard scramble on third-and-long. Considering what he had to go through -- seven sacks, 15 QB hits, a missed chip-shot field goal in OT that nearly spelled doom -- Joe keeping his cool was simply amazing. Burrow finished 39-of-49 passing for 412 yards with three TDs (no turnovers) and scored what could have been the game-sealing TD if not for an incredible Broncos comeback at the end of regulation. It was certainly one to remember for Burrow, who needs a win in Pittsburgh next week for a playoff return, along with some help from other teams.
2. Denver can hold its head high in defeat -- but faces a must-win in Week 18. The Broncos have nothing to be ashamed of after taking part in an instant classic and can rest assured knowing they have a gamer in Bo Nix. The rookie QB got the Broncos into OT with an incredible 25-yard strike to Marvin Mims Jr. in the end zone with 14 seconds left in regulation, concluding a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive that began with 89 seconds and just one timeout. It made up for his only falter of the night -- a bad interception late in the fourth quarter, which resulted in the Bengals scoring the go-ahead TD. Nix overcame a rough first half for a Broncos offense that produced only 102 total yards (68 passing) and three points. He came out of halftime firing, leading Denver on consecutive TD drives, the second of which coming on a 51-yard deep shot to Mims. Nix finished 24-of-31 passing for 219 yards with three TDs and an INT while adding 31 yards on scrambles. The Broncos defense also put up an impressive fight, stopping the Bengals on two crucial fourth-down tries in the first half, both of which happening in scoring range. Zach Allen led the charge of Burrow's harassment all game with 3.5 sacks and six QB hits. The Broncos aren't out of it yet, either, needing a win or tie in Week 18 to get back into the playoffs to end a drought that's lasted since Super Bowl 50, but this was a winnable game that could haunt them. Next week, they'll face a Chiefs team that already has clinched the No. 1 seed in a game they have to have.
3. Bengals avoid potentially disastrous end. Hindsight is 20/20, but a late-game decision by Zac Taylor could have easily led to Cincinnati being out of the playoff race and the head coach potentially feeling the heat of his seat. The Bengals held the fate of this game in their hands late in the fourth quarter following Burrow's 11-yard strike to Chase, which earned the Bengals a big first down with 1:51 left and led to Denver expending its second timeout. On first-and-goal from the 6-yard line, running back Chase Brown intentionally fell short of the end zone, however, injured himself in the process which inadvertently stopped the clock. The next play-call was a QB sneak, which abandoned the strategy of using up as much time as possible or at least forcing Denver to use its final timeout -- one eventually used right before Nix found Mims in the end zone to force OT. Taylor said after the game that Brown's injury caused him to adjust his end-of-game thinking. Taylor also trotted out Cade York for a 33-yarder in OT on third-and-3, which is a safe play to avoid a bad snap, but considering the Bengals were using a backup kicker, there was still risk involved. York doinked the potential game-winner and Cincinnati was facing a dire situation against a team that just needed a tie to clinch a playoff berth. Fortunately, the Bengals defense got the necessary stop and Burrow authored an incredible ending to prevent yet another devastating loss this season.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Broncos-Bengals (via NFL Pro): Bo Nix's 51-yard TD pass to Marvin Mims traveled 67.0 yards in the air, the longest completion by air distance of the season and the second-longest in the NGS era (since 2016), behind only PJ Walker to DJ Moore in Week 8, 2022 (67.6 yards).

NFL Research: Joe Burrow is the fourth QB in NFL history to have 10 games with 250-plus passing yards and three passing TDs in a single season (each of the other three QBs to do so won 12-plus games and won NFL MVP). Saturday's performance by Burrow was also his eighth straight with three-plus passing TDs, tied for the second-longest such streak in NFL history (Tom Brady had 10 in 2007).

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• REWATCH: Cardinals-Rams on NFL+ Premium
• READ: Rams' Witherspoon on game-sealing INT: 'Game's never over'

Bobby Kownack's takeaways:

1. Defense saves the day for Los Angeles. Forget the rankings, which put the Rams at 18th in points allowed and 24th in yards surrendered coming into Week 17. This young Rams defense is dangerous, peaking at exactly the right time. The youth movement on the defensive line showed up again against Arizona, as rookie Braden Fiske tallied what is already his third career multi-sack game. His fellow former Florida State Seminole, Jared Verse, got pressure throughout and also stonewalled James Conner on a fourth-and-1 at Los Angeles’ 14-yard line in the second quarter, delivering a momentum-turning stop with the game still scoreless. And when the Rams offense stalled late, the secondary stepped up to keep Arizona out of the end zone. First it was Kamren Kinchens picking off a Kyler Murray bomb on fourth down with 3:02 remaining (although he should’ve probably batted it down for field position). Then, after L.A. went three-and-out and the Cardinals subsequently drove down to the 5-yard line, Ahkello Witherspoon came up with a miraculous diving catch on a ricochet off Trey McBride's helmet to seal the deal. Saturday was the Rams’ third straight game holding a team to single-digit points. More importantly, they’re inching ever closer to an NFC West title. If they get 2.5 combined wins (two wins and at least a tie) from the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Commanders and Browns over the rest of Week 17, they’ll clinch on strength of schedule over the Seahawks.
2. Rams can’t ignore warning signs. No one will soon forget Los Angeles’ 44-42 thriller against the Bills on Dec. 8, but the team’s other results during its current five-game winning streak haven’t necessarily involved offensive fireworks. The Rams have scored 21, 12, 19 and 13 in those other four victories, an average of 16.25. Against the Cardinals, a squarely middle-of-the-road defense, Los Angeles was simply unimpressive. Wrecked in the time of possession battle, 23:05 to 36:55, the Rams offense functioned amazingly when funneled through Puka Nacua, functioned averagely on Kyren Williams plays and looked largely lost otherwise. Matthew Stafford threw a handful of passes that could’ve been intercepted, multiple coming in the red zone. Of the QB's 17 completions for 189 yards, Nacua caught 10 for 129. Cooper Kupp, for so long a difference maker, had one catch on Saturday to give himself 53 yards on four receptions across the past three contests. The storyline following the Bills game and a few defensive struggles was the Rams can win in multiple ways. Lately, though, it’s defensive masterclass and Nacua balling out or bust.
3. Shorthanded Cardinals hang tough. Star running back James Conner managed just four carries before departing the game due to the knee injury he suffered last week. His understudy, promising rookie Trey Benson, missed the game entirely. However, Michael Carter was more than respectable holding down the backfield with 70 yards on 13 carries, and Arizona nearly climbed out of a 10-point halftime hole thanks to Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. showing just how good of a duo they can become. McBride was especially spectacular, racking up 12 receptions for 123 yards, along the way avoiding a season-long goose egg in the touchdown reception column. His first of the season came on his sixth catch of the night and 98th of the campaign, setting a record for most catches in a season before taking one into the end zone. Harrison was clutch, as well. Although the timing with Murray was still occasionally off, he made a number of contested catches on the way to six for 96, tied for his most receptions in a game this season and his third-best yardage outing. They ultimately came up short on an incredibly unlucky bounce, but the Cardinals fought tooth and nail despite already being eliminated.

Next Gen Stats Insight from Cardinals-Rams (via NFL Pro): Rams pass rusher Jared Verse generated a team-high seven pressures, including four pressures under 2.5 seconds, on 43 pass rushes (16.3%).

NFL Research: This is the first time in franchise history the Rams have won three straight games while scoring fewer than 20 points in each contest.