Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #17 - Enjoying the Christmas Miracle
John Crowe, Sports Contributor
Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #17 - Enjoying the Christmas Miracle
While you might think that a 4-11 team might be feeling bad for themselves or have thrown in the towel, but the scenes from the jubilant New England locker room were anything but downtrodden. The team seemed happy for each other and for their head coach, Bill Belichick, who, as we’ve written about all season long, is on the hot seat for the first in 24 seasons in Foxboro. How happy were they? Well, quarterback Bailey Zappe, who had given the coach a handshake after the Pats' last win in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, hugged him with a wide grin on both their faces.
With the victory, the Patriots dropped from having the second pick in the upcoming draft to the fourth, but no one seemed to care. The future will take care of itself it seems. That future and reality might hit them straight in the face in Buffalo against the surging Bills, who’ve won three games in a row after struggling midseason. They’ve outscored their opponents 75-49 in those three wins while the Patriots.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNew England pulled off the upset back in week 7, 29-25, when Mac Jones was still the starting quarterback. The question now is can this team stay happy with Zappe and pull off another upset?
NFL Week 17 Power Rankings
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7, Last week not ranked)
Don’t look now, but the Bucs are one of the hottest teams in the league. They’ve won four straight behind Baker Mayfield, who’s thrown as many touchdowns (26) and fewer interceptions (8) than Patrick Mahomes (14). If they beat the Saints this Sunday, they clinch the NFC South and will host a Wild Card playoff game.
9. Kansas City Chiefs (9-6, Last week ranked 6th)
Clearly, there’s dysfunction in Kansas City. How else can you explain a Christmas Day home 20-14 loss to the Raiders? Patrick Mahomes appears to have trust issues with his receivers and for the first time in several seasons, the Chiefs are not clear favorites in the AFC.
8. Dallas Cowboys (10-5, Last week ranked 5th)
With two games left, the Cowboys are currently on the outside looking in to win the NFC East after a last-second loss in Miami last Sunday. Dallas has to beat Detroit on Saturday and Washington next week while hoping the Eagles lose to either the Cardinals or Giants.
7. Buffalo Bills (9-6, Last week ranked 9th)
There are 14 convoluted ways the Bills can clinch a postseason spot this Sunday, including a win or tie over the Patriots and some help. Their best way is to beat the Pats and then travel to Miami in week 18 to take the AFC East title should the Dolphins lose this week at Baltimore.
6. Cleveland Browns (11-5, Last week ranked 8th)
If you had Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper combining for a franchise-record 265 yards and 2 touchdowns in week 16, you should be playing the lottery more often. Thursday night’s week 17 victory over the Jets, fueled by Flacco’s 309 yards and 3 touchdowns, clinched a spot in the playoffs for Cleveland. We keep saying it, but it’s true – no one wants to face the Browns in the Wild Card round.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (11-4, Last week ranked 7th)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Eagles will gladly take their Christmas Day gift from the Giants to break their three-game losing streak. Now, with a pair of wins over the Cardinals and those same Giants on the road, Philly will be NFC East champs and could still garner one of the top two seeds in the NFC. Still, quarterback Jalen Hurts does not seem like the same guy who led them to the Super Bowl last season.
4. Detroit Lions (11-4, Last week ranked 4th)
For the first time, you can call Detroit NFC North Division champions. They went into Minnesota and took out the Vikings and now they are just two wins and some help away from having the NFC road to the Super Bowl go through Motown. The Lions and Cowboys have a Saturday showdown this week with the winner having the upper hand at postseason success.
3. Miami Dolphins (11-4, Last week ranked 3rd)
The Dolphins were looking for a signature victory and week 16 brought them one, beating Dallas at home 22-20 on a last-second Jason Sanders field goal. With the dynamic duo of Tua Tagovailoa leading the way (#1 with 4,214 yards passing; and 1641 yards receiving), Miami is one game away from the top spot in the AFC. They have a chance to take control of that Sunday when they travel to Baltimore to take on the 12-3 Ravens.
2. San Francisco 49ers (11-4, Last week ranked 1st)
There was no Holly Jolly Christmas for the 49ers. They got a big lump of coal in their collective stockings from the Ravens, who dominated them to a 33-19 win. Quarterback Brock Purdy threw four interceptions for the first time to set the Niners back. They still have the inside track to the number one seed in the NFC, but now they are tied with the Lions and Eagles with 11 wins. They’ll have to defeat the Commanders and Rams to seal the deal.
1. Baltimore Ravens (12-3, Last week ranked 2nd)
Merry Christmas to the Charm City! The Ravens, who lead the league in turnover differential (+10), forced five of them Monday night to negate any Niners offense. Quarterback Lamar Jackson took advantage and threw for two scores. Whether it’s with his arm or with his legs, Jackson is showing he is the frontrunner for MVP this season, which would be the second of his young six-year career. Baltimore has a short week before hosting Miami, who’s just one game behind them in the race to the number one seed in the AFC.
Five games to watch in week 17
Patriots at Bills (Sunday 1 pm on CBS)
Lions at Cowboys (Saturday 1 pm on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2)
Dolphins at Ravens (Sunday 1 pm on CBS)
Saints at Buccaneers (Sunday 1 pm on FOX)
Bengals at Chiefs (Sunday 4:25 pm on CBS)