Week 17 is in the books, and we have grades for every team!
Kansas City: Grade A
Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdown passes as the Chiefs clinched the AFC’s top seed by beating the Steelers on the road. Mahomes had 320 passing yards, and Travis Kelce had eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. Xavier Worthy played well, too, with eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Pittsburgh: Grade C-
George Pickens had 50 yards receiving early in the game, but in the second half, the Chiefs defense clamped down on the Steelers offense, holding Russell Wilson to 205 yards passing and no touchdowns. Pittsburgh was able to run the ball effectively (202 yards rushing), but without a passing attack to complement it, the Steelers were no match for the Chiefs.
Baltimore: Grade A
Lamar Jackson loves playing this time of year as he broke the NFL quarterback career rushing record. Jackson had 87 yards rushing and a touchdown to go along with 168 yards passing and two touchdowns. Derrick Henry also had 147 yards rushing, as the Ravens seem to be playing their best football right now.
Houston: Grade F
This game was an unmitigated disaster for Houston. CJ Stroud was only able to throw for 185 yards, and the Texans rushed for 58 yards as a team. Baltimore held Nico Collins to 59 yards receiving, and Houston looks like the farthest thing from a playoff team.
Seattle: Grade D-
This was a miserable game to watch. Seattle had a late interception to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Seattle defense was the star, as they had 7 sacks to go along with a ton of pressure on Caleb Williams. It was so bad for Seattle on offense that Noah Fant led the team in receiving with 43 yards.
Chicago: Grade F
The Bears could only score a field goal at home in a game that was unwatchable. Caleb Williams threw for 122 yards but once again did not have a touchdown pass. He was sacked 7 times as the offensive line gave him very little time to throw. The Bears best player was D’Andre Swift, who had 53 yards rushing to go along with 28 yards receiving.
Arizona: Grade C-
After playing so poorly in the first half the Cardinals came back and had a chance to win until an interception in the end zone sealed the game for the Rams. Kyler Murray threw for 321 yards and one touchdown, but he also had two interceptions, including the one at the end of the game. Trey McBride finally found the end zone and, had 12 receptions for 123 yards, and was the star of the game. James Conner tried to play with his injured knee, but he only had four carries for four yards.
Los Angeles Rams: Grade B-
The Rams did not do very much offensively as Matthew Stafford threw for 189 yards and no touchdowns. Puka Nacua was the star with 10 receptions for 129 yards and Kyren Williams rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown. The Rams defense was the true star,
Los Angeles Chargers: Grade A
Los Angeles completely dominated this game and secured a playoff spot with the route of the Patriots. Justin Herbert threw 3 touchdown passes and had 281 yards. Two of those touchdown passes went to rookie Ladd McConkey, who had eight receptions for 94 yards and looked tremendous. JK Dobbins returned to the lineup and had 76 yards rushing and a touchdown. His return is extremely important to balance out their offensive attack.
New England: Grade F
New England was in serious trouble when Drake Maye left the game when he was being diagnosed with a concussion. He returned to throw for 117 yards and a touchdown, and he also ran for 32 yards. Rhamondre Stevenson only had two carries, and I’m not even sure why they played him. Demario Douglas led the team with four receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Denver: Grade C-
Denver had a chance to win on the road and secure a playoff spot, but things got out of hand in the fourth quarter. They just didn’t throw the ball enough, only allowing Bo Nix 31 passing attempts. Nix threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns, including a long bomb to Marvin Mims, who had eight receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Had Denver challenged the Bengals secondary earlier in the game this game would have had a different result.
Cincinnati: Grade A-
The Bengals clung on to their faint playoff hopes by winning in overtime. Joe Burrow threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns and looks like an MVP candidate, even though he won’t win. Tee Higgins had 11 receptions for 131 yards and three touchdowns, and Mike Gesicki had 10 receptions for 86 yards. Chase Brown left the game late with an ankle injury, but he is expected to return in Week 18.
New York Jets: Grade F
The Jets were an unmitigated disaster as they had no points through three quarters. Aaron Rodgers only threw for 112 yards and had two interceptions, and it feels like his time with the Jets is done. The only bright spot was Garrett Wilson, who had 7 receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. The Jets are a complete mess, and they need to start over.
Buffalo: Grade A
Buffalo didn’t have to do that much to win, but their defense still had four sacks and two interceptions and pressured Rodgers all game long. Josh Allen threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for another one as the Bills coasted to an easy victory at home.
Tennessee: Grade F
Tennessee can’t wait for the season to be over, as they lost their 13th game of the season. The only bright spot was Tyjae Spears, who had 95 yards rushing, but sadly, he left the game in the late third quarter with a concussion. Calvin Ridley led the receivers with 84 yards receiving.
Jacksonville: Grade B
If it wasn’t for the tremendous play of Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. would likely be the rookie of the year. He had 7 receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown and once again stood out as the best player on the field. Jacksonville’s defense also played well, pressuring Mason Rudolph and getting 3 sacks and an interception on the day.
Carolina: Grade D-
Carolina just couldn’t do enough offensively as Bryce Young threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdown passes went to Adam Thielen who was tremendous with 110 yards receiving. The biggest problem that Carolina has is they just don’t tackle very well on defense. Tampa was able to make some huge gains because the Panthers just arm-tackled and didn’t take the runner down at first contact.
