NFL Week 17 grades from around the league

The Steelers’ rookie quarterback will likely finish his season with a negative TD-INT ratio, and this offense should not be confused with potent. But Pickett’s second game-winning drive in two weeks eclipsed his first. The No. 20 overall pick made season-saving throws from inside and outside the pocket against a Ravens defense flooded with veteran talent. The third-down Najee Harris connection only bumped Pickett to 168 passing yards, but he is showing progress on fairly big stages. Pittsburgh (8-8) started 3-7. Only one team has ever rallied back from that mark to make the playoffs: Washington in 2020. Like last year, the Steelers may be a tough watch in the playoffs. But they are basically a Dolphins loss away. 

STEELERS GRADE: B-plus | NEXT: vs. Browns (Sun.)

Baltimore’s trouble sustaining drives should be expected. The playoff-bound team is down both its top two receivers — from an already-shaky receiving corps — and is without Lamar Jackson. Their only touchdown coming after the shaky Cam Heyward roughness call epitomizes a team stuck until (if?) Jackson returns. But the Ravens’ defense — albeit one missing Marcus Peters and Calais Campbell — blowing a fifth two-score lead sets up a bleak playoff outlook. The third-ranked Ravens run defense gave up 198 yards, helping the Steelers hang around. Baltimore (10-6) is limping to another finish line, and though the team cannot be judged until Jackson returns, it is tough to see it matching up with the AFC’s true powers.

RAVENS GRADE: C | NEXT: at Bengals (Sun.)

The one-score win kingpins have no one-score losses. When the Vikings go down, it generally gets ugly. Minnesota, which has been largely healthy on offense this season, has been down center Garrett Bradbury for a few weeks; a car accident has prolonged his absence. The Vikings (12-4) also lost right tackle Brian O’Neill and backup center Austin Schlottmann in Green Bay. Most teams deal with O-line injuries. This four-turnover Kirk Cousins game was inexcusable, and it unmasked the Vikings — who were playing to keep the NFC’s No. 2 seed — to a degree. They now have a minus-19 point differential and are poised to be one of the least threatening 13-win teams (assuming the Bears lay down in Week 18) in playoff history. 

VIKINGS GRADE: F | NEXT: at Bears (Sun.)

Beset by some high-profile injuries, Green Bay’s expensive defense is playing up to its cost. After a three-INT day in Miami, the Packers forced four turnovers and embarrassed the NFC North champs — nearly four months after the Vikings set the tone in Week 1. Kenny Clark dominated against a suddenly injured Vikes O-line, totaling a season-high seven pressures. The veteran D-lineman completed a sack-strip-recovery sequence and has now forced a league-leading six turnovers from pressure, per Next Gen Stats. Jaire Alexander won against Justin Jefferson after a rough September loss, and Darnell Savage added a pick-six. The Packers (8-8) are close to becoming the second 4-8 team to rally to the playoffs. The 49ers, who have somehow faced the Pack in nine playoff games since 1995, likely await.

PACKERS GRADE: A-plus | NEXT: vs. Lions (Sun.)

Lured back to the NFL from the college ranks to be Matt Rhule’s secondary coach, Carolina’s interim HC had generated momentum to become a full-time hire. His position group bombing the way it did Sunday may close that case. A Buccaneers team that has nosedived offensively lit up the Panthers, with Tom Brady turning back the clock for 432 yards. Mike Evans burned C.J. Henderson and second-year man Keith Taylor during his three-TD binge, and the Panthers (6-10) could not slow down Chris Godwin (9/120) either. Sam Darnold committed three turnovers, failing to answer Brady’s surge once the 14-point lead evaporated. The odds are always against interim hires, and Carolina’s run ending points to a new coach coming in soon.

PANTHERS GRADE: D | NEXT: at Saints (Sun.)

NFL execs keen on seeing Brady vs. Dallas in a marquee slot, despite the Buccaneers’ disappointing season, breathed a sigh of relief after the best receiver in Bucs history came through. The Bucs (8-8) erased a 14-0 deficit thanks to the Brady-Evans connection — an out-of-sync mess throughout — re-emerging. The second 200-yard game of Evans’ career involved Brady topping his season’s deep-throw TD count in one day, and the 45-year-old icon managed a 31-for-38, 382-yard line against zone coverage, doubling as Next Gen Stats’ fifth-best measured day against zone defense since 2018. Evans saved his fantasy GMs, the Bucs’ season, and he is now over 1,000 yards. No other wideout has started a career with nine straight 1,000-yard slates. 

