Week 17 Reactions

A lot of travel and Dad time this week, so apologies for not having this out on Tuesday like usual. But here we are, our week 17 reactions!

A few teams officially punched their tickets to the big dance, while some others plot their best role as spoiler next Sunday. The final week of the 2023 regular season...

Let's not get too emotional just yet, we've got some good football to look back on:

Browns 37- Jets 20

-No Amari Cooper? No problem. Joe Flacco didn't need his top wideout to put up 34 points on the Jets defense in the first half. 19/29 for 309 and 3 touchdowns, plus a trademark pick six, almost all of which coming in the first two quarters on their way to building an insurmountable lead. He's got this Browns team looking dangerous

-David Njoku was playing like a man possessed, torching New York over the middle of the field at will, on his way to a team high 6 catches and 134 yards

-Jerome Ford was awesome too, averaging 5.3 yards per carry while finding paydirt on his 2 receptions, one of which coming from 50 yards out on a sick catch and run

-I'm out on Robert Saleh as a head coach. There's too much talent on this team for them to come out looking this flat, pathetic and unprepared. Dude's done nothing to deserve the vote of confidence that he'll be returning

-Another 9 receptions for Breece Hall. Dump Off King Trevor Siemian

-The Jets have missed the playoffs in 13 straight seasons now, the longest in any of the four main US sports. Maybe next year

Cowboys 20- Lions 19

-Absolutely egregious, inexcusable error by Brad Allen and company by incorrectly reporting an eligible receiver on Detroit's late two-point conversion attempt. They've been downgraded and will not referee any postseason games, but it cost Detroit today

-As bad as that was, Dan Campbell should've kicked the extra point instead of going for it for a third time. There were only 23 seconds left, have faith in your defense to keep Dallas out of field goal range

-Dak Prescott was tremendous throwing the ball, just so happening to coincide with his top receiver setting franchise records for receiving yards and receptions. CeeDee Lamb recorded 227 of Dak's 345 yards on 13 receptions, breaking Hall of Famer (and noted line chopper) Michael Irvin's season highs for each

-Brandin Cooks had a solid showing too, posting a 5/60/1 line

-Quiet evening from Jahmyr Gibbs, only managing 43 yards on 14 carries. His one reception didn't go anywhere either, really disappointing many a fantasy contender

-The fake punt on their own 28 down 7-3 was really ballsy by Campbell. Shame that the offense didn't finish that drive with points

-Amon Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta are going to be a really fun duo to watch over the next couple of years in the Motor City. Very good at football

Bills 27- Patriots 21

-New England wins this game with any semblance of competency from the quarterback position. 3 Bailey Zappe turnovers resulted in 17 Buffalo points

-Ezekiel Elliott's a better player than I gave him credit for at this point in his career, he's been a steady workhorse in Rhamondre Stevenson's absence the last month. Tony Pollard's fall off in Dallas seems to give the notion some additional support

-Jalen Reagor actually caught a 39 yard pass, for those wondering if he was still in the league

-Sketchy day by Josh Allen, reverting back to the version we were seeing during their losing streak. Only 50% with an interception and 2 fumbles, neither of which were lost. He also suffered a stinger, but isn't set to miss any time. Just another clunky day from the offense that was immensely fortunate for some short fields

-Nice bounce back from Dalton Kincaid after a couple of unproductive weeks, catching 4 balls for 87 yards. Stefon Diggs though, still MIA. 4 for 26 receiving; can't imagine he's a happy camper

Bears 37- Falcons 17

-Arthur Blank said Arthur Smith's job was safe as long as he didn't lose the locker room by season's end. Curious what that looks like to Blank, because this was a disaster on top of a bad month for Atlanta

-Taylor Heinicke barely completed a third of his passes, displaying very boldly why he's no more than a solid backup

-Credit to Bijan Robinson for how well he managed to move the ball on the ground with no pass support against this tough run D. 15 carries for 75 scoreless yards, good for 5 a tote

-Kyle Pitts: 1 catch for 8 yards. I didn't think he screamed generational talent coming out of the draft, but surely he's better than this, right? Is it the coaching? Effort? Not the start to his career that many were expecting

