NFL Week 17 Round Up

Injury Round Up 

Taylor Heinicke (ATL) - Ankle 

Heinicke was dealing with an ankle injury heading into the game and eventually left due to it. Atlanta still has something to play for in Week 18 but his status is not yet known. 

Josh Allen (BUF) - Neck 

Allen suffered a neck injury but isn’t expected to be hindered by it. 

Elijah Moore (CLE) - Concussion 

Moore left the game with a concussion and will need to clear the league’s protocol to play next week. It’s possible that he misses part of the postseason as well. 

Jameson Williams (DET) - Ankle 

Williams is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury. 

Jayden Reed (GB) - Ribs 

Reed’s x-rays came back negative but he reportedly had more tests taken on his ribs afterwards. His status is up in the air with an expectation that he misses Week 18. 

AJ Dillon (GB) - Stinger 

There aren’t many updates on Dillon or whether this injury will set him back before practice reports come out. 

Noah Brown (HOU) - Groin 

Brown exited the game with a groin injury. The Texans listed him as a non-participant on their estimated injury report for Tuesday’s walkthrough. 

Tyler Higbee (LAR) - Shoulder 

Higbee dislocated his shoulder in the win over the Giants. The Rams have already clinched a spot in the playoffs so they may opt to let him sit this week. 

Tua Tagovailoa (MIA) - Shoulder 

Tua was ruled out with a shoulder injury late in the game but his and HC Mike McDaniel’s words on it make it safe to assume that it’s not serious. 

Alvin Kamara (NO) - Ankle 

Kamara is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury that forced him out of last week’s game. 

DeVonta Smith (PHI) - Ankle 

Smith’s ankle sprain is considered mild but his timetable to return is still unknown. 

Christian McCaffrey (SF) - Calf 

McCaffrey only got a few snaps in after HT in the win over the Commanders while dealing with a calf strain. He will miss the final week of the regular season and will get an extra week of rest after the 49ers clinched the #1 seed in the NFC. He should be healthy enough to play in their first postseason game. 

Baker Mayfield (TB) - Ribs 

Baker’s x-rays came back negative and he seems set to play in Week 18’s game that could decide the division. 

Will Levis (TEN) - Foot 

Levis will miss the final week of the regular season with a foot injury. 

New York Jets @ Cleveland Browns 

● This one hurts. Joe Flacco will always be a Raven but in only 5 games with Cleveland, he has gone 4-1 as a starter. It obviously helps that he can lean on an elite defense but we can’t pretend like he’s trash otherwise. He’s a capable backup in a great situation. It’s clear that the Jets couldn’t offer that to him, and probably don’t offer that to any QB. Two typically sad franchises have completely different futures. 

Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys 

● It’s looking very likely that both of these teams could meet in the 2nd round of the playoffs, assuming they can win on WIld Card Weekend. Neither fanbase will let up in this fight over Taylor Decker reporting as eligible on what might have been the game-winning 2-point conversion or a phantom tripping call that allowed them to even get that far. Fanbases never stop thinking about these moments, and things will only get more heated if there’s a postseason clash. 

Tennessee TItans @ Houston Texans 

● C.J. Stroud’s return from injury in a perfect passing matchup didn’t live up to the hype. He got the job done against a wildly unserious Titans team that could barely get a real drive going. He didn’t need to drop 300 yards and 3 TDs but it would have been a lot cooler if he did. Houston faces the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night to decide which of them gets into the playoffs. Win and you’re in. 

Atlanta Falcons @ Chicago Bears 

● Teams should be thanking their lucky stars that Chicago just barely got eliminated from the playoffs. It’s unlikely that they could have made a serious run but they’re one of the hottest teams in the NFC right now and could have played spoiler for at least a round. They’re 7th in weighted DVOA right now and have won 5 of their last 7 games. In that span they beat the Lions by 2 scores and nearly took down the Cleveland Browns. The fans want Justin Fields and this defense has shown up. Chicago will have a difficult decision come draft day but they have the resources to build something special with the 1st overall pick, courtesy of the Panthers. 

