The Washington Redskins' Kirk Cousins, New York Jets' Ryan Fitzpatrick, St. Louis Rams' Todd Gurley, Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones and Denver Broncos' DeMarcus Ware each had the strength to come through during a key moment and contribute to wins during Week 16.
Thanks to those strong performances, each player is up for Castrol EDGE Clutch Performer of the Week honors. This is a deeper look at the significance of those conquests.
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Strong stats to consider:
» Since 1933, seven teams reached their last two games of the season undefeated. The Panthers are only the second team to lose their second-to-last game. The other team was the Indianapolis Colts in 2009. Those 2009 Colts had already clinched the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed, and replaced starting quarterback Peyton Manning with backup Curtis Painter in the third quarter of a 29-15 loss to the New York Jets.
» In Week 14, the Panthers dump trucked the Falcons, 38-0. Since 1970, the Falcons are only the 13th team to win a game against an opponent that had defeated them by at least 38 points earlier in the season.
Power of the moment: 43 years and counting. The 1972 Miami Dolphins' historic 17-0 season still stands as the only unbeaten campaign in the Super Bowl era (of course, the 1920 Akron Pros at 8-0-3, 1922 Canton Bulldogs at 10-0-2, 1923 Canton Bulldogs at 11-0-1 and 1929 Green Bay Packers at 12-0-1 each finished seasons undefeated in an era long before the NFL took root as a major sporting option in America). The Panthers fell five games short of history, thanks to the performance of Jones. Jones' spectacular 70-yard touchdown play in the third quarter against Carolina provided the pivotal points in the Falcons' startling 20-13 win. This high-octane victory might help ease the pain of a lost season in Atlanta. The Falcons started the season 5-0, then lost seven of eight games before a two-game winning streak salvaged the year and gave Atlanta -- which currently stands at 8-7 -- a shot at still finishing above .500.
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
Strong stats to consider:
» In the last eight seasons, the Redskins have won the NFC East twice (2012 and 2015) and finished in last place in the other six seasons (2008-11, 2013-14).
» The last two times that the Redskins made the playoffs, they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
Power of the moment: The Redskins' worst-to-first turnaround really took root in a 31-30 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7. Entering the game at 2-4 and their season at a potential turning point, Cousins directed a come-from-behind win. Down 24-0 in the first half, the Redskins rallied to win in the largest comeback in team history. Since then, the Redskins have been 5-3, seized control of the division and ultimately won it with a 38-24 win over the Eagles on Saturday. Cousins was clutch in the triumph, throwing for four touchdowns. Cousins now has 26 touchdown passes on the season, the most for a Redskins quarterback since Mark Rypien in the Redskins' Super Bowl XXVI-winning season of 1991 and five short of Pro Football Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen's team-record 31.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets
Strong stats to consider:
» Fitzpatrick threw for three touchdowns in the Jets' 26-20 overtime win over the New England Patriots. That tied Fitzpatrick with another journeyman quarterback -- Vinny Testaverde -- for the most touchdown passes in a single season in Jets history (29). The Jets and Chicago Bears are the only teams with 50 or more years of history to never have a quarterback throw for 30 or more touchdowns.
» Fitzpatrick needs 276 passing yards in Week 17 for his first career 4,000-yard passing season. The following players reached the 4,000-yard mark for the first time at age 33 or older: Lynn Dickey (1983), Warren Moon (1990), John Elway (1993), Vinny Testaverde (1996), Steve Beuerlein (1999), Rich Gannon (2002), Trent Green (2003) and Jon Kitna (2006).
Power of the moment: Fitzpatrick helped the Jets end a three-game losing streak against the Patriots, and in doing so put his team into a good position to earn an AFC wild-card playoff berth. A win on the road in Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills -- who are coached by former Jets frontman Rex Ryan -- would put the Jets into the playoffs. Fitzpatrick's game-winning drive in overtime against the Patriots was his third of the season -- he also had one last week against the Dallas Cowboys. During that drive, Fitzpatrick completed a 48-yard pass to Quincy Enunwa and a 20-yard pass to Brandon Marshall to move the Jets into position to score. A 6-yard touchdown toss to Eric Decker sealed the crucial win for the Jets, who are vying for their first playoff appearance since 2010.
Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams
Strong stats to consider:
» Gurley is the first Rams rookie to rush for more than 1,000 yards and 10 or more touchdowns since Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson in 1983.
» Gurley has scored 10 touchdowns and receiver Tavon Austin has scored nine touchdowns. The two combined to have scored 19 of the Rams' 26 offensive touchdowns this season, accounting for 73.1 percent of such scores, the highest percentage by any duo in the NFL this season.
Power of the moment: Gurley helped the Rams end a decade-long run of losing games in the Pacific Northwest. Gurley's 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter provided the winning points in a 23-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks. It was the Rams' first win in Seattle since prevailing in a 2004 NFC wild-card playoff game It should be noted that season was also the last time that the Rams made the postseason. St. Louis won't be making the playoff party this season, either, but the team -- which currently sports a 7-8 record -- still has a shot at finishing at .500 for the first time since 2006.
DeMarcus Ware, Denver Broncos
Strong stats to consider:
» Broncos coach Gary Kubiak is 6-0 in his coaching career against the Cincinnati Bengals. With 11 wins this season, Kubiak has the second-most wins by a coach in his first season with the Broncos (Red Miller has the most with 12 wins in 1977).
» The Broncos defense leads the NFL in fewest yards allowed per game (280.9), passing yards allowed per game (1991.) and sacks (49).
Power of the moment: Ware and the Broncos defense sparked a come-from-behind win that pushed the Broncos from the brink of possibly not making the playoffs to having a chance at the AFC's top playoff seed. Down 14-0 in the first half, the Broncos allowed just three more points to the Bengals in the 20-17 overtime win over the Bengals. This allowed Brock Osweiler and company to even up the tally on the scoreboard, force overtime and get kicker Brandon McManus in position -- again -- for the game-winning field goal. The Broncos now have three 14-plus comeback wins this season. That is tied for the most 14-plus point comeback wins by a team in a single season in NFL history. All three of those comeback victories came against AFC playoff teams: the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, New England Patriots in Week 12 and Bengals on Monday Night Football. It's that come-from-behind win over the Patriots that has the Broncos in a position to earn home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs due to that head-to-head tiebreaker.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
