Biggest Winners and Losers in the NFL: Week 17

Winners

Cleveland Browns

It has been a long time coming, but the Cleveland Browns are finally going to the playoffs. Cleveland finished their season with a Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending with an 11-5 record and the sixth seed in a loaded AFC. QB Baker Mayfield did a nice job under head coach Kevin Stefanski in 2020, bouncing back from a rough sophomore campaign. Now, the Browns will have to take on the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs and look to overcome enormous odds due to the COVID-19 outbreak within their organization. Nonetheless, the Browns are going to come out of this season with a playoff berth, which is a huge stepping stone for the organization.

Washington Football Team

When you think of overcoming the odds, the Washington Football Team is the definition of that. Whether it is QB Alex Smith coming back from a catastrophic leg injury or head coach Ron Rivera beating cancer, this team has shown resilience and has never quit. Now, they have an NFC East title to show for it. In Week 17, WFT clinched with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, finishing the season 7-9 but in first place. Going from the number two pick in the draft to the playoffs in one year is very impressive and they will look to continue their success in the first round of the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tennessee Titans

Since QB Ryan Tannehill took over, the Titans have been a force in the AFC and clinched the AFC South title with a win over the Houston Texans in dramatic fashion. Tennessee finished 11-5, led by RB Derrick Henry, who became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. The Titans have an identity and stick by it, wearing down defenses to open the play-action game for receivers A.J. Brown and Corey Davis. The Titans will draw a familiar foe in the Wild Card round when they take on the Baltimore Ravens, a team they eliminated just a year ago. Tennessee will look to impose their will and dominate the line of scrimmage to get the victory.

Losers

Arizona Cardinals

After a great start, the Arizona Cardinals completely collapsed in 2020. After starting 6-3, the Cardinals lost five of their last seven, with their last two losses coming at the hands of a backup quarterback. With these losses, Arizona is now left out of the playoffs, finishing at 8-8. It was a disappointing year with the promise that QB Kyler Murray showed when healthy, especially with WR DeAndre Hopkins coming over from Houston in the offseason. Arizona will need to make some changes to have more success in 2021.

Miami Dolphins

It has been a fun year for the Miami Dolphins, but unfortunately will end on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Miami was in a win-and-in situation but failed to dethrone the 13-3 Buffalo Bills in Week 17. Miami lost in blowout fashion, giving up 56 points and 455 yards of offense to the Bills. QB Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions and WR Mack Hollins coughed up a fumble as well in the defeat. Despite this, Miami must be feeling good about going 10-6 and taking a major step forward. Look for Miami to keep getting better in 2021 with Tua having a full year of experience.

Houston Texans

While the game meant nothing, Week 17 was a carbon copy of what the Houston Texans have been in 2020. QB Deshaun Watson does everything in his power to lead the offense down the field and score, while the team lets him down. Whether it is a bad snap, a fumble on the goal line, or a defensive breakdown, something always seems to go wrong. This week, Watson put up 38 points, including the game-tying drive capped off by a Ka’imi Fairbairn 51-yard field goal. In return, the Houston defense gave up a 50-yard bomb to WR A.J. Brown with 18 seconds left to get into field goal range, where K Sam Sloman knocked in the game-winning field goal. It has been a dreadful season for the Texans and ended with the same narrative it has been all season.

Info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas