Best (and worst) from NFL Week 17: Playoff picture, draft order after Sunday's games

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NFL Week 17 is (almost) in the books.

• 32 things we learned: Star players shape playoff push
• Winners and losers: One team flames out in epic fashion
• Your updated playoff picture through Sunday's games
• The Week 18 schedule was set Sunday night. Plan accordingly.

➤ Game of the day: Washington Commanders 30, Atlanta Falcons 24 (OT) — This overtime thriller had playoff ramifications on both the East and West Coasts. As a result of the Commanders' victory, both Washington and the Los Angeles Rams clinched postseason berths. The Commanders are a wild-card team; the Rams are winners of the NFC West by virtue of the rarely utilized strength of victory tiebreaker. The Falcons, meanwhile, need to win next week and hope the Buccaneers lose in order to win the NFC South and make the playoffs.

➤ Dud of the day: Miami Dolphins 20, Cleveland Browns 3 — Thankfully the national-television audience watching Vikings-Packers most likely didn't even notice this game was going on at the same time in Cleveland. Well, the Dolphins won and surprisingly are in a real good position to make the playoffs.

➤ How about the ...!

• Minnesota Vikings: Vagabond quarterback Sam Darnold has this team on the brink of earning the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed and home-field advantage at U.S. Bank Stadium.
• Philadelphia Eagles: Behind a history-making running back and third-string quarterback, the Eagles routed a Cowboys team that entered Week 17 on a bit of a heater having won four of five games.

➤ What's up with the ...?

• Cleveland Browns: With Sunday's horrendously uninspiring performance against the Tyler Huntley-led Dolphins, the Browns moved into the No. 3 overall spot for the first round of the 2025 NFL draft (if the season ended today, which it doesn't). Cleveland also restructured the contract of highly paid injured quarterback Deshaun Watson. That basically assures Watson will stick around in 2025. Does that mean the team passes on a possible future franchise quarterback in April's draft, too?
• Indianapolis Colts: All the Colts had to do was defeat a team that hadn't won a home game all season. Instead, the Colts collapsed spectacularly with their season on the line.
• Green Bay Packers: This team is going to have to learn that it can't keep digging itself into a hole against quality squads such as the Vikings. It could be a quick trip in the playoffs if that's the case.

➤ Alt uniform of the week: Philadelphia Eagles — We are BIG FANS of the Eagles' "Kelly Green" throwback, which is among the best looks in the entire league. Adding to the appealing aesthetics at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday was the Eagles' clobbering of the rival Cowboys and Saquon Barkley rushing into NFL history.

📸: Alternate and throwback uniforms of 2024 NFL season

📸: Best of NFL Week 17

NFL Week 17 key storylines

➤ 32 things we learned: Week 17 provided some key clarity in the playoff picture, but there's still much to be resolved.

➤ Winners and losers: While the Vikings set up a huge Week 18 showdown with the Lions in Detroit, the Seahawks will regret certain losses as it was eliminated from playoff contention despite winning in Week 17.

➤ Saquon Barkley hits 2K: The Eagles running back is just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 or more yards in a single season. Next up: Eric Dickerson's single-season record from 1984. Barkley needs 101 yards next week against (get this) his former team, the Giants, to set a new record.

