Week 17 might no longer be the final weekend of the regular season, but there was no drop off in drama. Whether it was the Bengals beating the Chiefs or late comebacks for the Bucs and Rams, this slate of games had it all. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from Week 17.
The Good
Bengals comeback seals the division – The best teams perform on the biggest stages and the Bengals did just that against the Chiefs. After trailing 28-17 at the half they clawed it back to 31-31, before executing an excellent game-winning drive. Joe Burrow was outstanding once again, completing 30 of 39 passes for 446 yards and four touchdowns. The win sees the Bengals move to 10-6 and take the AFC North title for the first time since 2015. They will now be hoping they can win their first postseason game in 31 years.
Bucs and Rams have big final drives – The Bucs and Rams both looked destined to be the victims of big upsets before some fourth quarter heroics. The Rams went on a nine play, 75-yard drive to score the winning touchdown after trailing Tyler Huntley and the Ravens by double digits. For Tampa Bay, they were saved from embarrassment against the Jets thanks to some exceptional quarterback play. Tom Brady led them 93 yards in two minutes with no timeouts. He finished up with a perfectly thrown ball to Cyril Grayson to seal the win.
Ja’Marr Chase and Kyle Pitts make history – Chase racked up a rookie single game record 266 yards against the Chiefs this weekend. That put him at 1,429 for the season, breaking Justin Jefferson’s NFL rookie receiving yard record. He has 13 touchdowns too, tied for the second most by a rookie in NFL history. Pitts also made history this weekend, becoming the first tight end in 60 years to surpass 1,000 receiving yards. He needs just 59 yards against the Saints in Week 18 to break Mike Ditka’s 1961 rookie record.
The Bad
Miami Dolphins’ offensive performance – Miami’s seven game winning streak came to a grinding halt with the loss to Tennessee. The result also sees them eliminated from playoff contention. Their offense struggled to move the ball all game. They didn’t have a single play inside the red zone and they scored just three points all game. Tua Tagovailoa struggled with accuracy and decision making throughout. He completed just 18 of his 38 attempts and had three fumbles and a pick. There will be some big questions to answer for the Dolphins this offseason.
Jags steamrollered by New England – Expectations amongst Jags fans were already incredibly low ahead of this game, but this was even worse than expected. Jacksonville gave up 50 points to the Patriots, the most they have allowed in a single game since 2015. Trevor Lawrence showed occasional flashes of his potential, but it wasn’t nearly enough. It took them until the dying seconds of the fourth quarter to even score a touchdown.
Colts squander playoff chance – The Colts just needed a win against the Raiders this weekend to guarantee a playoff spot. They couldn’t do it though, falling to a 23-20 defeat. Jonathan Taylor had another 100+ yard rushing performance, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Carson Wentz’ poor performance at quarterback. His lack of practice time clearly hindered him and he completed just 16 of 27 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. Indy now need to beat the Jags to guarantee their place in the postseason.
The Ugly
Antonio Brown’s meltdown – It felt like it was only a matter of time before Antonio Brown was the subject of yet more drama. This time he made the headlines after removing his jersey midway through the third quarter and heading to the locker room. It was the final straw for Bruce Arians, who announced after the game that Brown is no longer part of the team.
Giants lacklustre again – There was nothing good about this game from a Giants perspective. They had just 151 total yards of offense. They actually completed just four passes and had -10 net passing yards, the lowest total in an NFL game since 1998. This was their fifth straight double digit loss and they have topped 13 points just once since Week 9. It feels like Joe Judge’s days in New York are numbered.
Week 17 MVP
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals – Not many quarterbacks can outduel Patrick Mahomes, but Burrow did just that this weekend. He was clinical in the Bengals’ 34-31 win, completing 30 of his 39 pass attempts for 446 yards and four touchdowns.
Rookie of the week
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals – Chase didn’t just have the best rookie performance of the week. He put in one of the all-time best rookie receiver performances. He finished the game with 11 catches for 266 yards and three scores. His 266 yards is a single game rookie record.
Stat of the week
1,829 – Cooper Kupp has now moved to 1,829 receiving yards on the season, breaking Isaac Bruce’s franchise record. He also becomes just the fifth player in NFL history to surpass 1,800 yards. He needs 136 yards next week to break Calvin Johnson’s NFL record.
