The Good, Bad and Ugly, NFL Week 17: Patriots Pummel Jets While Steelers Falter

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Good: Eagles’ defense is rounding into form at the right time
Bad: The Raiders are tanking, but that’s about it
Good: Patriots, Drake Maye look ready for the big games
Bad: Everything we saw from the Steelers’ offense in Cleveland
Ugly: The Buccaneers might make the playoffs, but change is needed
Good: Texans’ defense is good enough to win by itself
Bad: The Chargers never fail to beat themselves in huge spots
Ugly: Everything about Green Bay’s defense Saturday night
Good: Travis Kelce doesn’t go out in an embarrassment at Arrowhead
Bad: Bo Nix needs to be better on a consistent basis
Ugly: The Christmas slate of games
Good: Vikings still battling despite latest QB injury
Bad: Lions need to figure out what went wrong offensively
Ugly: Detroit has plenty of questions after disappointing season
Good: Cowboys’ offense provides holiday cheer amid lost season
Bad: Cowboys let Commanders hang around with 72-yard TD run
Ugly: Washington will have a tough time fixing its defense

The NFL playoff picture isn’t fully formed, but it’s close.

Going into Week 18, there are going to be two massive contests to determine a pair of division winners and No. 4 seeds in each conference.

In Pittsburgh, the Steelers and Ravens will square off with the winner capturing the AFC North, while the loser will be out of playoff contention. The same is true for the Buccaneers and Panthers, who will face off in Tampa for the NFC South crown.

But before we get there, a critical game will be played on Sunday Night Football between the 49ers and the visiting Bears. If San Francisco wins, the 49ers will host the Seahawks in Week 18 with the NFC West and home-field advantage on the line.

Let’s assess all of the action, starting with Sunday’s nail-biter between the Eagles and Bills in Buffalo.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter — Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter sacks Bills quarterback Josh Allen during Philadelphia's win over Buffalo on Sunday. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Good: Eagles’ defense is rounding into form at the right time

Forget about Eagles OC Kevin Patullo for a moment. Let’s focus on Philly’s defense.

Philadelphia beat the Bills on Sunday in rainy Orchard Park, winning 13–12 behind a defensive effort worthy of contender status. The Eagles shut out Josh Allen & Co. for the first three quarters before finally allowing 12 points in the final frame, worn down after the offense managed a measly 17 second-half yards.

All told, coordinator Vic Fangio put on a master class. The Bills were held to 4.5 yards per play and went 6-of-15 on third down while James Cook, the league’s leading rusher entering the game, was limited to 74 yards on 20 carries. As for Allen, the Eagles harassed him throughout, totaling five sacks and a lost fumble.

To win the Super Bowl, the Eagles need so much more from their offense. Patullo can’t sit on a two-score lead against a good team. Jalen Hurts can’t go 13-of-27 for 110 yards passing. Saquon Barkley can’t rush for 3.6 yards per carry. None of that works.

But if there’s a reason to hope for back-to-back titles in Philadelphia, it’s because the defense is playing at an elite level, having not allowed more than 24 points since Week 6.

Bad: The Raiders are tanking, but that’s about it

Nobody in Las Vegas should be upset that the Raiders lost to the Giants. However, Raiders’ fans should be dismayed by the team’s actions this week, highlighted by shutting down star edge rusher Maxx Crosby despite his protests, leading him to angrily leave the team facility.

On Sunday, Las Vegas put itself in a prime position for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft with a 34–10 loss to the Giants. If the Raiders lose next weekend at home to the listless Chiefs, they will ensure picking first, perhaps the only good news in what would be a 2–15 season.

So where does the franchise go from here? Crosby is annoyed with the team, the offense has tight end Brock Bowers and seemingly nobody else of note, and the defense, if Crosby is dealt this offseason, doesn’t have a single impact player to build around.

All of this brings up the team’s long-term plan. Does it make sense to have Pete Carroll, who will turn 75 years old next September, continue as head coach for what is a multi-year rebuild, if not longer?