BUCCANEERS GRADE: A | NEXT: at Falcons (Sun.)

The two players most responsible for the Saints turning from an incompetent defense in the mid-2010s to a reliable unit in the years since led the way in one of the bigger upsets in franchise history. Cam Jordan beating Lane Johnson’s replacement during a three-sack day gave him 115.5 for his career, breaking Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson’s franchise record. Playing in his first game since Week 3, Marshon Lattimore displayed his value to the team by pick-sixing Gardner Minshew to close out the Eagles. Lattimore’s absence has wounded the Saints (7-9) this season. Had he not been injured, the Saints are probably the NFC South champs. With the Bucs winning, this became a bittersweet day for a veteran-laden New Orleans squad.

SAINTS GRADE: A-plus | NEXT: vs. Panthers (Sun.)

A week after it looked like Minshew could steer this all-terrain vehicle, the Eagles (13-3) not only failed to secure home-field advantage but managed 10 points against a sub-.500 team. Minshew threw that crushing pick-six and also was stopped on Philly’s previously indefensible fourth-and-1 rugby QB sneak. The Eagles’ first four drives ended with three-and-outs. Hurts has accounted for 35 TDs in 14 games; he could have approached Cam Newton’s 45 from 2015 had he been available. Carson Wentz had a big MVP lead five years ago but was penalized because of three missed games. With none of the AFC QBs presenting open-and-shut cases, voters need to consider that and Sunday’s borderline-shocking Eagles loss re: Hurts’ value this time around. 

EAGLES GRADE: F | NEXT: vs. Giants (Sun.)

Jeff Saturday doing an unexpected favor for a friend has now led to six straight losses. Since the second half of the Vikings game, the Colts have plunged into one of the deepest valleys in franchise history. Jim Irsay has made a spectacular mess. His fingerprints are all over the Colts’ QB decisions, and the owner believing Saturday could extract something from the team Frank Reich could not is the kind of judgment that should scare Colts fans. The Irsay family has one 10-win season (in 51 years of Colts ownership) without Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, or Bert Jones running the show; Reich delivered that in 2020. To see how far the Colts (4-11-1) have sunk since their season-ending collapse last year remains astounding. 

COLTS GRADE: F | NEXT: vs. Texans (Sun.)

Perhaps Dave Gettleman deserves some semblance of vindication. His cornerstone investments — Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Andrew Thomas, Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams — have driven a stunning turnaround. But the since-departed GM did not have a coach in place like Brian Daboll, whose staff has coaxed continued competence from the previous regime’s staples. Jones totaling four TDs and pushing his dual-threat season past 700 rushing yards, via the 91 he amassed Sunday, furthers a career-changing campaign. A year removed from the infamous QB-sneak call, the Giants (9-6-1) are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They are likely to face the vulnerable Vikings. Daboll, OC Mike Kafka, and DC Don Martindale can take a victory lap (as they hopefully sit Barkley in a now-meaningless Week 18 game).

GIANTS GRADE: A-plus | NEXT: at Eagles (Sun.)

A flat-looking 49ers defense nearly wasted a long-awaited chance to move into the NFC’s No. 2 spot, but Brock Purdy kept leading scoring drives. McCaffrey was largely responsible, compiling one of the best games of his career. The trade acquisition posted 193 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. The 49ers are 9-0 when CMC starts, and he has kept a team down its top two QBs and best wideout going. The ex-Panther now has 1,801 scrimmage yards — third in the league — yet was not voted to hang with the Mannings at this new-age Pro Bowl. It is hard to overstate how much value the 49ers (12-4) have gotten from a position that so often proves fungible. The 49ers showing this kind of potency without Samuel should make them the NFC favorite, assuming their defense reawakens.

49ERS GRADE: B-minus | NEXT: vs. Cardinals (Sun.)

The Raiders are now the only team in NFL history to blow five 10-plus-point leads in the second half. But this now-Jarrett Stidham-quarterbacked team being in position to blow a 10-point edge against the NFL’s best defense is a decent tribute to the team’s temporary QB. He of zero starts through Week 17 of his fourth season, the ex-Patriots third-stringer doused the 49ers for 365 yards and three TDs. Aided by Davante Adams’ brilliance, Stidham joins Mike White (2021) as the only QBs to drop a 350-3 game in their first start. The Raiders (6-10) giving Derek Carr this early boot makes for a sour end to a nine-year partnership — the longest QB1 alliance in Raiders history — and the team has big questions to answer. But Stidham should at least have a roster spot next season.

