Week 17 in the 2024 NFL Season brings us to Christmas and New Year. After last week’s early gift, which teams would be able to get one of the best gifts around? A spot in the NFL Playoffs. So, how did the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants (among others) fare this week?
The Lions Stay in the NFC North Race
The Detroit Lions have been the best team all season. They come into week 17 with a 13-2 record, yet they have not won the NFC North division. That is a reflection of how strong the division is. A win in their game against the San Francisco 49ers in the penultimate week of the season would help them. The 49ers have had a poor season, and a win here in the rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game would give them some pride.
The 49ers had the opening drive of the game and would be able to get the game’s opening points from it. Starting from their 39-yard line, the offense, led by quarterback Brock Purdy, made their way down to the Lions’ three-yard line. Here, Purdy found Ricky Pearsall for the touchdown pass. In response, the Lions could find the endzone on their opening drive. The Lions’ offense, led by quarterback Jared Goff, was down at the 49ers’ three-yard line. Here, Jameson Williams found the endzone for the touchdown. However, the PAT was blocked.
San Francisco extended their lead on their next drive. Purdy found Kyle Juszczyk for the touchdown pass down at the Lions’ nine-yard line. Just like their following drive, Detroit was able to find the endzone, but in a unique way. On the 49ers’ 42-yard line, Goff threw a one-yard pass to Amon-Ra St Brown. Brown then threw a lateral pass to Williams, who found the endzone for a 41-yard rushing touchdown. But, the 49ers further extended their lead on the next drive, with Purdy scrambling for a nine-yard rushing touchdown.
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Detroit would try to match San Francisco, but they would fail on a fourth-down conversion on the opponents’ eight-yard line. Things would also not be perfect for the 49ers, as kicker Jake Moody failed his 51-yard field goal attempt just before the half.
This meant that at halftime, the 49ers had a 21-13 lead over the Lions
The Lions had the second half’s opening drive and would be able to level the scores. Starting from their 34-yard line, the Goff-led offense went down to the 49ers’ six-yard line. From here, he found Sam LaPorta for the touchdown pass. The Lions then attempted a two-point conversion attempt, which was successful. This tied the scores at 21-21.
But this tie did not last long, as Purdy found Deebo Samuel for a five-yard touchdown pass to give the 49ers the lead back. In response, Lions’ kicker Jake Bates kicked a 57-yard field goal to keep Detroit within one score.
Then, the 49ers, who have been near-perfect throughout the game, make a mistake. The Lions intercepted Purdy’s deep pass from the 50-yard line. This proved costly, as Goff and company went down to the four-yard line. From here, he found St Brown for the touchdown pass, which gave the Lions their first lead as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
Things got worse for San Francisco soon after. Their field goal attempt from 58 yards out missed. To further condemn their misery, the Lions extended their lead with a successful field goal from 42 yards out. Then, Purdy threw another interception, which Detroit could again convert into a touchdown, with Jahmyr Gibbs finding the endzone from 30 yards out to put the win out of reach for the 49ers.
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However, they scored a consolation touchdown to end the game, with Joshua Dobbs finding the endzone for a seven-yard rushing touchdown. But, it would not be enough, and the Detroit Lions would record a 40-34 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
This win helps the Lions in their race for the number one seed in the NFC and the NFC North title, as they improve to 14-2 on the season. The poor season for the 49ers continues, as they fall to 6-10.
Next week, the 49ers end their season against the Arizona Cardinals, while the Lions face the Minnesota Vikings in what could be a title decider, depending on how they fared in their game this week. Let’s have a look, shall we…
A Decider is Set Up!
Like the Lions, the Minnesota Vikings have had a fantastic season. But nobody expected this at the beginning of the season when Sam Darnold, who struggled with his previous teams, was announced as the starter, replacing the injured rookie prospect J.J. McCarthy. Darnold has led this team to the 13-2 record coming into this game, keeping them in the race. This week, they faced the Green Bay Packers, who will likely be a wildcard team alongside one of their NFC North rivals.
The Packers had the opening drive of the game but made the first mistake of the game. On the Vikings’ 48-yard line, Josh Jacobs fumbled the ball, which the Vikings’ defense recovered. Luckily for Green Bay, the Vikings could not do anything with this new possession.
