NFL Week 17 takeaways: What ails the Eagles? What should Bears do with draft's No. 1 pick?
Our experts also discuss whether the dominant Ravens have any weaknesses and the Chiefs' confidence level. Plus, who wins the AFC East?
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After Week 17 in the NFL began with wins by the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, the drama continued Sunday with 14 games, including 10 in the early window.
The San Francisco 49ers (NFC) and Baltimore Ravens (AFC) wrapped up the top seeds in their conferences with wins, and other squads jockeyed for spots or better positions in the 14-team field. After Sunday, there’s just one more week to get the job done.
The Athletic NFL writers Mike Jones, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on Sunday’s biggest developments.
The Ravens locked up the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a 56-19 win over the Miami Dolphins behind an MVP-worthy performance from quarterback Lamar Jackson. After Sunday’s win and last week’s victory over the 49ers, is there anything to quibble about with Baltimore’s game?
Pompei: The Ravens are a complete team and are doing everything at a high level. That includes playing with consistency. They manhandled the Dolphins — one of football’s best — even though they were coming off an emotional victory on the road and playing on a short week. They are handling challenge after challenge. The only potential danger for this team appears to be peaking too soon. Their defense is as good as any, and it comes up with sacks and takeaways. Offensively, they make chunk plays and come through in the clutch. Defenses can play Jackson exactly the way they intend to and still get torched. So far they have overcome injuries remarkably. What they are doing is a testament to the organization, the scouting and the coaching as well as the players. The vision laid out by general manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh is being executed. DeCosta should get strong consideration for executive of the year and Harbaugh should get strong consideration for coach of the year.
Jones: The Ravens offense would be entirely different if Jackson were to get hurt, and their chances of contending would drop dramatically. Yes, they do still have that outstanding defense. And Tyler Huntley has shown he can keep an eye on things in place of Jackson. But this team isn’t a Super Bowl contender without No. 8. That’s the only weakness I can find, but it’s really nitpicking, especially since Jackson seems to be choosing his spots more wisely this year to ensure he keeps injury risks to a minimum.
Nguyen: This Ravens team is so well coached. Defensively, it shut down the Dolphins screen game and dropped perfectly into the spots Miami likes to attack in its play-action game. Offensively, what really stands out is how much the offense has improved around Jackson from a talent and schematic perspective. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken was scheming receivers wide open and, of course, Jackson made plays, too. He threw a strike to Isaiah Likely with a pass rusher around his legs on fourth-and-6, and Likely made an incredible one-handed catch and finished in the end zone. Naysayers used Jackson’s stats to make a case against his worthiness for MVP, but after throwing for five touchdowns Sunday, it’s getting harder and harder to find reasons not to give it to him. His passing and rushing touchdown total is now 29.
The Ravens don’t have a glaring weakness, other than perhaps lacking a true superstar at pass catcher. Sunday’s win was their seventh in double digits against a team with a winning record.
The Philadelphia Eagles struggled all day and then lost 35-31 to what had been a three-win Arizona Cardinals team. Philadelphia has dropped from the NFC’s No. 2 to the No. 5 seed. Can the Eagles fix whatever ails them in time for another extended postseason run?
Jones: I don’t know that the Eagles can find the cure for their ills, because even they don’t fully understand why they can’t get their groove back. Players, coaches, front office officials … they’re all a bit miffed. This might be something mental, because the Eagles certainly have all of the talent necessary to contend. Is it a delayed Super Bowl hangover? After opening the year 10-1, the Eagles looked immune to the traditional struggles that often plague the reigning Super Bowl runner-up. But now, they’re not only out of the running for the NFC’s top seed, but also they might not even win the NFC East. They can’t get right on either side of the ball, and they lack that instinct necessary to make a deep playoff run.
Nguyen: They just don’t have enough talent in their secondary to stop teams consistently. The Cardinals were without Marquise Brown and still lit them up. It has been an issue all season, and their defensive coordinator change from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia hasn’t and isn’t going to mask that issue. Offensively, the Eagles are fine, but they are inconsistent and they’re stale schematically. They’re sound, but they don’t do anything new and their game plans don’t change much week to week. There’s a chance they will unveil some new offensive wrinkles in the postseason, but they’ll have to win shootouts.
Pompei: It is one thing to lose to the 49ers, Cowboys or Seattle Seahawks. It’s another to lose to the Cardinals. And it’s something else to lose to all four teams in a five-game stretch. The Eagles were a really good team for the first 12 weeks of the season, probably the best in football. They aren’t anymore. They are still dangerous enough to beat a team or two in the playoffs because they know how to win and have plenty of talent. But they are struggling on multiple fronts, which leads to the suspicion there is too much to fix and not enough time. In their last six games, they are giving up an average of 31.5 points per game. They’ve already hit the nuclear button by having Patricia take over for Desai. What else can they do?