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NFL Nation, ESPN
A critical Week 17 began with a pair of games on Christmas Day, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans to alter the character of the AFC North race. On Thursday, the Seattle Seahawks took visiting teams to 3-0 on the week by defeating the Chicago Bears, keeping Seattle in play for the NFC West title and a playoff spot.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions that arose from each game and detailing everything you need to know for each team. Let’s get to it.
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KC-PIT | BAL-HOU | SEA-CHI
sea hawks
Can the Seahawks beat the Rams and make the playoffs? The Seahawks didn’t necessarily have to beat the Bears to keep their playoff hopes alive, but they’ll have to win next week in Los Angeles to have any chance of claiming the NFC West, and their botched offensive performance on Thursday night didn’t do it. does. They don’t inspire much confidence, they will. It is true that the circumstances were not ideal: a long flight and a vacation condensed an already short week. 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 they’ll probably need Los Angeles to lose to Arizona on Saturday for that Week 18 game to matter in the first place.
Describe the game in two words: Dominant defense. The Seahawks went to work against the most sacked quarterback in the NFL, with six different players combining to tackle Caleb Williams seven times. Leonard Williams and Devon Witherspoon each had three tackles for loss plus a sack, and Riq Woolen, who was benched for the opening series last week after an unspecified violation of team rules, sealed the victory by intercept Williams’ desperate attempt.
Early prediction for next week: Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will have a better plan to push the ball downfield. Smith’s 3.1 passing yards per attempt were his lowest of the season by a half-yard and less than half his 7.0 average through the first 15 games. Chicago took away Seattle’s deep passing game, forcing Smith into shorter throws that required his receivers to rack up yards after the catch. –Brady Henderson
Next match: at Rams (January 4 or 5, TBD)
bears
What led to Chicago’s worst offensive performance of the season? Caleb Williams and the Bears offense were, in a word, terrible. Williams averaged 1.3 passing yards per completion, which was his lowest mark of the season, and completed just one pass for 10 or more yards downfield. This performance looked as bad as Chicago’s last three-point outing against the Patriots and featured seven drives that ended in punts. There were plenty of frustrating moments, from another scoreless first quarter to Chicago’s clock management on the final drive when it had a chance to get into field goal range to send the game into overtime.
Describe the game in two words: Tough surveillance. Chicago’s defense did its best to limit the Seahawks to six points, but the Bears’ offense failed to wake up and match that effort. The Bears suffered their 10th consecutive loss, tying the longest streak in a season (2022) in franchise history.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The left side of the offensive line was decimated by injuries to Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins, who did not play against Seattle. Williams is to blame for holding the ball too long at times, but the Seahawks’ porous pass protection against the offense didn’t stand a chance. Williams was sacked seven times, raising his season total to 67. -Courtney Cronin
Next match: at Packers (January 4 or 5, TBD)
crows
What does this Ravens victory mean for the AFC North? The Ravens are now one win away from repeating as AFC North champions. Baltimore has a one-game lead over the Steelers, who lost to the Chiefs on Wednesday. The Ravens finish the regular season at home against the last-place Cleveland Browns next week. With Lamar Jackson putting together another NFL MVP-caliber season and a defense that has dominated recently, the Ravens not only look like the team to beat in the division, but they figure to be a major force in the AFC playoffs .
Describe the game in two words: Total domination. Jackson and Derrick Henry combined for 234 rushing yards, and the Ravens defense would have recorded its first shutout since 2018 if not for Henry being tackled in the end zone for a safety. Baltimore outscored Houston 432-210, which was the Ravens’ second-largest margin in total yards over the past four seasons. The two points allowed are the fewest by any team on Christmas since Tennessee beat Dallas 31-0 in 2000.
Surprising Statistic: Jackson reached a top speed of 21.25 mph on his 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. According to Next Gen Stats, that’s the highest top speed of Jackson’s seven-year career. It’s the second-fastest top speed by a quarterback this season, ranking only behind Arizona’s Kyler Murray (21.27 mph). – Jamison Hensley
Next match: vs. Browns (January 4 or 5, TBD)
jeans
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 losing to the Ravens the way they did gives little indication that they can compete with the best of the best.
Most surprising performance: The 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’ starters play only one quarter against the Tennessee Titans. Houston is locked in at the No. 4 spot, so there’s little incentive for them to play as a long-term starter in Week 18. Risking important players getting hurt isn’t worth it, especially with safety Jimmie Ward, nickel Jalen Pitre and receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell are already out for the season. — DJ Bien-Aime
Next match: at Titans (January 4 or 5, TBD)
bosses
As the AFC’s top seed, should the Chiefs sit key players next week? Definitely. That’s particularly true for injured players, like Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones. The Chiefs should expand the list of rested players as much as possible to include Xavier Worthy and others. These players will have an extended rest because the Chiefs will also have a bye in the first round of the playoffs, but coach Andy Reid will need to find a way to keep them on their toes.
What we learned about the QB on Wednesday: It’s been a long wait but Mahomes can still complete the long ball. Mahomes’ 49-yard pass to Justin Watson in the first quarter traveled 40 yards in the air, becoming his second-longest pass of the season. His touchdown to Worthy in Week 4 against the Chargers was 54 yards in the air.
Most surprising performance: Mike Danna took advantage of the expanded playing time in Jones’ absence to have some great pass-rushing play. Danna, who entered with 1.5 sacks this season, had two more against Russell Wilson. The Chiefs sacked Wilson five times. –Adam Teicher
Next match: at Broncos (January 4 or 5, to be determined)
steelmakers
Are the Steelers capable of making noise in the postseason? Despite three straight losses, the Steelers are still headed for the postseason. But the struggles that have plagued this team during this stretch have all but erased any chance of them being contenders. The once-solid defense isn’t creating the points or getting off the field, and Russell Wilson is playing more like the Wilson who struggled in his first season in Denver than the one who won five of his first six starts in Pittsburgh.
Describe the game in two words: Telling loss. Buoyed by the return of several key players, the Steelers had a chance to right the ship (or at least begin to turn it around) against a tough team playing without their best defender in Chris Jones. Instead, they took on more water in a crushing loss and don’t look like a team capable of making any noise in the playoffs.
What we learned about the QB on Wednesday: The clock could be close to striking midnight. Wilson held the ball too long at times, contributing to a season-high five sacks. He also had his second red zone turnover in as many weeks, this time on an interception in the end zone. But despite his mistakes, Wilson still showed flashes of brilliance – he was simply too inconsistent to make up the difference. –Brooke Pryor
Next match: vs. Bengals (January 4 or 5, TBD)