Those questions are going to be answered in time, but there’s very little to be happy about for Raider Nation outside of a draft pick four months from now.

Good: Patriots, Drake Maye look ready for the big games

On a day when teams needing wins either lost or were very shaky, New England showed why it might be ready for the postseason.

The Patriots went to MetLife Stadium and pounded the lifeless Jets, winning 42–10 behind Drake Maye throwing five touchdowns while completing 19-of-21 passes for 256 yards. New England also ran for 155 yards on 4.3 yards per carry, showcasing a balanced attack under coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Yes, New York is awful and playing for nothing. But the same is true of the Browns, who upended the Steelers. The same is true of the Dolphins, who took down the Buccaneers. Instead of falling asleep after an emotional, comeback win over the Ravens in Week 16, the Patriots met the moment and crushed an underwhelming opponent.

With one more win (or a Buffalo loss), the Patriots will win the AFC East for the first time since 2019, when Tom Brady and Bill Belichick lorded over Foxborough. Provided the Broncos beat an uninspired Chargers team in Week 18, New England would earn the No. 2 seed and would be home through at least the divisional round.

The Patriots may not be loaded with stars, but they have a superstar quarterback in Maye and, in Mike Vrabel, one of the league’s top coaches. Doubt them at your own peril.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 168 yards in Pittsburgh's loss to Cleveland on Sunday. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Bad: Everything we saw from the Steelers’ offense in Cleveland

Pittsburgh should be embarrassed. With a chance to win the AFC North and rest in Week 18, the Steelers lost 13–6 to the Browns to force a winner-take-all matchup next Sunday against the Ravens at Acrisure Stadium.

Scoring six points in such a critical game should be surprising, but it’s not. Without the suspended DK Metcalf, the Steelers have no pass-catching talent to speak of on the outside. Facing Cleveland and some foul weather, Aaron Rodgers completed 21-of-39 passes for 168 yards. His receivers combined for eight catches and 60 yards. Only Scotty Miller began the season with the team.

Pittsburgh has been a slog offensively for years. This year, the Steelers entered Sunday ranked 27th in yardage. They haven’t ranked in the top 20 since 2018, when Ben Roethlisberger led the NFL with 5,129 passing yards. Coach Mike Tomlin is often lauded for never having a losing record, but he’s been just as consistent at fielding awful offenses.

Even if Pittsburgh beats Baltimore to sweep the season series and win the AFC North, it won’t go far.

Ugly: The Buccaneers might make the playoffs, but change is needed

Remember when Tampa Bay was 3–0, and there was an early-season discussion about Baker Mayfield being the MVP? It feels like a lifetime ago.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers fell apart on Sunday, losing to the Quinn Ewers–led Dolphins, 20–17. Mayfield threw two interceptions while the rushing attack was nonexistent, gaining 53 yards on 3.3 yards per carry. Tampa Bay is now riding a four-game losing streak after dropping games to the Saints, Falcons, Panthers and Dolphins, none of which have a winning record.

It begs the question: Why bring back coach Todd Bowles? Bowles has been there since 2022, and while the Buccaneers would be four-time division champs under him with a win next Sunday against Carolina, there’s been no progress. Bowles has overseen one playoff win and double-digit wins once.

There’s also an open question about Mayfield. After starting hot, Mayfield has thrown for 7.0 yards per attempt or more only twice over the past 10 games. Mayfield is signed through next season, but any talk of an extension should be tabled.

The Buccaneers may still stumble into the playoffs, but come the offseason, they should pursue wholesale changes.

Good: Texans’ defense is good enough to win by itself

On the first two drives of Houston’s 20–16 win over the Chargers, the offense racked up 176 yards. After that? The Texans had two interceptions, two field goals, five punts and 186 total yards.

No matter. Houston won anyway on the back of the league’s top-ranked defense, which did everything it needed to throughout the contest. Playing against a Chargers offensive line without stud tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, the Texans feasted with five sacks and eight quarterback hits. They also intercepted Justin Herbert at the goal line in the second quarter, with Herbert’s pass bouncing off rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II’s hands and into the waiting arms of linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

All told, Houston hurried and harassed Herbert throughout while holding star slot receiver Ladd McConkey to one catch and rookie first-round running back Omarion Hampton to 29 rushing yards on 14 carries.

It’s the kind of performance that’s becoming routine for Houston, which hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in any of its past seven games. The offense may not be much, but the defense is good enough to beat anybody in the wide-open AFC playoffs.

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh — Even with coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers continue to struggled in big moments, including Saturday's loss to the Texans at home. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Bad: The Chargers never fail to beat themselves in huge spots

While the Texans’ defense deserves plenty of praise, the Chargers should also be physically ill. Then again, they should also be used to this feeling.

For years, Los Angeles has felt like a contender only to come up short in big moments. In 2021, the Chargers lost a win-and-in Week 18 game to the Raiders, falling in overtime despite Herbert throwing for 383 yards. The following year, Los Angeles reached the playoffs, took a 27–0 lead over the Jaguars in the second quarter and promptly fell apart, losing 31–30 in the wild-card round.

Last year, with new coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers once again qualified for the playoffs. And once again, they suffered a disaster in the wild-card round, losing 32–12. Herbert, who had thrown only three interceptions all year, tossed four in the loss.

Then, on Saturday, the Chargers knew the stakes. If they had won, they’d have set up an AFC West title game in Denver next weekend. They could win the division and perhaps have multiple home playoff games. Instead, they played sloppy football with Pro Bowl kicker Cameron Dicker missing an extra point and a 32-yard field goal, while Gadsden had his aforementioned drop-turned-interception.

The Chargers are a talented team. They’re also masters at beating themselves.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry — Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns against Green Bay on Saturday night. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Ugly: Everything about Green Bay’s defense Saturday night

The Packers had a real shot at the NFC North title. They needed to beat a Lamar Jackson–less Ravens team at home (and on a short week) before handling the eliminated Vikings, while getting losses from the Bears to the 49ers and Lions. Far from impossible.

Regardless, Green Bay put forth a hideous effort in a 41–24 loss to Baltimore, with Derrick Henry rushing for 216 yards and four touchdowns while forcing only four incompletions on 20 Tyler Huntley passes.

A week ago, the Packers led the Bears by a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining. They were a cinch to win and take control of the NFC North. Since the ensuing onside kick bounced off Romeo Doubs’s hands, everything has spiraled. Jordan Love is dealing with a concussion, the Packers have lost three consecutive games, guaranteeing them seventh seed once again.

Green Bay went into Saturday night knowing Henry would be the leading man. It did nothing to stop him, allowing Henry to rush for more than 100 yards in each half. All told, coordinator Jeff Hafley watched his defense allow 307 rushing yards on 5.8 yards per carry on a night when the run game was the only focus.

With the playoffs looming, no team is going into them with less momentum than the Packers.

Good: Travis Kelce doesn’t go out in an embarrassment at Arrowhead

The Chiefs were supposed to get blown out, going into the game as 13.5-point underdogs in some books. Yet, Kansas City showed some fight, losing by a touchdown to a Denver team attempting to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

On Christmas night, Kelce led the Chiefs with five catches and 36 receiving yards, which doesn't sound like much until you realize Oladokun threw for only 66 yards in a miserable showing.

If that was it for Kelce at Arrowhead, as we wrote earlier this week, there was nothing to be ashamed of. —Matt Verderame

Bad: Bo Nix needs to be better on a consistent basis

Nix has his good games. Two weeks ago in a 34–26 win over the Packers, Nix was excellent while throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns. He also lit up the Chiefs in their Week 11 meeting in Denver, with 295 passing yards while averaging 8.0 yards per attempt.

The problem? Nix often plays like he did on Christmas. Against a Kansas City team playing for nothing and without a host of starters—including star corners Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson—Nix threw for a paltry 4.8 YPA with 182 yards, two total touchdowns and an interception.