-Strong outing to file into the "Reasons to Roll with Justin Fields" folder. 268 passing on 62.5% completion percentage + 45 rushing and 2 total touchdowns. Chicago's offense was in a rhythm all day

-Another healthy scratch for D'Onta Foreman meant Khalil Herbert was going to eat. He gashed the Falcons for 124 and a score on 18 carries

-DJ Moore was awesome, posting a 9/159/1 line that was the toast of many fantasy managers. I wonder where Carolina has their most buyer's remorse: Bryce over CJ, not having this upcoming #1 pick or the departure of Moore. Tough trade that's seemingly getting worse with compound interest

Colts 23- Raiders 20

-Huge win for the Colts to stay in the wildcard hunt. They officially eliminated Las Vegas in the process

-They didn't connect for any big plays, but it was apparent that Gardner Minshew was happy to have Michael Pittman Jr. back in the mix. Indy's WR1 caught 5 balls for a modest 46 yards. No other pass catcher caught more than 2

-Jonathan Taylor's done a nice job asserting himself as a top back in the league, racking up 96 yards on 21 carries while scoring on the first drive of the game for the second straight week

-Props to Aidan O'Connell. The Colts' secondary is pretty average, but he made some big plays to keep the Raiders moving offensively. Would've been cool for the rookie to hit the 300 yard mark for the first time, falling just short at 299

-Davante Adams. Remember him? 13 receptions on 21 (twenty one) targets, plus 2 touchdowns. Dude caught one pass for 4 yards last week, so he had to remind the world what's up. Happy New Year

-Another productive performance from Zamir White, handling 20 carries and 5 receptions for 106 combined yards. He's certainly making a case for the Raiders to let Jacobs walk and promote him to lead dog next season

Rams 26- Giants 25

-The closer this game got to starting, the closer I thought it was going to be. Can't sleep on Tyrod Taylor, who played well overall. Can't tell you the last time I saw a Giants quarterback throw for over 300 yards (it was week 2, for those wondering)

-Unfortunately for the G-Men, Saquon Barkley was unable to get anything going on the ground, mustering just 39 yards on 12 carries

-Big play Darius Slay(ton) caught an 80-yard bomb from Tyrod in the third quarter that cut their deficit to just 3. It was the highlight of his 4/104/1 day. Wan'Dale Robinson also snagged 6 for 55 and Darren Waller was involved too, taking his 5 catches for 51 yards

-Matthew Stafford wasn't great, throwing his first two interceptions of the month-- quite possibly due to the franchise's social media post-- but they moved the ball more than enough to win

-Puka Nacua's so good...5 more catches for 118 yards. He's up to 1,445 for his rookie campaign, insane

-Kyren Williams too. 20 carries for 87 yards and 3 trips to the end zone; really need to credit Les Snead for churning out some 5th round gems

-Rams are officially going to the playoffs! Throw some love to Sean McVay too for another masterful coaching job

Cardinals 35- Eagles 31

-Sound the alarms in Philadelphia because holy shit, how did they lose this game? Despite leading 21-7 at the half and 31-28 with 2:33 left, the Eagles failed to shut the door on a 3 win team who'd travelled across the country for a meaningless game. Their 4th loss out of 5, this time at the hands of a masterful orchestration by Kyler Murray

-Serious, Murray went 25/31 for 232, 3 touchdowns and 1 pick. It was about as perfect a performance as one could ask for from an wide receiver room led by Greg Dortch

-No shade to Dortch though, man had himself a solid day, pacing the Cards' offense with 7 catches for 82 yards

-James Conner is a dog. 128 yards rushing and the game winning touchdown on his sole reception. I've said it before, I can only say it so many more times this season-- was wrong on him. Dog

-Philly had success running the ball, as many do against Arizona. Not sure why there wasn't a more deliberate effort to establish it. Swift was averaging 4.7 a pop in a game they led for majority of

-Jalen Hurts has looked really bad passing over the last month. Maybe it's a weakness that's starting to get exploited, an injury, or something in between. Regardless, he's thrown for just 202 yards per game over their last 4--- 3 of which they've dropped 

-Somehow Julio Jones caught 2 touchdowns, wrapping up 2023 right

Saints 23- Buccaneers 13

-What seemed like a layup turned into a complete lay down by Baker Mayfield and the Bucs. After 4 straight wins, it felt like there was no way the free falling New Orleans Saints could derail them. But Dennis Allen pulled one more top notch defensive game plan out of his ass to keep his squad in the playoff hunt. Gross

-Derek Carr didn't turn it over, which was good

-Jamaal Williams out touched Alvin Kamara 23-12, which maybe could be credited to their lead throughout. But not a trend they want to lean on

-Juwan Johnson! Welcome! The frustrating fantasy streamer more boosted his reception and yardage totals on the year by more than 30% with an 8/90/1 line. So much tease, one final delivery

-4 turnovers by the Bucs, somehow resulting in just 3 Saints points. No type of offensive rhythm though, much of which fell on Baker's shoulders

-Big coming to Earth game for Rachaad White, only mustering 42 yards on 11 carries while losing a fumble. Felt like he was due for a stinker 

-Despite the defeat, Tampa Bay is still in control of their playoff destiny. A win over the lowly Carolina Panthers next Sunday will win them the NFC South

49ers 27- Commanders 10

-For a minute there, the Commanders made the Niners lock back in after quickly evaporating a 10-0 deficit in the second quarter with a Joey Slye field goal and Terry McLaurin touchdown

-As you can see from the final score, that was the only stretch of success Washington would have. San Francisco locked in on both sides of the ball from there, intercepting Howell on consecutive drives while scoring 17 unanswered

-Brock Purdy was predictably surgical against the Commanders' sad excuses for cornerbacks

-Christian McCaffery suffered a calf injury in the third quarter that's already sidelined him for week 18. The Niners have a bye, so he wouldn't have been playing much if any regardless, but it's absolutely worth monitoring

-7 catches for 114 yards and a trip to the end zone for Brandon Aiyuk, not too shabby

Jaguars 26- Panthers 0

-CJ Beathard was more than adequate. That feels like a compliment

-Travis Etienne Jr. took capitalized against a really soft front, posting an impressive 16/102/2 line on the ground

-This pass catching core is sorely lacking in depth with the loss of Christian Kirk. Evan Engram and Calvin Ridley held it down, but there's not much help outside them

-David Tepper's a soft, sensitive man who has no business near the gridiron. Need to know where his suite is next time Carolina comes to Baltimore so I can snag tickets directly in front, get myself a wet payday

-The Panthers are horrible. 0-9 for the year in road games

Ravens 56- Dolphins 19

-Lamar Jackson: MVP. The media asked for more passing touchdowns, so he went and got you 5-- 2 more than his number of incompletions. It was his third perfect passer rating since entering the league, good to tie Tom Brady for the most all-time. Pretty esteemed company for a running back

-Ravens pass catchers torched the right side of the field all afternoon, highlighted by Zay Flowers 75-yard touchdown. Nice way to cap off a 3/106/1 outing

-Justice Hill had 48 rushing yards + 64 receiving, showing a ton of explosiveness out of the backfield. It wasn't quite Keaton Mitchell caliber, but it was a nice sight for a team in need of some burst 

-Roquan Smith's one-handed interception was immaculate. Baited Tua into thinking he left the area, zips back in front of the quick slant. YOINK! Sick play

-Unbelievable the amount of bitching from Dolphins fans and media online after this dismantling. The team that beat Denver 70-20 crying about getting their faces rubbed in the dirt with the #1 seed on the line. Play better

-In a game that seemed like it was going to go point for point, Tyreek Hill's bobble in the back of the end zone that resulted in a Miami field goal felt like a clear turning point

-Devon Achane ran the ball really well against Baltimore's front seven. He's a fantastic talent, but that's an area they'll need to clean up in the postseason

-No idea what Mike McDaniel was doing putting Bradley Chubb and other key guys on the field down 49-19 late in the 4th quarter. Devastating blow to their defense, as the former #1 pick suffered an ACL tear on the penultimate drive of the game

-Just wanted to emphasize yet again how much of an ass kicking this was. Some sore tail fins right now down in South Beach

Texans 26- Titans 3

-The Will Levis-CJ Stroud showdown was cut short after Levis injured his foot early on, subjecting us all to more Ryan Tannehill...

