NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Chiefs reclaim No. 1 spot as Eagles exit top three; Commanders rise up

Most of the questions about Patrick Mahomes' ankle were answered on the Chiefs' opening drive Saturday against the Texans. On third-and-13, Mahomes rolled to his right, then scrambled back the other way, and you could almost hear all of Arrowhead holding its collective breath for a few seconds before letting out a nervous roar as he came up a yard short, getting tossed to the turf at the end. But when Mahomes popped up and coaxed Andy Reid into going for it on fourth down, all was right in the world. Mahomes converted for the first, and then, two snaps later -- why not? -- he scrambled 15 yards up the gut for the touchdown. What ankle injury? Seriously, that was all I needed to see. With Mahomes OK, Xavier Worthy making big contributions and Hollywood Brown looking better than expected in his season debut, the Chiefs are exactly where they need to be at this point.

If you're the glass-half-full sort, you might extol James Cook's virtues and point to the fact that the Bills' defense came up with some opportune turnovers when it absolutely needed them against the Patriots on Sunday. Josh Allen struggled to find consistency as a passer or locate running lanes as a scrambler. He ended up having one of his worst statistical games of the season, and the Bills needed to hang on until the very end to win it. With 324 yards, 17 offensive points, an end-zone pick and some poorly timed penalties, the offense probably looked as bad as it had since the Baltimore-Houston two-game cluster back in Weeks 4 and 5. Buffalo gets another crack at New England in Week 18, and the Week 17 matchup with the Jets should come with a little extra incentive, considering the tight game those teams played earlier this season. With plenty to clean up (and, depending on what happens in Chiefs-Steelers on Wednesday, the top seed potentially still in play), the Bills should work on honing that edge a bit.

In his first game since running mate David Montgomery suffered a serious knee injury, Jahmyr Gibbs racked up 109 yards and a touchdown on the ground, caught four passes for 45 yards and played his part as the decoy in a cheeky trick play that had the good vibes flowing again in a win over the Bears. Even against a team that has now lost nine straight, it was an important statement for the Lions to show that they can take care of business amid all the injuries and coming off their first loss in three months. The victory took on more significance when the Commanders came back to beat the Eagles, who were nipping at Detroit's heels for the top seed in the NFC. The Lions are back in business, though the defense is going to remain a weekly worry. The unit made more plays against the Bears than it did in the previous two weeks, but there was still plenty to clean up.

Jalen Hurts was just 1-for-4 passing when he left Sunday's game against Washington for good with a concussion, five minutes in. Saquon Barkley had a 68-yard TD after Hurts left the game, but the run lanes were mostly smaller with Kenny Pickett under center. Twelve of Barkley's 25 carries after Hurts left went for 1 yard or less. Another big loss Sunday was C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who had an interception but was tossed after his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Following CJGJ's exit, the Commanders went touchdown, touchdown, interception, touchdown in the game's final 18 minutes. Even the kick coverage stunk. So, one week after I bumped the Eagles up to No. 1, their starting QB is in the concussion protocol, their defense made some surprising mistakes and their pursuit of the NFC's No. 1 seed might have gone up in smoke. Ah, the old Edholm Curse claimed another victim. Assuming Hurts is OK for the long term, Philadelphia remains a title contender, but Sunday's setback raised some potential concerns.

I don't know if enough people are talking about this, but the Vikings really do control their fate, seed-wise. Though they are currently in second place in the NFC North, if they win their last two games, they're the conference's No. 1 seed. Currently, they're staring at the No. 5 seed, which would mean opening with a road game, likely against the NFC South champs. It's a big difference, obviously, and the remaining path is tough, since Minnesota closes out the campaign against the Packers and Lions, but the opportunity to steal the top spot is now there for the taking. Sam Darnold delivered another clutch performance against Seattle, threading some tight-window throws and taking a huge hit the play before his late TD pass to Justin Jefferson. Whatever I thought the ceiling was this season for Darnold -- a guy I've always been a little afraid to admit I liked more than others -- he's surpassed it. The Vikings also won because of good field position and another coaching gem from Kevin O'Connell, and they (barely) survived a game without mainstay Harrison Smith patrolling the secondary.  

