The Cardinals impress the Eagles, Lamar leads the Ravens to the AFC North title
Sports Seriously's Mackenzie Salmon 'overreacts' to NFL Week 17's biggest storylines.
Sports seriously
It's the start of a new year, but the NFL regular season is still coming to an end.
And the week before last, Week 17, helped clarify the playoff picture in both the AFC and NFC.
To that end, both were seeded No. 1, which includes a first-round bye and consistent home-field advantage. The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Miami Dolphins in what was supposed to be a tough battle of AFC contenders. The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, took care of business with a routine victory over the Washington Commanders, but it was a surprise upset by the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost to an Arizona Cardinals team that entered Sunday with just three wins, taking their first Secured a spot for the 49ers.
WINNER
Lamar gets his MVP moment and the Ravens are the class of the AFC (and maybe the NFL)
The AFC's best team, the Ravens, are peaking at the right time and have obliterated two of the NFL's better teams in consecutive weeks while boasting all the ingredients needed for a Super Bowl run. Baltimore (13-3) has a physical, stifling defense that has neutralized the 49ers and Dolphins, perhaps the two fastest-moving teams in the NFL (other than the Ravens). Baltimore has an experienced coaching staff that has designed its schedule to fit its players. And it also has the best player in the NFL.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson, the favorite to win Associated Press Most Valuable Player honors, was sensational in the 56-19 loss to the Dolphins, completing 18 of 21 passes for 321 yards with five touchdowns and adding 35 rushing yards. The Ravens gave Jackson plenty of time to play, they play with tremendous confidence, they have a versatile offense, and now the AFC is running through the Charm City.
Miami's slide is Buffalo's gain
The Dolphins (11-5) have lost two of their last four games and four of their last 10 games, which completely opened the door for the Buffalo Bills (10-6) to sneak in and win the AFC East despite being 6-6 started the season. Miami is suddenly facing a barrage of injuries, sloppy execution on short-yard and third-down attempts – they've converted just 22 of 56 attempts (39.3%) in the last four games – and a defense that The ravens absolutely worked.
The winner of the season finale in Miami Gardens will fight for the AFC East title and second place in the conference. The Bills still need to do a much better job of limiting their giveaways (quarterback Josh Allen has just one turnover-free game in Buffalo's last 12), but Buffalo has absolutely dominated this series. In their last eleven meetings, the Bills have won all but one.
The Packers take control
Green Bay (8-8) took advantage of several failures in the Minnesota Vikings' secondary to pull off a huge 33-10 victory that now puts the Packers in control of their playoff fate. If they beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, they'll be in the mix thanks to the Seattle Seahawks' loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Quarterback Jordan Love (24 of 33 passes for 256 yards and four total touchdowns) was sensational and brilliantly delivered the ball to the receivers who got into open space. Although starting corners Eric Stokes (hamstring) and Jaire Alexander (suspension) missed the game, the defense pushed hard on Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson and frustrated quarterbacks Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens. This is a young team that is coming off a solid and productive – if uneven – season. Resounding playoff success may be unlikely, but it's the kind of experience that can set the Packers up for the future.
Chaos in the AFC South
The division often attracts ridicule for fielding weaker teams, but the AFC South has a chance to give NFL fans a wonderfully chaotic finish in Week 18. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans all have the same record (9-7). Jacksonville is currently at the top of the division, with the Colts sitting in the final wild card slot and the Texans at No. 8 on the outside looking in.
The Texans travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts on Saturday; The winner of this game is guaranteed a wildcard spot. But if the Jaguars, who face the Titans, somehow lose, then the winner of the Houston-Indy matchup would take the division crown. Either way, the battle between the Texans and Colts will be a high-stakes drama that features everything we love about living or dying in sports. We thank the NFL schedulers for the standalone prime-time treatment in the Saturday evening slot. And the match puts even more pressure on Jacksonville on Sunday.
LOSER
The Eagles were already in the playoffs, yes, but they're in big trouble
Philadelphia (11-5) has now lost four of its last five games, most recently a 35-31 upset against a rebuilding Cardinals team. Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon was the Eagles' defensive coordinator the last two seasons, so he is very familiar with how Philadelphia operates. But Sunday's loss was evidence of more systemic problems plaguing the Eagles.
For one thing, the defense took a lot of damage, especially on the ground, as the Cardinals rolled for 221 yards. In fact, the Eagles have not held an opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards in their last seven games and have allowed 150.3 rushing yards per game during that span. The Eagles have also given the ball away 11 times in the last seven games. They entered Week 17 with a one-game lead in the NFC East. Now, if both the Cowboys (11-5) and Eagles win their respective season finales, Dallas will be the NFC East winner.
The Seahawks are giving in, perhaps irretrievably
Seattle's path was simple: win and enter. But the Steelers outran the Seahawks and racked up 202 yards on the ground, pushing the Seahawks (8-8) to the edge of the NFC playoff picture. Now Seattle has to win its finale against the Cardinals and hope that the Packers lose to the Bears (7:9).
Seattle's passing game simply wasn't as productive or as explosive as last season, but its rushing attack was the most disappointing. They missed tackles, couldn't extend attacks and allowed explosive plays in the passing game. Honestly, though, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The Seahawks have now lost six of their last nine games. Their average margin of victory in the four games they have won since Week 8 is 3.25 points per game. Their reliance on comebacks and little margin for error was unsustainable. Now it will almost certainly keep them out of the postseason.
Kenny Pickett
This is a simple truth: The Steelers' offense is better when Mason Rudolph is the starter. Kenny Pickett, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has missed the last four games as he recovers from an ankle injury. Mitchell Trubisky struggled to relieve Pickett in his time, but Rudolph shined.
The Steelers (9-7) are 2-0 in both games Rudolph has started. The downfield passing game, particularly for athletic receiver George Pickens, has flourished. While the on-field play was the main factor, Pittsburgh's total yardage on Sunday against the Seahawks at 468 was by far the team's season high. The score in the last two games, 34 and 30, also represents season highs; The previous one was a 26-point performance in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns. With a slim chance of making the playoffs – Pittsburgh must win against the Ravens and the Jaguars must lose – there's no way Pickett should be playing against Rudolph, even if he's fully healthy.
The Bucs are once again getting cold at home
First things first: Tampa Bay (8-8) still has a lead in the NFC South title. All you have to do is beat the Carolina Panthers 2-14 next week and the Buccaneers will host a playoff game. That can be a problem. With a chance to win the division, Tampa Bay fell 4-4 at Raymond James Stadium this season, this time to a New Orleans Saints team that had been inconsistent all season.
But if the Buccaneers — who are 1-6 this season against teams currently over .500 — lose next week, the winner of the Saints-Falcons game will win the division. But even if the Bucs win their third straight NFC South title, there are problems. Tampa Bay's rushing game, as it has all season, recorded just 57 yards on 15 carries against the Saints. Baker Mayfield and the offense failed to make a single trip into the red zone. These are characteristics of a team that isn't ready for a postseason run.