NFL Week 17 highlights: Steelers win on SNF, Saints upset Eagles, Bucs, Packers win
Week 17 of the NFL season continued Sunday with a jam-packed slate — and we've got you covered from start to finish!
The playoff picture tightened up in the penultimate week of the regular season, as several teams looked to punch their postseason tickets.
Here are the top plays from Sunday!
FINAL: Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Baltimore Ravens 13
A pair of FGs
Pittsburgh began the game with a 15-play field goal drive, sparked by a 31-yard carry from running back Jaylen Warren. Baltimore then put together a 15-play field goal drive of its own, which concluded with 14:09 remaining in the second quarter.
Penalty leads to Ravens TD
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell missed a field goal, and the Ravens got the ball into the red zone on the next possession. After the Steelers defense appeared to get off the field, defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was flagged for unnecessary roughness. On the next play, Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley hit tight end Isaiah Likely for a 7-yard touchdown.
Baltimore led 10-3 at halftime.
Low scoring affair
The two teams began the second half in the opposite way they began the first half, as Baltimore opened with a field goal followed by Pittsburgh getting a field goal. Tight end Mark Andrews carried Baltimore on its respective drive, reeling in two catches, one shown below, for a combined 32 yards.
On Pittsburgh's field goal drive, wide receiver George Pickens hauled in a sick catch to move the sticks, as shown below.
The Ravens led 13-6 at the end of the third quarter.
Steelers take the lead!
Pittsburgh got a field goal early in the fourth quarter and brought the ball down the field in the closing minutes. Quarterback Kenny Pickett hit tight end Pat Freiermuth and wide receiver Steven Sims for a pair of completions that combined for 48 yards to get them to the Baltimore 22-yard line.
Six plays later, Pickett, moving to his left, hit running back Najee Harris for a 10-yard touchdown, giving Pittsburgh a 16-13 lead.
FINAL: San Francisco 49ers 37, Las Vegas Raiders 34
So far, so good
In what was his first career NFL start, quarterback Jarrett Stidham led the Raiders on an opening-drive touchdown. It ended with Stidham hitting tight end Darren Waller for a 24-yard score.
49ers respond
On the very next possession, San Francisco evened up the score. Midway through the drive, running back Christian McCaffrey took off for a 37-yard run, as shown below. Two plays later, quarterback Brock Purdy hit wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the goal-line score.
George Kittle
The 49ers put together a 13-play drive that ended with Purdy hitting Kittle for a 2-yard touchdown, giving them a 14-10 lead.
Remarkable TD
Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams pulled off an astonishing, toe-drag touchdown grab before halftime. The score gave the Raiders a 17-14 lead.
Davante again
The Raiders star receiver took off for a 60-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.
Run CMC
The 49ers answered the Raiders' touchdown with a score of their own. On play eight of the drive, McCaffrey ran in a 14-yard score.
Going through them
With the game tied at 27, San Francisco put together a five-play touchdown drive highlighted by a trio of chunk plays. Purdy hit Aiyuk for a 23-yard completion, McCaffrey ran through the Las Vegas defense on a 38-yard completion – as shown below – and Jordan Mason ran in a 14-yard score.
ANOTHER incredible Davante grab
Adams reeled in a sensational catch on the ensuing drive for the Raiders, as shown below. Moments later, running back Josh Jacobs ran in the game-tying touchdown for the Raiders.
San Francisco got into field goal range on its next drive, but Robbie Gould missed the game-winning field goal as time expired. The game went to overtime.
49ers win!
On the first possession of overtime, Stidham was intercepted by safety Tashaun Gipson, who ran the pick back into the Las Vegas red zone. Two plays later, Gould made the game-winning 23-yard field goal.
FINAL: Seattle Seahawks 23, New York Jets 6
Seahawks strike first
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker took off for 60 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, quarterback Geno Smith hit tight end Colby Parkinson for a 12-yard touchdown.
Seattle looking sharp
Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs intercepted Jets quarterback Mike White, which Seattle later turned into a field goal. New York then came down the field and got a field goal, which was followed by Seattle scoring its second touchdown.
A seven-play drive was capped off by Smith and Parkinson hooking up for another touchdown. This one was a 7-yard score that put the Seahawks up 17-3.
Seattle put two field goals on the board in the second half.
FINAL: Green Bay Packers 41, Minnesota Vikings 17
Blocked punt
The Packers went three-and-out on their first possession and then had their punt blocked, giving Minnesota the ball at the Green Bay 1-yard line. With that said, Green Bay's defense kept Minnesota out of the end zone, forcing a field goal.