📸: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games

NFL Week 17 results

• Washington Commanders 30, Atlanta Falcons 24 (OT): This Commanders win put two teams in the playoffs, as Washington and the L.A. Rams secured postseason spots as a result of this "Sunday Night Football" overtime game.
• Minnesota Vikings 27, Green Bay Packers 25: The Packers' comeback attempt fell short as the Vikings set up a massive Week 18 clash with the Lions for the division title and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
• Miami Dolphins 20, Cleveland Browns 3: Tyler Huntley was solid playing in place of Tua Tagovailoa as the Dolphins stayed alive in the AFC playoff race. The formula to get into the postseason tournament is simple: Win against the Jets and hope the Chiefs can defeat the Broncos in Week 18.
• New York Giants 45, Indianapolis Colts 33: The Giants put an end to the Colts' postseason hopes, but also lost the inside track to the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
• Buffalo Bills 40, New York Jets 14: The Bills clobbered the hapless Jets − who sent Aaron Rodgers to the bench in favor of Tyrod Taylor in the fourth quarter − and clinched the AFC's No. 2 playoff seed.
• Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Tennessee Titans 13: In a matchup that only factored in the first-round draft standings, the Jaguars emerged victorious on a soggy day at EverBank Stadium.
• Las Vegas Raiders 25, New Orleans Saints 10: Brock Bowers set two rookie records as the Raiders won a second straight game. First, Bowers eclipsed Hall of Famer Mike Ditka's 63-year-old mark for receiving yards for a rookie tight end (1,144 yards to 1,067). Then, Bowers topped Puka Nacua's rookie receptions record (108 to 105).
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Carolina Panthers 14: The Buccaneers have a chance at winning a fourth straight NFC South title, but need to finish a game ahead of the Falcons, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
• Philadelphia Eagles 41, Dallas Cowboys 7: Saquon Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season as the Eagles dismantled the visiting Cowboys.
• Los Angeles Rams 13, Arizona Cardinals 9 (Saturday): After holding on for a narrow win Saturday night, the Bills, Vikings and Commanders came through for the Rams on Sunday as Los Angeles clinched the NFC West thanks to the strength of victory tiebreaker.
• Cincinnati Bengals 30, Denver Broncos 24 (OT) (Saturday): The Bengals worked overtime to assure that there would be some playoff-clinching drama in the AFC in Week 18. The odds are long. The Bengals must defeat the Steelers, Broncos must lose to a Chiefs team that will be playing backups and the Dolphins need to lose or tie against the Jets.
• Los Angeles Chargers 40, New England Patriots 7 (Saturday): With a playoff spot to be secured, Justin Herbert and the Chargers were not to be denied by a woebegone Patriots team. The Chargers are in the postseason for just the fourth time since 2010.
• Seattle Seahawks 6, Chicago Bears 3 (Thursday): Chicago has lost 10 consecutive games after a 4-2 start to the 2024 season. That's quite an unfortunate turn after an offseason of hope, which included a now-comical draft-day message from quarterback Caleb Williams to punter Tory Taylor about how infrequently he would be punting this season. Taylor punted seven times Thursday night, and now has the second-most punts in the league. 
• Baltimore Ravens 31, Houston Texans 2 (Christmas Day): Christmas Day featured two games between teams that already had clinched playoff berths, and both games were blowouts. This one was particularly rough, as the Ravens – behind two-time (and perhaps soon-to-be three-time) MVP Lamar Jackson – continue to impress and – coupled with the Steelers' loss earlier in the day – took sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Jackson – who we need to point out is only 27 years old – set the career rushing yardage record for a quarterback in the win.
• Kansas City Chiefs 29, Pittsburgh Steelers 10 (Christmas Day): The road to the 59th annual AFC-NFC world championship game will go through Arrowhead Stadium, as the Chiefs clinched their conference's No. 1 playoff seed with this decisive victory over another squad that already has secured its postseason spot. That first-round playoff bye will come in handy for a Chiefs team vying for a historic Super Bowl three-peat.

📅: Complete 2024 NFL schedule

2025 NFL draft order

Here’s how the top 15 picks of the first round of the 2025 NFL draft stack up following Sunday's games:

1. New England Patriots: 3-13 record; .447 strength of schedule
2. Tennessee Titans: 3-13; .510
3. Cleveland Browns: 3-13, .531
4. New York Giants: 3-13, .535
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-12, .475
6. Carolina Panthers: 4-12, .496
7. New York Jets: 4-12, .502
8. Las Vegas Raiders: 4-12, .539
9. Chicago Bears: 4-12, .545
10. New Orleans Saints: 5-11, .504
11. San Francisco 49ers: 6-9, .554
12. Indianapolis Colts: 7-9, .471
13. Dallas Cowboys: 7-9, .508
14. Arizona Cardinals: 7-9, .547
15. Miami Dolphins: 8-8, .427

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