NFL NationDec 27, 2025, 07:57 PM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
play0:33Bo Nix slings go-ahead TD pass to RJ HarveyBo Nix finds RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone to give the Broncos a 20-13 advantage over the Chiefs.
Stroud launches a 75-yard TD to Jayden Higgins (0:30)C.J. Stroud puts the Texans on top with a deep 75-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins. (0:30)
Bo Nix slings go-ahead TD pass to RJ HarveyBo Nix finds RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone to give the Broncos a 20-13 advantage over the Chiefs.
Bo Nix finds RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone to give the Broncos a 20-13 advantage over the Chiefs.
Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season began on Christmas Day with an NFC East showdown between the Cowboys and Commanders. Dallas jumped all over Washington early but had to hold on after allowing several big plays.
The action continued Saturday with the Texans beating the Chargers to clinch a third consecutive playoff berth for the first time in franchise history.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
With a playoff berth clinched, what’s the Texans’ biggest priority now? Winning the AFC South. The Texans still have a shot to win the division, but it depends on if the Jacksonville Jaguars lose either one of their next two games. It’s simple as this: If the Jaguars lose either one of their upcoming games against the Indianapolis Colts or the Tennessee Titans and Houston beats the Colts in Week 18, the Texans will win the AFC South for the third consecutive season.
Key stat to know: Cameron Dicker missed his first career field goal from under 40 yards. Dicker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history and a first-time Pro Bowl selection this season, pushed a 32-yard field goal wide right to end the first half and later missed an extra point attempt. Dicker has been responsible for a large part of the Chargers’ wins this season, but his misses loomed large for L.A. on Saturday. — Kris Rhim
Was this enough to get safety Harrison Smith to play another season? It has been a while since the 36-year-old has made so many high-impact plays in a game. But Smith produced a sack, an interception, two batted passes and two tackles for loss as the Vikings’ defense forced six turnovers. Smith hasn’t said that he plans to retire, but there are many people in and around the franchise who suspect he will. But if he can still play like this, perhaps he could once against delay that decision.
Key stat to know: The Vikings finished with 3 net passing yards, the fewest by a winning team in an NFL game since 2006, as rookie quarterback Max Brosmer took six sacks and struggled to find open receivers. They were at minus-7 net passing yards until Brosmer’s final throw, a 10-yard pass to receiver Justin Jefferson to convert a third down and seal the game. — Kevin Seifert
Biggest hole in the game plan: Third- and fourth-down defense. Dallas converted 8 of 19 third downs, which wasn’t horrible. There was one 14-yard gain on third-and-18 that set up a fourth-and-short. That’s where the Commanders faltered, as Dallas converted all of its fourth-down attempts, leading to 17 points. Dallas was able to run 87 plays — 19 more than any other team has had against the Commanders this season. — John Keim
How far can Justin Herbert take the Chargers? The box score doesn’t quite reflect the performance (236 passing yards, one interception, 37 rushing yards), but Saturday’s game was one of quarterback Justin Herbert’s most impressive. He evaded sacks, ran through defenders and delivered throws with defensive linemen draped on him — all while playing with a broken left hand. It was the kind of performance that reinforces why the Chargers believe Herbert can will them to a title. Still, expecting Herbert to replicate that level of play isn’t sustainable for a deep postseason run, and even with how well he played, he couldn’t overcome the mistakes around him.
Is the Broncos’ grind-it-out offense playoff ready? The Broncos took care of what they needed to Thursday to stay in the driver’s seat for the AFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. But there were good news/bad news vibes from the Denver offense. The good news was that the Broncos had three scoring drives of eight or more minutes. The bad? Only one of those resulted in a touchdown. They will need to close the deal with more authority (and touchdowns) in the postseason because when they don’t, they leave themselves open to what happened against the Chiefs — where they’re in a down-to-the-wire scrap despite giving up only 95 yards of total offense prior to Kansas City’s final drive.
Most surprising performance: Without their top two cornerbacks, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, the Chiefs’ defense did more than hold its own against Denver’s offense. Kristian Fulton and rookie Nohl Williams performed well in fill-in roles despite the Broncos trying over and over to get receiver Courtland Sutton in one-on-one opportunities. Fulton finished with three pass breakups, one of which led to an interception by linebacker Nick Bolton. Williams had eight tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage.