Miami Dolphins @ Baltimore Ravens 

● Are the Dolphins frauds or are the Ravens just really good? Maybe both are true to some degree. Miami has just one win against a team currently over .500, and that was a 2-point home win against the Cowboys in Week 16. To be fair to them, they’ve also been away for all of their losses to teams that fit that criteria but it doesn’t make the blowouts any more palatable. They’re also getting hurt at a terrible time. Bradley Chubb is believed to have torn his ACL after staying in the game down 30 and with about 3 minutes left. It was avoidable and really unfortunate after the tremendous season he was having. CB Xavien Howard is also not expected to suit up for a critical match against the Buffalo Bills to decide the division. Luckily they’re still going to enter the playoffs as one of the better AFC teams but it feels like anyone can beat them right now. 

● The AFC will run through Baltimore. They will feel confident that, with an extra week of rest and home field advantage until the Super Bowl, they can beat anyone. There’s a chance that two AFC North teams join them in the postseason with a legitimate chance to take them down, but Cleveland has the best shot. It would almost be too good to see two of the top defenses in the league clash as a 38-year old Joe Flacco takes on his former team. We could also be set up for a rematch of Super Bowl 47. 

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

● It’s shocking that both of these teams are now 8-8 but Tampa is the team that can win the division by simply winning in Week 18. Facing an awful Panthers team, that seems likely. We can’t guarantee anything yet but it’s very likely that Baker Mayfield is going to lead this team into the playoffs by beating his former team. 

Arizona Cardinals @ Philadelphia Eagles 

● The Eagles are going to enter the playoffs with everyone expecting a quick exit. Whether they can turn things around in time to at least save face will have to be seen but it just doesn’t look like they can consistently win with this defense. Jonathan Gannon will be hated in the city of Philadelphia forever, but he got his win here and can relax knowing that his team doesn’t have this kind of pressure on them. Whether he can help fix the Cardinals is another question. 

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Seattle Seahawks 

● Mason Rudolph has become a hero for this offense. Pittsburgh is 2-0 when he starts and could make it 3-0 against a Ravens team benching a lot of their starters. The Steelers have scored at least 30 points over their past 2 games and that’s without Rudolph having to throw even 28 times in a single game. Fans may remember Rudolph’s last real opportunity to start in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger got hurt. Rudolph went 5-3 as a starter that year and finished 8-8. Despite a lot of injuries and a controversial season, this could be a playoff team with a win or two in them.

● Seattle has the pieces to build an incredible roster but it just seems like they really suffer when Geno Smith can’t play like he did in the 2022 season. It’s not impossible to envision them sticking with him while they build a great team but eventually he will get replaced. D.K. Metcalf, Kenneth Walker, and Charles Cross should be offensive staples for years to come, while Devon Witherspoon, Tariq Woolen, and Boye Mafe will headline on the defensive side. This is a team that can still make the playoffs with some help but the 2024 draft will still be on their minds. There’s a lot of work to be done but things aren’t bleak. They’re in a great position to bounce back to their contending ways after a “down” year that isn’t even over yet. The franchise should continue to demand greatness, lest they lose the momentum from their SB seasons. 

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings 

● Jordan Love could be the real deal. In his first season as a starter, he could lead his team to the playoffs with a win against the Bears this week. Chicago is on a roll but this is still Lambeau Field. No matter what they do if they actually reach the postseason, it would still be a major accomplishment to put away your division rival and show them that you will never end your dominance. 

● Minnesota’s season has been over for a while which is sad. They have a good defense and some really exciting players but without Kirk Cousins they’re pretty much screwed. It looked like Dobbs could have been the answer but that experiment only lasted so long. They have a big decision to make about whether they risk looking like this for a while or bringing back Kirk Cousins on another massive deal.