The Packers just play better when Josh Jacobs sets the tone early. He did that in the first half on Monday night, running 10 times for 53 yards and a TD and catching all four of his targets for 38 more yards. Those numbers aren't eye-popping, but his physicality was, with the beastly back stiff-arming two different Saints defenders into oblivion. The Packers flat-lined a bit after the three-touchdown flurry to start the evening, but there was nothing alarming in a game where they clinched a playoff berth. The defense was outstanding in pitching the league's first shutout of the season. Eight different Packers had multiple pressures, and Green Bay totaled three sacks on a pretty limited amount of dropbacks for New Orleans. That and a clean operation on special teams made it another strong performance all around. But the question with the Packers has never been about taking care of teams that are middling or worse; they've done that all season long. This week offers them the chance to do what they haven't done enough of: beat a quality team. Green Bay travels to Minnesota to face the 13-2 Vikings, and the bad taste from the two-points loss at Lambeau back in Week 4 probably still lingers.

Beating the Steelers surely met the Ravens' emotional needs after they let the first matchup slip away in Pittsburgh. The win also helped them clinch a playoff spot, but capturing the AFC North will take a little more work. If Baltimore and Pittsburgh each win out, the Steelers take the division title because of their stronger record in common games. Can the Ravens win in Houston and at home against the Browns? Yes and yes. Could the Steelers suffer a home loss to the Chiefs on Christmas Day or to the Bengals in Week 18? Both are likely tough outings for Pittsburgh. So things are looking up for the Ravens, but even if they don't finish tops in the division, they're not likely to be anyone's first choice of opponent on Super Wild Card Weekend. Derrick Henry hasn't scored in four games, which is wild, but he's averaging 112.8 rush yards in that span and is usually extra nightmarish to tackle at this time of year.

It might have been a race for a bit, but Jayden Daniels probably gift-wrapped the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for himself with his latest miracle. The Commanders coughed up five turnovers (including two by Daniels), leading to 13 Eagles points, and managed no run game to speak of (outside of Daniels). Ultimately, they put the ball in the rookie's hands over and over and asked him to bail them out. Even taking into account his late pick, Daniels found a way. He has cat burglar's nerves, for sure, plus the next-play mentality to move on from a mistake and deliver a victory. That's pretty rare stuff for a young quarterback to have, and it gives the Commanders a chance every time out. The three straight losses in November exposed some weaknesses, as did Sunday's contest, but with Daniels under center, Washington has the potential to do some unexpected damage in the playoffs.

The Steelers might hold a slight mathematical edge over the Ravens when it comes to winning the AFC North, but Saturday's loss in Baltimore made me feel like Pittsburgh is now doing the chasing. Getting George Pickens and DeShon Elliott back from injury would help; even so, this team has shown more warts recently on both sides of the ball. Russell Wilson actually played a good game overall, but his two big mistakes -- a fumble inside the Baltimore 5-yard line and a pick-six -- cost the Steelers dearly. The fumble came when the game was tied 7-7, and the Ravens scored on the ensuing drive. The pick-six happened when the Steelers trailed 24-17 in the fourth quarter, suddenly giving Baltimore a two-score lead. The last two games are in Pittsburgh, but the Chiefs and Bengals are coming to town. If the Steelers' defense could be humbled by the Eagles and Ravens, then K.C. and Cincinnati probably have a shot to do the same.

First things first: The Chargers earned some serious nerd points from me with their fair-catch free kick. Like Jim Harbaugh, I find it to be my favorite play in football. Fair-catch free kicks come around about as often as Halley's Comet, and they're almost never successful, so that one from Cameron Dicker was a big yes from me, dawg. And when Justin Herbert carried his team on his back with a gutsy effort against the Broncos on Thursday -- with the free-kick field goal giving them a boost heading into halftime -- it reinvigorated me a bit when it comes to the Bolts, who have their flaws but remain plucky. I'm not quite convinced that the final 2.5 quarters of defense atone for everything we saw over multiple games prior to that point, but it was a much-needed start. If Los Angeles' D can perform like that again at New England on Saturday, I'll buy back even more shares. The Patriots don't score a ton of points, but Drake Maye can stress the Chargers' secondary if they're not careful.

Thursday's loss to the Chargers bumped Denver down to the No. 7 slot in the AFC playoff picture, and it's going to be tough to climb back out. That means a likely first-round showdown with the mighty Bills, assuming Buffalo doesn't overtake top-seeded Kansas City. Just as important as the Broncos losing was how they lost. The offense went cold and got conservative at times after the blazing-hot start. Forgetting the run game after the opening drive looked like a mistake. The defense had plenty of breakdowns, didn't pass rush that well and tackled poorly. And Chargers rookie WR Ladd McConkey doubled his output (87 yards on six catches) from the last time Denver saw him (43 yards on four catches in Week 6). The Broncos still have at least one tough game left (against the Bengals on Saturday), and they could have two, depending on whether the Chiefs are in position to rest some starters against Denver in Week 18. The Broncos are going to have to grind their way into the postseason -- and they'll likely have to keep grinding if they get there.

