Why your team won, lost: NFL Week 17

• An excellent Baker Mayfield performance: Mayfield had one of the best games of his career against the Carolina Panthers.

• A bad tackling night for the Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons defense had 22 missed tackles in their loss to the Washington Commanders.

• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer, and more. Sign up now!

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Kansas City Chiefs 29, Pittsburgh Steelers 10

Why the Chiefs won: The Chiefs were up against a strong Steelers pass rush, and the key was for Mahomes to get the ball out of his hands quickly to neutralize that pass rush. The offensive line kept Mahomes clean on 82.1% of his dropbacks, and on average, he got the ball out of his hands in 2.16 seconds. Mahomes completed 24 of 31 pass attempts for 218 yards and two touchdowns in that time, earning an 80.0 grade.

Why the Steelers lost: The Chiefs' pass rush was able to pin their ears back and disrupt Russell Wilson and the Steelers passing game all day. Wilson was pressured 22 times and sacked a total of five times in the loss, with eight Chiefs’ defenders earning a pressure. Wilson completed just four of 11 pass attempts when pressured too, earning a 41.4 passing grade.

Baltimore Ravens 31, Houston Texans 2

Why the Ravens won: The Ravens offense has been tearing defenses apart on the ground in 2024 and continued to do so against the Texans. The dynamic rushing duo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry combined for 234 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and both players earned 90.2 rushing grades. Henry led the charge with 147 yards and seven missed tackles forced, while Jackson broke off two big rushes and averaged 21.8 yards per rushing attempt.

Why the Texans lost: The Texans scored just two points against the Ravens, and the offense was in a bind all day. C.J. Stroud was sacked five times by the Ravens defense and struggled when pressured by the pass rush. Stroud was pressured on 37.8% of his dropbacks, completing just two of eight pass attempts on 14 dropbacks while throwing an interception and earning a 32.4 grade.

Seattle Seahawks 6, Chicago Bears 3

Why the Seahawks won: The Seahawks pass rush erupted against the Bears, leading the team to victory in a game that provided just nine total points. The defense had a season-high 37 pressures, sacking Caleb Williams seven times in the process. Leonard Williams led the way with six total pressures and two sacks, while seven other defenders had at least three pressures. Seattle overwhelmed the Chicago offense.

Why the Bears lost: The offense was troubled by the pass rush, and Williams was sacked seven times. Williams averaged just 4.4 yards per pass attempt, completing 16 of 28 pass attempts for 122 yards while earning a 54.0 passing grade. The offense's passing game isn’t reliable week-to-week, and Williams has largely struggled outside of a few excellent throws.

Los Angeles Chargers 40, New England Patriots 7

Why the Chargers won: The Patriots pass rush was non-existent for most of the game, which meant that Justin Herbert had the freedom to work within a clean pocket for most of the game. Herbert was kept clean on 80.5% of his dropbacks and completed 23 of 31 pass attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns, earning an 88.8 grade. Herbert is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and will make you pay for giving him time to work.

Why the Patriots lost: The defense has been lackluster all season and struggled to generate any sort of pass rush to put the Chargers passing game in doubt. Herbert averaged 2.88 seconds to throw but was only pressured nine total times by the defense. In total, he was pressured on 19.5% of his dropbacks and the defense didn’t sack him once. Anfernee Jennings held his own with four pressures, including a quarterback hit, but this was a poor performance from a pass rush in need of some juice in the offseason.

Cincinnati Bengals 30, Denver Broncos 24

Why the Bengals won: Joe Burrow has been a monster in 2024 despite the Bengals' struggles, and he carried his good form into this game. Burrow completed 39 of 49 pass attempts for 412 yards and three touchdowns, all three of which went to wide receiver Tee Higgins. Burrow was also credited with three big-time throws and earned a 93.6 grade despite being sacked nine times.

Why the Broncos lost: The Broncos had a tough day in coverage, and the Bengals picked on anyone that wasn’t Pat Surtain, mainly Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian, who both earned sub-40.0 coverage grades. Moss was targeted 15 times and gave up 11 receptions and two touchdowns for 128 yards, while McMillian allowed six catches on six targets for 85 yards and a touchdown. An off day for the Bengals secondary.