Near the end of the first quarter, the Packers were able to get the game’s opening points. Quarterback Jordan Love brought his team down to the Vikings’ four-yard line. But they could get no further. This set up kicker Brandon McManus with a 22-yard field goal attempt, which he was successful with.
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But, this lead did not last long. On the following drive, Darnold moved the Vikings’ offense down to the Packers’ 31-yard line. Here, he found Jalen Nailor for the touchdown pass. Minnesota was able to extend their lead on their next drive when kicker Will Reichard found the uprights from 25 yards out. Reichard could do it again, from 50 yards out on the stroke to halftime, to further add to the Vikings’ lead.
This meant that the Vikings had a 13-3 lead over the Packers at halftime.
Minnesota would be able to extend their lead on the opening drive of the second half. Starting from their 30-yard line, Darnold and company were able to make their way down to the Packers’ 18-yard line. Here, he found Jordan Addison for the touchdown pass.
But, on their next drive, the Vikings made a mistake. Darnold’s deep pass was intercepted by the Packers’ defense, who would be able to return the ball down to the Vikings’ 18-yard line.
This mistake would prove costly for the Vikings, as the Packers took advantage of the small field to get them back into the game. The drive ended with Jacobs finding the endzone from two yards out.
In response, Minnesota would make their lead larger when Darnold found Cam Akers for a nine-yard touchdown pass. This gave them a 17-point lead as the teams entered the final quarter.
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Green Bay could make it an eight-point game in the middle of the final quarter. Em Wilson would find the endzone for the rushing touchdown from the Vikings’ five-yard line. They then attempted a two-point conversion, which was successful. With time running out, Green Bay would have to do this again on their final drive of the game to keep them in contention for the win.
The drive started on their 38-yard line with around four minutes left. The Love lead offense quickly made their way down to the Vikings’ three-yard line. Here, Love found Malik Heath for the touchdown pass. Green Bay then decided to take the PAT attempt, which McManus was successful with. This made it a two-point game, with two minutes left to play. Green Bay needed to regain the ball.
This was something that they were unable to do, as the Vikings held on for the remaining time left.
This meant the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers 27-25.
The Vikings win sets up a massive game next week. The Vikings face the Lions, with both teams tied on 14-2. The winner gets the NFC North title and the number one seed in the NFC. The loser will be the first 14-win team to play in the wildcard round of the playoffs.
As for Green Bay, they fall to 11-5 and have claimed a playoff spot. They end their regular season against the Chicago Bears.
The Giants Lock in for the Win
What can be said that I have not been saying all year about the New York Giants? It hasn’t been great for the team this year. However, a silver lining for this is that they come into this week with a 2-13 record, also known as the worst record in the league. This puts them in the driving seat for the number one pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. This week, they faced the Indianapolis Colts, who knew a win would keep them in the playoff hunt.
The Colts had the game’s first possession, but it did not end well for them. The Colts offense, led by Joe Flacco, made their way down to the Giants’ 29-yard line. Here, a mistake would happen. Flacco’s deep pass was intercepted by the Giants offense. Luckily for the Colts, New York could not do anything with their new possession and quickly punted the ball back to them.
Indianapolis would be more successful on their next drive. The offense went down to the Giants’ 13-yard line, but they would get no further. This set up a 32-yard field goal attempt from kicker Matt Gay, whose kick found the uprights to put the Colts into the lead.
This lead did not last long. In response to this, the Giants’ offense, led by Drew Lock, would quickly make their way to the Colts’ 31-yard line. Here, Lock found Malik Nabers for the touchdown pass to give the Giants the lead.
The Colts tried to respond to the touchdown, but Gay’s field goal from 54 yards out went wide right. But the momentum was well as true with the Giants, and on their next drive, they would find the endzone again. This time, Lock found Darius Slayton for a 32-yard touchdown pass.
Indianapolis could then score the field goal that was missed on their previous drive. However, the Giants uncharacteristically found the endzone again, with Lock finding Wan’Dale Robinson for a five-yard touchdown pass on this occasion.