Ugly win or not, the Rams moved up to the No. 3 slot in the NFC playoff picture and control their own destiny heading into the final two games against divisional opponents. On Sunday, they trailed entering fourth quarter against the Jets, having run just 32 offensive plays to that point. But then L.A. scored three times, recovered one New York fumble and pounced on one muffed punt in the final 13 minutes. The touchdown to give the Rams the lead was scored by Tyler Higbee, playing his first game in nearly 11 months after suffering an ACL tear in the 2023 playoffs. It was his only grab, but a massive one for the first-place squad. Los Angeles seldom makes it easy, but what else would you expect from a team that, for the second consecutive season, finds itself squarely in the playoff mix after falling three games below .500 at one point?

The gruesome injury to receiver Tank Dell was the one everyone was talking about after Houston's defeat to Kansas City on Saturday, and understandably so. But the Texans also lost two other starters: safety Jimmie Ward (who suffered a foot injury and, like Dell, is out for the year) and guard Shaq Mason (knee injury). All three injuries came at positions where Houston could least afford to lose people. The secondary has been up against it at times, and Joe Mixon and C.J. Stroud have each been affected by all the shuffling on the offensive line. Stroud needs to play some of his best ball, which we haven't seen recently. Even factoring in what he's been dealing with, Stroud's play has not elevated from what he put forth as a rookie, especially on plays when he's not targeting Nico Collins. The Texans suffered an emotional and physical hit in that game, and it's going to take some steely nerves to crank things up for the playoffs. 

The Buccaneers emerged from their Week 11 bye energized and focused, winning four straight heading into this past Sunday night's game. Three of those victories came by double figures, including a 40-17 Week 15 banger in which they throttled a good Chargers team in their own building. So what exactly happened in Dallas? Tampa Bay was gashed through the air by Cooper Rush and CeeDee Lamb and found itself down nine at halftime, showing a surprising lack of urgency early on. The Bucs surely knew what they needed to do to keep ahead of the Falcons in the NFC South after Atlanta's win earlier in the day, but even with Baker Mayfield leading a furious comeback effort, they came up short. Mayfield's pick midway through the fourth quarter didn't help, nor did Tampa's inability to hang on to a gift-wrapped INT from Rush. Then, after Mayfield somehow escaped from a sack in the closing minutes to get the ball to Rachaad White, White's fumble killed off the would-be rally. The Bucs might have an easier path in their final two games (vs. Panthers, vs. Saints) than the Falcons do in theirs (at Commanders, vs. Panthers), but we're sort of looking at this division as a toss-up now.

You couldn't have asked for better support for Michael Penix Jr. in his first NFL start. The rookie QB received massive help from running back Bijan Robinson and Atlanta's defense against the Giants. Robinson scored twice, making it a laugher with TD No. 2 midway through the third quarter. With two pick-sixes, a fumble recovery and a stoppage on downs, the Falcons' D completely overwhelmed Drew Lock and the Giants' offense, widening Penix's margin of error. (The new QB's one interception should have been caught by Kyle Pitts.) Penix didn't really get into a rhythm until the second quarter, but he looked far sharper overall than Kirk Cousins has in the past month-plus. It feels like Atlanta could have made this QB switch at least a game sooner. Bottom line: It's full steam ahead with Penix, and the Falcons are right back in the NFC South race following the Bucs' loss in Dallas.

The undead Bengals were 4-8 at the start of December, but somehow they remain in the playoff race by the skin of their teeth, stacking three straight wins to keep themselves afloat. They at least have the chance to make things very intriguing in the AFC, finishing against the Broncos and Steelers. Sunday's victory over the Browns wasn't drama-free, with Amarius Mims suffering a left ankle injury and getting into an apparent sideline spat with OL coach Frank Pollack. After the game, Mims said they were cool, but his injury merits attention. Mims has developed into a fine pass blocker as a rookie and a definite bright spot, even with some plot twists during his debut season. That's now two straight wins where some Bengals got fired up on the sideline; maybe they're on to something there. It's rarely easy in Cincinnati, but it's often interesting.

