Revealing look brings ’24 into focus
The 32 things we learned from Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season:
1. The final day of calendar year 2023 provided a lot of information regarding what will happen early in 2024, at least as it pertains to the NFL. Six days after their heavyweight battle on Christmas night, the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers both locked down the top seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively, ensuring both squads will get wild-card weekend off and will play their subsequent postseason games at home ... at least before Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas.
2. And though the Ravens handled the Niners in Week 16 – and 11 years ago in Super Bowl 47, when Joe Flacco was the game’s MVP – a rematch seems like the optimal outcome given Baltimore and San Francisco are almost undoubtedly the league’s two best teams. And if that occurs six weeks from now, you’d hope RB Christian McCaffrey, S Kyle Hamilton, TE Mark Andrews, DL Arik Armstead, G Kevin Zeitler and the rest of those teams’ respective mainstays are able to play at something close to 100%.
3. Statistically, Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson’s season doesn’t compare to his 2019 MVP performance. But with a closing argument that included a defeat of the 49ers followed by five TD passes against the Miami Dolphins to lock down the AFC’s top seed, hard to believe Jackson won’t soon be a two-time MVP given the relative lack of serious competition this season.
3a. Jackson’s 158.3 passer rating Sunday was the third perfect score of his career, tying the NFL’s all-time record, the other two occurring – naturally – in 2019.
3b. He also topped 800 rushing yards for the third time, becoming the first quarterback ever to do so.
4. Speaking of Flacco – just awesome. The 38-year-old retread probably hasn’t played this well since he was 28, and he couldn’t be having more fun. Despite all their major injuries, Flacco’s Cleveland Browns – now locked into the fifth seed, meaning they’ll likely open the postseason at the AFC South champion – are legit Super Bowl contenders, thanks primarily to their swarming defense and their new quarterback’s fearless play.
4a. In his past two New York JetsBrowns games in Cleveland, Flacco has passed for 616 yards and seven TDs with a QB rating of 114.9.
4b. Even better, Flacco is undefeated in those games, getting a win for both the NYJ (2022) and Browns (2023).
4c. Flacco has thrown for at least 300 yards in his past four starts, all of them wins. A first-round pick of the Ravens in 2008, he had never had a 300-yard streak of more than two games prior to this year.
4d. Flacco also became the first quarterback to pass for 300 yards against the Jets in two years. The last to do it? Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers version.
5. This is the first time since 1953 – seven decades ago – that both the Browns and Detroit Lions had doubledigit wins.
6. Incidentally, the Lions beat the Browns 17-16 to win the 1953 league championship.
6a. Incidentally, the Lions and Browns are two of the league’s four teams that have never reached the Super Bowl and certainly its two oldest. (The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars are the others, though both of them might qualify for the playoffs, too.)
7. 49ers QB Brock Purdy bowed out of the MVP conversation after getting thoroughly outplayed by Jackson last week. But – maybe a bit surprisingly? – he claimed San Francisco’s single-season passing yardage record by getting to the relatively modest figure of 4,280.
8. Perhaps more surprising, Purdy topped the mark (4,278) previously held by ... Jeff Garcia.
9. Niners RB Christian McCaffrey’s day was abbreviated by a calf injury but not before he collected 91 total yards and locking up his first league rushing title.
10. CMC also joined Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk as the only players to pile up 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a season for multiple franchises.
11. Not only were both No. 1 seeds put to bed, three other teams (Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs) sewed up playoff spots in Week 17.
12. The Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders were all eliminated Sunday afternoon, followed by the Chicago Bears at night’s end since the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings did not tie.
13. That means 20 of the league’s 32 teams will be viable entering Week 18, though several already assured of playoff spots (49ers, Ravens, Browns, Chiefs) cannot improve their postseason position on the final weekend of the regular season.
14. And the Bears hardly ended Sunday empty-handed, now official owners of the top pick of the 2024 NFL draft, a selection acquired from Carolina after Chicago sent the Panthers the No. 1 selection of the 2023 draft.
15. How ’bout them ... Chiefs. Their string of divisional titles under head coach Andy Reid reached eight Sunday, the second-longest run in NFL history behind the New England Patriots (2009-19).
16. Though the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl participants last season, certainly aren’t playing like they want to reach Las Vegas in February.
17. How about Mike Tomlin? The Pittsburgh Steelers coach watched his team keep its playoff hopes alive by beating the Seattle Seahawks at imposing Lumen Field. The victory also assured Tomlin, now in his 17th season at the helm, still has never endured a sub.500 season. No other head coach has started his NFL career with a longer streak than Tomlin’s.
18. Only the Dallas Cowboys’ Tom Landry (21 seasons) and Patriots’ Bill Belichick (19 seasons) have longer streaks at any point in league history.
19. How about those South divisions? Both the AFC and NFC South could still be won by as many as three teams going into Week 18, only the Panthers and Tennessee Titans on the outside looking in.
20. Next weekend’s game between the Texans and Indianapolis Colts is a de facto playoff game, the winner definitely advancing to the official postseason. Who didn’t see that coming?
21. How about the NFC East? The Cowboys are suddenly in command of the division after winning Saturday night and benefiting from another loss by the Eagles – to the struggling Arizona Cardinals – at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Should America’s Team finish in first place, the NFC East still will not have had a repeat champion since Philly won it four consecutive seasons from 2001 to 2004.
22. However, Eagles fans and Lions fans – Detroit seeming to knock off the Cowboys in North Texas on Saturday with a sweet fake on a two-point conversion that would have kept the NFC North champs in the race for home-field advantage – certainly feel a certain way today about how referee Brad Allen and his crew legislated the end of that game.
23. But the Cowboys do love some home cooking, now winners of 16 straight at AT&T Stadium after completing their first perfect regular season at home since 1981, when they played at Texas Stadium.
24. Shoutout also to Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb, who has put together the greatest receiving season ever by a Cowboys player. After a 13-catch, 227-yard outing Saturday, Lamb has 122 receptions for 1,651 yards, surpassing Hall of Famer Michael Irvin’s 28-year-old marks.
25. Lamb’s 92-yard TD catch from QB Dak Prescott on a busted play was the longest from scrimmage leaguewide in 2023.
26. Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill probably won’t sniff 2,000 receiving yards now. But he is the first player in league history with multiple 1,700-yard seasons.
27. He also joined Wes Welker and Antonio Brown as the only players with three consecutive seasons of at least 110 receptions.
28. Still, Hill’s late-season descent has mirrored that of the Fins, who will be relegated to wild-card status with a Week 18 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
29. And how about those Cardinals? Already set up to be one of this offseason’s most active clubs, they went 2-0 in Pennsylvania in December, serving what might ultimately come into focus as near-fatal blows to the playoff aspirations of the Eagles and Steelers.
30. Second-favorite viral moment from Sunday? Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout and his son suffering though another loss from their beloved Eagles.
31. Favorite viral moment from Sunday? Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins and his son cheering on dad’s team.
32. Happy New Year to all, especially to the Jets, Chargers, Raiders, Bengals, Broncos, Titans and Patriots, Giants, Commanders, Cardinals, Panthers and Bears – and their collective fan bases – who can’t wait for a fresh start in 2024.