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The Colts would respond with a touchdown of their own. On a drive that lasted 14 plays, Flacco slowly moved the offense down to the Giants’ three-yard line. From here, Jonathan Taylor found the endzone for a rushing touchdown.
This meant at halftime that the Giants had a 21-13 lead over the Colts.
This lead would only grow on the first play of the second half. On the kickoff, Ihmir Smith-Marsette returned the ball for a 100-yard touchdown. The Giants have struggled on practically everything this season, so seeing a playing like this is, to put it simply, weird.
The Colts could keep themselves in the game on their first drive of the second half. From their 30-yard line, Flacco and company could move down to the Giants’ 26-yard line. Here, Taylor found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to make it an eight-point game. This became a two-point game at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Flacco found Alec Pierce for a 13-yard touchdown pass. The Colts then decided to go for a two-point conversion attempt. However, this failed.
The two-point gap did not last long. On the game’s next drive, the Giants’ offense again shone. This time, Lock found Nabers for a 59-yard touchdown pass. The Colts matched this score on their next drive when Flacco found Michael Pittman for a seven-yard touchdown pass to restore the two-point deficit.
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But, again, the lead would not last long. On the Giants next drive, they would again find the endzone. On this occasion, the offense was able to make its way down to the Colts’ five-yard line. From here, Lock scrambled into the endzone for his fifth touchdown of the game.
Then, when they did not want to, the Colts made a mistake. Flacco threw an interception, which the Giants would convert into a field goal. Kicker Graham Gano would score from 30 yards out to seal an unlikely win for the Giants.
The New York Giants had defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45-33.
This defeat puts the Colts out of playoff contention and falls to 7-9 for the season. However, the ramifications for the Giants are massive. They will no longer be winless at home this season and improve to 3-13. This puts them in a four-way tie for the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, with the Giants entering the week at number four. With all the contenders facing opponents who are likely to beat them, the attention will be on the bottom teams to begin the day before moving to the NFC North clash to finish the day.
Next week, the Colts face the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Giants play the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Los Angeles Chargers have fallen under the radar all season long. Thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs, they were never in the hunt for the AFC West title, but they have done enough to keep themselves in playoff contention. They come into their game with the struggling New England Patriots, knowing that a win would be enough to send them to the postseason.
The Chargers had the game’s opening drive but could not do anything with it. However, the team would be more successful on their second drive. Starting from their nine-yard line, the Chargers offense, led by quarterback Justin Herbert, made their way down to the Patriots’ 23-yard line. Herbert found Derius Davis for the touchdown pass from here to give Los Angeles the early lead. This lead would be extended on their next drive. This time, the offense made it down to the Patriots’ nine-yard line, but no further. This set up Cameron Dicker, the Chargers kicker for the 27-yard field goal attempt, which was successful.
The good luck would keep coming for the Chargers when Patriots quarterback Drake Maye would fumble the ball, and the team would lose possession of it. This mistake would prove costly, as on the following drive, Herbert found Ladd McConkey (who is not getting the attention he deserves) for a six-yard touchdown pass.
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Things would finally look good for New England on their next drive. Starting from their 27-yard line, Maye quickly moved the offense down to the Chargers’ 36-yard line. Here, he found DeMario Douglas for the touchdown pass. This was the eighth consecutive game that Maye had thrown a touchdown, a new franchise rookie record, beating the record set in 1971 by that year’s number-one pick Jim Plunkett. He would go on to win two Super Bowls with the Raiders.
However, on the first half’s final play, the Chargers would extend their lead. Dicker kicked a field goal from 38 yards out.
This meant that the Chargers had a 20-7 lead over the Patriots at halftime.
Los Angeles was able to add to their lead on the first drive of the second half. Starting from their six-yard line, Herbert and company went down to the Patriots’ 40-yard line. Here, he found McConkey for the touchdown pass to give the Chargers a 20-point lead.
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This lead grew even further on their next drive when Dicker kicked a 41-yard field goal. Another touchdown for the Chargers followed this. This time, J.K. Dobbins found the endzone from two yards out.
In between, and throughout the whole second half, the Patriots would be unable to do anything significant with the ball and thus scored no points in the second half.
The Chargers would end their time on the ball by scoring more points. This time, Cameron Dicker made another field goal from 35 yards out to seal what was already a big win.
The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the New England Patriots 40-7.
This was a dominant win, but it was to be expected, considering the struggles of the Patriots this season. Herbert threw three touchdowns in this game as the Chargers improved to 10-6. The win seals their spot in the playoffs. As for the Patriots, the defeat continues their slump, falling to 3-13 on the season. But, as we will find out later, this could put them into contention for a very high draft pick.
In the final week, the Chargers face the Las Vegas Raiders, while the Patriots end their season against the Buffalo Bills.
What Happened in the Other Games?
This week, there were two games held on Christmas Day. The first was between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Patrick Mahomes threw for three touchdowns and 320 yards in the Chiefs’ 29-10 win to give them the number one seed in the AFC. As for the Steelers, the results of the following game will impact their battle for the AFC North title.
The other Christmas Day game was between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans. This was one of the poorest games of the season. The Texans played like they didn’t turn up, and the Ravens ran rings around them. Baltimore cruised to a 31-2 win, giving the Ravens a one-game lead in the AFC North battle against the Steelers.
The final Thursday Night Football game between the Seattle and Chicago Bears felt like a throwback to TNF games of old. That’s my way of saying that it was an absolute bore fest. Both offenses struggled to do anything in this game, and a late field goal from Jason Myers from 50 yards out gave the Seahawks a 6-3 win over the Bears.
The Denver Broncos met the Cincinnati Bengals in what would be a very entertaining game. Joe Burrow threw for 412 yards and scored three touchdowns, and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix matched this. The game went to overtime thanks to a touchdown with eight seconds left to play. During this period, Burrow found Tee Higgins for the winning score to give the Bengals a 30-24 win. This keeps both teams in the race for the AFC Wildcard.
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The Los Angeles Rams are one win away from the NFC West title thanks to their victory over the Arizona Cardinals. However, it was not guaranteed, and the Rams had to rely on a late interception in the endzone to hand them a 13-9 win over the Cardinals.
The Buffalo Bills faced the New York Jets in a game whose result you could already guess. Buffalo managed to destroy the Jets with a 40-14 win, sealing the number two seed in the AFC. Questions need to be asked about the future of Aaron Rodgers. He has not helped the Jets one bit.
After their win against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, the Las Vegas Raiders may have played themselves out of a top draft pick with their victory over the New Orleans Saints. Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw for two touchdowns, and Brock Bowers broke two rookie records (most receiving yards by a tight end and most catches) as the Raiders defeated the Saints 25-10.
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The Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title with a convincing win over the Dallas Cowboys. Star running back Saquon Barkley has run for over 2000 yards this season and could break records in next week’s game against the Giants (to add further misery to our season). The Eagles won this game 41-7.
The NFC South division is still up for grabs. One of the teams in contention is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This week, they played the Carolina Panthers. In this game, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for five touchdowns as Tampa Bay cruised to a 48-14 win.
The other NFC South contender is the Atlanta Falcons. They faced the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football, knowing that a win would make the teams level going into the final week. A late touchdown score from Michael Penix Jr to Kyle Pitts sent this game to overtime. But, in this period, it was Jayden Daniels and the Commanders who got the touchdown to record a 30-24 win. This gives the Commanders a wildcard spot in the playoffs and gives Tampa Bay a one-game lead.
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The Tennessee Titans faced the Jacksonville Jaguars in a battle of two teams at the bottom of the league. This was a close game, but the Jags could hold on for a 20-13 win. This puts the Titans in contention for the number one pick.
Another team in the hunt for the number one pick is the Cleveland Browns. They faced the Miami Dolphins this week and lost. The Browns never really looked like they would win this game, as the Dolphins, without injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, recorded a 20-3 win.
So, that was Week 17 of the 2024 NFL Season. There is one more week left in the regular season, and there is so much still to play for. The game of the week, and maybe the season, comes from Ford Field, as the Detroit Lions face the Minnesota Vikings in a winner-take-all clash. Before that, the number one pick of the draft will be sorted out, which is a four-way tie coming into the final week.
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