The Seahawks' fall hasn't been quite as pronounced as the Cardinals' tumble, but they've gone from first place in the NFC West to holding a 14 percent chance to make the playoffs after their second straight loss in what has been a topsy-turvy Year 1 under Mike Macdonald. Going 3-6 in Seattle (and 1-6 there after September) has been a huge thorn in the Seahawks' side. A battered but game Geno Smith threw three touchdown passes in the loss to the Vikings but also two interceptions, bringing his INT total to 15 for the season -- and he could have had more picks in this one. The run game was lagging, so once again, a lot of the offensive burden fell on the QB's shoulders. The knee injury he suffered against the Packers in Week 15 clearly limited him at times, but blaming this one solely on him feels wildly shortsighted. Seattle penalties wiped out two sacks and a tackle for loss, erased two Kenneth Walker III scampers and killed the starting field position on special teams. It's hard to know what to make yet of this Seahawks season, but it's more likely than not going to end in disappointment.

Playing without Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins did against the 49ers what they often have done this season: force-feed tight end Jonnu Smith and running back De'Von Achane as pass catchers. They are Miami's co-leaders in receptions for the season, having logged 76 each, blasting past their previous career highs in that category. Achane also had his best rushing game of 2024 by far, which was a nice development. Tyreek Hill remains the Dolphins' leading receiver, and though he missed hauling in a few deep balls Sunday, he registered his fifth touchdown catch since Week 10 in the second quarter, giving Miami a lead it wouldn't give up. The game was tight throughout, with Jason Sanders going 5-for-5 on field goals for the fourth time in his career. The Fins have let a few games slip through their fingers since Tua Tagovailoa returned to the lineup, and they'll likely ponder those in the offseason. Still, they have played better football of late and maintain a sliver of a playoff shot.

The season came to an end with a thud, at least as far as the Cardinals' faint playoff hopes went. Perhaps their fate had already been sealed, but it was tough to see them claw back twice -- once after being down 20-3 in the second quarter and then again after being down 30-20 in the fourth -- only to come up short in overtime against the Panthers. Kyler Murray made big plays to rally Arizona, but his own INT late in regulation might have prevented a victory, and his 14-yard sack on third down in overtime didn't help. It wouldn't be surprising to see a lot of the team's younger talent shift into more featured roles down the stretch, now that the Cards are guaranteed to miss the playoffs again. Making the postseason in 2024 wasn't necessarily expected by the masses, and there's still a good amount to like about the future of this team, but it's hard to ignore the fact that the Cardinals came out of their bye in pole position in the NFC West in Week 12. Five weeks later, they're cooked.

For a Cowboys team that's been eliminated from the playoffs, the urgency level appeared to be quite high in Sunday night's home game against the Buccaneers. The execution was pretty respectable, too, with Cooper Rush turning in one of the better games of what's become a pretty darned good season for the backup QB, despite the ground attack struggling for the first time in a few weeks. Flaws and all, Rush now has led four wins in seven 2024 starts, with an 11:3 TD-to-INT ratio over his 11 total appearances. But this season isn't about him. The biggest unknown remains the long-term fate of coach Mike McCarthy, and based on how Dallas is playing down the stretch, it feels like this one is trending in the direction of McCarthy keeping his post ... if his group can continue to be competitive in the final two games. Cowboys fans might feel ambivalent about that, but McCarthy coaxing this squad into quality performances reflects quite well on his coaching ability.  

Sunday's defeat to Miami wasn't another one-score loss, but it might as well have been, given that the 49ers had the ball twice with less than 10 minutes left and a chance to take the lead, until a late Dolphins touchdown put victory out of reach -- although official elimination from the playoffs came long before that moment. Miami was the better team. San Francisco, meanwhile, failed to eclipse the 18-point mark in a loss for the seventh time this season. This one must have felt incredibly familiar to Niners fans, who have seen this script play out before. Injuries, bad penalties, special teams errors and yet another turnover all cost them another game. For seven straight contests now, the 49ers have been even or in the negative in turnover differential, and they're minus-8 in that category over their last five games combined. Four of those were losses. Deebo Samuel ran hard, seemingly wanting to atone for his big drop one game prior, but that was a mere consolation amid a lost season.

