The final Sunday of the year is the only one of the season that features all 32 teams with no Thursday, Saturday or Monday games to split up the action. Entering the day, 10 of the 12 playoff berths had been clinched, and the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers still had a chance to topple the Houston Texans and New York Jets, respectively, for a spot in the postseason.
NFL scores 2016: Follow all the Week 17 action from Sunday
The final Sunday of the 2016 NFL season features all 32 teams playing on the same day.
For the Colts, it would have taken a miraculous scenario of nine games going just right to earn the AFC South crown, and their playoff hopes ended when the Saints beat the Falcons on a last-second field goal. Even though the Colts, led by Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley, topped the Titans, it wouldn’t have mattered: the Texans’ dominating win over the Jaguars was the exclamation mark on their division title.
The Steelers only needed to beat the Cleveland Browns and hope the Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets for the second time in 2015. And Sunday was Pittsburgh's lucky day because that's exactly what happened. Rex Ryan got revenge against his former team again and kept the Jets out of the playoffs with a Buffalo win, while the Steelers handled the Browns in Cleveland.
The games in the later slate only matter for their effect on the playoff seeding. If the Kansas City Chiefs can beat the Oakland Raiders, and the Denver Broncos lose to the San Diego Chargers, it would be the Chiefs finishing on top of the AFC West. The Chiefs haven't lost since Week 6 and have a chance to win a playoffs game for the first time since January 1994.
Thanks to the New England Patriots' loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Broncos can grab the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win over the Chargers. If the Broncos lose, the Patriots will be the top seed and the Cincinnati Bengals can earn a first-round bye with the No. 2 seed.
In the regular season finale, the Green Bay Packers lost the NFC North crown to the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. The Vikings were 1-10-1 in their last 12 matchups against the Packers, including a 30-13 loss in November, and hadn't won in Green Bay since 2009. After a 20-13 win, they'll be hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2009.
Below, we’ve got all of the scores of Week 17.
Final scores so far for Sunday (all times ET)
Buffalo Bills 22, New York Jets 17
Detroit Lions 24, Chicago Bears 20
Cincinnati Bengals 24, Baltimore Ravens 16
Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Cleveland Browns 12
Washington 34, Dallas Cowboys 23
Houston Texans 30, Jacksonville Jaguars 6
Indianapolis Colts 30, Tennessee Titans 24
Miami Dolphins 20, New England Patriots 10
Carolina Panthers 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10
Kansas City Chiefs 23, Oakland Raiders 17
Denver Broncos 27, San Diego Chargers 20
San Francisco 49ers 19, St. Louis Rams 16
Minnesota Vikings 20, Green Bay Packers 13
Biggest Moments
Mike Zimmer is very good at blowing snot rockets.
311-pound Sharrif Floyd should be moved to wide receiver immediately.
J.J. Watt celebrated getting his cast off with a sack and reached a milestone only Reggie White ever has.
Later, Watt busted out the NFL’s version of the Evolution of Dance: he did the Whip, Nae Nae, dabbed and ran off on da plug.
Meanwhile, DeMarco Murray celebrated Chip Kelly’s firing with a 54-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game.
Lamarr Houston tore his ACL doing a sack dance last year. But just like in Footloose, nothing’s going to stop him from dancing.
Ndamukong Suh plowed into Tom Brady’s legs, but Brady lived to tell the tale.
Bills kicker Dan Carpenter was so mad at himself for missing an extra point, he spiked his helmet -- which then hit him the face.
Rex Ryan was bringing out all the stops to beat the Jets, including using EJ Manuel on fourth down to draw them offsides.
Ever wondered if Ben Roethlisberger would make a good wrestler? The answer is no.
Lil Cowboys fan is sadder than Kellen Moore.
Alabama won more games at AT&T Stadium in 2015 than the Cowboys did. ROLL TIDE.
The Raiders paid tribute to Charles Woodson on Instagram, which is 12 years younger than Woodson’s NFL career.
Major injuries
The Steelers, who already lost Le’Veon Bell for the season, had to finish the game against the Browns without DeAngelo Williams. The veteran running back left early with an ankle injury.
Washington corner Dashaun Phillips was taken to the hospital with a neck injury. He was moving his extremities, but Cowboys fans should not have been doing the wave.
Jets DE Muhammed Wilkerson, who’s set to become a free agent this offseason, was carted off to the locker room against the Bills. After the game, coach Todd Bowles said Wilkerson broke his leg.
Adrian Peterson suffered a lower back injury against the Packers but later returned.
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