NFL Week 17 Takeaways
1. The Packers ineptitude with Aaron Rodgers sidelined is eye-opening. Green Bay has been without Aaron Rodgers for seven of their past eight games and in those games they have not even been competitive. On Saturday night, the Pack were shutout by the Vikings. Now I know that Minnesota has one of the NFL’s premier defenses, but for an offense to go from one of the most dangerous to literally the worst as Green Bay has speaks to not only Rodger’s greatness, but Mike McCarthy’s reliance on A-Rod to make plays as opposed to actually devising a credible scheme.
2. Matthew Stafford is too talented to miss the postseason yet again. After losing to the lousy Bengals, Detroit’s star quarterback will be watching football from his couch come January. Stafford can make all of the throws, but for some reason his teams always seem to underachieve. It’s very possible that the Lions enter the 2018 season with a new head coach as a result.
3. Todd Gurley is making a case for league MVP. The past few weeks as I have posited Russell Wilson and Tom Brady and Antonio Brown as potential victors of the award, but with the Seahawks falling off a cliff, Brady throwing an interception in each of his last five games, and Brown’s injury, it appears as though Gurley is in the driver’s seat. Last week he scored four touchdowns and this week he tallied 118 yards rushing, 158 yards receiving and two scores. The Rams are a threat to win the Super Bowl and for that Gurley is worthy of the MVP.
4. The Falcons, yet again, put forth an abysmal performance. There is no other way to say it: Atlanta got manhandled by the Saints. They only fell by 10 points, but the game was not even competitive. The Saints offense moved down the field at will and the Falcons offense was stifled by New Orleans defense. It is stunning how poorly Matt Ryan and the Falcons offensive unit has played this year given that they represented the AFC in the Super Bowl last season.
5. If the Chargers can squeak into the postseason, watch out! I have been saying this for weeks. Since falling to 0-4, Phillip Rivers and company are 9-3 and are playing hard-nosed football. They currently sit on the outside looking in on the playoffs, but with some help next week they can find their way in. If they do, with their offensive firepower and pass rush, Los Angeles could pose serious issues for the AFC’s elite.
6. What will the Browns do with the first overall pick? We now know that Cleveland will select first for the second year in a row. Will they pick a quarterback? I would, but on the flip side if I were Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen I would be hesitant to declare if I felt as though I could possibly end up in the NFL doldrums. Might we see and Eli Manning draft situation? I wouldn’t rule it out.
7. The Panthers survive. The Buccaneers dominated Cam Newton and company for the majority of Sunday’s contest, but in the final minute the Panthers punched the ball into the end zone to claim their eleventh win of the season. If Carolina can manage to beat Atlanta on Sunday and get some help, they could find themselves with not only a home playoff game, but also a first-round bye.
8. Jimmy Garappolo has given the 49ers hope. In their last four games, San Francisco is 4-0 with wins over both the Titans and the Jaguars, both likely playoff teams. How the 49ers only had to give up a second-round pick for Jimmy GQ I will never fully comprehend, but with him under center I would not be shocked to see the 49ers in the playoffs next season.
9. The Seahawks put the Cowboys out of their misery. Dallas had been lurking for quite some time and on Sunday afternoon, the Seahawks dismantled the Cowboys in Jerry’s World. Now, Seattle will need help from Atlanta to make the playoffs, but their win over the Cowboys was a step in the right direction.
10. The Steelers clinched a must needed first-round bye. With Antonio Brown sidelined with a calf injury, Pittsburgh needs as much time to heal up as possible. By beating the Texans, or should I say demolishing the Texans, Mike Tomlin’s squad secured themselves the all-important first round bye in the AFC playoffs.
