Washington
Commanders
3-5
15
FINAL
23
Minnesota
Vikings
2-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Minnesota Vikings secured a crucial 23-15 victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 16 of the 2026 season, keeping their playoff hopes alive. With the win, the Vikings maintain their momentum as they push toward the postseason, while the Commanders face increasing pressure to string together wins in the final stretch of the season.
Leading the charge for Minnesota was quarterback Kyler Murray, who threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his ability to make plays under pressure. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson also contributed significantly, racking up 77 receiving yards and providing crucial catches throughout the game. On the ground, the Commanders' Jayden Daniels stood out with 86 rushing yards, but it wasn't enough to propel his team to victory.
Defensively, the Vikings were relentless, with James Pierre making eight total tackles and Dallas Turner recording two sacks, putting consistent pressure on the Commanders' offense. A pivotal moment came late in the game when the Vikings' defense stifled a potential game-tying drive, forcing a turnover on downs that ultimately sealed the win. The combination of offensive firepower and defensive resilience proved decisive in this hard-fought matchup.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyler Murray | QB | 36 | 24 | 67% | 255 | 2 | 1 | 94.0 |
| Jayden Daniels | QB | 26 | 17 | 65% | 131 | 1 | 0 | 90.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Daniels | QB | 8 | 86 | 10.8 | 48 | 0 | 53 | 1 |
| Demond Claiborne | HB | 12 | 70 | 5.8 | 37 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Jordan Mason | HB | 6 | 34 | 5.7 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 8 | 34 | 4.3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Rachaad White | HB | 4 | 19 | 4.8 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Kyler Murray | QB | 9 | 8 | 0.9 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Antonio Williams | WR | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tai Felton | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalin Hyatt | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremy McNichols | HB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Max Bredeson | FB | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 7 | 77 | 11.0 | 23 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Jalin Hyatt | WR | 5 | 75 | 15.0 | 17 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Tai Felton | WR | 4 | 74 | 18.5 | 14 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Antonio Williams | WR | 6 | 55 | 9.2 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Stefon Diggs | WR | 4 | 42 | 10.5 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| T.J. Hockenson | TE | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Rachaad White | HB | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Josh Oliver | TE | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jordan Mason | HB | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Demond Claiborne | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Cross | SS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pierre | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leo Chenal | WILL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dallas Turner | LEDG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Surtain II | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalen Redmond | DT | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Channing Tindall | MIKE | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quan Martin | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Byron Murphy Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daron Payne | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sonny Styles | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Hunter | REDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Wilson | WILL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brenden Schooler | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Odafe Oweh | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Levi Drake Rodriguez | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Smith | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domonique Orange | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jordan Magee | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Amos | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denzel Ward | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Rodgers Sr | CB | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Golday | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Demmings | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blake Cashman | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jay Ward | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frankie Luvu | WILL | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jer'Zhan Newton | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Omenihu | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K'Lavon Chaisson | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Percy Butler | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Reichard | K | 3 | 3 | 2 | 42 |
| Tress Way | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drew Stevens | K | 2 | 2 | 1 | 49 |

