It’s the most wonderful time of year, both in our homes and on the gridiron, where one of the most entertaining and unpredictable NFL seasons in years has reached crunch time.
This weekend, we could see the seven remaining divisional winners determined, joining the Philadelphia Eagles, which clinched the NFC East last weekend. The Green Bay Packers clinched their playoff berth on Christmas Day, leaving just three playoff spots left to be decided.
The action kicked off with the three Christmas Day contests, continues with two matchups on Saturday, 10 more games on Sunday and then wraps with Monday night’s meeting between the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons.
Here are five of the most compelling storylines of Week 17.
Seasons on the brink
Lofty expectations have gone unfulfilled, and now some of the teams that once ranked among the most promising find themselves in real trouble.
The Baltimore Ravens entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers once appeared primed to continue their dominance in the NFC South. And midway through the season, the Indianapolis Colts boasted one of the best records in the AFC and the most potent offense in the league. This weekend, however, all three teams find themselves booted from postseason contention.
The Ravens’ season took another downward turn last week as they lost quarterback Lamar Jackson to a back injury and also blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead to fall to the New England Patriots. This weekend could represent the end of the road for Baltimore (7-8), which travels to Green Bay to take on the 9-5-1 Packers.
Jackson spent the week on the injury report and is doubtful to play, with Tyler Huntley in line to start. The Ravens need a win and the Pittsburgh Steelers to lose to the Cleveland Browns to keep their season alive. However, a loss or tie with the Packers OR a Steelers win over the Browns would mean Baltimore misses the playoffs for the first time since 2021 and only the second time since 2017.
The Buccaneers (7-8) suffered a painful loss last week to the Carolina Panthers and now could miss the playoff cut for the first time in six years with a loss at the Miami Dolphins and a Panthers win over the Seattle Seahawks. If the Bucs — losers of three straight and six of their last seven — beat the Dolphins, they then position themselves for a winner-take-all meeting with Carolina in Tampa next week.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis has seen its season unravel after an 8-2 start. Since the Week 11 bye, the Colts have lost five straight and without a win over the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars, their postseason hopes will come to an end.
(Ravens at Packers, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, Peacock; Buccaneers at Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox; Jaguars at Colts, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox)
Divisional races
Outcomes of this weekend’s games could determine the winners of every division except the NFC East, which the Eagles already wrapped up.
In the NFC South, the Chicago Bears (11-4) are close to pulling off the dramatic turnaround from last in the NFC North in 2024 to first place this season. A thrilling overtime victory over Green Bay put the Bears back in the driver’s seat of the division and secured the Bears’ first postseason berth since 2020.
The Bears now face a stiff test this Sunday as they head west to play the San Francisco 49ers (11-4) — winners of five straight.
If Caleb Williams and the Bears, who have pulled off six fourth-quarter comeback victories this season, can continue the magic this week, they can secure their first division crown since 2018 (the Bears also could clinch the division with a tie and a Packers loss or tie).
In the NFC South, a team once viewed as the most unlikely of division winners — the Panthers (8-7) — has a chance to take the division. It would require a win over visiting Seattle (12-3) and a Tampa Bay loss to Miami. The Panthers, who haven’t won their division in 10 years, are 7-point home underdogs.
However, they did go into Green Bay and upset the Packers in Week 9 and then knocked off the heavily favored Los Angeles Rams at home in Week 13, so anything is possible.
The NFC West ranks among the most hotly contested divisions with the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers all jockeying for position. However, Seattle could clinch with a win plus losses or ties by both L.A. and San Francisco, or with a Seahawks tie and losses by the Rams and 49ers.
Over in the AFC, the Steelers (9-6) head to Cleveland (3-12), where they hope to extend their win streak to four games and clinch the North for the first time since 2020. A victory, a tie or a Ravens loss or tie would also give the Steelers a playoff berth.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars (winners of six straight and owners of an 11-4 record) head to Indianapolis, where they will try to complete the season sweep and position themselves for the AFC South crown. A season after going 4-13, the Jaguars and first-year coach Liam Coen can seal the deal with a win plus a Houston Texans loss to the Los Angeles Chargers or a tie against Indianapolis and a Texans loss.
