The good, bad and ugly of Week 17: Big win for Eagles, but what happened to the Steelers, Bucs and Packers?

NFL NationDec 28, 2025, 07:45 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.

play0:24Jaxson Dart runs in his 2nd TD of the game for the GiantsJaxson Dart fakes the hand-off and runs it in himself for his second touchdown of the game for the Giants vs. the Raiders.

play0:24Tyler Shough finds Chris Olave for 19-yard Saints TDChris Olave’s 19-yard touchdown pulls the Saints closer to the Titans.

play0:27Trevor Lawrence scrambles into the end zone for a TDTrevor Lawrence takes off up the middle for a 4-yard rushing touchdown to get the Jaguars on the board.

play0:16Zach Charbonnet seals the Seahawks’ win with 2nd TDZach Charbonnet rumbles in for a touchdown to give the Seahawks a 27-10 lead.

play0:33Quinn Ewers connects with Theo Wease Jr. for 63-yard TDThe Dolphins level the score on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Ewers to Theo Wease Jr..

play0:18Aaron Rodgers’ 4th down pass batted down by BrownsAaron Rodgers pass is deflected and incomplete to make a big stop for the Browns on 4th down.

play0:23Ja’Marr Chase picks up his 2nd TD vs. ArizonaJa’Marr Chase extends Cincinnati’s lead with an 8-yard touchdown, his second of the game.

play0:24Drake Maye throws his 4th TD of the first halfDrake Maye scans the field and throw it to a wide-open Hunter Henry for his fourth touchdown pass.

play0:19Derrick Henry secures the hat trick with 3rd TDDerrick Henry finds his way into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown of the game

play0:30Stroud launches a 75-yard TD to Jayden HigginsC.J. Stroud puts the Texans on top with a deep 75-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins.

Jalen Hurts and Dallas Goedert connect for a TD (0:16)Jalen Hurts finds Dallas Goedert alone in the end zone to get the Eagles on the board. (0:16)

Jaxson Dart runs in his 2nd TD of the game for the GiantsJaxson Dart fakes the hand-off and runs it in himself for his second touchdown of the game for the Giants vs. the Raiders.

Jaxson Dart fakes the hand-off and runs it in himself for his second touchdown of the game for the Giants vs. the Raiders.

Tyler Shough finds Chris Olave for 19-yard Saints TDChris Olave’s 19-yard touchdown pulls the Saints closer to the Titans.

Trevor Lawrence scrambles into the end zone for a TDTrevor Lawrence takes off up the middle for a 4-yard rushing touchdown to get the Jaguars on the board.

Trevor Lawrence takes off up the middle for a 4-yard rushing touchdown to get the Jaguars on the board.

Zach Charbonnet seals the Seahawks’ win with 2nd TDZach Charbonnet rumbles in for a touchdown to give the Seahawks a 27-10 lead.

Quinn Ewers connects with Theo Wease Jr. for 63-yard TDThe Dolphins level the score on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Ewers to Theo Wease Jr..

Aaron Rodgers’ 4th down pass batted down by BrownsAaron Rodgers pass is deflected and incomplete to make a big stop for the Browns on 4th down.

Ja’Marr Chase picks up his 2nd TD vs. ArizonaJa’Marr Chase extends Cincinnati’s lead with an 8-yard touchdown, his second of the game.

Drake Maye throws his 4th TD of the first halfDrake Maye scans the field and throw it to a wide-open Hunter Henry for his fourth touchdown pass.

Derrick Henry secures the hat trick with 3rd TDDerrick Henry finds his way into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown of the game

Stroud launches a 75-yard TD to Jayden HigginsC.J. Stroud puts the Texans on top with a deep 75-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins.

Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season began on Christmas Day with an NFC East showdown between the Cowboys and the Commanders. Dallas jumped all over Washington early but had to hold on after giving up 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. Later, running back Derrick Henry carried the Ravens to victory over the Packers.

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.

Jump to: PHI-BUF | NYG-LV NO-TEN | JAX-IND | SEA-CAR TB-MIA | PIT-CLE | ARI-CIN NYJ-NE | BAL-GB | HOU-LAC DEN-KC | DET-MIN | DAL-WSH

Stat to know: The Eagles improved to 9-0 this season when Hurts throws for under 200 yards. He ended 13-of-27 for 110 yards with a touchdown and zero interceptions. Hurts was limited to just five yards on three carries on the ground as well. — Tim McManus

Most surprising performance: The defense couldn’t have done much more, holding the Eagles to just 13 points and less than 100 yards on the ground. The unit’s second half success appeared in forcing four straight three-and-outs in the second half and 16 net yards from Philly. The impressive effort came despite missing three starters for most of the game after linebacker Terrel Bernard exited with a calf injury. — Alaina Getzenberg

Stat to know: Slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson topped 1,000 receiving yards for the season after finishing the day with 11 catches for 113 yards. The impending free agent needed 99 yards to hit the milestone for the first time in his career. It’s something the Giants wanted him to get. “It’s huge,” Dart said this past week of trying to get Robinson to 1K. — Jordan Raanan

Jaxson Dart runs in his 2nd TD of the game for the Giants

Stat to know: Quarterback Geno Smith’s 17 interceptions are his most in a season since he threw 21 picks as a rookie with the Jets in 2013. He has now thrown 32 picks in the past two seasons. Smith left Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter with an injury and didn’t return. — Ryan McFadden

What to make of the QB performance: It was another big day for Tyler Shough, who came up clutch again in the fourth quarter to lead the Saints to their fourth straight win. Shough looked like a Rookie of the Year candidate despite playing with a depleted offense, and he hit the 300-yard passing mark for the second straight week. Shough completed 22 of 27 passes for a career-high 333 yards and two touchdowns. — Katherine Terrell

Tyler Shough finds Chris Olave for 19-yard Saints TD

Chris Olave’s 19-yard touchdown pulls the Saints closer to the Titans.

Trend to watch: Ward posted his fourth consecutive game with two or more touchdown passes, giving him eight over that stretch. This comes after he had thrown only six touchdown passes through the first 12 games. Ward has been intercepted just once over the past four games after getting picked off six times in the first 12 games. — Turron Davenport

Turning point: Cornerback Jarrian Jones set up the Jaguars’ go-ahead score by intercepting Philip Rivers and returning the ball 13 yards to the Colts’ 21-yard line. That led to Cam Little’s 42-yard field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter. It’s the second week in a row that Jones has had a game-changing interception, as he picked off Denver’s Bo Nix in the fourth quarter in Week 16. — Mike DiRocco

Trevor Lawrence scrambles into the end zone for a TD

Trend to watch: The Colts took a 10-0 lead to start the game but then saw their offense go into a slumber with four straight scoreless possessions during the second and third quarters. The Colts had 40 total yards on those four possessions, allowing quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars to find their footing and get back into the game. Since Week 10, the Colts have averaged 9.9 points per game in the middle two quarters (22nd in the NFL). — Stephen Holder

Trend to watch: The Seahawks’ running game has been a slog for much of the season, but it has come alive the past two games. After totaling 171 yards on the ground against the Rams, the Seahawks had 164 before a late knee-down Sunday. Running back Zach Charbonnet led the way with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

Zach Charbonnet seals the Seahawks’ win with 2nd TD

Zach Charbonnet rumbles in for a touchdown to give the Seahawks a 27-10 lead.

What to make of the QB performance: Bryce Young’s inconsistent season continued with a career-low 54 passing yards. He had 16 yards at halftime and 21 midway through the third quarter. Young was intercepted during a stretch of four offensive plays for Carolina that resulted in a pair of turnovers. He later had a touchdown run but wasn’t consistent enough to beat a really good Seattle team.

Best quote from the locker room: The Panthers know they blew an opportunity to win the NFC South title, but they also know they have one more shot at it next week at Tampa Bay. “The reality of our situation is all that matters is next week,” safety Nick Scott said. “Like, actually, I know we said it all year, but we actually got one game left and it’s for everything.” — David Newton

Trend to watch: The Dolphins needed immediate production from this rookie class and got it, despite a disappointing season overall. The rookies stole the show Sunday, even beyond Ewers. Undrafted free agent wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. caught a 63-yard touchdown pass, defensive tackle Zeek Biggers blocked a field goal and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. recorded his first career interception in the win. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Quinn Ewers connects with Theo Wease Jr. for 63-yard TD

The Dolphins level the score on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Ewers to Theo Wease Jr..

Trend to watch: Through Week 9, the Bucs allowed a QBR of 43.4 to opposing quarterbacks, the best in the NFL over that span. Then from Weeks 10-17, the Bucs have allowed a QBR of 64.3, trailing only the Cardinals for worst in the league. Arizona is 0-7 in that span. — Jenna Laine

How does this win impact the Browns’ offseason? Sunday’s game wasn’t just consequential for the Steelers, who could have clinched the AFC North with a win. The Browns’ win likely pushed them out of position for a top-two pick in the 2026 draft, which could presumably have been used on a top quarterback. Last year, the Browns finished behind the Titans and lost out on the opportunity to select Cam Ward with the top pick. So, this win could alter the trajectory of Cleveland’s offseason and future.

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