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| Browns players celebrate big win to make the NFL playoffs. |
The playoffs are set and will begin next weekend with six wild card games and just one team from each conference getting the bye week. The Kansas City Chiefs (14-2) finished with the best record in the league and will be looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions as the top seed in the AFC. The Green Bay Packers finished 13-3 and will have the bye as well as the top team in the NFC.
As for the action in Week 17 around the NFL, the Cleveland Browns (11-5) defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-22 to clinch a playoff spot in the AFC for the first time since the 2002 season. Browns running back Nick Chubb rushed for 108 yards and scored a touchdown and quarterback Baker Mayfield had a touchdown pass to help build a 24-9 lead before the Steelers made it close in the final quarter as backup QB Mason Rudolph threw for two touchdowns. The Browns were able to prevent a two-point conversion try by the Steelers (12-4) with 1:23 remaining that would have tied the game. The Steelers will host the Browns next Sunday night in the Super Wild Card playoff round.
The Washington Football Team (7-9) wrapped up the NFC East division and final NFC playoff spot with a 20-14 road win against the Philadelphia Eagles (4-11-1) on Sunday Night Football as their defense limited the Eagles to just 218 yards in total offense, including three turnovers. Washington led 17-14 at the half thanks to a pair of scoring passes by QB Alex Smith, who was also intercepted twice in the game. The Eagles sat starting QB Jalen Hurts, who rushed for two touchdowns, in the fourth quarter and Washington took advantage by getting a fumble recovery and an interception against reserve QB Nate Sudfeld to pace the win. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to Washington next Saturday night for the wild card game.
The Los Angeles Rams (10-6) beat the Arizona Cardinals, 18-7 to clinch a wild card playoff spot in the NFC and that eliminated the Cards (8-8) from making the playoffs. Behind strong defense that held Arizona to 214 yards in total offense, the Rams had three field goals and an 84-yard interception return for a touchdown by Troy Hill and a safety that made the difference. The Rams will travel to play the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round next Saturday.
The Green Bay Packers clinched home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a 35-16 road win at Chicago as QB Aaron Rodgers had four TD passes on 19-of-24 passing and solid defense that held the Bears (8-8) to three field goals in five trips into the red zone before Green Bay pulled away in the final quarter. The Bears still made the playoffs as a wild card because the Arizona Cardinals lost their game to the Los Angeles Rams and next they will play at the New Orleans Saints next Sunday afternoon.
Both the Tennessee Titans (11-5) and Indianapolis Colts (11-5) wrapped up AFC playoff spots as they took care of business. The Titans won a road thriller against the Houston Texans, 41-38 as kicker Sam Sloman made a 37-yard field goal at the buzzer to give them the AFC South division title. Tennessee running back Derrick Henry rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns and also became the eighth running back in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards rushing in a season. Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had a pair of rushing scores and one TD pass to help the cause. Texans QB Deshaun Watson had 365 passing yards and three TD passes in the loss. Tennessee will host the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday in the wild card round.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts earned a wild card spot as well with a 28-14 home victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-15) as rookie running back Jonathan Taylor went off for 253 yards and scored twice on the ground, including a 45-yard TD run that put the game away with 3:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Colts win, coupled with the Miami Dolphins loss in Buffalo, gave the Colts a wild card spot and a match on the road against the Buffalo Bills next Saturday.
The Baltimore Ravens (11-5) won their fifth consecutive game and wrapped up a playoff spot with a 38-3 trouncing of the host Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1) behind a record setting 404 rushing yards in the game, including 160 yards (on 13 carries) from rookie running back J.K. Dobbins, which included his two TD runs, one of which was a 72-yard romp. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson threw for three touchdowns and had 97 rushing yards which made him the first ever NFL quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in two different seasons. Baltimore's defense held the Bengals to just 195 yards in total offense along with two interceptions and allowing just ten first downs.
The Buffalo Bills finished the season with a 13-3 record as they routed the visiting Miami Dolphins, 56-26 behind three TD passes from QB Josh Allen in the first half along with an 84-yard punt return for touchdown by Isaiah McKenzie (pictured right), who also had two TD receptions in the first half. The
Elsewhere Around the NFL . . . . . . .
The New Orleans Saints (12-4) finished off the regular season on a high note in a 33-7 pasting of the host Carolina Panthers as QB Drew Brees threw for three scores and the defense intercepted five passes against the Panthers (5-11). New Orleans plays against the Chicago Bears in the wild card round next Sunday . . . The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) crushed the Atlanta Falcons, 44-27 behind a big game from QB Tom Brady, who threw for 399 yards and four TD passes while wide receivers Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin each caught two TD passes and topped 100 receiving yards in the game . . . The Los Angeles Chargers (7-9) finished the season on a four-game win streak as they routed the host Kansas City Chiefs, 38-21 with QB Justin Herbert passing for three scores and running for another. Herbert set the NFL record for TD passes in a season by a rookie quarterback, finishing the year with 31 to break Baker Mayfield's record. Kansas City (14-2) rested many starting players, including QB Patrick Mahomes, as they had already clinched the NFL's best record last week . . . The Seattle Seahawks (12-4) battled back from a ten-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 26-23 against the San Francisco 49ers (6-10) as QB Russell Wilson had two TD passes. The Seahawks will host the Los Angeles Rams next Saturday in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs . . . The Las Vegas Raiders (8-8) survived a 32-31 road win against the Denver Broncos (5-11) as they blocked a last second 63-yard field goal attempt. Raiders RB Josh Jacobs had two rushing scores and QB Derek Carr threw for a pair of scores to offset two TD passes from Broncos QB Drew Lock. The Raiders took a risk but it paid off when Carr passed to tight end Darren Waller (nine receptions for 117 yards) for the two-point conversion with just 24 seconds left in the game . . . New England (7-9) finished with their first losing record since the 2000 season as they toppled the visiting New York Jets, 28-14 behind three TD passes from QB Cam Newton, who also caught a touchdown pass in the win. The Jets (2-14) fired Head Coach Adam Gase following the season finale . . . The Minnesota Vikings (7-9) won a shootout, 37-35 against the host Detroit Lions (5-11) as QB Kirk Cousins had three TD passes and also a scoring run while Lions QB Matthew Stafford had three TD passes in defeat . . . The New York Giants (6-10) won at home, 23-19 against the Dallas Cowboys (6-10) then had to sit and watch as their playoff hopes were dashed on Sunday night when Washington defeated the Philadelphia Eagles. Giants QB Daniel Jones had two scoring passes and Sterling Shepard hauled in one of them along with a 23-yard rushing touchdown to pace the win. Cowboys QB Andy Dalton was sacked six times and threw an interception in the final minute into the Giants end zone.
Note - So far, three NFL head coaches were fired as Adam Gase (N.Y. Jets), Anthony Lynn (L.A. Chargers) and Doug Marrone (Jacksonville) lost their jobs.
Week Seventeen Results
Cleveland 24, Pittsburgh 22
Baltimore 38, Cincinnati 3
N.Y. Giants 23, Dallas 19
New England 28, N.Y. Jets 14
Buffalo 56, Miami 26
Tampa Bay 44, Atlanta 27
Minnesota 37, Detroit 35
Green Bay 35, Chicago 16
L.A. Rams 18, Arizona 7
L.A. Chargers 38, Kansas City 21
New Orleans 33, Carolina 7
Tennessee 41, Houston 38
Indianapolis 28, Jacksonville 14
Seattle 26, San Francisco 23
Las Vegas 32, Denver 31
Washington 20, Philadelphia 14
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