In the AFC West, the Denver Broncos have held a healthy lead for much of the second half of the season and securing the crown is possible this weekend. The Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-13 on Christmas, so a Chargers loss or tie on Saturday would give Denver the title. And in the AFC East, despite their loss to the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago, the Patriots can clinch their division with a win over the New York Jets and a Bills loss or tie to the Eagles. If the Patriots were to tie New York, New England would need Buffalo to lose to seal the deal.
(Texans at Chargers, 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, NFL Network; Seahawks at Panthers, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS; Steelers at Browns, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS; Jaguars at Colts, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox; Bears at 49ers, 8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, NBC)
Bo Nix and the Broncos could clinch the AFC West on Saturday if the Chargers lose to the Texans. (Eric Thomas / Getty Images)
No. 1 seed chases
Teams like the Broncos, Chargers, Patriots, Seahawks, Rams, 49ers and Bears have all punched their playoff tickets. However, the coveted No. 1 seeds and first-round playoff byes in both conferences remain up for grabs.
Denver controlled its own path entering this week and took another step toward their goal by beating the downtrodden Chiefs. To wrap up that No. 1 seed this weekend, the Broncos would need the Chargers, Jaguars, Patriots and Bills to all lose or tie. Otherwise, they would have to wait until next week.
The NFC’s top seed will be determined next week (barring a Bears-49ers tie, which would allow the Seahawks to clinch with a win and a Rams loss). The Rams, who are on the road against the Falcons, need a win to stay alive for the top seed, while the loser of Sunday night’s Bears-49ers game will be eliminated from No. 1 seed contention.
(Texans at Chargers, 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, NFL Network; Patriots at Jets, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox; Rams at Falcons, 8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, ESPN).
Super Bowl preview?
Two conference heavyweights face off as the Eagles travel to Buffalo to face the Bills on Sunday afternoon. Could this serve as a preview of things to come?
The Eagles enter this game having clinched the NFC East for a second straight season and a playoff berth for a fifth consecutive season. Nick Sirianni’s team is still trying to fully recapture the offensive potency and balance that carried them to the Super Bowl last season.
But last week against the Washington Commanders, running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown (his second-highest total of this season), and wide receiver A.J. Brown recorded nine catches (second-highest total) for 95 yards. So, perhaps things have finally started to click for Jalen Hurts (five touchdown passes and no interceptions and 79 rushing yards in the last two weeks combined) and his pals.
Buffalo’s defense has allowed 144.3 rushing yards per game (fourth-most), so Barkley could be in for another big day, especially with right tackle Lane Johnson expected to make his return from an injury-induced absence.
However, what can we expect from Buffalo’s offense? Last week against the Browns, James Cook rolled to a 117-yard, two-touchdown performance. However, Josh Allen had a very pedestrian day, passing for just 130 yards and no touchdowns in a 23-20 victory.
Philadelphia’s defense welcomes back a key piece in lineman Jalen Carter and will look to control the line of scrimmage and harass Allen. The Bills rank among the most prolific offenses, averaging 28.9 points per game. But the Eagles hold foes to 19.3 per contest. It’s certainly a case of good on good.
(Eagles at Bills, 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox)
The Eagles are expected to welcome Jalen Carter back to the lineup on Sunday. (Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
Toilet Bowl
From two of the best to two of the worst of the 2025 season. The New York Giants (2-13) visit the Las Vegas Raiders (2-13) in a game that could help determine the recipient of the first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
While the top pick could significantly help each of these rebuilding teams, there are plenty of reasons neither coaching staff nor roster would want to tank. First, players don’t at all care about draft order. Disastrous seasons like these squads have endured have led to roster overhauls. Hence, jobs are on the line, and players are working to either solidify their statuses for next season or auditioning for prospective employers.
Meanwhile, Raiders coach Pete Carroll could be coaching for his job. And Giants’ interim head coach Mike Kafka certainly is under evaluation.
But these are indeed two of the league’s inferior squads, with defenses that allow well over 300 yards per game. The Raiders have seen opponents hang 30 points on them seven times this season, while Giants foes have done so six times.
The Raiders offense manages just 248.9 yards and 14.5 points per game (both last in the NFL), while the Giants average 329.7 points per game, but struggle to score, averaging 20.6 points per game.
Both of these teams have lost nine consecutive games. So while a loss on Sunday could help secure draft positioning, a defeat could serve as ultimate humiliation and also secure pink slips for coaching staffs.
(Giants at Raiders, 4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox)