Week
17 has arrived, which means it’s time for another of my annual traditions. The
playoff race is nearing its end, and for several teams this final week will
make or break their season. Fifteen games are in the book, and it all comes
down to this last week.
Of
course, for even more teams this final week means absolutely nothing. Seven of
the eight divisions have been clinched, and we’re left with six teams fighting
for three playoff slots. The vast majority of matchups this weekend have
nothing at stake.
But
football is football, and there is always a reason to watch. So, without
further ado, here are the games this weekend that have no impact on the playoff
field, and why you should watch them anyway.
Green
Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
The
Detroit Lions haven’t had a 100 yard rusher since 2013. This is one of the most
remarkable streaks in the NFL, and it shows no indication of ending anytime
soon. Earlier this year Ameer Abdullah twice became the first Lions to eclipse
80 yards since 2014, but he’s since been demoted to a backup role, receiving
only seven carries in the past two games. Their primary running back now
appears to be Tion Green, an undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati.
On
the other side we have the Green Bay Packers, a team that has thoroughly given
up on the 2017 season. Most of their roster will sit out of this game with
injuries, and their defense has hardly been stout, already giving up 100 yard
rushing games in the month of December to the likes of Isaiah Crowell and
Peyton Barber. I doubt this week will be the one to end the streak, but it very
well could be, and if Green is hovering around 80 yards late in the game it
might be worth flipping over to watch this rare event.
Houston
Texans @ Indianapolis Colts
These
two rosters are exhausting to look at, stripped down to basically nothing by
injuries. Neither of these teams was particularly deep to begin with, and they
were both basically dead in the water when we learned their franchise
quarterbacks were done for the season. Houston at least has some positives to
build on as it closes out 2017, while the Colts limp to another season with no
hope except the potential for Andrew Luck to carry them on his shoulders again
next year.
Neither
of these teams is good, so rather than focus on the teams let’s look at a
couple individual players on Houston’s side. DeAndre Hopkins and Jadeveon
Clowney have done their best to ride through an otherwise miserable season, two
of the league’s premier athletes performing ridiculous feats on an almost weekly
basis. These two players are an example of how even among the best athletes on
the planet a few can stand above the rest, and if you watch them through this
game I guarantee you’ll see two or three plays that simply leave you
speechless.
Washington
Redskins @ New York Giants
This
is one of the harder games to come up with any reason to watch. Yeah, the
futures of Eli Manning and Kirk Cousins will be heavily talked about this
offseason, but we’ve all seen more than enough from those two quarterbacks, and
another game from them won’t change anyone’s opinion.
So
instead let’s focus on a player who will spend most of the afternoon chasing
after one of these quarterbacks. Ryan Kerrigan is one of the most
underappreciated players in the league, a consistently excellent pass rusher
who never quite makes it into the conversation of the elites in the league. But
he has put up at least 7.5 sacks every year since entering the NFL, and in 2017
he hit double figures for the third time in the past four seasons. He’s the
sort of player who ten years down the road we’ll see near the top of the career
sacks list and ask ourselves how he can be that high. So enjoy him now, because
one day you’ll find yourself asking, “Was he really that good?”
Dallas
Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
Is
Dez Bryant actually good? That’s a surprisingly reasonable question, and not
one we would have thought we’d be asking ourselves two years ago. But barring a
big game against the Eagles, Bryant is going to finish short of 1000 yards for
the third straight season, and it’s worth wondering if he’s still the game
changing threat he was earlier in his career. He’s now gone 23 games without
eclipsing 100 yards, despite still ranking 11th in the league in
targets this year.
Try
to watch Bryant even on plays when the ball doesn’t come his way. Ever since a
broken foot limited to nine games in 2015 he has not looked like the same
player. His explosiveness simply looks gone, robbing him of the ability to
separate with anything other than sheer physical strength. Cornerbacks no
longer fear him beating them over the top, and the windows he gives Prescott
are too small for the cautious quarterback to risk. If Bryant can’t rediscover
his old form, this fundamentally changes the shape of Dallas’s offense going forward,
and forces them to consider how they will reshape a wide receiver group they
already have a lot of money invested in.
Kansas
City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
This
is the last chance for Paxton Lynch. If the NFL was a meritocracy, he wouldn’t
get this chance. Though if the NFL was a meritocracy, he wouldn’t have gotten a
first chance to begin with. But because he was a first round pick, the Broncos
have to do their due diligence and give him every opportunity to prove himself
worthy of the investment, even if two years of practice and several games of
action have been enough to clearly show he isn’t.
In
a way it would probably be better for the Broncos if he plays abysmally. While
it would definitely be nice not to give up on a first round selection after two
years, a strong performance by Lynch will remove what little clarity exists in
Denver’s offseason. Right now they know they need to invest in a quarterback—through
the draft or through free agency—and I don’t think there’s any reason to
believe that Lynch will be the answer next year. But a good performance could
muddy the waters, and make life a lot more complicated for the Broncos front
office.
San
Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
We’ve
all heard plenty of talk about Jimmy Garoppolo, but how many people have
actually watched him play? There certainly weren’t a lot of eyes on ugly wins
over the Bears, Texans, and Titans, and even last week’s impressive victory
over the Jaguars was on opposite the Cowboys-Seahawks elimination game.
Garoppolo’s
stats are impressive, and this is where I’d normally point out that his actual
performance hasn’t lived up to the numbers. And while that’s certainly true,
that shouldn’t detract from how much fun he has been to watch. His arrival has
breathed life into Kyle Shanahan’s offense, turning a once dreary unit into one
of the most creative in the NFL. Much as he did last year in Atlanta, Shanahan
draws up some of the most beautiful route combinations in the NFL, and he
finally has a quarterback capable of not only executing his designs but making
plays outside of them. The Rams may rest most of their best players this
weekend, but this will still be a good last test for Garoppolo going into his
first offseason as a starting quarterback.
Cleveland
Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers
I
have to admit, I did not expect the Browns to be anywhere close to this bad. I
expected them to take a serious step forward this year, perhaps even pushing
towards a .500 record. That obviously hasn’t happened, as they’re one road loss
against one of the best teams in the league away from only the second 0-16
season in NFL history.
This
roster is abysmal, and the coaching is even worse. The only thing they have
going for them is the individual brilliance of Myles Garrett. Injuries have
kept the first overall pick from getting into the Defensive Rookie of the Year
conversation, but when healthy he’s been head and shoulders above every rookie
in the league besides Marshon Lattimore. He missed the first matchup against
Pittsburgh, but now he has a chance to face off against one of the best
offensive lines in the league. If the Browns are smart they’ll move him all
around, giving him a chance to duel against a Pro Bowl tackle, guard, and
center at various points to go after one of the toughest quarterbacks in the
league to track down.
New
York Jets @ New England Patriots
The
Patriots do have to win this game to lock up home field advantage in the
playoffs, but that shouldn’t be a problem. The Jets have been better than
expected this year, but that isn’t particularly high praise, considering they
were expected to be the worst team in the league. And now with Josh McCown out
and Bryce Petty in as the starter, they have become as miserable as everyone
expected, and they pose no threat to this New England team.
That
said, I have to give New York credit for building a competent offense at
several points earlier this year. Their scheme is one of the most clever and unique
in the NFL, integrating a lot of “college offense” concepts into an
occasionally lethal down the field passing attack. Jermaine Kearse and Robbie
Anderson have become a quality receiving duo, and if the Jets can find a real
quarterback to slide into this scheme next year (along with the return of
deadly slot weapon Quincy Enunwa) this could be one of the league’s most
exciting offenses in 2018.
Chicago
Bears @ Minnesota Vikings
Of
all the games on this list this is the one with the most significance. With a
win the Vikings can clinch a first round bye, while a loss would open the door
for the Panthers to leap them. But that would also rely on both Carolina and
the Rams winning and the Saints losing to Tampa Bay. It’s not impossible, but I
feel comfortable saying this game won’t have major consequences no matter which
way it goes.
We’ll
see plenty more of the Vikings, so let’s take a look at Chicago. It’s tempting
to call out Mitch Trubisky, but honestly I don’t want to watch any more of him
doing his best to play in this lifeless offense throwing to this shell of a
receiving corps. So let’s flip to the opposite side of the ball, where Chicago
may be building something interesting. Injuries to Pernell McPhee, Jerrell
Freeman, and Leonard Floyd have stripped this unit of some of its star power,
but they have built up tremendous depth in the front, starting with the
exceptional play of Akiem Hicks. Throw in growth from Kyle Fuller and the
emergence of rookie safety Eddie Jackson, and this defense has the look of one
that could make a leap with just another one or two pieces added.