RAIDERS GRADE: B-plus | NEXT: vs. Chiefs (Sat.)

Long-term concerns about Tua Tagovailoa’s health will abound until next season, at least, and Teddy Bridgewater’s inability to stay on the field is drowning the Dolphins (8-8). Miami has lost five straight, but Mike McDaniel’s team would likely be in the playoffs absent Tagovailoa’s concussion trouble. The Dolphins dropped to 0-4 in games Tua does not finish, and Bridgewater (broken finger) has not finished either of his starts. Skylar Thompson’s cameo gave the Patriots a layup, though it was not the prettiest basket, but the Dolphins have a clear avenue to salvage this mess of a stretch run. With the Pats facing the Bills, the Fins likely have a win-and-in chance. But they will probably need Tua. Can they redeploy the starter who has suffered as many as three concussions this season?

DOLPHINS GRADE: C-minus | NEXT: vs. Jets (Sun.)

The Patriots are about to finish with a top-10 scoring defense for the 18th time in 20 years. Although attention is understandably fixated on New England’s ill-conceived offense, Bill Belichick’s unit did its job against Miami. Christian Barmore matched his career high with six pressures, and Kyle Dugger took an interception back for a score. Dugger is quietly having an impact season. The former Division II safety has scored three of the Pats’ six defensive touchdowns. There are still places where the Pats (8-8) are in good shape, but considering how safe a bet it is for Belichick to field reliable defenses, their future hinges on how he handles the other side of the ball.

PATRIOTS GRADE: B | NEXT: at Bills (Sun.)

As they did in the rivals’ Denver matchup last month, the Broncos capitalized on Chiefs turnovers to scare the AFC West champs. They led 17-13 late in the third quarter, and Courtland Sutton beat a Chiefs double-team for a 44-yard grab on third-and-11. Instead of a potential scoring march, an iffy offensive pass interference call put the Broncos (4-12) on their usual track. The now-Jerry Rosburg-coached team surrendered TDs on the next two Chiefs drives, and although Russell Wilson fared decently given the now-crazy criticism blitz he has received, the Broncos reverted to form with a ninth one-score loss. This Nathaniel Hackett-orchestrated season ties 2010’s Josh McDaniels-fueled disaster for the most losses in franchise history. Can Walmart dollars lure a high-profile coach?

BRONCOS GRADE: B-minus | NEXT: vs. Chargers (Sun.)

The Chiefs (13-3) are riding an easier-than-expected schedule to a potential heist of the AFC’s top seed. They have lost to the Bills and Bengals and may have dipped further below their AFC rivals in the weeks since those games, but a slate littered with disappointing or injury-riddled opposition has produced a chance at a cozier Super Bowl path. Jerick McKinnon again scored two TDs against the Broncos, compensating for the Chiefs’ two-turnover game and inconsistent wideouts. The 30-year-old back has been a revelation on a league-minimum deal, but Kansas City needing him this much is a bit of a red flag. Nevertheless, a flawed Chiefs team having the chance to play only one of the Bills-Bengals duo in January is a major opportunity.

CHIEFS GRADE: C-plus | NEXT: at Raiders (Sat.)

Mike White’s 23-for-46 day included two INTs and a lost fumble, and after the Jets (8-8) waited on their popular passer to save the day, his return sank them. This wayward season will extend the Jets’ playoff drought to 12 years — passing the late-Joe Namath/early-Richard Todd years for the longest in team history — and White crashlanding in Seattle will entice the team to hop on what should be another frenzied QB carousel. White, who generated momentum against bad Bears and Vikings defenses, is due for free agency. The Jets will have a decision to make in February: push for a Derek Carr trade or wait until March for Jimmy Garoppolo. But the team will be closely linked to both, as White and Zach Wilson could not help this refueled defense to the playoffs.

JETS GRADE: D-minus | NEXT: at Dolphins (Sun.)

Not yet a regular starter and having missed his rookie season, Taylor is nevertheless emerging late in his third year. The former second-round pick dropped White for a career-high 2.5 sacks, beating two ex-Seahawk tackles — George Fant and former teammate Duane Brown — on speed rushes. Taylor (8.5 sacks) now has 5.5 in his past five games, helping to justify the Day 2 investment and aid an undependable Seattle defense. The Seahawks (8-8) swapped out most of their edge rushers this offseason, but Taylor has become a strong complement to UFA pickup Uchenna Nwosu. Barring the Packers collapsing at home to the Lions, the Seahawks’ string of second-half losses will keep them out of the playoffs. But this team has rebuilt quickly; its roster should be better in 2023.

SEAHAWKS GRADE: A | NEXT: vs. Rams (Sun.)

Deshaun Watson completed nine passes and still is 1-for-5 in 200-yard passing games with the Browns, finishing with 169 yards in Washington. It was good enough, mostly thanks to Cooper. He completed a textbook turn-and-go sequence, shedding a Kendall Fuller tackle for a game-altering TD, and found himself wide open for a second score to put away a Commanders team playing for its playoff life. Cooper and Watson will presumably have better days, though the latter’s start — even considering the historically unusual circumstances — has to concern Cleveland (7-9) a bit. Sunday represented a solid building-block point. 

BROWNS GRADE: A-minus | NEXT: at Steelers (Sun.)

In a start that may move him off even the bridge-QB radar for next season, Wentz burned the Commanders for misguided faith. After a nice off-the-bench showing in San Francisco, Wentz torched Washington’s playoff aspirations with a three-INT outing. Two of the picks came on deep passes into double coverage, both landing in the arms of Browns safety Grant Delpit, and Denzel Ward’s first-half INT did not exactly require an ace effort from the Cleveland corner. The Commanders (7-8-1) traded two Day 2 picks for Wentz but can shed his Eagles-designed contract and save $26.2 million. Ron Rivera has done an admirable job given the circumstances, but this Wentz whiff moves him — fair or not — back to the hot seat. 

COMMANDERS GRADE: D-minus | NEXT: vs. Cowboys (Sun.)

Justin Fields’ progress has obscured the tanking operation GM Ryan Poles enacted. The Bears (3-13) have now lost nine straight. Chicago’s trade- and injury-depleted defense showed little resistance against the Lions, allowing 265 rushing yards. Without his top receivers and still developing as a passer, Fields (7-for-21, 75 yards) also submitted his worst game since September. The Bears will do what they need to next week, and picking second next year would equip them with a dynamic defender. But the Texans are not a lock to take a quarterback first overall. The Bears’ path to securing their preferred defender may hinge on a hideous Texans-Colts matchup.

BEARS GRADE: F | NEXT: vs. Vikings (Sun.)

After not producing much at Florida, James Houston transferred to Jackson State for his senior year. He dropped a 16.5-sack season at the Division I-FCS school, and the Lions — who had already drafted edges Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Paschal — took a sixth-round flier. The rookie now has 24.5 sacks over his past two seasons. Only bumped up from Detroit’s practice squad on Thanksgiving, Houston has become a steady source of production. He dropped Fields thrice during a performance that included a tomahawk strip. The Lions got 5.5 sacks from their rookie D-end trio, with Paschal adding the first two of his career. Detroit (8-8) needs some help to reach the postseason, but the team has assembled a number of intriguing pieces during Year 2 of its rebuild.

LIONS GRADE: A-plus | NEXT: at Packers (Sun.)

A week after rebounding against the downtrodden Broncos, the Rams beat out Denver’s 1999 team for the worst record by a defending Super Bowl champ (in a non-strike season). Sean McVay’s outfit dropped to 5-11, and while not many of his troops were available for the all-L.A. matchup, the Chargers toyed with a team coming off a 51-point outing. Baker Mayfield completed 11 passes, undercutting Cam Akers’ strong day in the run game and in pass pro, and Austin Ekeler’s first-half stampede was about all the Bolts needed in a 21-point win. The Lions are set to hold two top-10 picks because of this Rams descent, while GM Les Snead will have a tougher magic act to pull off in 2023.

RAMS GRADE: D-minus | NEXT: at Seahawks (Sun.)

Ekeler’s slickly produced campaign video failed to produce a Pro Bowl nod — he somehow has zero career invites — but the former undrafted back has offered more consistency on his second contract than any of his peers. Ekeler made quick work of a battered Rams front, gashing it for a 72-yard TD and finishing with 161 from scrimmage. The Chargers ditched Melvin Gordon for his backup in 2020, extending Ekeler on just a $6 million-per-year deal. Ekeler now has 18 TDs, leading the NFL for a second straight year. He has 38 since 2021. No back from the loaded 2017 class has outproduced him since teams doled out their respective extensions. Ekeler represents a central reason the Chargers (10-6) will be a dangerous wild-card foe.

