NFL Overreaction Week 17
USAT’s Prince Grimes breaks down the best games from Week 17 in the NFL and how the playoffs unfold.
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- Although much of the NFL playoff picture was settled after Week 17, there is still a heated battle for the top seed in each conference.
- The NFC South could end up being a matchup between the Panthers and Buccaneers in Week 18, unless the Falcons cause problems.
- The AFC North champion will be determined by a showdown between the Steelers and Ravens after Pittsburgh stumbled against Cleveland.
32 things we learned from Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season:
0. The number of losses the New England Patriots, who won their first AFC East title in six years by the end of Sunday, have suffered on the road this season. With their 42-10 victory over the New York Jets, the Pats became the second team (along with the San Francisco 49ers) to go three undefeated seasons on the road since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
1. Such is the case with the Las Vegas Raiders, who currently occupy the top spot in the 2026 NFL Draft after Sunday’s (decisive) loss to the New York Giants, a matchup of teams that went 2-13 entering the weekend.
2. The number of playoff spots available heading into Week 18 – basically the titles yet to be won in the AFC North and NFC South. Perhaps it will be the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers with the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers deciding who wins the crown on the field… unless the Atlanta Falcons keep winning and add a little twist to the NFC South showdown. (If all three teams finish 8-9, the Panthers will win the district because of their 3-1 record against the other two teams.)
3. Net passing yards gained by the Minnesota Vikings in their Christmas win over the Detroit Lions. That included a loss to the Vikings despite a defensive effort that included seven sacks (minus 48 yards) of Minnesota’s rookie QB Max Brosmer.
4. Uniform number of suspended Steelers WR DK Metcalf. Do you think the team could have used him in Sunday’s 13-6 loss to the lowly Cleveland Browns? Pittsburgh, which had just 160 net passing yards in the loss, destroyed its chance to win the AFC North, but will need to come out victorious by sweeping the archrival Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 at Acrizier Stadium.
5. Patriots QB Drake Maye threw a career-high number of TD passes on Sunday, marking a historic performance. Was it enough to put a cap on the league MVP’s resume? LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford will answer Monday night in Atlanta.
6. New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Schau’s jersey number. On Sunday, he outscored fellow Tennessee Titans rookie QB Cam Ward to lead the Saints to their fourth straight win. New Orleans WR Chris Olave certainly thinks Schau did enough to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year.
7. Ravens running back Derrick Henry has rushed for 200 yards in a game during his 10-year career, the most in NFL history, as he did in Saturday night’s win at Green Bay. His 216 yards were the most by an opponent at Lambeau Field.
8. Henry also tied his career high with four TD runs against the Packers and is fourth all-time with 122 career TD runs. With two more to go, he will pass Hall of Famer Marcus Allen for third place.
9. But perhaps the craziest statistic on Henry’s great night may have been his career-high (in the NFL, anyway) 36 carries.
9a. FWIW, Henry had at least 36 ran four times (including one 46) during his time at the University of Alabama. Nick Saban – I’m not worried about tire tread.
10. Arizona Cardinals guard Trey McBride set a new single-season record for catches for a tight end on Sunday with 119 catches in 2025.
11. Anyone want to win the NFC South? The Buccaneers and Panthers both lost on Sunday. It was the seventh loss in the last eight games for the Bucks, who have won the division every year since 2021.
12. The last time Carolina won the division was in 2015, when they advanced to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California…and this season is no different. The same goes for the Denver Broncos, who won Peyton Manning’s last NFL game, the Super Bowl.
13. (At least) the number of games Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold has won over the past two seasons is on a pretty select team. He is the only player who has been able to manage this while playing for two different teams since he was acquired from the Vikings earlier this year.
14. Former NFL QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s jersey number. I wish he had worn it Thursday night at the Prime Video postgame desk in Kansas City.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has rushed for nine TDs this season, nearly double his previous career high (five). His team is just one win away from clinching the AFC South championship.
16. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, 29, on Sunday scored his 300th regular-season touchdown in his 127th game, making him the fastest player in history to do so.
17. Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers uniform number. If this is really the case…shoot, I have to admit that your three-game return invigorated December.
18. Unfortunately, despite starting 7-1, the Colts became the first team in 30 years to miss the playoffs.
19. Thomas Morstead of the San Francisco 49ers completed a punt on Sunday night… for the first time since November.
20. Elsewhere, the Packers haven’t committed a punt in their last two games…and still managed to lose both, but they’re the first team to go 0-2 in these situations.
twenty one. The number of yards Cincinnati Bengals OT Cody Ford covered on his first career reception after hooking up with QB Joe Burrow. Sunday was Ford’s 29th birthday.
21a. According to the league’s research department, Ford’s play set a new record for big men.
twenty two. still Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett’s sacks this season – still He is just one step away from breaking the single-season record of 22 1/2, which has been achieved twice since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
twenty three. Garrett had 21 1/2 in his first 14 games, but only had a half-sack in his last two games.
twenty four. Sunday’s upset of the Steelers without bagging QB Aaron Rodgers was the first time Garrett went without a sack since Oct. 12.
twenty five. Like the Eagles? The father-son play-by-play duo of Ian and Noah Eagle appeared in four NFL games between Christmas and Sunday.
26. Like the Eagles? Philadelphia is currently 11-5, and Sunday’s win over Buffalo extended the team’s modest three-game winning streak.
27. The defending Super Bowl champions don’t earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed, but they didn’t earn it last season either, which they did pretty well.
28. Speaking of top seeds, the Broncos and Seahawks need one more win to qualify for the AFC and NFC, respectively. Super Bowl 48 rematch, anyone?
29. Denver’s Sean Payton joins Bill Belichick as the only head coaches in league history to win at least 13 regular season games in at least five different seasons.
30. The Houston Texans are the only team to make the playoffs in two separate appearances after starting the season 0-3.
31. According to NBC, Niners QB Brock Purdy became the first player in history to pass, rush, and throw a pick-six all in the first quarter of a game.
32. Week 18, folks, is when a lot is decided for the 60th Super Bowl tournament…even if 18 teams disappear until next season. enjoy.
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