A critical Week 17 began with two games on Christmas Day, as the Kansas City Chiefs toppled the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens won at the Houston Texans to change the complexion of the AFC North race. On Thursday, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Chicago Bears to pull the road team to 3-0 midweek and keep Seattle in play for the NFC West title and a playoff spot.
NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering questions coming up from each game and detailing everything you need to know about every team. Let’s get started.
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Seahawks
Can the Seahawks beat the Rams and make the playoffs? The Seahawks didn’t necessarily need to beat the Bears to keep their playoff hopes alive, but they’ll need a win in Los Angeles next week to clinch the NFC West, and Thursday night’s offensive performance says otherwise. It won’t instill confidence that they will do so. Of course, with a long flight and vacation compressed into an already short week, the situation was not ideal. The rainy conditions didn’t help either. But Geno Smith & Co. will have to be much better next week if they want to beat the Rams. And in the crucial Week 18 game in the first place, Los Angeles would have to lose to Arizona on Saturday.
Describe the game in two words. Overwhelming defense. The Seahawks came into the game against the most sacked quarterback in the NFL, with six different players combining to drop Caleb Williams seven times. Leonard Williams and Devon Witherspoon each had three tackles for loss in addition to a sack, and Riq Woolen, who was benched for last week’s opening drive after violating an unspecified team rule, intercepted Williams’ desperation effort to seal the win. .
Early prediction for next week: Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will have a better plan to push the ball down the field. Smith’s 3.1 air yards per attempt was his lowest of 0.5 yards of the season and less than half his average of 7.0 through the first 15 games. Chicago took away Seattle’s deep passing game, forcing Smith to make shorter throws that required receivers to rack up yards after the catch. — Brady Henderson
Next game: At the Rams (January 4 or 5, TBD)
bear
Why did Chicago have its worst offensive performance this season? Caleb Williams and the Bears offense were, to put it mildly, terrible. Williams averaged a season-low 1.3 air yards per completion and completed only one pass for more than 10 yards downfield. This performance looked as bad as Chicago’s final 3-point output against the Patriots and featured seven drives that ended in punts. There were so many disappointing moments, from the scoreless first quarter to the clock management on the final drive that put Chicago in field goal range and had a chance to send the game to overtime.
Describe the game in two words. Hard watch. Chicago’s defense did its best to hold the Seahawks to six points, but the Bears’ offense couldn’t wake up and live up to the effort. The Bears have lost 10 games in a row, which is tied for the longest streak in a season (2022) in franchise history.
The biggest hole in your game plan: The left offensive line declined due to injuries to Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins, who did not play against Seattle. Williams was at fault for momentarily holding on to the ball for too long, but the porous pass protection against the Seahawks’ offense stood no chance. Williams was sacked seven times, bringing his season total to 67. — Courtney Cronin
Next game: At the Packers (January 4 or 5, TBD)
crow
What does this Ravens win mean for the AFC North? The Ravens are now just one win away from becoming AFC North champions. Baltimore has a one-game lead over the Steelers, who lost to the Chiefs on Wednesday. The Ravens close the regular season at home next week against the last-place Cleveland Browns. With Lamar Jackson putting together another NFL MVP-caliber season and a dominant defense recently, the Ravens not only look like the team to win the division, but they look like they’ll be a major force in the AFC playoffs.
Describe the game in two words. Complete domination. Jackson and Derrick Henry combined for 234 yards rushing, and the Ravens’ defense would have recorded its first shutout since 2018 had Henry not been tackled in the end zone for a safety. Baltimore beat Houston 432-210, the second-largest total yardage margin for the Ravens over the last four seasons. The two points allowed are the fewest any team has won on Christmas Day since Tennessee beat Dallas 31-0 in 2000.
Standout Statistics: Jackson reached a top speed of 21.25 mph on a 48-yard touchdown in the third quarter. According to Next Gen Stats, this is the highest speed of Jackson’s seven-year career. That’s the second-fastest maximum speed of any quarterback this season, behind Arizona’s Kyler Murray (21.27 mph). — Jamison Hensley
Next game: vs. Browns (January 4 or 5, TBC)
texas
Can this Houston team win in the playoffs? Since the Texans won the AFC South, they will host a playoff game. But right now, Houston doesn’t seem ready to make the playoffs. Against winning teams, the Texans are 1-5, and if they lose to the Ravens the way they did, there’s little sign they can compete with the best of the best.
The most amazing performance: Defensive line. The Texans sacked quarterback Lamar Jackson just once and allowed the Ravens to rush for 251 yards. Defensive ends and stalwarts Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. combined for 0.5 sacks.
Early prediction for next week: The Texans’ starter will only play one quarter against the Tennessee Titans. Houston is locked in a No. 4 seed, so there’s little incentive for the starters to play for long in Week 18. It’s not worth risking an important player getting injured. This is especially true for safeties Jimmie Ward, Nickel Jalen Pitre and receiver Stefon Diggs. Tank Dell is already done for the season. — DJ BNAIME
Next game: At Titans (January 4 or 5, TBD)
chieftain
Should the Chiefs, the AFC’s top seed, establish themselves as a key player next week? clearly. This is especially true for injured players like Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones. The Chiefs need to expand their list of rested players as much as possible to include the likes of Xavier Worthy. The Chiefs will also have a first-round playoff appearance, so these players will have an extended break, but coach Andy Reid will need to find a way to keep them sharp.
Here’s what we learned about the QB on Wednesday. It’s been a long wait, but Mahomes can still complete long balls. Mahomes’ 49-yard pass to Justin Watson in the first quarter traveled 40 yards in the air, making it his second-longest pass of the season. His TD to Worthy in Week 4 against the Chargers came 54 yards through the air.
The most amazing performance: Mike Danna had a big pass rushing game, taking advantage of the extended playing time in Jones’ absence. Dana, who had 1.5 sacks this season, took two more sacks against Russell Wilson. The Chiefs sacked Wilson five times. — Adam Teicher
Next game: Broncos (January 4 or 5, TBD)
steelers
Can the Steelers make some noise in the postseason? Despite their three-game losing streak, the Steelers are still heading into the postseason. However, the difficulties that plagued this team during this period virtually eliminated any chance of them becoming a contender. The once-solid defense isn’t generating takeaways or getting off the field, and Russell Wilson is playing more like a Wilson who struggled in his first season in Denver than a player who won five of his first six starts in Pittsburgh.
Describe the game in two words. Disclose your losses. The return of several key players gives the Steelers a chance to right the ship, or at least change course, against a tough team without their best defender in Chris Jones. Instead, they suffered a crushing loss and don’t seem like a team that can make much noise in the playoffs.
Here’s what we learned about the QB on Wednesday. The clock may be close to midnight. Wilson sometimes held on to the ball too long, contributing to a season-high five sacks. He also committed his second red zone turnover in as many weeks, this time an interception in the end zone. But despite his mistakes, Wilson still showed flashes of brilliance. It was too inconsistent to make up the difference. — Brooke Pryor
Next game: vs. Bengals (January 4 or 5, TBD)
