Welcome to another installment of my weekly NFL Column. My goal is to watch everything so that you don’t have to. I will present to you the best games to watch back; the craziest moments; the best individual performances and the season-long stat leaders and records. I will also be previewing the upcoming gameweek, too.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check in each week.
Not everybody in the UK has the ability to watch almost 20 hours of live NFL every week, but I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything you’d wish you didn’t. Without further delay…
This is what happened This Week in the NFL.
Game of the Week
If you can only watch one full game in its entirety, watch this one:
Arizona Cardinals @ Philadelphia Eagles
A team looking for their 4th win in a lost season, where they’re simply playing for pride – and making their draft position worse, should they win – visiting the home of a Super Bowl favourite. That sounds like it’d be pretty cut and dry.
But it wasn’t a walkover. It was an incredibly hard-fought game, with drama and chaos throughout. The Cardinals clearly visited Philly intending to raise spirits and build confidence ahead of 2024, not just maintaining their draft position. The result was a fun and competitive game, which I recommend watching!
Other games to watch back
Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Seattle Seahawks
Upset of the Week
Arizona Cardinals 35 – 31 Philadelphia Eagles
I bet you didn’t see that one coming… I know I didn’t. Not only is the result a huge surprise, it also turned out just be a damn good game of football. It was incredibly competitive and the Cardinals truly earned this win. Philadelphia will be hugely disappointed, of course, but it wasn’t a fluke win, Arizona played solid football and were clutch when it counted, down the stretch.
James Conner played very well and Kyler Murray reminded people that he’s a capable quarterback, then the Cardinals defense did the rest! They held Philadelphia to just 275 total yards, which is not only out of character for them, but generally bad by NFL standards. This performance doesn’t fix a bad season for Arizona, but it will give them a confidence boost. The same but flipped goes for the Eagles, who need to have a short memory, and focus on January football.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Cleveland Browns (11-5)
Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
Buffalo Bills (10-6)
Chicago Bears (7-9)
Indianapolis Colts (9-7)
Los Angeles Rams (9-7)
Arizona Cardinals (4-12)
New Orleans Saints (8-8)
San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7)
Baltimore Ravens (13-3)
Houston Texans (9-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Denver Broncos (8-8)
Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
Green Bay Packers (8-8)
Losers
New York Jets (6-10)
Detroit Lions (11-5)
New England Patriots (4-12)
Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
Las Vegas Raiders (7-9)
New York Giants (5-11)
Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)
Washington Commanders (4-12)
Carolina Panthers (2-14)
Miami Dolphins (11-5)
Tennessee Titans (5-11)
Seattle Seahawks (8-8)
Los Angeles Chargers (5-11)
Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
Minnesota Vikings (7-9)
Standout Individual Performers
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
85.7% completion rate, 321 passing yards and 5 passing TD’s for a perfect 158.3 QB rating, plus 35 rushing yards.
If you wasn’t sure who should be the MVP this season yet, now you know. In what could be an AFC Championship preview, the Ravens absolutely dominated the Miami Dolphins, on the back of an exquisite performance from Lamar Jackson. Better than exquisite, in fact – it was perfect. As he dispatched of the second-best team in the AFC, he recorded a perfect QB rating of 158.3. Lamar completed 18 of just 21 passes (85.7%), but while being ruthlessly efficient, putting up 321 passing yards and 5 TD’s. Once considered more of a rusher than a traditional QB, Jackson has now – in my opinion – earned his second MVP, and he can sit on the sideline in Week 18 and enjoy knowing that he has another week off after that, too.
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
13 receptions on 17 targets for 227 receiving yards and a TD.
The Dallas Cowboys’ win on Saturday night has been the subject of a lot of discussions, most of which were centered around officiating. However, you have to take a minute to acknowledge the absolutely ridiculous performance of CeeDee Lamb in that game. He was targeted 17 times and caught 13 of them. He converted those receptions into a whopping 227 receiving yards, 92 of which came on a huge touchdown play. Lamb is the real deal, and he’s only 24 years old.
Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
13 receptions on 21 targets for 126 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
While the Cowboys young star had the best WR outing this week, one of the veterans had himself a day, too. Davante Adams did nothing last week, seeing just 6 targets and only catching one of them for 4 yards. After this disappointing outing, it was clear that this week Aidan O’Connell would have to get back on track and find #17 a few more times. He did just that, connecting on 13 of 21 targets, for 126 receiving yards and 2 TD’s,
Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions
5 solo tackles including 3.0 Sacks and a forced fumble.
While Detroit were arguably robbed of the biggest statement win of this week, which could have dramatically changed their playoff schedule, Aidan Hutchinson’s performance was still unbelievable. In such a high-pressure game, it’s impressive for the young edge-rusher to be able to step up and tear a good Dallas offensive line apart. Hutchinson made 5 solo tackles in the game, three of which were sacks on Dak Prescott, putting him at 9.5 Sacks – the same as his rookie total last year. He also forced a fumble in the closely contested matchup.
Josh Allen, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars
5 solo tackles and 1 assist, including 3.0 Sacks.
Aidan Hutchinson wasn’t the only person who came out of Week 17 with a hat-trick. Josh Allen (the edge rushing one) balled out this week in Jacksonville’s win over Carolina. He had 6 total tackles, 5 of which were solo, including his 3.0 Sacks. Bryce Young looked visibly uncomfortable for the majority of the game, and he just simply couldn’t stay away from Allen. Jacksonville need Trevor Lawrence back if their offense is going to do anything, but their defense has a couple of playmakers who are ready to go, this January.
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
26 rush attempts for 128 rushing yards and a TD, plus 5 receiving yards and another TD.
The star of a very unlikely victory in Philadelphia, James Conner reminded us that he is one of the better pure north-south runners in the league. This week he saw 26 carries, which he turned into an efficient 128 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and a touchdown. He also caught his only target of the game for a 5-yard receiving TD. After the game, Conner made it clear that they have high hopes for bouncing back next year, and that these final two games are the start of that process.
Justice Hill, RB, Baltimore Ravens
3 rush attempts for 48 rushing yards, plus 5 receptions for 64 receiving yards and a TD, as well as 101 kick return yards.
While Lamar Jackson’s unbelievable performance at QB lands atop my standouts this week, running back Justice Hill was right there behind him in Baltimore’s dominant performance. As they dispatched their AFC rivals from Miami, Justice Hill had a day. He rushed the ball just 3 times, but turning them into 48 yards, while converting 5 catches into 64 receiving yards and a TD. Hill also had 101 kick return yards, putting his all-purpose total up to 213 yards for the day.
Rasul Douglas, CB, Buffalo Bills
1 solo tackle and 1 assist, plus 2 Interceptions, including a 50-yard pick-six!
The Buffalo Bills’ defense genuinely tormented the Patriots this week. They’d already forced three turnovers by the end of the first quarter… The biggest terror who was ruining Bailey Zappe’s day was Rasul Douglas. Buffalo’s cornerback tipped the first interception to Ed Oliver (who made an insane diving catch for a lineman by the way), and then had two actual interceptions of his own. One of these was a 50-yard pick-six which felt like a nail in the coffin despite happening in the first half.
Terrel Bernard, LB, Buffalo Bills
8 solo tackles and 2 assists, including 2.0 Sacks.
While Douglas made the biggest plays and put points on the board, linebacker Terrel Bernard was all over the field this week. He added 2 assists to 8 solo tackles, and was able to get to Zappe twice for 2.0 Sacks. After just 11 solo tackles in his rookie season, Bernard has earned real playing time this season, and is proving himself to be a very talented young player, now on 81 tackles for the year, with a handful of interceptions and sacks for good measure, too.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns
12 rush attempts for 64 rushing yards, plus 2 receptions for 57 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
While TNF feels like it happened a whole year ago [I had to make that joke at some point, but I saved it for those of you who made it this far…], it’s hard to forget Jerome Ford having a nice evening. He only touched the ball 14 times, but showed some impressive efficiency, turning 12 rush attempts into 64 rushing yards (5.3 ypc) and his 2 receptions into 57 receiving yards (28.5 ypc), while adding 2 touchdowns in the Browns prime time win.
DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
9 receptions on 13 targets for 159 receiving yards and a TD.
The Chicago Bears have had a somewhat positive end to their season, and while their wins have driven the draft pick down the order, they clinched the #1 pick this week courtesy of Bryce Young and the Panthers. That means they get to feel a bit better about themselves and get the 1.01! As they defeated the helpless Falcons this week, the star of the show was DJ Moore. The ex-Panther caught 9 of his 13 targets, including one gorgeous over-the-shoulder catch that would make Willie Mays proud. He totaled 159 receiving yards and a TD, as he continues to demonstrate great chemistry with Justin Fields.
Stat Leaders Through Week 17
Passing Yards – Tua Tagovailoa MIA, 4451
Passing TD’s – Dak Prescott DAL, 32
Rushing Yards – Christian McCaffrey SF, 1459
Rushing TD’s – Raheem Mostert MIA, 18
Receiving Yards – Tyreek Hill MIA, 1717
Receiving TD’s – Mike Evans TB, 13
Total TD’s – Christian McCaffrey SF and Raheem Mostert MIA, 21
Tackles (combined) – Zaire Franklin IND, 170
Sacks – T.J. Watt PIT and Trey Hendrickson CIN, 17.0
Interceptions – DaRon Bland DAL, 8
Week 17 – CLINCHED.
Baltimore Ravens – Clinched AFC #1 Seed
San Francisco 49ers – Clinched NFC #1 Seed
AFC Clinched Playoff Berths
Miami Dolphins
Kansas City Chiefs
Cleveland Browns
NFC Clinched Playoff Berths
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Philadelphia Eagles
Los Angeles Rams
Week 18 Preview – What to watch
The Regular Season Finale.
Week 18 Best Games
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins, SNF
Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts, Saturday Night – 1:15am (Sunday Morning)
Tyler’s Bold Week 18 Prediction
The Buffalo Bills will beat the Miami Dolphins by double-digit points, to steal the AFC East from them.
Week 18 Storylines – PLAYOFF SCENARIOS!
*I’ve done my best to try and work out the scenarios for every single team making the playoffs, but it’s complicated! The NFL will publish the ‘official scenarios’ this week.
The winner of Miami vs Buffalo clinches the AFC East, [for Miami, this means a better seed and home field advantage, for Buffalo this means the playoffs]. Bills @ Dolphins, SNF
Houston @ Indianapolis – Win and You’re In! – Texans @ Colts, Saturday Night – 1:15am (Sunday Morning)
Green Bay clinch a wildcard spot if they win, if they lose, they’re almost certainly eliminated. Bears @ Packers, 9:25pm
If Tampa Bay win against Carolina, they secure the NFC South. Buccaneers @ Panthers, 6pm
However, if they don’t, the winner of New Orleans vs Atlanta wins the NFC South. Falcons @ Saints, 6pm
Jacksonville clinch the AFC South if they beat eliminated division rivals Tennessee. Jaguars @ Titans, 6pm
Dallas clinch the NFC East and the second seed if they win or Philadelphia lose. Cowboys @ Commanders, 9:25pm
If Buffalo win on SNF, they could end up with the 2nd seed… But if they lose, they will likely miss the playoffs entirely – if Pittsburgh and Jacksonville both win, Buffalo are eliminated.
If Pittsburgh win on Saturday against the Baltimore backups, either a Buffalo or Jacksonville loss will give them a wildcard spot
For Seattle to make the playoffs, they need to win and then require Green Bay to lose.
For Minnesota to make the playoffs, they need to win and then require Green Bay, Seattle and New Orleans all to lose.
For Philadelphia to win the NFC East, they need to win and then require Dallas to lose.
For Atlanta to make the playoffs, they would need to win and then would require the Buccaneers to lose.
If Jacksonville lose, they would require Baltimore’s backups to have beaten the Steelers on Saturday night to maintain their playoff berth.
If Green Bay lose, they would require Seattle, Minnesota and Atlanta all to lose to maintain their playoff berth.
