A critical Week 17 got started with a pair of games on Christmas Day, as the Kansas City Chiefs took down the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens won at the Houston Texans to alter the complexion of the AFC North race. On Dec. 26, the Seattle Seahawks moved road teams to 3-0 on the week by taking down the Chicago Bears, keeping Seattle in play for the NFC West title and a playoff berth.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
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KC-PIT | BAL-HOU | SEA-CHI
Seahawks
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 will have to win next week in Los Angeles to have any shot at claiming the NFC West, and their dud of an offensive performance Thursday night doesn’t inspire much confidence that they will. Granted, the circumstances weren’t ideal, with a long flight and a holiday condensing an already short week. Rainy conditions didn’t help either. But Geno Smith and Co. will have to be much better next week if they want to beat the Rams — and they likely need Los Angeles to lose Saturday to Arizona 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 drop Caleb Williams seven times. Leonard Williams and Devon Witherspoon each had three tackles for loss in addition to a sack, and Riq Woolen — who was benched for the opening drive last week after an unspecified violation of team rules — sealed the win by intercepting Williams’ desperation heave.
Early prediction for next week: Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will have a better plan for pushing the ball downfield. Smith’s 3.1 air yards per attempt were his fewest of the season by a half a yard and less than half of his 7.0 average from 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 game: at Rams (Jan. 4 or 5, TBD)
Bears
What sparked Chicago’s worst offensive performance of the season? Caleb Williams and the Bears offense was, in a word, awful. Williams averaged 1.3 air yards per completion, which was his lowest mark of the season, and completed just one pass throw 10 or more yards downfield. This performance looked as bad as Chicago’s last 3-point output against the Patriots and featured seven drives that ended in punts. There were so many frustrating moments, from another scoreless first quarter to Chicago’s clock management on the final drive where it had a chance to get into field goal range to send the game to overtime.
Describe the game in two words: Hard watch. Chicago’s defense put its best foot forward in holding the Seahawks to six points, but the Bears offense failed to wake up and match that effort. The Bears tacked on their 10 straight loss, which is tied for the longest streak in a season in franchise history (2022).
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 at fault for holding onto the ball too long in moments, but the porous pass protection against the Seahawks blitz stood no chance. Williams was sacked seven times, bringing his season total to 67. — Courtney Cronin
Next game: at Packers (Jan. 4 or 5, TBD)
Ravens
What does this Ravens’ win mean for the AFC North? The Ravens are now one win away from repeating as AFC North champions. Baltimore holds a one-game lead over the Steelers, who lost to the Chiefs on Wednesday. The Ravens end the regular season at home against the last-place Cleveland Browns next week. With Lamar Jackson putting together another NFL MVP season and a defense that has dominated recently, the Ravens not only look like the team to beat in the division but look like a major force in the AFC playoffs.
Describe the game in two words: Total domination. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry combined for 234 yards rushing, 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 out-gained Houston, 432-210, which the Ravens’ second-largest margin in total yards over the last four seasons. The two points allowed are the fewest by any team on Christmas since Dallas went scoreless in 2000 in a Titans’ 31-0 victory.
Eye-popping stat: Jackson reached a maximum speed of 21.25 miles per hour 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 is the second-fastest max speed by a quarterback this season, ranking only behind Arizona’s Kyler Murray (21.27 mph). — Jamison Hensley
Next game: vs. Browns (Jan. 4 or 5, TBD)
Texans
Can this Houston team win in the playoffs? Because the Texans won the AFC South they’ll host a playoff game. But as of right now, Houston doesn’t look primed to make a playoff run. Against winning teams, the Texans are 1-5, and losing to the Ravens in the fashion that they did gives little indication they can compete with the best of the best.
Most surprising performance: The defensive line. The Texans only sacked quarterback Lamar Jackson 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: Texans starters only play a quarter against the Tennessee Titans. Houston is locked into the No. 4 seed, so there’s little incentive for them to play starters for long in Week 18. Risking important players getting hurt isn’t worth it, especially when safety Jimmie Ward, nickel Jalen Pitre, Diggs and Dell are already out for the season. — DJ Bien-Aime
Next game: at Titans (Jan. 4 or 5, TBD)
Chiefs
As the AFC’s top seed, should the Chiefs sit key players next week? Definitely. That’s particularly true for players with injuries, like Parick Mahomes and Chris Jones. The Chiefs should expand the list of resting players as much as possible to include Xavier Worthy and others. These players will have an extended break because the Chiefs will also get a first-round playoff bye, but Andy Reid will need to find a way to keep them sharp.
What we learned about the QB today: It’s been a long wait but Patrick Mahomes can still complete the long ball. Mahomes’ 49-yard pass to Justin Watson in the first quarter traveled 40 yards in the air, making it his second longest such pass of the season. His TD to Xavier Worthy in Week 4 against the Chargers went 54 yards in the air.
Most surprising performance: Mike Danna took advantage of expanded playing time in the absence of Chris Jones to have a big pass rushing game. Danna, who entered the game with 1.5 sacks this season, had two more against Russell Wilson. The Chiefs sacked Wilson five times. — Adam Teicher
Next game: at Broncos (Jan. 4 or 5, TBD)
Steelers
Are the Steelers capable of making noise in the postseason? Despite three consecutive losses, the Steelers are still postseason-bound. But the struggles that have plagued this team during this stretch have all but erased any possibility of them being a contender. The once-stout defense isn’t creating the takeaways or getting off the field, and Russell Wilson is playing more like the Wilson that 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: Revealing loss. With a boost from the return of several key players, the Steelers had a chance to right the ship — or at least start turning it around — against a tough team playing without its best defender in Chris Jones. Instead, they took on more water in a blowout loss and don’t appear to be a team capable of making noise in the playoffs.
What we learned about the QB today: The clock might be close to striking midnight. Wilson held on to 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 miscues, Wilson still showed flashes of brilliance — it was just too inconsistent to make up the difference. — Brooke Pryor
Next game: vs. Bengals (Jan. 4 or 5, TBD)