On the year, Nix has started all 16 games and eclipsed 7.0 YPA only six times. While Denver is a defense-first team and Nix should be judicious with his attempts, he’s often either a neutral or net-negative player in terms of the outcome. In the playoffs that won’t work, as it didn’t last Sunday at home against the Jaguars when he posted an 81.2 QB rating, a 30.9 QBR and an interception in a 34–20 defeat.

Nix has talent, but he needs to play well most weeks, not just occasionally. —MV

Ugly: The Christmas slate of games

Anybody who put themselves through the NFL tripleheader on Thursday either really can’t stand their family or needs to seek treatment for their dedication to football.

We watched the Vikings beat the Lions with three net passing yards, while Detroit turned the ball over six times in an epic disaster on its way out of playoff contention. The early window saw the Cowboys beat the Commanders in front of a half-empty stadium while Washington quarterback Josh Johnson (who has played for a staggering seven teams, along with AAF and XFL stints) put up a 21.3 QBR in defeat.

Then there was the nightcap which, outside of the Kelce storyline, was a mess. Chris Oladokun threw for 66 yards on 22 attempts. Bo Nix averaged 4.8 yards per attempt. Denver had 4.3 yards per play and somehow had the vastly superior offense.

Netflix is paying massive money on a three-year deal for Christmas games, which yielded some quality games last year with Steelers-Chiefs and Ravens-Texans, four teams that all made the playoffs. Not so much this time around.

Perhaps Netflix should push for an option to flex the games with a month’s notice, giving it some optionality and avoiding the quality of play we saw Thursday. —MV

Andrew Van Ginkel holds up the ball after a turnover. — The Vikings fought behind their third-string quarterback, with the defense forcing six Lions turnovers. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Good: Vikings still battling despite latest QB injury

The Vikings deserve a ton of credit for spoiling the Lions’ playoff hopes despite being eliminated from postseason contention a few weeks back and having to play with undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer, who filled in for the injured J.J. McCarthy.

Brosmer struggled, but he at least protected the football after throwing four interceptions in his starting debut against the Seahawks in Week 13. Minnesota had only 75 total yards before starting the drive that ended with Addison’s 65-yard rushing score with fewer than four minutes left in regulation. Brosmer finished 9-of-16 for 51 yards and added two carries for 16 yards

We probably shouldn’t be surprised about a Brian Flores–led defense playing tough despite the circumstances. Edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel has made a living from giving quarterbacks nightmare performances. He can add Goff to the list after sacking him 1.5 times and recovering two of his three fumbles. The ageless safety Harrison Smith had one of Goff’s two interceptions and had one of Minnesota’s five total sacks. Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. recorded the other pick on Goff.

The Packers need to send the Vikings’ defense a thank you card for getting them into the postseason before facing the Ravens, possibly without Jordan Love, on Saturday. —Gilberto Manzano

Bad: Lions need to figure out what went wrong offensively

Overall, the Lions have impressive offensive numbers this season, but they haven’t looked as strong as last year’s unit for most of the year.

It all fell apart on Christmas with Goff’s two interceptions and three lost fumbles against Minnesota. Last week, the Lions didn’t have issues with protecting the football, but they stalled for long stretches against the Steelers. The week before that, Detroit couldn’t keep pace with the Rams’ explosive offense.

If you look deeper, this team hasn’t been right ever since Dan Campbell took over offensive play-calling from John Morton coming out of the Week 8 bye. Bruising running back David Montgomery hasn’t been utilized much and the offense often looks to Jahmyr Gibbs to bail them out.

The creativity went out the door when former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left to take the head coaching job with the Bears. It’s going to be on Campbell to find someone capable of calling offensive plays, because his team struggled with him focused on one side of the football.
—GM

Ugly: Detroit has plenty of questions after disappointing season

The Lions’ past two seasons have ended with six-turnover performances, going back to January’s divisional round loss to the Commanders.

Expectations were still high for this team despite losing Johnson and former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, now the coach of the Jets. But the Lions were playing catch-up most of the season because of the offseason departures, including the retirement of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow, who attempted to help the banged-up offensive line with a midseason return, but failed to pass his physical last month.

