It’s hard to believe the final week of the regular season is here, but alas, get ready to pour one out for the 2017 season tonight. Just don’t expect to ring in the new year with the NFL — there’s no Sunday Night Football game this week.
NFL scores 2017: Live results, highlights, and more from Week 17
The NFL’s playoff field was finalized in the regular season finale. Atlanta, Tennessee and Buffalo clinched playoff berths on Sunday.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
The matchups with the biggest playoff implications were held until lateron Sunday, and starters for a lot of teams sat out, but the first round of games gave us one storyline worth monitoring: Would the Browns really go 0-16?
Yep, they did — in heartbreaking fashion, too. Poor Browns.
Here is all the news and top highlights from throughout the NFL regular season’s final day.
News
How NFL players are dealing with record cold temperatures for Week 17 games.
Here’s the updated 2018 NFL draft order. The Browns have the first and fourth picks.
Texans GM Rick Smith takes leave of absence due to wife’s breast cancer diagnosis.
The Colts fired Chuck Pagano shortly after they beat the Texans.
After a loss to the Chargers ended a disappointing 6-10 year, the Raiders fired coach Jack Del Rio.
Highlights
Tom Brady is wearing a scuba suit under his jersey because it’s too damn cold.
JuJu Smith-Schuster chucked a snowball at Martavis Bryant after scoring a TD.
Eagles punter Donnie Jones took off his pants before a punt.
It’s been a really stupid day so far in the NFL. Here’s a list of all the dumb things that have happened.
Patriots’ Johnson Bademosi took an Oscar-worthy dive after a Jets spike to the chin.
The Browns’ last chance for a win literally slipped through Corey Coleman’s fingers.
James Harrison’s first game with the Patriots ended with back-to-back sacks in garbage time.
Joe Flacco’s pick-six could have undone the Ravens, but they’re still battling.
Marcus Mariota and Derrick Henry’s exchange shot straight into the air to gift the Jaguars a hilarious fumble-6.
Kenyan Drake threw a Buffalo player’s helmet as a Dolphins-Bills fight erupts.
Tennessee clinched a spot in the playoffs with a win over Jacksonville.
The Falcons are back in the playoffs, too, after a win over the Panthers.
Drew Brees competed 72% of his pass attempts in 2017, setting an NFL record.
The Bengals stunned the Ravens in the final minute in Baltimore, eliminating the Ravens and sending the Bills to the playoffs.
Buffalo ended the longest playoff drought in the NFL., back in the postseason for the first time since 1999.
Injuries
LeSean McCoy was carted off with an ankle injury against the Dolphins. X-rays were negative, but he’s out for the rest of the game.
Week 17 schedule and results (all times Eastern)
Detroit Lions 35, Green Bay Packers 11
Indianapolis Colts 22, Houston Texans 13
Minnesota Vikings 23, Chicago Bears 10
New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 6
New York Giants 18, Washington 10
Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Cleveland Browns 24
Atlanta Falcons 22, Carolina Panthers 10
Cincinnati Bengals 31, Baltimore Ravens 27
Kansas City Chiefs 27, Denver Broncos 24
Los Angeles Chargers 30, Oakland Raiders 10
Buffalo Bills 22, Miami Dolphins 16
Arizona Cardinals 26, Seattle Seahawks 24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, New Orleans Saints 24
Tennessee Titans 15, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Before the games
We’ve reached the end of the NFL’s regular season, and there are still a handful of playoff spots up for grabs. In an unprecedented move, the league opted not to flex a game to Sunday Night Football, bunching the most important games together in the late afternoon slot. So we should be in for a wild day of scoreboard-watching as teams try to punch their postseason tickets.
Due to the backloaded schedule, there aren’t many games with significant stakes in the early window. Perhaps the most interesting game, at least from a historical perspective, features the Browns trying to avoid the infamy of 0-16. The Steelers will be resting their starters, having already clinched a first-round bye, so Cleveland faces Landry Jones in its attempt to finally get a win.
A couple of more playoff teams have some housekeeping to do in the early window. The Patriots need to beat the Jets to secure the No. 1 seed, while the Vikings will try to take care of the Bears and get a first-round bye. If Chicago pulls the upset, then that opens up a scenario where the Panthers could leap to the No. 2 seed instead.
Business really picks up at 4:25 p.m. ET with nine games, nearly all of them having playoff implications. The Ravens, Titans, Chargers, and Bills are all battling for two wild card spots in the AFC, while the NFC South still isn’t decided. The Saints clinch the division if they beat the Bucs, while the Panthers need a win and Saints loss to take it.
Carolina’s opponent, the Falcons, faces a win-and-in scenario, but if they lose and the Seahawks beat the Cardinals, then Seattle steals the No. 6 seed. Even the least important game of the afternoon (Chiefs at Broncos) at least has the novelty of Patrick Mahomes making his first NFL start, with Alex Smith resting.
There should be no shortage of action, drama, and twists and turns here as the regular season hurtles to a close. By the time the dust is settled, we’ll have our playoff schedule and final draft order for the 20 teams that didn’t make it. In other words, it’s a great week to have NFL RedZone.
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