Christmas Day in the NFL opens up with an NFC East clash between the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys, although it won’t feature Jayden Daniels (elbow)

The NFL playoff race continues in Week 16. Follow this live experience for today's coverage from The Athletic's writers.

The Carolina Panthers will have an opportunity to clinch the NFC South’s spot in the NFL playoffs on Sunday for the first time since 2015, but only if they beat the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to the Miami Dolphins.

The rookie A&M receiver finally got his first big moment on the big stage, catching a six-yard touchdown from Bears quarterback Caleb Williams with just 24 seconds left in the game to cap off a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter by Chicago, sending the game to overtime in what ended up being a 22-16 win for the team over the Green Bay Packers.

The playoff picture continued to take shape in Week 16, with several key wins catapulting teams to the front of their divisions and putting them in a position to compete for a Lombardi Trophy.

The four division champions from each conference make the playoffs and are seeded No. 1 through No. 4 based on record. The three remaining teams in each conference with the best record qualify for the postseason as wild-card teams and are seeded No. 5 through No. 7.

Also notable in the early window is the NFL debut of rookie Quinn Ewers, starting in place of Tua Tagovailoa, who was benched after a dreadful Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in primetime. Ewers, a seventh-round pick out of Texas, threw for 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over 36 games with the Longhorns.

Two NFL teams have clinched spots in the playoffs on Sunday as the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams picked up crucial victories in Week 15.

Week 16 in the NFL features a loaded afternoon slate with 11 games. Featured in the early window, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers fight it out over first place in the NFC South.