NFL Week 17 Recap: Destiny Controlled

It's been a tough period for everyone. We are still reeling from what we saw on Monday Night Football with Damar Hamlin. It was all I could think about last night, and like so many others, it's still on my mind. I truly hope Hamlin recovers, I hope we can look back on this horrible moment and say that we are so glad and so happy that Hamlin survived and is living a good life. That's what we all want, and that's what we're praying for. With that said, there is the matter (albeit an immensely secondary matter) of the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, and there are two options regarding that game: either it'll be played on a later date, or it'll be canceled and declared a tie. Honestly, I'm for the latter, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one saying this.

I know there's no proper way to discuss the rest of Week 17, but the main story that Sunday was the Green Bay Packers continuing to stay alive in the playoff race. A fortuitous Week 16 allowed the Packers' scenario to become just a bit easier, and after the Washington Commanders' 24-10 home loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Packers finally controlled their own destiny. All they had to do was win out, but they needed to win to stay alive, as the Detroit Lions blasted the Chicago Bears earlier in the day. It started a bit iffy for the Packers, a blocked punt actually placed the Minnesota Vikings one yard away from the endzone, but they somehow couldn't get in and settled for a field goal.

What followed was a 105-yard kickoff return, then a 75-yard interception return, and the foot remained superglued to the gas. The Packers won, 41-17, their fourth straight win to put them at .500 (8-8). After all of the difficulties and the hardships, the Packers are one win away from actually making the playoffs--something that didn't seemed like an actual thought one month ago.

The Packers weren't the only team who remained in the playoff hunt. The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their seemingly faint hopes alive on Sunday Night Football, as they entered their meeting with the Baltimore Ravens with the "lose and out" elimination scenario. Their clinching scenario for Week 17 was a lot more complex. They needed to win out, the Miami Dolphins had to lose out, the New York Jets had to lose that week, and the New England Patriots had to lose next week. The help did come; the Patriots actually defeated the Tua-less Dolphins to stay alive and move above the playoffs line, while the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Jets, keeping Seattle alive while the Jets were officially eliminated. It was not easy; the Steelers wre playing catch-up for the whole game...until Kenny Pickett connected with Najee Harris with 56 seconds left, sealing a 16-13 win to earn the right to clinch a playoff spot on the final week.

Congratulations are in store for the New York Giants, as with their 38-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, they are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. This was a long and winding road for the Giants, as they suffered through a number of years with Ben McAdoo, and after he was ousted, it was life after Eli Manning, as well as incompetency from coaches and upper management. Brian Daboll ended up being the answer. This was Daboll's first year as head coach of the Giants, and it paid so many dividends. That and a consistently healthy Saquon Barkley ended up making the difference for the franchise, who is locked in as the NFC's #6 seed and will head to either Minneapolis (for the second time this year) or Santa Clara on Super Wild Card Weekend.

So the battle for .500 known as the NFC South is over with a week left. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers, 30-24, thanks to yet another comeback late in the game. So with the win, the Bucs repeated as champions of the NFC South, and also improved to 8-8 on the season, with a chance to clinch a winning record in Atlanta. As for the Carolina Panthers, they lasted much longer than many expected after trading Christian McCaffrey, but the loss ends their season. The Bucs win also placed the New Orleans Saints on the brink of elimination, even after NO's road win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and it was the Packers' victory that ended up ousting the Saints, as well as the Commanders. The Buccaneers are locked in as the #4 seed, and they will host whoever finishes as the NFC East's runner up on Super Wild Card Weekend.

Minnesota's loss eliminated them from the chase for the #1 seed (something I'm still laughing at), but one team who remained alive for that spot was the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners faced off against the Las Vegas Raiders, who were (somehow) still relevant in the playoff race entering Week 17. It was a close, back-and-forth game that ended up going to overtime, but even so, the Raiders needed to win. A loss would eliminate them, and so would a tie. Unfortunately, Jarrett Stidham, who started for the permanently benched Derek Carr, threw an interception that was returned to field goal range, and Robbie Gould did the rest. The Niners won 37-34, in overtime, officially eliminating the Raiders from playoff contention--one year after they clinched a spot in a memorable regular season finale. San Francisco now has the Dallas Cowboys joining them in the race for the #1 seed, as they kicked off the week with a 27-13 win over the Tennessee Titans, whose AFC South Championship opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars, blasted the hapless Houston Texans.

Back to Bills/Bengals. Again, this is an immensely secondary issue; the real concern is Damar Hamlin. If it were up to me, the game would be canceled and deemed a tie. I can't see either team having the heart to actually finish that game after what happened. Not that it actually matters, but a cancellation and tie would the Bengals their second straight AFC North title, as the Ravens loss allowed Cincy the right to clinch the division with either a win or a tie (had PIT/BAL ended tied, CIN would have to win). As of this writing, there is no official decision on what to do with the Bills/Bengals game, and I would think a decision would be made before Week 18 starts.

Speaking of Week 18, it starts with a Saturday doubleheader; the Las Vegas Raiders hosting the Kansas City Chiefs, followed by the AFC South Championship between the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Sunday Night Football regular season finale will feature the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers in a pivotal do-or-die contest at Lambeau Field.