Yes, losing Johnson as OC hurt this once mighty offense, but the unit suffered greatly from all the injuries on the offensive line throughout the season. Finding a quality center is going to be high on the offseason priority list.

Campbell might go into a second consecutive offseason searching for multiple coordinators depending on what he decides with Morton and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, who led one of the worst units in the NFL. Perhaps it helps Sheppard that the defense stepped up for nearly four quarters against the Vikings. Still, it’s hard to overlook the defense getting torched by the Giants, Packers, Cowboys, Rams and Steelers the previous five weeks.

The divisional playoff loss was ugly, but it seemed Campbell was going to lead the Lions to the postseason on a yearly basis. Now, he needs to address several concerns after his team took many steps back in a disappointing 2025 season. —GM

Dak Prescott wears a Santa coat after winning on Christmas. — Dak Prescott and the Cowboys have put up numbers on offense this season, but the team won’t be in the postseason. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Good: Cowboys’ offense provides holiday cheer amid lost season

Apparently, I was the only one who enjoyed the Zoom call with Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith during Netflix’s broadcast, because many on social media were upset about the random in-game interview taking up a sizable chunk of game time.

I thought hearing Smith’s stories were better than watching the Commanders’ awful defense in the first half, but fine, let’s highlight the Cowboys’ high-scoring offense instead.

Dak Prescott had no issues moving the ball on Washington coach Dan Quinn’s defense early. Dallas’s first three drives resulted in 240 yards and three touchdowns. Prescott (19-of-37, 307 yards, 2 TDs) connected with the speedy KaVontae Turpin for an 86-yard touchdown bomb that gave Dallas an 18-point advantage in the second quarter. At that point, it would have been better to watch a Christmas movie on Netflix. Then again, those upset about the in-game interview with Smith likely watched the entirety of this Christmas game filled with bad defenses. (Oh, the power of fantasy football championship week.)

But I’ll stop being negative about the product on the field because the Cowboys’ offense (480 total yards) gave its fans something to cheer about amid another disappointing season. If Dallas (now 7-8-1) can fix its defense—at least it’s not as bad as Washington's defense—this team could make some real noise in 2026 after the offense produced a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher (Javonte Williams) and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb) in Brian Schottenheimer’s first season as head coach. —GM

Bad: Cowboys let Commanders hang around with 72-yard TD run

The Cowboys needed to play situational football after allowing Washington back in the game with Croskey-Merritt’s long touchdown run with 9:34 in the third quarter.

Dallas went from potentially cruising in a blowout to having to deal with a one-score game in the second half because the poor defense gave the Commanders a one-play touchdown drive that took only 10 seconds off the game clock. From there, all Prescott and his offense could produce were three consecutive field goal attempts, with Aubrey going two-of-three on the kicks.

By failing to score touchdowns in the second half, the Cowboys were forced to trust their bad defense not to let the game get closer than a touchdown. Prescott eventually came through when he killed enough clock on the final drive, but situational football could have easily been avoided if the defense hadn’t allowed the one-play scoring drive. —GM

Ugly: Washington will have a tough time fixing its defense

Have I mentioned that the Commanders (4–12) have a terrible defense? Well, let’s talk about it again because this team is going nowhere next season, even with a healthy Jayden Daniels, if the Washington decision-makers don’t make defensive upgrades.

Washington can look at Dallas for reasons why being a one-sided team doesn’t work in the NFL. The Cowboys can light up the scoreboard, but they’ll be taking their winter vacation at the same time as the Commanders.

But the Cowboys have a better path to repairing their defense because of the draft picks they gained in the Micah Parsons trade with the Packers. The Commanders lost picks due to the acquisitions of Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil.

Washington, however, just needs an average defense that takes a bend-but-don’t-break approach because Daniels is capable of guiding a productive offense if he stays healthy in 2026. The Commanders will likely draft an edge rusher with their top-10 draft pick in April. They should also consider trading cornerback Marshon Lattimore and defensive tackle Daron Payne to gain draft picks.

This team is in desperate need of young defensive talent, especially after what this unit showed on Christmas. —GM