Jonathan Taylor rebounded from his awful Week 15 gaffe with a monster day, recording the second-highest single-game rushing performance (218 yards) of his NFL career while leading his Colts to a 335-yard ground effort against the Titans. The offense staked Indy to a 38-7 lead late in the third quarter, with the defense doing its part to that point, intercepting Mason Rudolph twice. It was an impressive turnaround after a pretty uninspiring first-quarter performance in which the team was, frankly, hurt by Anthony Richardson's slow start. Then the Colts decided to make it a game, allowing the Titans to drive for three touchdowns (and two two-point conversions) in the span of just over a quarter. Amazingly, it was a one-score contest with nearly three minutes left. On his 11th pass attempt of the game, Richardson hit Michael Pittman Jr. for a key conversion late to essentially ice it, with Rudolph getting picked one more time on a last-second desperation throw. Let's not get too excited about a victory that was far more difficult than it needed to be.

The Saints hadn't even run 10 offensive plays before the Packers built a 21-0 lead on Monday night. Spencer Rattler hit a few passes and Kendre Miller popped a few runs, but you had to look pretty hard to find the positives for New Orleans' injury-ravaged offense, as the Saints ended up on the short end of the first shutout of the 2024 NFL season. Rattler made two of his best throws just before he threw his worst: an interception deep in Packers territory when there was no play to be made. There is enough intrigue in Rattler's game to keep him in the 2025 mix, and he may or may not get more time down the stretch, depending on Derek Carr's health. But this offense resembles nothing of the group that ripped off 91 points in the first two weeks of the season. The Saints haven't scored that much over the past five games combined.

We're in the silver-lining portion of the season for the Bears, who lost their ninth straight game and were eliminated from the playoffs last week. But if this game was a pre-interview audition for Chicago's head-coaching job, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson certainly walked out of Soldier Field with no regrets. Johnson figures to be someone the Bears will want to talk to if they don't retain interim coach Thomas Brown, and the Lions moved the ball up and down the field with ease Sunday. The fake-stumble touchdown pass was a nice touch, too, the type of creativity we haven't seen around Soldier Field in a minute. Brown earned some points for keeping his team competitive, even if another defeat theoretically makes it that much tougher to convince management he's the man to lead Chicago forward. Caleb Williams never mailed it in and kept firing away, all while extending his interception-less streak. Williams has had trying moments as a rookie, but anyone who thinks he's not a talent is fooling themselves. He's also 568 yards from overtaking Erik Kramer for the most passing yards by a Bears QB in a season.

It's not accurate to say the Panthers had nothing to play for Sunday. Bryce Young was coming off a four-turnover game and a big step back in his development after making many small ones forward prior to that. It's hard to say that the win over Arizona was one of Young's most prolific performances, but it was one of his most important, in that he held on to the football and added a running element to his game when things weren't humming early without Xavier Legette. Young made a few terrific throws under pressure, and Chuba Hubbard was massive after halftime, scoring the game-winning TD in overtime and further solidifying his role as one of the offense's most trusted players, even with the OT fumble a few weeks ago against the Bucs. The Panthers still need to surround Young with more skill talent, but there's a nice little core forming with Young, Hubbard, Jalen Coker and others.

Aaron Rodgers led a 99-yard touchdown drive on the Jets' opening series against the Rams. That was followed by a missed extra-point attempt, and New York somehow would score only three more points in the final 45 minutes of the game -- without punting all day. The way you achieve that is by turning the ball over on downs three times (including twice on your own side of the field) and coughing the ball up twice in the fourth quarter, once on a fumble, once on a muffed punt. A missed field-goal try coming 20 seconds before that botched return put a particularly Jets-y spin on the loss -- bonus points awarded for creativity. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich has made some curious decisions this season, and Sunday was no exception. Going for it while up 6-0 from his own 33 certainly was a choice; the Jets were stopped, and the Rams tied it up shortly thereafter. Going for it on fourth-and-4 early in the second half was a less shaky call, but Ulbrich also passed up on a chance to boost the Jets' 9-6 lead at that point; they failed to convert the first and wouldn't score again. 

After Dorian Thompson-Robinson's first start of the season Sunday, please allow me to hand the mic to my friend (and resident Browns expert) Nick Shook for his assessment of the QB's performance against Cincinnati: Cleveland's experiment with DTR flopped tremendously, as the second-year passer was forced to run for his life all afternoon against a defense that had earned a reputation for giving opposing offenses whatever they wanted. That about sums it up. Thompson-Robinson has made four career starts, accounting for fewer than 700 yards passing/rushing and only one TD combined in them. He's part of a QB problem that might be too big to solve completely in 2025, with Deshaun Watson scheduled to return and no obvious solution to come rescue things. The defense mostly did its job against the Bengals, and Myles Garrett celebrated sack No. 100, but it was another humbling, trying loss for the Browns.

