Aaron Rodgers on Steelers-Lions: ‘Chaos’ — plus more Week 16 quotes

The holiday season means more to NFL fans — it also signals that the playoff picture is taking shape. And throughout Week 16, contenders continued to separate themselves from contenders.

Before “Sunday Night Football” between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens ended, six of the day’s 11 other games were decided by one score and five matchups turned into blowouts.

The mix of close finishes and lopsided results provided plenty of fodder for trash talk and high-pitched sound bites, as some of the best moments of the week came before and after the whistle. Players and coaches continued their momentum from the field to the podium, delivering standout lines in their post-game sessions.

From bold statements to perfectly timed one-liners, here are the best NFL quotes in Week 16.

“Chaos…I’m going to take advantage of this one and we’re going to turn on the game on Sunday night and support the Patriots.” Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

The Steelers’ 29-24 victory over the Detroit Lions resulted in one of the wildest finishes of Week 16 — and perhaps the entire season.

Pittsburgh led 29-17 with five minutes left in regulation, a margin that has long signaled safety under head coach Mike Tomlin. On Sunday, the Steelers were 103-0-1 while leading by at least 12 points early in the fourth quarter.

That streak almost ended when Detroit fell back, and the outcome hinged on the final snap.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff’s final play touchdown was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty on Amon-Ra St. Brown, who shoved cornerback Jalen Ramsey before making a catch and then moving the ball to Goff inside the 10 where Goff ran the ball into the end zone. The decision came after a lengthy on-field officials meeting, drawing boos from the Ford Field crowd.

The win kept Pittsburgh alone atop the AFC North and pushed its division title chances to 78 percent, regardless of other results, according to ESPN Analytics. After the game, Rodgers indicated that the Steelers would be watching closely on “Sunday Night Football” and hoped the Patriots would take down the Ravens to extend Pittsburgh’s lead.

“I have fun playing football. Not playing football is no fun.” Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback

Burrow had a strong performance in the Bengals’ 45-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins, becoming the fifth-fastest quarterback to reach 20,000 career passing yards. He finished with 309 yards and four touchdowns with a passer rating of 146.5.

That performance came a week after a 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that officially eliminated Cincinnati from the playoffs — a game he described as one of the worst performances of his career. Burrow, who missed nine games this season with a toe injury, said enjoying the game was key to his professional future.

After the win against Miami, Burrow confirmed he felt that joy in Week 16.

Even though a margin of just three points was the difference in the Minnesota Vikings’ 16-13 victory over the Giants, New York’s offense struggled.

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart didn’t attempt a pass until 1:44 of the second quarter and finished just 7 of 13 for 33 yards with his fifth interception. After the match, he admitted it was a performance he shouldn’t repeat.

“He’s definitely MVP caliber.” Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers coach

The Chargers shut out the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of their 34-17 victory, but it’s not just the defense that deserves praise. The Los Angeles head coach was also very complimentary of his quarterback.

Justin Herbert, who is playing with a broken left hand, went 23 of 29 for a season-best 79% completion rate, throwing for 300 yards with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score. It was his 31st career 300-yard passing game, breaking a tie with Kurt Warner for fourth-most by player over his first six NFL seasons, according to ESPN Research. Only Patrick Mahomes (41 years old), Andrew Luck (33 years old) and Dan Marino (32 years old) have more.

The Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 to take sole first place in the NFC South with two games remaining.

Carolina (8-7) can win the division next Sunday with a win over Seattle and a Tampa Bay (7-8) loss to Miami. If the Bucs beat the Dolphins, the Panthers will have to defeat Tampa Bay in the regular season finale to end the Bucs’ four-year run atop the division.

Running back Rico Dowdle said the team knows it’s on the verge of something special, which could include ending a seven-year playoff drought and winning its first division title in a decade.

“It’s one of those games where you feel like you’ve done a good job, but it’s not reflected on the scoreboard.” Miami Dolphins QB Quinn Ewers

Making his first NFL start, the Dolphins’ rookie quarterback helped produce two scores before throwing two interceptions in Miami’s second straight loss following a four-game winning streak.

The seventh-round pick from Texas opened strong on Sunday. Ewers went 10 of 12 in the first half and finished 20 of 30 for 260 yards, but Miami still found itself on the wrong end of a 45-21 result – leaving Ewers with mixed emotions after his debut.