Crazy start
After the goal-line stand, Green Bay kick returner Keisean Nixon ran the ensuing kickoff back 105 yards for a touchdown.
Disaster
Green Bay turned the ball over on downs, but Minnesota proceeded to implode. Opting to go for it on fourth down, quarterback Kirk Cousins was intercepted by safety Darnell Savage, who ran the pick back 75 yards for a touchdown.
All Pack
Cousins was picked off by safety Adrian Amos, and the Packers took advantage. Five plays after the pick, quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit tight end Robert Tonyan for a 21-yard touchdown. Green Bay led 24-3.
Total domination
The Packers scored their first touchdown of the second half early in the fourth quarter. On the first play of the next possession, Cousins was intercepted by safety Rudy Ford. Eight plays later, Rodgers ran in a goal-line score.
Green Bay led 41-3.
Minnesota scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter but lost 41-17.
FINAL: Los Angeles Chargers 31, Los Angeles Rams 10
Chargers TD
After the Rams put a field goal on the board, the Chargers scored the game's first touchdown. A drive of chunk plays ended with running back Austin Ekeler running in a 10-yard score, giving the Chargers a 7-3 lead.
Try to catch him
On the fifth play of the Chargers' next drive, Ekeler ran through the Rams defense for a 72-yard touchdown.
Rams respond
After the Chargers took a two-score lead, the Rams answered with a touchdown of their own. On play seven of the drive, running back Malcolm Brown blasted his way into the end zone for a 23-yard score.
Unreal catch
Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams pulled off one of the best catches of the season, hauling in a pass over his head with one hand.
Chargers build lead
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert hit tight end Gerald Everett for a touchdown on the opening possession of the second half. Early in the fourth quarter, Herbert then hit tight end Donald Parham for a touchdown, as shown below, giving the Chargers a 31-10 lead.
FINAL: New Orleans Saints 20, Philadelphia Eagles 10
Taysom time
The Eagles knew it was coming. They also couldn't do anything about it. Saints Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill took the snap out of the shotgun before barrelign into the end zone for the game's opening score.
Eagles arrive
Down 13-3, Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew connected with wide receiver A.J. Brown, who ran around the Saints defense for a 78-yard touchdown.
Pick-six!
Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore intercepted Minshew, running the pick back for a touchdown. The pick-six gave the Saints a 20-10 lead.
FINAL: Cleveland Browns 24, Washington Commanders 10
Pick of the litter
Offense has been hard to come by between the Browns and Commanders, as quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz continue to struggle. Cleveland safety Grant Delpit isn't helping that cause, intercepting a downfield heave from Wentz for his team's second takeaway of the day.
Browns retake lead
Washington put together a 21-play touchdown drive – yes, a 21-play touchdown drive – in the second quarter. Cleveland regained the lead, though, on its first possession of the second half.
Watson hit wide receiver Amari Cooper to move the chains. The wideout then eluded a tackle and ran to the end zone for a 46-yard score.
Beginning to click
Cleveland scored another touchdown on its next possession, as Watson hit wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones for a 13-yard score. The Browns took a 17-7 lead.
They do it again
Watson and Cooper connected on a 33-yard touchdown, their second hookup of the game. It gave the Browns a 24-10 lead, which would be the final score.
FINAL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30, Carolina Panthers 24
A new day for Darnold?
Sam Darnold has looked like a different quarterback down the stretch this season. That continued in the first quarter Sunday, as he linked up with Tommy Tremble for a 17-yard TD.
What a throw!
Darnold hit wide receiver D.J. Moore for a 24-yard touchdown, giving the Panthers a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Back in it
Down two scores, quarterback Tom Brady hooked up with wide receiver Mike Evans for a 63-yard touchdown, pulling Tampa Bay to within one score.
Carolina up two scores
After blocking a field goal, Carolina put together a seven-play touchdown drive that ended with Darnold hitting wide receiver Shi Smith for a 19-yard score. The Panthers took a 21-10 lead.
Got it back
On the third play of Tampa Bay's ensuing possession, Brady hit Evans for a 57-yard touchdown. The Buccaneers failed to convert the two-point conversion, though.
Not 1, not 2, but 3!
The Buccaneers took their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter when Brady and Evans hooked up on their third touchdown. Tampa Bay converted the two-point conversion to take a 24-21 lead.