Tampa Bay: Grade A+
This was the best game that Tampa Bay has played all season. Baker Mayfield had 359 yards passing and five touchdowns, and Bucky Irving had 113 yards rushing and 77 yards receiving. Mike Evans inches closer to another 1000-yard season with 97 yards receiving and two touchdowns. If Tampa continues to play like this, they might be able to make a run in the playoffs.
New Orleans: Grade F
This season needs to end quickly for the Saints, who offer nothing up offensively. Juwan Johnson had 66 yards receiving, and even worse was that the Saints defense was only able to muster up one sack against a Raiders offensive line that’s been a sieve all season long.
Dallas: Grade D-
This game started out poorly for Dallas as they had an immediate pick 6 and were playing from behind. Cooper Rush was only able to throw for 147 yards and had two interceptions. Rico Dowdle led the team with 104 yards rushing to continue his strong play.
Las Vegas: Grade A-
After having their plane get in after midnight a lot of experts thought that the Raiders were not going to show up, but their play was anything to the contrary. Aiden O’Connell threw for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Brock Bowers set two records: the first was the most receptions for a rookie, and second, the most receiving yards for a rookie tight end.
Indianapolis: Grade D
The Colts played poorly, blowing their chances at making the playoffs. There’s a good chance that this may cost GM Chris Ballard his job and maybe even head coach Shane Steichen, too. Joe Flacco threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns and Jonathan Taylor had 125 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Michael Pittman played well, with 9 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown. This just goes to show how good Pittman can be when he’s got a competent quarterback throwing him the football.
Philadelphia: Grade A
The Eagles played really well defensively, with two interceptions of Cooper Rush. Saquon Barkley moved closer to the rushing title as he ran 31 times for 167 yards, breaking 2000 yards for the season. He needs a little over 100 yards next week to break Eric Dickerson’s season rushing record. The best player on the field for Philadelphia was DeVonta Smith, who had 6 receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. When they get Smith involved in their offense, they’re a much better team.
New York Giants: Grade A
Many Giants fans are going to be upset that the team won, considering now they’ve fallen from the first overall draft pick to the third pick, but you can’t blame the team for trying to win. This was the best offensive day that they’ve had all season. QB Drew Lock threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another touchdown as well. Sensational rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers had 7 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns to lead the team.
Green Bay: Grade C-
This game was a case of too much, too little, and too late for the Packers, who scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to lose to the Vikings by two. Jordan Love was only able to throw for 185 yards and one touchdown and missed his receivers for most of the game. Josh Jacobs led the Packers with 69 yards rushing and a touchdown. Green Bay’s inability to throw the ball downfield is their Achilles heel and will likely prevent them from going deep in the playoffs.
Minnesota: Grade A
The Vikings had a huge lead going into the fourth quarter but barely held on to win after letting up two late touchdowns. Sam Darnold was outstanding, throwing for 377 yards and three touchdowns. Justin Jefferson had 92 yards receiving, and Jordan Addison had 69 yards receiving and a touchdown. The Vikings will have a chance to claim the top seed in the NFC next week if they can beat Detroit.
Miami: Grade C
Miami hangs on to their slim playoff hopes by defeating Cleveland on the road by 17 points. Tyler Huntley ran for one touchdown and threw for another, leading the Dolphins to a victory. Tyreek Hill had one of his best games of the season, catching 9 passes for 105 yards, but this was more about Cleveland’s ineptitude on offense than it was about Miami playing particularly well.
Cleveland: Grade D-
This season seems to have gone from bad to worse for the Browns. They were only able to throw for 170 yards, and their number one running back, Jerome Ford, got injured and had to leave the game after only getting 6 carries. The lone bright spot for Cleveland on offense was Jerry Jeudy, who had 12 receptions for 94 yards. On another bright note, Myles Garrett continued his sensational season with another two sacks.
Atlanta: Grade B-
Michael Penix Jr. showed a ton of moxie, leading the Falcons down the field to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, throwing his first-ever TD pass to Kyle Pitts. Penix still shows growing pains, but he has an arm that can get him out of trouble and shows just enough mobility in the pocket to keep plays alive. Bijan Robinson had 90 yards and two rushing TDs. Drake London had 106 receiving yards.
Washington: Grade A
Watching Jayden Daniels is seeing something truly special. Daniels stopped playing like a rookie months ago and is now fully engaged in trying to lead the upstart Commanders to the Super Bowl. Daniels threw for 227 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran for 127 yards and was dominant in OT. By the way, If you don’t think the revenge narrative is a real thing, you would be sadly mistaken. Players always seem to get up to play against their old teammates. WR Olamide Zaccheaus had 8 catches for 85 yards and a TD to lead Washington.
Lions: Grade B+
It was surprising that the Lions had all their stars playing, considering the game meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Week 18 against the Vikings is for all the marbles. As expected, the offense played great, and the defense, with all their injuries, was terrible. The Lions won’t go far in the playoffs if they can’t stop their opponents from scoring.
49ers: Grade A-
You have to have admiration for the 49ers players. Even with them being eliminated from playoff contention, they came out on MNF and played hard for their head coach, GM, and for each other. Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall had big nights and will look to finish the season strong in week 18.
