Week 17 of the NFL has cleared up most of the playoffs, but not all of the loose ends have been resolved.
One theme in the NFC South, where the Carolina Panthers’ improbable run has come to an end, has to do with the way Tom Brady has defended his favorite target, Mike Evans. Tampa Bay now wins the NFC South.
Elsewhere in the conference, the Green Bay Packers (with a loss to the Washington Commanders) control their fate for the NFC’s last remaining playoff spot. But this team is much more than quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In the AFC, the Miami Dolphins continue their free fall and the New England Patriots climb into the last open wild card spot … for now.
Here are the winners and losers for the final week of the 2022 NFL season.
Follow each game: Latest NFL scores and schedules
THE WINNERS
Kenny Pickett has grown up
Facing a defense that hadn’t allowed a touchdown at home in the previous 15 seasons, Steelers rookie Kenny Pickett had a couple of big throws and a four-point deficit that needed a touchdown to keep going.
Pickett (15-of-27 for 168 yards with one touchdown) didn’t put up huge numbers, but he played reasonably well. Although it was a game winning streak, that’s when he shined. On the series, Pickett was 5-of-6 for 62 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run to Naji Harris, who picked up a pass on offense. He also converted two rushing first down conversions on a third straight quarterback sneak pass. Now, more importantly for the Steelers (8-8), their playoff hopes stayed alive with the win. Pittsburgh needs to beat the Browns next week, and both the Patriots and Dolphins need to drop games.
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Despite missing the playoffs, the Lions are on the rise
The Lions have won seven of their last nine games to make the postseason. Detroit (8-8) needs a win over the Packers (8-8) in Week 18, but the Seahawks (8-8) will need a loss against the Rams (5-11). Frankly, it’s unlikely that this will all happen, but this season has been a great success for Dan Campbell and the Lions.
There are still some issues to address on the defensive end, but Detroit has added speed to its lineup, which also has star rookie Jameson Williams still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the national championship game. Jared Goff is passing the Detroit game with absolute precision. The offensive line was steady. Detroit is also the best team in the NFL with just 15 turnovers. Those are all things this young team can take into next season and beyond.
Packers are dangerous for many reasons
Green Bay got a huge break when the Vikings had some unsteady luck and the Browns knocked off the Commanders, but the Packers (8-8) will enter next week’s finale against the Lions (8-8) in a win-win scenario. Aaron Rodgers isn’t the only one making Green Bay tough all of a sudden.
To be specific, Rodgers was efficient, completing 15-of-24 passes for 159 yards with two touchdowns. But Green Bay’s defense and special teams set the tone with the first two touchdowns of the game: a 105-yard kickoff return by Keysian Nixon and a 75-yard 6 by quarterback Darnell Savage. Green Bay is allowing just 17 points per game during its four-game winning streak. Sure, they haven’t played the toughest opponents and have faced some injury-plagued teams, but the Packers have limited opponents to 41.5% third down conversions and 44.4% conversions in the red zone. They have also been replaced 12 times in that time.
The case of Jarrett Stidham
Let’s get the brutal overtime hit out of the way: Stidham shouldn’t have been pressured and will have to learn from a play like this if he’s going to be a reliable NFL quarterback.
Still, making his first career start for the Raiders (6-10), Stidham showed he can fly as Las Vegas decides what to do with its quarterbacks next season depending on the price. Stidham (23-of-34 for 365 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions) is 26 and has carved out one of the NFL’s best defenses. Josh McDaniels was New England’s offensive coordinator when the Patriots drafted Stidham in 2019. Given his familiarity with Stidham, McDaniels makes sense as the coach who can get the most out of him, and Stidham as the bridge player for a team looking for a new starting quarterback for the first time since 2014. out of season.
THE WINNERS
The incredible unconsciousness of Ron Rivera
The Comandra coach had an otherwise solid season, leading a roster lacking in playoff contention. However, week 17 was a disaster. Rivera started Carson Wentz at quarterback, as Wentz had a solid one-and-one performance the previous week after taking down Taylor Heinicke.
Washington’s offense recently stalled, but Heinicke’s play wasn’t the only reason. The Commanders (7-8-1) were sloppy on the penalty kill, the fast-paced game disappeared at times, and a defense that forced turnovers suddenly stopped putting the offense in favorable positions. So instead of riding the momentum Heinicke had built, Rivera turned to Wentz on the must-play. success success Exploding in important late-season games. Rivera’s short leash on Wentz (16-for-28, 143 yards, 0 touchdowns, three interceptions) is awful. He certainly didn’t know Washington would be eliminated from playoff contention.
The Colts’ slump has Irsay’s fingerprints all over it
Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday is in the victory lap after picking up his first win in Week 10. Since then, Indianapolis has been in free fall. According to multiple reports, Irsay was the push to start Matt Ryan at quarterback in October when Frank Reich was head coach.
Irsay is now presiding over a series of moves that have done nothing but create massive volatility. Irsay sacked Reich after the Indianapolis offense was ineffective. The Colts (4-11-1) have been outscored 97-16 in the last 10 innings. The Giants haven’t beaten anyone by more than eight points this season; They cut Indy by 28. The offensive line, a position that played Saturday and was expected to improve, continues to slide into one of the most frustrating parts of the NFL. The roster is flawed, the Colts are without a quarterback, and if anyone is to blame, it’s the owner.
Carolina makes a terrible decision not once, not twice …
The Panthers led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter. If they had won, they would have gone into the season finale where they could not have won and won the NFC South championship. Instead, the Panthers (6-10) were shut out in a loss to the Buccaneers, which was burned before the game because they committed (twice) a turnover.
After Panthers receiver Shea Smith caught a 19-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, Carolina played Bucs receiver Mike Evans on a one-on-one play without safety help, and the Bucks picked up consecutive Tampa drives of 57 and 30 yards. they lead by never giving up. After Evans had a 63-yard score late in the second quarter, it came after Carolina played him one-on-one, the highlight of which was a defensive miscue. Steve Wilkes was the interim coach, but it wasn’t his best moment.
Dolphins in Free Fall
The Dolphins were 8-3 at the end of Week 12. Their guard Tua Tagovailoa was entering the MVP conversation. They were buyers at the trade deadline and a playoff spot was in sight. Since then, Miami (8-8) has lost five straight. They need help preparing for the postseason. Tagovailoa has been dealing with health issues and a concussion and has not answered the team’s long-running quarterback questions.
All but one loss to Miami in the eliminations shows how close the Dolphins were to an alternate reality and how costly their losses have been. Miami stopped rushing in crunch time. It is often recklessly punished in high-stakes situations. Plaque’s Jason Saunders was completely hopeless at 40 yards. The Dolphins turned the ball over 10 times during their losing streak. They are battling injuries. They have no one to blame but themselves.