CHARGERS GRADE: A | NEXT: at Broncos (Sun.)

Jacksonville will head into its biggest game in five years on a four-game run, and while Travis Etienne cruised past the Texans’ woeful run defense, the team’s pass rush ensured Davis Mills and Co. would not compete Sunday. The Jags pressured Mills on 54.3% of his dropbacks, marking their highest pressure rate since Week 1 of the 2017 season, per Next Gen Stats. The “Sacksonville” debut game was the Jags’ previous win over the Texans. This time, Josh Allen came through with a TD-producing sack strip and led the way with a career-best nine pressures. Considering the state of the Titans, NBC execs will be hoping Trevor Lawrence’s team books the Saturday afternoon wild-card slot. 

JAGUARS GRADE: A | NEXT: vs. Titans (Sat.)

Bothering little with competing against the Jaguars, despite their nine-game win streak in this series coming in, the Texans (2-13-1) still lead the Bears for the No. 1 overall pick. While the Bears are not a threat to take a first-round quarterback, they would surely be willing to trade the pick to a QB-seeking team. The only way for the Texans to prevent this scenario from affecting their plans — which probably should include a passer, with Alabama’s Bryce Young leading the way early — would be to lose to the Colts. That game could spearhead a push for an NFL lottery, as the Texans will run into an opponent struggling to a degree that will make protecting that draft slot difficult.

TEXANS GRADE: F | NEXT: at Colts (Sun.)

Watt cut off what would have been another free agency sweepstakes by announcing his retirement, wrapping his career on a fast-sinking Cardinals team (4-12). The all-time great collected another sack in the Cards’ loss to the Falcons, giving him 10.5 this season and 112.5 for his career. The latter number does not do his career justice; Watt’s otherworldly run from 2012-15 — which still features the top three TFL seasons from anyone this century — will be tough to top. Watt also managed to become an NFL megastar despite playing for two of the league’s lowest-profile teams. While the 33-year-old retiring healthy is paramount, it would have been fun to see him contribute to a Super Bowl contender next year.

CARDINALS GRADE: C-plus | NEXT: at 49ers (Sun.)

The Falcons hurt their draft position by edging the Cardinals in Week 17’s only game between two no-hopers. Tyler Allgeier’s 83 yards led a Falcons ground attack that totaled 132, and Cordarrelle Patterson’s 22-yard run launched a game-winning drive highlighted by a Desmond Ridder pinpoint toss to MyCole Pruitt. The Falcons (6-10) rank third in rushing, and while Marcus Mariota’s presence led to a run commitment, guard Chris Lindstrom’s Pro Bowl season warrants attention. Pro Football Focus has the fourth-year blocker miles ahead of every other guard this season. In what could be a forgotten season, the former first-rounder likely secured a massive payment to help shepherd Arthur Smith’s rebuild.

FALCONS GRADE: B-minus | NEXT: vs. Buccaneers (Sun.) 

The endless back-and-forth between the Cowboys and Odell Beckham Jr. became nauseating, and as of Monday, it looks like Dallas (12-4) will go into the playoffs with its current crew. That is not a bad thing. After T.Y. Hilton’s catch on third-and-30 led to the Eagles being denied the No. 1 seed, Dalton Schultz came through with a leaping touchdown catch to fend off a surprisingly frisky Titans team. Schultz flatlined during the Cooper Rush stretch but has scored five TDs since Dak Prescott returned. Schultz, Hilton, Tony Pollard, and Michael Gallup represent a fine CeeDee Lamb complementary cadre.

COWBOYS GRADE: B-minus | NEXT: at Commanders (Sun.)

Dobbs has migrated from Cleveland to Detroit to Nashville over the past six weeks, and a former fourth-round pick who had never started a game in six NFL seasons looks like he will get the call against the Jaguars. Despite being with the Titans for a week, the ex-Tennessee Volunteer showed his oft-mentioned brainpower by grasping the playbook to the point the Titans were moving the ball through the air despite a backup O-line playing. That has not happened under Malik Willis. Dobbs (17 regular-season pass attempts from 2017 until Thursday) would be one of the most unusual starters to get the call in a do-or-die game, but the Titans — attempting to go from 7-3 to 7-9 to the playoffs — look to be in better hands with him.

TITANS GRADE: C | NEXT: at Jaguars (Sat.)