Credit the Patriots for coming out aggressively, something they hadn't done lately. They actually executed early against the Bills, even with the all-too-familiar breakdowns on defense against James Cook. They hemmed in Josh Allen pretty darned well and had the right formula to win, except for those damned turnovers. Only one of the three was Drake Maye's fault (even if he was credited with two), but the interception in the end zone was a big one. Not as big as the Maye "fumble" when Rhamondre Stevenson couldn't catch an easy swing pass, but big. If you're into the Maye-Josh Allen comparisons, Maye is actually ahead of Allen's rookie-year passing stats (with one fewer start), and he had some big plays in this game, often outshining Allen. The Patriots are in very good hands with their rookie QB, and the future is bright because of that, but this remains a team that routinely struggles to string three good quarters together. Sunday was a competitive, hard-fought loss, but it was also more of the same from earlier defeats.

The Raiders' victory on Sunday was the team's first since late September, and it might ultimately cost the franchise the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But potential draft positioning is not Antonio Pierce's priority right now, saying Monday, "What matters is winning, and that's all we want to do." Even if it comes against the Mac Jones-led Jaguars, the Raiders will take it. Vegas made its usual slew of mistakes and didn’t punish the Jags enough for theirs, but it was a good day for Aidan O'Connell and Brock Bowers. O’Connell showed he won’t go quietly in his bid to keep the starting QB job. Bowers, now close to breaking Mike Ditka’s long-time rookie receiving mark for tight ends, should be AOC’s best friend down the stretch. They can help each other out. As with the discussion about how winning could affect Vegas' final draft slot, the Bowers debate really is fascinating. He’s been absolutely better than advertised, and I had a damned high opinion of him coming into the draft. But by selecting the tight end at No. 13 overall last year instead of moving up for a quarterback, the Raiders missed out on what looks like a banner rookie crop of signal-callers. They now have to hope O’Connell, a passer from the 2025 draft class or a veteran to be named later can steady the QB position next season.

Mac Jones volumed his way to a decent statistical game, but it would be a stretch to say he played well. Even the bomb to wide-open Brian Thomas Jr. was underthrown, and Jones opted to throw short of the sticks on fourth down with a chance to win the game in the final minute. Thomas remains the biggest reason for excitement on offense next season, as he's clearly a special talent who has been held back by the Jaguars' offensive limitations. Injuries clearly have been a huge part of Jacksonville's story this season, and Sunday was no exception, with the team losing several key players during the course of the game. The Jaguars have boosted their competitiveness since the Week 12 bye (which helps Doug Pederson's cause somewhat), but they're also 1-3 in that stretch (which doesn't).

The Titans held a 7-0 lead over the Colts early in the second quarter, then gave up 38 unanswered points in about 19 minutes of game time before ripping off 23 unanswered of their own to almost pull off the biggest comeback in franchise history. Got all that? Tennessee was one third-and-long stop away from getting the ball back, down eight points with just under two minutes left in the game. Instead, they got it with three seconds remaining, which was just enough time for Mason Rudolph to throw his third pick of the afternoon. Unfortunately, the turnovers aren't a new problem for the Titans, who have a league-high 32 entering Week 17. The fact that Tennessee stormed back on the road is a good sign that the team is still playing hard for Brian Callahan, but there’s only so much celebrating to be done by a squad that's produced nine giveaways over its last eight quarters.

The Giants' 10th straight loss included some new wrinkles, including surrendering a pair of interception returns for touchdowns. Whatever right tackle Evan Neal was doing on the second one, which gave Atlanta a 24-7 lead less than a minute into the third quarter, only God knows. That's not to remove all blame from Drew Lock for his second and third pick-sixes in only his third start of the season, because the first one was definitely on him. He also lost a fumble with the chance to make it a one-score game before the half. Now Lock is getting an MRI on his throwing shoulder, adding injury to insult. Sunday's game against the Colts will be the Giants' final crack at snapping their winless mark (0-8) at home this season. But in related news, New York currently holds a one-game lead in the "race" for the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Safe to say rooting interests will be distorted for many Big Blue backers ...