Week 17 proved to be one of the most entertaining weeks e have had this season. From shootouts in Cincinnati to farewell games in Pittsburgh, the NFL was as entertaining as it has been all season. Some teams punched their way into the postseason, while others put themselves in a position to be in striking distance in week 18. Here is a recap of all the action from Week 17.
The Buffalo Bills looked to gain some momentum vs. the Atlanta Falcons, as they gear up for the playoffs. The Falcons didn’t make it easy on them either. Josh Allen threw for just 120 yards and three interceptions. while completing just 11 of 26 passes. Fortunately, though, the running game saved the day for the Bills. Devin Singletary ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Allen also ran for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns. As a team, Buffalo gained 233 yards on the ground. The dominating ground attack helped the Bills win 29-15
In what was possibly the game of the week, the red hot Chiefs visited the Bengals in Cincinnati for an exciting game. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase lit the Chiefs’ defense up all game. Chase and Burrow connected 11 times for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Burrow finished the game with 446 passing yards for four touchdowns. For the Chiefs, Mahomes threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns. In the end, the Bengals held the ball until they clocked ran to two seconds, and kicked a field goal from the one-yard line to win the game 34-31. Ja’marr Chase set the single-game rookie record for most receiving yards as well as the single-season record, surpassing his former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson who broke the record just last season.
The Rams were in a dog fight with the bruised and battered Baltimore Ravens. The Rams climbed themselves out of a 16-7 hole in the second half to be in a position to win. On a late and crucial fourth down, Odell Beckham Jr. made a huge catch to keep the Rams drive alive, then scored the game-winner just a play later. The Rams won 20-19 as they move on to a 12-4 record on the season.
Trey Lance made the start for the San Francisco 49ers against the Houston Texans this week. The rookie QB threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns on the day as well. Fred Warner was all over the field for San Francisco, making 15 tackles and one TFL. The 49ers shut the Texans down in the second half after trailing the first 7-3 and won the game 23-7.
The New York Giants has been a disaster all season, and Week 17 was no different. Mike Glennon only threw for 24 yards and two interceptions. The defense is no better as they gave up 29 points to an underwhelming Bears offense. The final score was 29-3 as the Giants fall to 4-12 on the season.
After going on a hot streak, the Miami Dolphins postseason hope are now over. They faced the Tennesee Titans this week, and the Titans dominated from the start. The Dolphin’s offense failed to find any momentum throughout the game and Tennessee forced them to punt on third downs. The Titans also steamrolled on offense as they dominated Miami 34-3.
The Patriots had an easy Sunday vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Pats defense forced three interceptions out of Trevor Lawrence in the game, but Mac Jones saw little resistance from the Jags. Jones threw 227 yards and three touchdowns on the day and completed 22/30 passes. Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris combined for four rushing touchdowns as well. The Patriots cruised to their tenth win on the season by a score of 50-10.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found themselves in one of the most dramatic games they have had this season. Not only were they in a dog fight with the New York Jets, but they also had to deal with WR Antonio Brown dramatically leaving the game as well. It took a 410 passing yards and three-touchdown performance from Tom Brady to win the game. Brady threw a dime to Cyril Grayson to take the lead with just 15 seconds left in the game. Tampa Bay won 28-24 and move on to a 12-4 record on the season.
The Colts have been playing very well as of late, and came into this week’s game vs. the Raiders as favorites to win. Johnathan Taylor has been having a historic season for the Colts, and today he added onto his totals with another 108 yards and one touchdown. Despite his performance, it was not enough for the Raiders. Derek Carr threw for 255 yards and one touchdown in the game and overcame his two interceptions with a game-winning fourth-quarter drive. The Raiders won 23-20.
The Dallas Cowboys looked to secure their spot in the NFC standings with a win over the Arizona Cardinals, who started hot this season but has tailed off recently. The Cardinals’
offense was consistent and found success moving the ball against Dallas. The Cardinals converted 7-16 third downs against Dallas who has one of the best third-down defenses. The Cowboys’ offense couldn’t get much going the first three quarters either, and it came back to bite them. Despite a big fourth quarter, the Cowboys came up short losing 25-22. Kyler Murray threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, as wee as 44 more yards on the ground. Both teams are now 11-5 and may see each other again in the playoffs.
The Philadelphia Eagles needed a big win to punch their ticket into the postseason vs. division rival Washington Football Team, and they did just that. Jalen Hurts led the Eagles with 214 yards passing as well as 44 yards rushing. Bart Scott scored both of the Eagles’ touchdowns on the ground too. The Philly defense came up big on the final drive as Taylor Heinicke tried to make a late push. Rodney McLeod made a diving interception in the WFT endzone to seal the win for the Eagles. The final score was 20-16.
The Los Angeles Charger defense held Drew Lock and the Broncos in check all day this week. Despite throwing for 245 yards, Drew lock barely made a dent in the armor of the Chargers armor. Collectively, they held Denver to just 13 points. The Chargers offense was moving though, led by Justin Herbert who threw for 237 yards along with a pair of touchdowns. L.A. keeps their playoff hopes alive a 34-13 win.
Through all of the QB troubles and other injuries they’ve gone through this year, the New Orleans Saints still have a small chance of making the playoffs. Their win over the Carolina Panthers this week helped them keep those chances alive. Taysom Hill led New Orleans with 222 passing yards and one touchdown, as well as 45 yards on the ground. Alvin Kamara didn’t have a great day rushing, but still made plays with his 5 receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. The Saints won 18-10 and move on to an 8-8 record on the season.
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have had the one of toughest seasons in the Pete Carrol Era, but this past Sunday you would’ve thought they were the best team in the NFL the way they performed against the 2-win Lions. Russell Wilson threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns, with three of those going to DK Metcalf. Rashad Penny had his self a day, as he ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Seattle defeated the Lions 51-29.
With Kirk Cousins out, the Green Bay Packers found themselves on a very easy path to winning over the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers seemingly cemented his second consecutive MVP award with his 288 yards and two touchdowns on the Vikings. Davante Adams had a great game with 11 receptions for 136 yards and one touchdown. AJ ran for two touchdowns for Green Bay as well. The final result was a 37-10 win for the #1 seeded Green Bay Packers.
Monday night featured the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers in a very emotional game. After 18 seasons, Big Ben Roethlisberger will likely be retiring after this season, and Monday night would be his last game at Heinz Field. Even though Ben didn’t have the nicest game, it was made up by Najee Harris’ 188 yards rushing and one touchdown. The Steelers’ defense also made life hell for Baker Mayfield, as they picked him off twice and sacked him nine times. JJ Watt was a beast for the Steelers, as he finished with four sacks on the night. Watt now has 21.5 sacks in 14 games this season, just one shy of Michael Strahan’s 22.5 sacks set in 2001. The Steelers won 26-14, sending Big Ben off with a win in his final home game.