NFL Week 17 Recap: Home field Advantage, Division Titles at Stake Today

Happy New Year! As we wind down to the final week of the 2023 NFL regular season, there’s plenty at stake.

Going into Sunday morning, 17 teams are in limbo, alive for playoff spots but not guaranteed. There are also the seven teams that have clinched, with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions having wrapped up their divisions. With wins this weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers can join them, assuring themselves of at least one home playoff game.

As for Sunday’s action, the best game features the Ravens and Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. If Baltimore wins, it not only wins the AFC North but also clinches home field advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time since 2019. If Miami wins, the AFC East is polished off, and the Dolphins can take the No. 1 seed with a Week 18 victory over the Bills.

All that said, let’s get to the insights and reactions from Week 17.

This piece will be updated throughout the day …

SATURDAY

Cowboys 20, Lions 19

• What it means for Lions: Detroit (11–5) should be furious. Bad officiating robbed it of an opportunity to potentially host multiple playoff games without needing higher seeds to lose. Instead, it’s incredibly likely the Lions will only host the wild-card round and draw the dangerous Rams led by former Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford. The road just got tougher through no fault of the Lions.
• What it means for Cowboys: Dallas (11–5) kept its hopes alive for the NFC East crown, however faint they are. The Cowboys should feel good about the win, while also acknowledging bizarre coaching and poor game management is a huge concern heading into January. If the Cowboys are ever going to reach another NFC title game, those mistakes have to be eliminated.

THURSDAY

Browns 37, Jets 20

• What it means for Jets: Just another ugly, forgettable loss from a bad, forgettable team. New York (6–10) was supposed to be a contender this season, but that dream was gone four offensive snaps into the campaign. With Aaron Rodgers slated to return in 2024, hope will renew in Gotham, but the Jets need so much help, including a new offensive line, a litany of weapons and an answer on whether Robert Saleh is the right coach. So many questions, so few answers.
• What it means for Browns: Cleveland (11–5) should be elated. The Browns clinched only their third playoff berth since being reintroduced to the NFL in 1999. And it happened in a year where almost nothing has gone right. Both tackles have missed huge chunks of the year. Cleveland lost Nick Chubb to an ugly knee injury in October. The Browns have started four quarterbacks, but the fourth, Joe Flacco, has turned into a cult hero. Flacco has thrown for more than 300 yards in four of his five starts, and has people thinking Super Bowl on the shores of Lake Erie. What a run.