Los Angeles Rams 13, Arizona Cardinals 9

Why the Rams won: The Rams got good production upfront from their defensive line against the Cardinals. The pass rush combined for 23 total pressures and four sacks on Kyler Murray. Jared Verse led the way with six pressures, while Braden Fiske had five pressures and two sacks in the win.

Why the Cardinals lost: The Cardinals found their way to the red zone on four drives, but only came away with a touchdown on one of those possessions. The final red zone drive ended with the Kyler Murray interception that sealed the loss, but the general lack of execution from the Cardinals in the red zone was costly, as they finished one of four in the red zone, scoring just nine total points.

Buffalo Bills 40, New York Jets 14

Why the Bills won: Josh Allen was kept clean of just 57.1% of his dropbacks and had to make every clean moment count. And he did. The Bills quarterback completed 12 of 15 pass attempts for 127 yards and a touchdown, adding two big-time throws and a 94.5 grade when kept clean. Allen handles pressure better than most quarterbacks, but he was on a tear in the moments the Bills offensive line held up.

Why the Jets lost: The Jets' offense struggled to get anything going against the Bills' defense, and the offensive line in particular put in a poor performance. Aaron Rodgers was pressured on 34.8% of his dropbacks, but the Bills defense was able to sack Rodgers five times. Rodgers decreased mobility is evident, but all five sacks were attributed to the offensive line, while four of the five starters allowed a sack and earned a pass-blocking grade of below 55.0.

Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Tennessee Titans 13

Why the Jaguars won: If your quarterback is kept clean on 80.8% of his dropbacks, there’s a good chance you’ll get a good game out of him. The Jaguars protected Mac Jones well against the Titans, and the former first-rounder completed 15 of 20 pass attempts for 174 yards and two touchdowns from a clean pocket, earning an 84.6 grade while adding two big-time throws in the win.

Why the Titans lost: The Titans' defense struggled in YAC opportunities against the Jaguars receivers. Mac Jones threw for 174 yards against the Titans, but 101 of those passing yards came after the catch, with rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. racking up 45 yards after the catch on seven receptions. Travis Etienne broke off a big play on his only reception too, earning 28 yards after the catch.

Las Vegas Raiders 25, New Orleans Saints 10

Why the Raiders won: The Raiders have struggled to effectively run the ball all season but were able to get a good rushing performance out of Ameer Abdullah against the Saints. Abdullah carried the ball 20 times for 115 yards, earning 5.8 yards per attempt. The veteran running back forced eight missed tackles in the game and had four explosive runs in the win, earning an 83.8 grade and setting the win in motion.

Why the Saints lost: Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler struggled again for the Saints, earning a 29.8 grade when kept clean. Rattler was kept clean on 56.1% of his dropbacks, and did 14-of-22 passing attempts from a clean pocket, but has struggled with turnovers and forcing the ball into danger. He threw two picks in the loss and was credited with three turnover-worthy plays, and had four in total. He’s still learning, but this was bad quarterback play.

New York Giants 45, Indianapolis Colts 33

Why the Giants won: Drew Lock was excellent against the Colts, but it helps when you have a receiver like Malik Nabers who can create big plays out of thin air. Nabers caught seven of eight targets for 171 yards and two touchdowns against the Colts, earning a 93.7 grade in the win. The rookie receiver averaged 24.4 yards per catch and had 103 yards after the catch, averaging 7.13 yards per route run. He was instrumental in the victory.

Why the Colts lost: The Colts crumbled in their big moment, as Drew Lock and the offense scored points galore. The chunk plays in the passing game killed the Colts. The Giants have eight explosive passing plays, finishing with 247 passing yards coming off of those plays, including three of Lock’s four passing touchdowns.

Philadelphia Eagles 41, Dallas Cowboys 7

Why the Eagles won: The Eagles relied on Saquon Barkley‘s prowess without Jalen Hurts. Barkley started the game slow but finished with 31 carries for 167 yards, earning a 77.0 grade in the blowout win. He forced eight missed tackles and had four rushes of over 10 yards. Barkley was key in the win once again as he closes in on the single-season rushing record.

