Browns end long playoff drought. Eagles pull off confusing QB switch. This is our NFL Week 17 breakdown.
The 2020 NFL regular season came a close Sunday night.
It was not without controversy.
The scenario was simple: The Washington Football Team would clinch the NFC East with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles. If the Eagles were to play spoiler, the New York Giants would be division champs.
In what was a close, competitive game, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson pulled promising rookie QB Jalen Hurts for third-stringer Nate Sudfeld. It was puzzling. Washington won, and Giants players were rage tweeting.
Meanwhile in Cleveland, the Browns ended the NFL's longest playoff drought. Now, the Jets are the owners of the lengthiest run of seasons with no postseason appearances dating back to 2010.
Quick hits: Sunday's biggest moments
- Giants players were not happy with Doug Pederson's puzzling decision to pull Jalen Hurts and replace him with Nate Sudfeld.
- NBC's Cris Collinsworth ripped the Eagles for their apparent tanking move.
- Derrick Henry became just eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards or more in a season.
- Giants RB Wayne Gallman very nearly fumbled the ball away at a crucial moment late in Sunday's win in one of the season's more hilarious moments.
- The Jets fired Adam Gase on Sunday night in the least surprising development of the day. Who might be candidates to be the Jets' next head coach?
- Tom Brady is the oldest quarterback to throw for 40 or more touchdowns in a season.
- Sam Sloman doinked the Titans to AFC South winners.
- Kyler Murray left the Cardinals' must-win regular-season finale with an ankle injury.
- Buccaneers WR Mike Evans set an NFL record, then got hurt on the next down.
- There was a horrendous roughing the passer call that helped the Vikings defeat the Lions.
- Steelers defensive linemen got into a scuffle with each other on the sidelines in Cleveland.
Key Week 17 storylines
- 32 things we learned: Buccaneers QB Tom Brady reached another impressive milestone.
- Week 17 winners and losers: With coach Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland could be poised for more trips in the future. And the Jalen Hurts benching was shameful.
- Playoff picture: Seven teams clinch postseason berths on season's final day.
- How Washington defied logic to make playoffs: Washington returned to the postseason for the first time since 2015 and became the fifth team in NFL history to win a division with a losing record.
- What Justin Fields' performance could mean for top of draft: The Ohio State QB had an inspiring performance against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, and might have been an encouraging sign for the Jets.
- Would hiring Urban Meyer really be worth it for an NFL team? Meyer has won big everywhere, but he's also left trail of off-field issues and has had real health problems. Would he be worth risk for Jaguars?
- Report: Carson Wentz expected to request trade: Wentz's relationship with the Eagles and head coach Doug Pederson is "fractured," according to a report.
- Why these preseason predictions flopped: The Paste BN NFL staff breaks down their worst 2020 season prognostications.
Week 17 rundown
- Football Team 20, Eagles 14: Washington earned the NFC East crown with this victory.
- Packers 35, Bears 16: The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through legendary Lambeau Field. Brrr!
- Colts 28, Jaguars 14: Jonathan Taylor's monster game helped the Colts punch their playoff ticket.
- Titans 41, Texans 38: Sam Sloman's game-winning field goal doinked off the cross bar and went through to make Tennessee the AFC South winners.
- Rams 18, Cardinals 7: Jared Goff fill-in John Wolford helped the Rams secure a wild-card playoff berth.
- Chargers 38, Chiefs 21: With the AFC's No. 1 seed already clinched, the Chiefs rested most of their starters.
- Saints 33, Panthers 7: New Orleans collected five interceptions in this rout.
- Seahawks 26, 49ers 23: Seattle settles for NFC's No. 3 seed after rallying for win.
- Raiders 32, Broncos 21: The Raiders opted to go for two, rather than tie the game, after a touchdown with 24 seconds remaining.
- Ravens 38, Bengals 3: The Ravens rode a team-record 404 yards rushing into the postseason.
- Giants 23, Cowboys 19: Dallas was eliminated when a running back sat on his fumbled football. It was peak NFC East.
- Browns 24, Steelers 22: Cleveland ended the NFL's longest playoff drought, which dated back to the 2002 season.
- Patriots 28, Jets 14: With the Browns ending their playoff drought, the Jets are now the not-so-proud owners of the league's longest stretch of playoff-less seasons, going back to the 2010 season.
- Bills 56, Dolphins 26: The Dolphins needed a win to reach the postseason. Instead, they got demolished.
- Vikings 37, Lions 35: At least this absolutely meaningless matchup was an entertaining high-scoring game.
- Buccaneers 44, Falcons 27: Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns in this tune-up for the Buccaneers' first playoff game in 13 years.
Coming this week
Monday: "Black Monday" as it's called in NFL circles. Paste BN Sports will keep you updated on all the developments among the coaching ranks. Adam Gase is already out in New York.
Saturday: "Super Wild Card Weekend" kicks off with three playoff games, starting with the Buffalo Bills hosting the Indianapolis Colts.
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