Bucs capitalize
Backed up inside their own red zone, Darnold fumbled, and Tampa Bay recovered it. Two plays later, Brady scored on a quarterback sneak. Tampa Bay missed the extra point, though, and led 30-21.
FINAL: Detroit Lions 41, Chicago Bears 10
Swift moves
The Bears and Lions were locked in a back-and-forth affair, as D'Andre Swift scampered for a 17-yard scoring run to give Detroit a 14-10 lead in the second quarter.
Lions offense rolling
Later in the second quarter, Lions quarterback Jared Goff and tight end Brock Wright hooked up on a 9-yard touchdown, their second scoring connection of the game. Detroit took a 21-10 lead.
Huge lead
Detroit scored a touchdown on the opening possession of the second half, and punched it in again on its next drive. Goff hit Swift, who ran the completion into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown. The Lions took a 38-10 lead.
FINAL: Atlanta Falcons 20, Arizona Cardinals 19
Here comes the McBride
Rookie tight end Trey McBride has emerged as a pleasant surprise in recent weeks for the Cardinals. On Sunday, he scored his first career TD.
Birds on the ground
Running back Tyler Allgeier punched in Atlanta's first touchdown, and Cordarrelle Patterson knocked in its second on the ground in the closing minutes of the first half.
GAME-WINNING FG!
It was a second half of field goals, and that's precisely the way the game ended. As time expired, Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo made a 21-yard field goal to give them the victory.
FINAL: New England Patriots 23, Miami Dolphins 21
Bubble up!
Tyreek Hill turning this backward pass into a touchdown was impressive. But his celebration was even more so.
Making it work
Under duress, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was able to get the ball out to running back Raheem Mostert for a touchdown. Miami took its first lead of the game.
Costly mistake
Bridgewater was intercepted by Kyle Duggar, who sliced and diced his way into the end zone after the pick. New England missed the extra point, however.
TD Pats
The Patriots took a nine-point lead when quarterback Mac Jones hit wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who climbed the ladder for a goal-line score. Miami later scored a touchdown but was unable to recover the onside kick.
FINAL: Kansas City Chiefs 27, Denver Broncos 24
Mahomes hits … Mahomes
Isiah Pacheco got the Chiefs on the board with a short TD run. But the big highlight early came courtesy of Patrick Mahomes (with an assist from the Broncos defense). The presumptive MVP inadvertently completed a pass to himself and, sure enough, turned it into a 6-yard gain.
Russ runs it in
Wilson took off for a 16-yard score, the Broncos' first touchdown of the game.
KC TD
Kansas City got the lead back on the ensuing possession when Mahomes hit running back Jerick McKinnon for a 6-yard score.
Back-and-forth in KC
Wilson hit tight end Albert Okwuegbunam for a 25-yard touchdown, giving the Broncos the lead midway through the third quarter, but the Chiefs got it back in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when Mahomes hit tight end Blake Bell for a 17-yard touchdown.
Chiefs capitalize
Chief cornerback L'Jarius Snead intercepted Wilson. Four plays later, Mahomes hit McKinnon for a goal-line score, giving the Chiefs a 27-17 lead.
Wilson later ran in another touchdown, but the Broncos were ultimately unable to even up the score.
FINAL: Jacksonville Jaguars 31, Houston Texans 3
Jaguar speed
Once Travis Etienne broke through the second level, he was gone. His 62-yard TD helped Jacksonville build a quick 14-0 lead.
Ouch!
Texans quarterback Davis Mills had the ball knocked out of his possession, and Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell picked up and ran the loose ball into the end zone. Jacksonville took a 21-0 lead.
Jags in command
The Jaguars began the second half with an 11-play drive that ended with Snoop Conner running in a 3-yard score. Jacksonville took a 28-3 lead.
FINAL: New York Giants 38, Indianapolis Colts 10
Dimes and dashes
Daniel Jones already threw a pair of TD passes, but his best play was this 13-yard run. It appeared to go for more, but he stepped out of bounds. Either way, it set up New York's second score.
Later!
After Jones hit wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins for New York's second touchdown, safety Landon Collins intercepted Colts quarterback Nick Foles' pass and ran the pick back for a touchdown.
Running away with it
Jones ran in an 18-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, giving the Giants a 31-3 lead.
What a game for DJ
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger hooked up with wide receiver Michael Pittman for the Colts' first touchdown, but the Giants immediately responded with Jones running in his second touchdown.