Why the Cowboys lost: This was a game where Cooper Rush’s fragilities showed up once again. Rush has been solid over the last few weeks but struggled against the Eagles' four-man rushes. The Eagles rushed four on 80.0% of Rush’s dropbacks, and the Cowboys quarterback threw two interceptions and completed just 54.2% of his pass attempts for 124 yards, earning a 39.0 grade. The drop-off from Prescott to Rush is noticeable, even if the offense struggled with Prescott.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Carolina Panthers 14

Why the Buccaneers won: Baker Mayfield had one of the best games of his career against the Panthers and was perfect against the blitz. The Panthers blitzed Mayfield on 36.1% of his dropbacks in an attempt to bring extra rushers to pressure the quarterback, as well as muddy the coverage looks, but Mayfield had all of the answers. He completed 12 of 12 pass attempts for 103 yards and four touchdowns against the blitz, earning a 91.4 grade on 13 blitzed dropbacks. The Panthers kept blitzing, but Mayfield kept responding with touchdowns.

Why the Panthers lost: It was a bad day at the office for the Panthers' offensive line in pass protection. The lack of a credible rushing attack without Chuba Hubbard meant that the Panthers abandoned their running game in the hopes of getting back into the game, which meant the Buccaneers had a license to pin their ears back and get after Bryce Young. They succeeded. The offensive line was responsible for six total sacks and 21 pressures. Robert Hunt, in particular, struggled, allowing seven pressures and earning a 23.7 grade.

Miami Dolphins 20, Cleveland Browns 3

Why the Dolphins won: With Tua Tagovailoa unavailable, the Dolphins turned to Tyler Huntley to get them a win in a much-needed spot, and they relied on him getting the ball out to his playmakers to do so. Huntley did just that when kept clean, getting the ball out of his hands on an average of 1.83 seconds while completing 90.9% of his pass attempts for 215 yards and a touchdown to earn a 92.4 grade.

Why the Browns lost: The Browns all-around passing game left a lot to be desired against the Dolphins, as everyone from the quarterback to the receivers took a share of the responsibility. Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed just 51.0% of his pass attempts for 170 yards and an interception and was credited with two turnover-worthy plays, earning a 57.2 passing grade. However, the Browns receivers were also credited with five drops, including Jerry Jeudy who had three drops.

Minnesota Vikings 27, Green Bay Packers 25

Why the Vikings won: Keep Sam Darnold clean and reap the benefits. The Vikings kept Darnold clean on 30 dropbacks, he completed 26 of 30 pass attempts for 315 yards and three touchdowns, adding two big-time throws and earning an 87.3 grade. Darnold came up clutch against the Vikings' biggest rivals, in their pursuit of the number one seed in the NFC.

Why the Packers lost: The Packers' secondary struggled in the game, allowing 377 passing yards, but they especially struggled when Sam Darnold pushed the ball downfield. Darnold completed four of five attempts of over 20 yards for 99 yards and two touchdowns, earning a perfect 153.8 passer rating The Packers defense as a unit allowed eight explosive passing plays for 187 yards.

Washington Commanders 30, Atlanta Falcons 24

Why the Commanders won: The Commanders' ground game was the driving force in their overtime win versus the Falcons. Jayden Daniels led the way with 16 carries for 127 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per attempt and earning an 83.3 rushing grade. Brian Robinson also contributed with 60 rushing yards on 13 attempts, while Chris Rodriguez added a rushing touchdown on five carries. In total, the Commanders carried the ball 36 times for 216 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per attempt.

Why the Falcons lost: The Falcons' defense was a misery against the Commanders. They had 55 total tackles in the game but had a shocking 22 missed tackles against the run and in coverage. There were 12 separate Falcons defenders with at least one missed tackle, while six defenders had at least two missed tackles. A difficult night for the fundamentals.

Detroit Lions 40, San Francisco 49ers 34

Why the Lions won: Jared Goff was protected sufficiently by one of the best offensive lines in the NFL on Monday night and delivered an excellent performance from a clean pocket. Goff completed 22-of-26 pass attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers, earning a 91.6 grade while adding three big-time throws. The Lions' offense clicked all night, and the offensive line keeping Goff protected played a big role.

Why the 49ers lost: Brock Purdy played well for the majority of the night, but two errant throws were intercepted, and those chances at points while driving down the field were costly for the 49ers. Both interceptions came on throws across the middle of the field on play-action attempts, and Purdy earned just a 45.9 grade in play-action because of it.