NFL Week 17 results & review: Ravens, 49ers claim top seeds, Eagles upset at home
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NFL 2023 regular season |
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Dates: 7 September 2023-7 January 2024 |
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The road to the Super Bowl will go through Baltimore and San Francisco after the Ravens and 49ers secured the two top seeds in the AFC and NFC, and home advantage in the play-offs.
The Ravens look like the unstoppable force in the NFL after hammering the Miami Dolphins 56-19 in the big game of the New Year's Eve schedule to claim top spot in the AFC, with Lamar Jackson again showcasing his most valuable player (MVP) claims.
San Francisco's 27-10 win over the Washington Commanders gave them the number one seed in the NFC after the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a huge upset defeat at home to the lowly Arizona Cardinals.
The Buffalo Bills continued their play-off push with a 27-21 victory over the New England Patriots while the Kansas City Chiefs won their division for the eighth year running.
Rampant Ravens destroy Dolphins
Lamar Jackson could well be the NFL MVP for a second time
Ravens quarterback Jackson threw five touchdown passes as Baltimore won a sixth game in a row to claim top spot in the AFC in style.
Jackson may now sit out the final game of the season next week with his job done, as the Ravens will have home advantage throughout the play-offs and also a first-round bye after dominating another play-off side.
It's the second-most points the Ravens have ever scored in a game in the NFL - just behind the 59 Jackson also engineered in his 2019 MVP season, which also, ironically, came against Miami.
"I don't know if I've seen a more impressive performance in a game," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of Jackson. "I'm not sure I've seen a more impressive performance in a season to date."
While the Ravens are firmly the team to beat, the Dolphins have work to do despite already being in the play-offs, as they host the Buffalo Bills next week with the AFC East title, and crucially a home play-off game, on the line.
Shock Eagles loss hands NFC top spot to 49ers
Deebo Samuel celebrates his touchdown for the San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers responded to their brutal loss to the Ravens with a comfortable win in Washington, then watched on as a dramatic late Arizona Cardinals victory in Philadelphia meant San Francisco locked up the top seed and play-off bye with a week to spare.
"Thank you, Cardinals," said 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. "The fact that we were able to get it with one game left in the season is big."
Few gave the 3-12 Cardinals any hope in Philadelphia, but James Conner's late touchdown run gave them a 35-31 victory that continued the Eagles' slump from 10-1 at the start of December to 11-5 with one game left to play.
The Eagles tumbled from second to fifth in the NFC play-offs standings, leaving the Dallas Cowboys in pole position to win the NFC East division as Philadelphia continued to struggle on both sides of the ball.
"We have to get things fixed," said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. "And we have to get them fixed fast."
Chiefs make it eight in a row
Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to an eighth straight AFC West title
Harrison Butker kicked six field goals as the Kansas City Chiefs claimed the AFC West title for the eighth time in a row - with their 25-17 victory over Cincinnati also ending the Bengals' play-off hopes.
The Chiefs' defence was again the catalyst as they locked in the third seed in the AFC, meaning it is likely they will have to go and win in Baltimore to get back to the Super Bowl.
"Now you're in the play-offs it's one game, single elimination - and I think we can play with anybody," said Patrick Mahomes, who had a pass dropped for the 40th time this season, the most in the NFL and something the team will need to clean up to stand any chance of defending their title.
Anything is possible in the wide-open AFC South, where the Jacksonville Jaguars lead after a dominant 26-0 victory over the Carolina Panthers and will take back-to-back titles with a win next week.
The Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans both won, though, against the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans respectively, to join the Jags on 9-7 before their crunch final-day meeting when a division title or wildcard spot could be up for grabs.
Steelers stay alive - Rams back in the post-season
The Los Angeles Rams are back in the play-offs after missing out last season
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 30-23 to not only ensure head coach Mike Tomlin made it 17 straight seasons with a winning record but also keep their play-off hopes alive, while the Seahawks will need a lot of help to sneak in.
The Los Angeles Rams, the Super Bowl champions in 2022, are back in the play-offs after beating the New York Giants 26-25, but the Denver Broncos were eliminated despite beating the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers still lead the NFC South but only on a tie-breaker after losing 23-13 to divisional rivals the New Orleans Saints, while the Atlanta Falcons are also still alive despite losing 37-17 at the Chicago Bears.
The Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings 33-10 in the primetime game and for the second year running they will play the final game of the season needing a win to book their play-off spot, in what will be a dramatic final Sunday of the campaign.
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