-Tennessee couldn't run the ball at all, mustering just 2.5 yards per carry on 21 attempts. Never a good trend for this offense

-Deandre Hopkins giving some lessons to Derek Stingley Jr., catching all 7 targets for 72 yards. Old man's still got something in the tank

-Nice showing by Stroud in his return from a concussion, coasting after building a big half time lead

-Officially, and deservedly, Devin Singletary's backfield. The clear backup entering the season out carried Dameon Pierce 16-8 and out gained him 80-16. Huge fall off by the second year guy Pierce, who looked so good during his rookie campaign

-2 sacks for Will Anderson + 1.5 from Eagles' cast off Derek Barnett. If those two can ramp things up this January, Houston's defense will be more dangerous for it

Steelers 30- Seahawks 23

-Mike Tomlin does it again, yet another season over .500. 17 straight now. Insane

-Mason Rudolph's helped orchestrate back to back games with over 400 yards of offense and 30 points. Have to go back to Big Ben to see numbers like that

-Najee Harris torched a bad Seahawks run D, scoring on 2 of his 27 carries, racking up 122 rushing by the end of things. Jaylen Warren also ran for 75 yards on 13 totes

-Maybe George Pickens is a really, really good receiver and the Pittsburgh offense was stupid not to go through him for most of the last two years? 7 more receptions for 131 yards, putting that chemistry with Rudolph on display

-Bad loss by Seattle here. At home, as healthy as you could ask to be, and just got ragdolled by the Steelers for majority of the game

-Absolutely classic Geno Smith: down by 7 with a little over six minutes left on the clock, drops back, sack and a fumble. The turnover set up an easy Chris Boswell field goal which effectively ended things

-It'd be cool to see DK Metcalf have a better quarterback. Man balls out as it is with Geno and Drew Lock in there

Broncos 16- Chargers 9

-This was a football game featuring Jarrett Stidham and Easton Stick at quarterback

-The Broncos won, somebody was bound to

-Lil'Jordan Humphrey may have the best name in the NFL

-Austin Ekeler's ride with the Chargers is probably over after next week. Send the man out with a salute, having worked from an undrafted free agent to a Pro-Bowler

Chiefs 25- Bengals 17

-Not a particularly inspiring win from Kansas City. It's hard to say if they were playing safe or if they're simply not great, but nobody expected 6 field goals to be the reason they won

-Isiah Pacheco was awesome, blasting the Bengals' front seven for 130 yards on just 18 carries. He also found his way to the end zone on an 8-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes, one of his 7 receptions

-Another strong showing by rookie Rashee Rice, catching 5 passes for 127. Can't imagine how rough this offense would be without his emergence

-Travis Kelce's decline is a huge part of that. 3 catches for 16 yards against a defense that had allowed more receptions and yards to tight ends than any other in the league. No bueno

-No turnovers for Jake Browning, which I suppose is a good thing

-Strange that Chase Brown hasn't been more involved since his mini breakout a few weeks ago, only receiving 5 touches for 28 total yards. Joe Mixon was far less efficient

-Love to hear Ja'Marr Chase still talking shit, despite the loss. Long offseason bud, get comfortable

Packers 33- Vikings 10

-Poor Kevin O'Connell, looking anywhere for a spark to keep Minnesota in the playoff chase. It was not Jaren Hall, adamantly. The rookie was benched after going 5/10 for 67 yards with an interception and lost fumble in the first half, clearly not cut for the moment

-Ty Chandler ran well, despite Green Bay not respecting the pass at all. He averaged 4 yards a pop, out touching Alexander Mattison 13 to 5

-Shoutout KJ Osborn. I needed him to get under 1.4 fantasy points in a full PPR league, and he delivered by not even making a box score appearance. One of the most clutch titles I'll ever take

-It's felt really up and down for Jordan Love, but he's had an awesome first season as a starter overall. Sunday night was another prime outing for him, going 24/33 passing for 256 and 3 touchdowns, plus 1 with his legs

-Aaron Jones killed it, taking his 20 carries for 120 yards. AJ Dillon and Patrick Taylor paled in comparison

-Bo Melton, Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft each racked up 6 catches from Love, with Reed taking 2 to the end zone. Imagine what this offense could look like with some actual names at receiver?

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@Choppinglines

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