The penultimate weekend of the 2023 NFL season did not disappoint.
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From upsets that threw chaos into the NFC Playoff picture, one of the most controversial endings to a game that you will ever see, and an MVP rising to the occasion, Week 17 had a bit of everything.
The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through the San Francisco 49ers, and the Baltimore Ravens clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory over the Seattle Seahawks kept hope alive in the Iron City and clinched a berth in the NFC for the Los Angeles Rams. As the playoff picture gains some clarity, there is still much at stake in Week 18, still to come.
Here's a look back at the biggest takeaways from a wild week across the NFL:
First Down: NFL Reaches Inflection Point on Officiating
The NFL's nightmarish season of officiating that has seen the refs repeatedly come under fire for questionable calls in major spots may have reached a crescendo Saturday night in Arlington.
"They have a real officiating crisis on their hands," a senior NFL scout told FanBuzz. "They legitimately changed the trajectory of the playoffs on Saturday night."
Brad Allen's officiating crew are under the microscope after making a call that essentially determined the outcome of Saturday's Lions vs. Cowboys game with major NFC playoff implications. Allen flagged Taylor Decker for illegal touching before claiming the Lions offensive lineman did not report eligible, prior to Decker catching a pass on a two-point conversion try that would have given Detroit the lead.
However, ESPN reports that Decker in fact reported eligible, and there is video evidence of a conversation between Decker and Allen before the two-point attempt.
Allen disputes that claim, though, reiterating to a pool reporter after the game that Decker never reported eligible.
"Therefore, he is an ineligible touching a pass that goes beyond the line, which makes it a foul," Allen said of Decker in the pool report. "So, the issue is, number 70 did report, number 68 did not.
"That conversation is where [Skipper] reports to me, and I then go to the defensive team, and I say to them, '[Skipper] has reported as an eligible receiver,' so they will be aware of who has reported."
Saturday night's debacle is the latest in a season that has seen officials too often become the story, especially coming out of close games.
"It's turned into a gong show," an NFL Offensive Coordinator told FanBuzz, on the condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions from the league. "The league has given the officials too much control."
Earlier this season, it was Allen's officiating crew that did not throw the flag on a blatant pass-interference penalty against Carrington Valentine that helped decide the outcome of the Packers' victory over the Chiefs.
The NFL finds itself in a bit of a Catch-22 when it comes to officials. Because the refs are not full-time employees, the only real punitive action the league can take is to demote members of a crew down the rankings of potentially working postseason games or the Super Bowl.
Likewise, while the missed and inconsistent calls very legitimately have impacted the outcomes of games this season, the officials have become a lightning rod on talk radio stations and in print, keeping the NFL top of mind. That's exactly where the league desperately hopes to cement itself 12 months a year.
Unfortunately, there will likely be minimal changes made to how the game is officiated until the offseason. But, the NFL would be smart to act by implementing sweeping changes for how the game is officiated, because if the integrity of the games become called into question the league risks alienating its big-spending audience.
Second Down: Eagles in Free Fall
Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images
There aren't many teams entering the postseason with less momentum than the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sunday afternoon, at home, with the chance to maintain control of their own destiny for the NFC East title, ceded that control to the Dallas Cowboys with a stunning come from ahead 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
When James Conner plunged two yards into the end zone for eventual the game-winning touchdown, it wasn't just the capstone on Kyler Murray's 10th career game-winning drive but the fourth consecutive second half touchdown for the Cardinals sealing the Eagles' fourth loss in the past five weeks.
For a team that entered December at 10-1 in full control of the division and race for the NFC No. 1 seed, the Eagles don't look at the moment like a team capable of competing against a contending team now having lost four of the last five.
Sunday, only five Murray passes hit the turf, with Eagles rookie Sidney Brown returning an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, as the Cardinals' quarterback passed for 232 yards with three touchdowns and one pick.
Philadelphia's defense couldn't get off the field in the second half, against a Cardinals team that entered at 3-12.
Arizona completed touchdown drives of 75, 77, 77, and 70 yards after halftime.
It's unclear where the Eagles even go from here.
Two weeks ago, Nick Sirianni benched defensive coordinator Sean Desai, handing play-calling duties to Matt Patricia, and since the switch Philadelphia has allowed 26.7 points per game. If that were the Eagles' total for the whole season, Philadelphia would rank 31st in points allowed.
It's nearly impossible to win that way.
The Eagles' defense is fundamentally broken. There's no fixing the missed assignments and the way that opponents are exploiting Philadelphia's scheme with just one game remaining in the regular season.
Third Down: Ravens Building Something Special
Baltimore made a statement against the Miami Dolphins.
Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald is in the midst of a masterclass, and as a result of its stifling defense and an MVP performance from its quarterback, Baltimore is now the No. 1 seed in the AFC after dispatching the Dolphins 56-19
Six days after waltzing into Santa Clara and handing the San Francisco 49ers a debilitating loss, MacDonald and the Ravens' defense held the league's most explosive offense to just 375 yards while sacking Tua Tagovailoa three times and forcing three turnovers.
Over the past two weeks, MacDonald's defense has held the 49ers and Dolphins to 35 points combined, thanks to an opportunistic secondary and a swarming front seven led by pass-rusher Justin Madubuike, and his career-high 12 sacks, along with linebackers Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith routinely making plays on the ball.
The 49ers and Dolphins are the top-two scoring offenses in the league, averaging 30.9 and 29.6 points per game, respectively.
But, as dominant as the Ravens' defense has been, this is a team playing complementary football at a level higher than anyone in the league.
Lamar Jackson is now the runaway MVP favorite, and is ascending each week.
Against the Dolphins, Jackson's evolution as a passer from the pocket had never been more evident as he passed for 321 yards and five touchdowns, essentially cementing his status as the league's Most Valuable Player.
Likewise, the Ravens' running game gashed Miami for 160 yards on the ground as Gus Edwards averaged 4.3 yards per attempt thanks to his violent downhill running style and Baltimore simply mauling up front.
The Ravens' physicality and dynamic talent has propelled Baltimore to the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and the road to the Super Bowl might just be a roadblock for the rest of the conference in Charm City.
Fourth Down: Patrick Mahomes Puts Chiefs on His Back to Clinch a Berth
Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images
For the first time in his career, Patrick Mahomes will need to go on the road during the NFL postseason, but after Kansas City held serve against the Bengals, 25-17, Kansas City will in fact be headed back to the playoffs.
This season has simultaneously underscored Mahomes' greatness, he's the fifth-leading passer with 4,183 yards and 27 touchdowns, and been the two-time MVP's greatest challenge.
At times throughout the 2023 campaign, and against the Bengals, it appeared that Mahomes wouldn't be able to overcome a shoddy receiving corps plagued with drops in critical situations. And, yet, Mahomes put Kansas city on his back and did enough to clinch an eighth consecutive divisional crown.
This is an offense entering a title fight with one hand tied behind its back, because of a receiving corps that has dropped a league-high 40 passes, entering Week 17. But, when the other hand is Mahomes, it's tough to count Kansas City out.
Mahomes carried the Chiefs back to the Playoffs, but we are about to find out if his greatness is enough to survive an eventual road playoff game and possibly make a return Super Bowl trip which would undoubtedly be a legacy-cementing feat.
Week 17 MVP: Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco has saved the Browns' season, propelling Cleveland to the postseason for just the third time since the franchise's revival in 1999.
Flacco might even now be the runaway favorite for NFL Comeback Player of The Year, especially following a prolific performance against one of the league's stingiest defenses.
In leading the Browns to a 37-20 victory over the New York Jets on Thursday night, Flacco passed for 309 yards with three touchdowns to one interception. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that 296 of Flacco's passing yards came before halftime, in a torrid 30 minute performance that set the stage for the rest of the evening.
Since the calendar flipped to December, Flacco has tossed seven touchdowns while averaging 340.5 passing yards in those four starts. Suddenly, with Flacco leading the charge, and a defense with dynamic playmakers at all three levels, Cleveland looks capable of taking down anyone on the AFC side of the ledger.
Week 17 Breakout Star: Sydney Brown, DB, Philadelphia Eagles
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
With the Eagles nursing a 7-3 lead over Arizona, Eagles rookie safety Sydney Brown intercepted Kyler Murray before slashing and dashing through the heart of the Cardinals' offense en route to a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.
SYDNEY BROWN 99-YARD PICK-6! @Eagles
📺: #AZvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/sFjqko01pD pic.twitter.com/6ZTtVKPu9a— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2023
Brown has a big fan in Jim Nagy, the Executive Director of the Reese's Senior Bowl.
"He was one of my favorite players in last year's draft," Nagy told FanBuzz on Sunday afternoon. "I pushed Howie [Roseman] hard to take him. First off, he has elite wiring. Total stud makeup. Interchangeable tools & skill-set to dart around the box and blow shit up in run support and range, man-cover, and ball skills to be playmaker in sub packages."
Brown entered Sunday's game with 28 tackles and one forced fumble,since being chosen by the Eagles in the third-round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Brown's biggest play of his rookie campaign wasn't enough to lift a defense that allowed four consecutive touchdown drives to close out Sunday's loss.
