NFL
3 NFL Storylines to Watch in Week 17
Several teams have already punched their ticket for the postseason, but Week 17 still features multiple games with significant playoff ramifications.

Outside Looking In

The Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, and Seattle Seahawks are the three teams that are still technically alive in the playoff hunt but are going to need to win their Week 17 matchups as well as get help in order to sneak into the postseason.

Let's start in the AFC because both of these teams are going to be living with some regrets over the offseason if they indeed fall short of making the playoffs.


Now on their fourth kicker, the Chargers -- who started the season 0-4 -- might have been in position to capitalize on the mid-season collapse of the Kansas City Chiefs to steal AFC West away if not for the rash of missed field goals they saw over and over again early in the season.

As for the Bills, coach Sean McDermott had an interesting solution to a two-game losing streak in which his run defense -- which collapsed after Marcell Dareus was traded away -- gave up nearly 500 rushing yards in those two games. His solution was to bench his quarterback. Back in Week 11, against the aforementioned Chargers, rookie Nathan Peterman was intercepted five (yes, five) times in the first half before he was mercifully lifted for Tyrod Taylor, who scored two meaningless touchdowns in relief. That loss could keep the Bills out of the postseason.

In the NFC, Seattle needs to beat the Arizona Cardinals while also rooting for the Carolina Panthers to topple the Atlanta Falcons.

Prev

Related News

Jimmy Garoppolo Is Playing Like the NFL's Best Quarterback

Austan Kas  --  Dec 30th, 2017

An Introduction to FanDuel Research

Jim Sannes  --  Dec 30th, 2017

The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast, Mailbag 7/21/23

JJ Zachariason  --  Dec 30th, 2017