Best quote from the locker room: “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone try to draw the defense to them by fumbling it,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said of Oladokun while laughing. “That was like a little yo-yo trick he put on. I’m proud of him, man, throughout the week, his attention to detail and his professionalism and his leadership. I couldn’t be happier for the guy. Obviously, I wish we could’ve gotten that win for him [in] a big game against a rival. I’m proud of the way he led us and kept fighting.” — Nate Taylor
How concerning was quarterback Jared Goff’s performance? Very concerning. Goff couldn’t get much going as the offensive line struggled to protect him without starting LT Taylor Decker, who was ruled inactive with an illness. The tough Vikings defense sacked Goff five times and forced five turnovers by him (two interceptions, three fumbles), which tied a career high. The Lions’ eight turnovers through Week 16 were the fewest in the NFL, but they ended with a season-high six turnovers in Minnesota as Goff went 18-for-29 for 197 passing yards and a touchdown while facing constant pressure. With the loss, the Lions were eliminated from playoff contention.
Key stat to know: This is the first time the Lions have lost multiple fumbles in a game this season with four. Goff fumbled his snap in the first quarter, then RB Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled while rushing at 14:22 in the second quarter. Goff fumbled twice in the fourth quarter. Prior to this game, Detroit’s last time losing at least two fumbles in any game was in Week 12 of 2023 against the Packers. The Lions’ 38-game streak without losing multiple fumbles was the fourth-longest active streak in the NFL entering Thursday behind the Falcons (42), Chiefs (41) and Texans (40). — Eric Woodyard
Does finishing with a non-losing record matter? It does to Brian Schottenheimer, who has frequently referred to this being the first year of the program. The Cowboys are 7-8-1 with their Week 18 finale against the New York Giants looming, and Schottenheimer has given no indication that the Cowboys plan to sit regulars such as Dak Prescott to avoid injury. The quarterback has said he wants to play and will fight to remain in the lineup. If the Cowboys lose to the Giants — whether they play their main guys or not — it will be the first time Dallas has had consecutive seasons with a losing record since three straight 5-11 finishes from 2000 to 2002.
Key stat to know: The Cowboys converted 4 of 9 third downs in the first half and all four chances on fourth down. They finished with six — the most fourth-down conversions the Cowboys have had in any game over the past 45 seasons. The last team to have four first-half fourth-down conversions was the 2006 New Orleans Saints, who also had four against the Giants. The Cowboys had 17 first downs in the first half, while the Commanders ran just 18 plays. Dallas added two more fourth-down conversions in the fourth quarter. — Todd Archer
Will Dan Quinn end the season on the hot seat? There has been no indication that Quinn’s job is in jeopardy, but even if he doesn’t end the season on the hot seat, his future job security will be a topic entering next season. Washington has lost 12 of its past 13 games — one year after winning 12 in the regular season. But a lineup depleted because of injuries has been the main culprit to Washington’s season, giving Quinn and his staff a reprieve. However, Quinn will have a decision to make at defensive coordinator. He took over playcalling duties from Joe Whitt Jr. in Week 11. Multiple players have said Quinn hasn’t lost the locker room, and despite being undermanned against Dallas — starting their No. 3 QB in Josh Johnson — the Commanders made it a game thanks in part to strong performances from running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (105 yards rushing) and defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton (three sacks).
Stroud launches a 75-yard TD to Jayden Higgins (0:30)C.J. Stroud puts the Texans on top with a deep 75-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins. (0:30)
CloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
What to make of the QB performance: Bo Nix guided another fourth-quarter, game-winning drive, finishing with a 1-yard TD pass to RJ Harvey with 1:45 to play, so he got the big-picture job done once again. But the Broncos didn’t have a play of more than nine yards until Nix scrambled for 14 yards with 5:35 left in the second quarter and didn’t have a pass play of more than nine yards until the two-minute warning in the first half. Nix, who finished 26-for-38 for 182 yards, also had some accuracy issues crop up again, helping result in a deflected-ball interception in the first half. — Jeff Legwold