Washington Commanders vs. New York Jets: 2023 Week 16 Recap

Game story

In Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season on 2023-12-24, the New York Jets took care of business against the Washington Commanders, pulling away with a 30–28 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 23 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

T. Siemian (New York Jets) paced the passing game, with -12.83 total EPA, and -12.6% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, J. Brissett (Washington Commanders) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +11.08 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+40.5% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when New York Jets changed the game: (:10) 9-G.Zuerlein 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 J. Brissett · Washington Commanders · Passing · +11.08 total EPA · 16 snaps · +0.69 EPA/play
2. 2 C. Rodriguez · Washington Commanders · Rushing · +4.04 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.40 EPA/play
3. 3 J. Dotson · Washington Commanders · Receiving · +1.93 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.48 EPA/play
4. 4 G. Wilson · New York Jets · Receiving · +1.88 total EPA · 15 snaps · +0.13 EPA/play
5. 5 C. Samuel · Washington Commanders · Rushing · +1.04 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.52 EPA/play
6. 6 X. Gipson · New York Jets · Rushing · +1.01 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.01 EPA/play
7. 7 I. Abanikanda · New York Jets · Rushing · +1.00 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.11 EPA/play
8. 8 Bre. Hall · New York Jets · Rushing · +0.66 total EPA · 21 snaps · +0.03 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New York Jets — J. Brownlee (T. Siemian pass) (Q1 56:29)
• New York Jets — unlisted player (Q1 54:44)
• Washington Commanders — C. Rodriguez (Q2 36:48)
• New York Jets — B. Turner (Q2 31:42)
• Washington Commanders — L. Thomas (J. Brissett pass) (Q3 18:31)
• Washington Commanders — C. Rodriguez (Q4 9:36)
• Washington Commanders — A. Gibson (Q4 4:55)

Field goals

• New York Jets — G. Zuerlein (Q1 58:03)
• New York Jets — G. Zuerlein (Q2 39:13)
• New York Jets — G. Zuerlein (Q4 0:10)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New York Jets won the period 17–0. New York Jets connected on a field goal from the WAS 7 (Q1 58:03) — (13:03) 9-G.Zuerlein 25 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.; New York Jets found the end zone from the WAS 8 (Q1 56:29) — (11:29) (Shotgun) 14-T.Siemian pass short left to 16-J.Brownlee for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Jets added 1 points from the WAS 15 (Q1 56:26) — 9-G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.; New York Jets found the end zone from the WAS 36 (Q1 54:44) — (9:44) 20-Bre.Hall left tackle for 36 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Jets added 1 points from the WAS 15 (Q1 54:37) — 9-G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead..

The second quarter: New York Jets won the period 16–7. New York Jets connected on a field goal from the WAS 9 (Q2 39:13) — (9:13) 9-G.Zuerlein 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.; Washington Commanders found the end zone from the NYJ 12 (Q2 36:48) — (6:48) 23-C.Rodriguez left guard for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the NYJ 15 (Q2 36:38) — 6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-58-T.Addington, Holder-5-T.Way.; New York Jets found the end zone from the WAS 2 (Q2 31:42) — (1:42) 54-B.Turner reported in as eligible. 20-Bre.Hall right end for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Jets found the end zone from the WAS 15 (Q2 31:35) — 9-G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead..

The third quarter: Washington Commanders won the period 7–0. Washington Commanders found the end zone from the NYJ 15 (Q3 18:31) — (3:31) (Shotgun) 12-J.Brissett pass short middle to 82-L.Thomas for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the NYJ 15 (Q3 18:26) — 6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-58-T.Addington, Holder-5-T.Way..

The fourth quarter: Washington Commanders won the period 14–3. Washington Commanders found the end zone from the NYJ 1 (Q4 9:36) — (9:36) (Shotgun) 23-C.Rodriguez up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the NYJ 15 (Q4 9:33) — 6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-58-T.Addington, Holder-5-T.Way.; Washington Commanders found the end zone from the NYJ 2 (Q4 4:55) — (4:55) (Shotgun) 24-A.Gibson up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the NYJ 15 (Q4 4:52); New York Jets connected on a field goal from the WAS 36 (Q4 0:10) — (:10) 9-G.Zuerlein 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• New York Jets (Q4 0:10) — (:10) 9-G.Zuerlein 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead. [WPA +40.5% · EPA +1.39]
• Washington Commanders (Q4 0:05) — (:05) (Shotgun) 12-J.Brissett pass short right to 82-L.Thomas to WAS 30 for 5 yards (57-C.Mosley). [WPA -21.9% · EPA -0.02]
• Washington Commanders (Q4 1:50) — (1:50) 5-T.Way punts 49 yards to NYJ 24, Center-58-T.Addington. 82-X.Gipson to NYJ 33 for 9 yards (32-T.Burgess). [WPA -18.7% · EPA -0.56]
• Washington Commanders (Q4 6:40) — (6:40) 12-J.Brissett pass deep right to 1-J.Dotson pushed ob at NYJ 20 for 21 yards (4-D.Reed). PENALTY on NYJ-57-C.Mosley, Face Mask, 9 yards, enforced at NYJ 20. [WPA +16.4% · EPA +1.70]
• New York Jets (Q4 0:19) — (:19) (Shotgun) 14-T.Siemian scrambles up the middle to WAS 36 for 3 yards (93-J.Allen). [WPA -11.2% · EPA -0.29]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• New York Jets (Q3 21:54) — (6:54) (Shotgun) 14-T.Siemian pass short left intended for 16-J.Brownlee INTERCEPTED by 57-C.Barton at WAS 4. 57-C.Barton to NYJ 44 for 52 yards (16-J.Brownlee). PENALTY on NYJ-16-J.Brownlee, Horse Co [WPA -3.9% · EPA -9.26]
• Washington Commanders (Q3 23:07) — (8:07) (Shotgun) 14-S.Howell pass short right intended for 4-C.Samuel INTERCEPTED by 56-Qu.Williams at WAS 33. 56-Qu.Williams to WAS 22 for 11 yards (78-C.Lucas; 73-T.Scott). [WPA -2.3% · EPA -5.43]
• New York Jets (Q2 36:51) — (6:51) (Shotgun) 14-T.Siemian FUMBLES (Aborted) at NYJ 12, RECOVERED by WAS-95-C.Toohill at NYJ 12. [WPA -4.4% · EPA -5.19]
• Washington Commanders (Q1 59:57) — (14:57) (Shotgun) 14-S.Howell pass short left intended for 82-L.Thomas INTERCEPTED by 22-T.Adams [11-J.Johnson] at WAS 29. 22-T.Adams to WAS 24 for 5 yards (2-D.Brown). [WPA -6.7% · EPA -4.80]

Quarterback report card

T.Siemian led all passers in efficiency for New York Jets, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• T.Siemian (New York Jets) · 55 dropbacks · 49.1% completion · -12.6% CPOE · -0.23 EPA/play · -12.83 total EPA
• S.Howell (Washington Commanders) · 24 dropbacks · 25.0% completion · -42.0% CPOE · -0.91 EPA/play · -21.83 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

New York Jets held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (-0.10 vs -0.16), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• New York Jets: 16 drives, -11.44 total EPA, 6 scoring drives
• Washington Commanders: 15 drives, -13.26 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New York Jets leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• J. Brissett (Washington Commanders) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• T. Siemian (NYJ) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• S. Howell (WAS) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New York Jets FG (+3) — Q1 58:03 · WAS 7 · Score 0-3
   (13:03) 9-G.Zuerlein 25 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.
2. New York Jets TD (+6) — Q1 56:29 · WAS 8 · Score 0-9
   (11:29) (Shotgun) 14-T.Siemian pass short left to 16-J.Brownlee for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
3. New York Jets XP (+1) — Q1 56:26 · WAS 15 · Score 0-10
   9-G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.
4. New York Jets TD (+6) — Q1 54:44 · WAS 36 · Score 0-16
   (9:44) 20-Bre.Hall left tackle for 36 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
5. New York Jets XP (+1) — Q1 54:37 · WAS 15 · Score 0-17
   9-G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.
6. New York Jets FG (+3) — Q2 39:13 · WAS 9 · Score 0-20
   (9:13) 9-G.Zuerlein 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.
7. Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q2 36:48 · NYJ 12 · Score 6-20
   (6:48) 23-C.Rodriguez left guard for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
8. Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q2 36:38 · NYJ 15 · Score 7-20
   6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-58-T.Addington, Holder-5-T.Way.
9. New York Jets TD (+6) — Q2 31:42 · WAS 2 · Score 7-26
   (1:42) 54-B.Turner reported in as eligible. 20-Bre.Hall right end for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
10. New York Jets TD (+7) — Q2 31:35 · WAS 15 · Score 7-27
    9-G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.
11. Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q3 18:31 · NYJ 15 · Score 13-27
    (3:31) (Shotgun) 12-J.Brissett pass short middle to 82-L.Thomas for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
12. Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q3 18:26 · NYJ 15 · Score 14-27
    6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-58-T.Addington, Holder-5-T.Way.
13. Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q4 9:36 · NYJ 1 · Score 20-27
    (9:36) (Shotgun) 23-C.Rodriguez up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
14. Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q4 9:33 · NYJ 15 · Score 21-27
    6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-58-T.Addington, Holder-5-T.Way.
15. Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q4 4:55 · NYJ 2 · Score 27-27
    (4:55) (Shotgun) 24-A.Gibson up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
16. Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q4 4:52 · NYJ 15 · Score 28-27
    6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-58-T.Addington, Holder-5-T.Way. PENALTY on NYJ-26-B.Echols, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced between downs.
17. New York Jets FG (+3) — Q4 0:10 · WAS 36 · Score 28-30
    (:10) 9-G.Zuerlein 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-T.Hennessy, Holder-5-T.Morstead.