NFL Analysis
12/29/24
7 min read
Biggest Winners, Losers From 2024 NFL Week 17
It was a smaller week of games on Sunday afternoon, with six games taking place between Wednesday and Saturday. But that didn’t mean we were short on action.
We saw a few massive upsets and a couple of blowout wins that will have massive implications when it comes to the playoffs and draft positioning. What players stood out the most in Week 17? And who was disappointing?
Here are the biggest winners and losers coming out of another week of NFL action:
NFL Week 17 Winners, Losers
Honorable Mentions
Winner: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, DB, Philadelphia Eagles
Loser: Brian Callahan, HC, Tennessee Titans
Winner: Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Loser: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, Cleveland Browns
⬆️Winner: Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield can be one of the league’s most frustrating quarterbacks. He struggled against Dallas in a must-win game in Week 16. The offense sputtered in the first half, and his overall accuracy was all over the place. Tampa Bay messed around and allowed Atlanta to retake control of the division.
But the reason why you can’t give up on Mayfield is because of performances like he had in Week 17. Mayfield had the same number of incompletions (5) as he had touchdowns, and the Buccaneers scored 48 points at home to improve to 9-7. Mayfield was on fire, averaging 11.2 yards per attempt, as he racked up 359 passing yards against the Panthers.
Mayfield is a rhythm passer, and if he is kept clean, he can tear up just about any defense. Liam Coen has done a great job of getting him into rhythm faster. There are still way too many games where he is just too erratic, but his highs have been better than ever this year.
Kudos to Mayfield for improving off his stellar 2023 season and being even better and more consistent in 2024.
⬆️Winner: WR Brian Thomas Jr, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
This was one of the best wide receiver classes in recent memory with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers widely being considered can’t miss prospects. Both players have had strong rookie seasons, but Brian Thomas Jr. has been the best rookie receiver this year. And it hasn’t been close.
Thomas has played with multiple quarterbacks this year, including Mac Jones. And yet, it hasn’t impacted his production at all. That was the case again in Week 17 when Thomas caught seven passes for 91 yards and a score. This was the third straight week that Thomas racked up more than 90 receiving yards and scored a touchdown. He’s been one of the league’s most consistent receivers and is producing on one of the league’s worst offenses.
Thomas is now over 1,100 yards on the season and has scored 10 touchdowns. He is only the fourth receiver in the Super Bowl era to post those numbers in a rookie season. Funny enough, two of the other receivers who did so were LSU products (Odell Beckham Jr. and Ja’Marr Chase).
There aren’t many receivers right now that you would take over Thomas, and if the entire NFL could re-draft the 2024 class, there is a chance that he would be the first receiver off the board. He’s been that good during his rookie season, and the sky is the limit for him moving forward.
⬆️Winner: Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are one win away from being the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That seemed unheard of going into the season, as the Vikings had the worst odds to win the NFC North. They have now won 14 games on the season, and they are doing so because of Sam Darnold instead of despite him.
Sunday was the perfect example, as Darnold moved the ball up and down the field against the Packers. Minnesota scored 27 points, but two missed field goals kept the score closer than it really was. Green Bay clawed back into the game late and actually had a chance to win it in regulation, but Darnold thwarted any hope the Packers had to steal the game.
Minnesota got the ball back up 27-25 with 2:18 left on the clock in the fourth quarter. Green Bay had all three time-outs at its disposal, and it still couldn’t get a stop. But the most telling part of that sequence was Kevin O’Connell’s willingness to win the game with Darnold. Minnesota’s first four plays consisted of three Darnold passes, including a third and 2 throw to Cam Akers to ice the game.
Darnold finished the game with 377 passing yards and three touchdowns, the fourth time this season he had thrown for three or more touchdowns.
He was cool, calm, and collected in the pocket and did an excellent job of making every big play when needed. The Vikings are real Super Bowl contenders and it’s because of the play and development of Darnold. This isn’t a fluke.
He is a good quarterback who could lead the Vikings back to the Super Bowl.
⬇️Loser: Chris Ballard, GM, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts had a great chance of making the postseason going into Week 17. With games against the Giants and the Jaguars to finish out the year, a 9-8 season seemed like a lock. All they needed was a Week 18 loss by the Broncos to make it back to the postseason. Instead, the Colts were eliminated in Week 17 after an embarrassing loss to the Giants, where they allowed 45 points to arguably the worst offense in the NFL.
After another year where the Colts missed the playoffs, Chris Ballard’s job is on the line. Since taking over the job in 2017, the Colts have a record of 61-69-1, and they don’t appear to be any closer to getting over the hump. They’ve won just one playoff game during that stretch, and the roster is just not very talented.
He traded a first-round pick for Carson Wentz and then selected Anthony Richardson at No. 4 in the 2023 NFL Draft. He signed older veterans like Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan when it was clear they were done. None of his moves at quarterback have worked out, and that is the single most important job of the GM. If he ends up losing his job this offseason, that’ll be the No. 1 reason why.
The Colts are heading into a critical 2025 offseason, but it remains to be seen if Ballard will get a chance to turn things around. But after eight offseasons, it’s fair to wonder if Ballard is the right man for the job in Indianapolis.
⬇️Loser: Green Bay Packers
It’s tough to call the Green Bay Packers “losers” because they are a good team that could win 12 games this season. They’ve had some dominating wins, but almost all of them have come against lesser teams.
However, they make this list because they had a chance to prove to themselves and the rest of the league that they belong in the same tier as the Lions, Vikings, and Eagles atop the NFC.
Instead, Minnesota racked up 441 yards of offense and controlled the game for most of the way. Green Bay did a good job of fighting back late, but the offense managed just 271 yards, and most of its points came late in the fourth quarter.
Green Bay’s best wins this season have come against the Seahawks and the Rams, but it is 0-5 against the Vikings, Lions, and Eagles in the NFC. They feel similar to the 2023 Dallas Cowboys, who beat up on many bad teams but had few signature wins.
Can Green Bay go on the road and win against good teams in the NFC? We’ll see, but nothing from their regular season performances indicates that it will happen. This is a good team but not a great one, and we saw that play out again in Week 17.
