NFL Week 17: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game

Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season began on Christmas Day with an NFC East showdown between the Cowboys and the Commanders. Dallas jumped all over Washington early but had to hold on after allowing several big plays.

Later in the day, the Vikings crushed the Lions’ playoff hopes. Minnesota came out swinging and held on to beat Detroit at home. And the Broncos closed things out with a tight win over Kansas City, keeping their hopes of earning the AFC’s top seed alive.

The action continued Saturday with the Texans beating the Chargers to clinch a third consecutive playoff berth for the first time in franchise history.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.

Jump to:
DAL-WSH | DET-MIN
DEN-KC | HOU-LAC

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Texans

With a playoff berth clinched, what is the Texans’ biggest priority now? Winning the AFC South. The Texans still have a shot to claim the division title, but it depends on whether the Jacksonville Jaguars lose either of their next two games. It’s as simple as this: If the Jags fall to the Indianapolis Colts or the Tennessee Titans and Houston beats the Colts in Week 18, the Texans will win the AFC South for a third consecutive season.

Turning point: Quarterback C.J. Stroud got sacked on third down with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Chargers were poised to get the ball back, but cornerback Tarheeb Still was flagged for illegal contact, which gave Houston the first down. Running back Woody Marks then picked up a first down two plays later to secure Houston’s seventh straight victory. — DJ Bien-Aime

Next game: vs. Colts (TBD)

Chargers

How far can Justin Herbert take the Chargers? The box score doesn’t quite reflect the performance (236 passing yards, one interception, 37 rushing yards), but Saturday’s game was one of Herbert’s most impressive. The quarterback evaded sacks, ran through defenders and delivered throws with defensive linemen draped on him — all while playing with a broken left hand. It was the kind of performance that reinforces why the Chargers believe Herbert can will them to a title. Still, expecting Herbert to replicate that level of play isn’t sustainable for a deep postseason run; even with how well he played, he couldn’t overcome the mistakes around him.

Key stat to know: Cameron Dicker missed his first career field goal from under 40 yards. Dicker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history and a first-time Pro Bowl selection this season, pushed a 32-yard field goal wide right to end the first half and later missed an extra point attempt. Dicker has been responsible for a large part of the Chargers’ wins this season, but his misses loomed large for L.A. on Saturday. — Kris Rhim

Next game: at Broncos (TBD)

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Bo Nix slings go-ahead TD pass to RJ Harvey

Bo Nix finds RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone to give the Broncos a 20-13 advantage over the Chiefs.

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Broncos

Is the Broncos’ grind-it-out offense playoff ready? The Broncos took care of what they needed to Thursday to stay in the driver’s seat for the AFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. But there were good news/bad news vibes from the Denver offense. The good news was that the Broncos had three scoring drives of eight or more minutes. The bad? Only one of those resulted in a touchdown. They will need to close the deal with more authority (and touchdowns) in the postseason because when they don’t, they leave themselves open to what happened against the Chiefs — where they’re in a down-to-the-wire scrap despite giving up only 95 yards of total offense prior to Kansas City’s final drive.

What to make of the QB performance: Bo Nix guided another fourth-quarter, game-winning drive, finishing with a 1-yard TD pass to RJ Harvey with 1:45 to play, so he got the big-picture job done once again. But the Broncos didn’t have a play of more than nine yards until Nix scrambled for 14 yards with 5:35 left in the second quarter and didn’t have a pass play of more than nine yards until the two-minute warning in the first half. Nix, who finished 26-for-38 for 182 yards, also had some accuracy issues crop up again, helping result in a deflected-ball interception in the first half. — Jeff Legwold

Next game: vs. Chargers (TBD)

Chiefs

What did we learn about Chris Oladokun? Well, the Chiefs possessed the ball for fewer than 21 minutes Thursday night, which wasn’t great for Oladokun, Kansas City’s third-string quarterback. But when he had limited opportunities, Oladokun showed he is capable of being a quality game manager. In just 16 attempts prior to the final drive, Oladokun never put the ball in danger. Instead, he had some nice moments scrambling and improvising to create yards. Even in suboptimal circumstances late — less than two minutes left and only one timeout — Oladokun was able to get the ball to the Broncos’ 21-yard line. But his final pass of the game, a deep pass into the end zone on fourth-and-8, was too high for receiver Hollywood Brown.

Most surprising performance: Without their top two cornerbacks, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, the Chiefs’ defense did more than hold its own against Denver’s offense. Kristian Fulton and rookie Nohl Williams performed well in fill-in roles despite the Broncos trying over and over to get receiver Courtland Sutton in one-on-one opportunities. Fulton finished with three pass breakups, one of which led to an interception by linebacker Nick Bolton. Williams had eight tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage.

Best quote from the locker room: “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone try to draw the defense to them by fumbling it,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said of Oladokun while laughing. “That was like a little yo-yo trick he put on. I’m proud of him, man, throughout the week, his attention to detail and his professionalism and his leadership. I couldn’t be happier for the guy. Obviously, I wish we could’ve gotten that win for him [in] a big game against a rival. I’m proud of the way he led us and kept fighting.” — Nate Taylor

Next game: at Raiders (TBD)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Vikings

Was this enough to get safety Harrison Smith to play another season? It has been a while since the 36-year-old has made so many high-impact plays in a game. But Smith produced a sack, an interception, two batted passes and two tackles for loss as the Vikings’ defense forced six turnovers. Smith hasn’t said that he plans to retire, but there are many people in and around the franchise who suspect he will. But if he can still play like this, perhaps he could once against delay that decision.

Key stat to know: The Vikings finished with 3 net passing yards, the fewest by a winning team in an NFL game since 2006, as rookie quarterback Max Brosmer took six sacks and struggled to find open receivers. They were at minus-7 net passing yards until Brosmer’s final throw, a 10-yard pass to receiver Justin Jefferson to convert a third down and seal the game. — Kevin Seifert

Next game: vs. Packers (TBD)

Lions

How concerning was quarterback Jared Goff’s performance? Very concerning. Goff couldn’t get much going as the offensive line struggled to protect him without starting LT Taylor Decker, who was ruled inactive with an illness. The tough Vikings defense sacked Goff five times and forced five turnovers by him (two interceptions, three fumbles), which tied a career high. The Lions’ eight turnovers through Week 16 were the fewest in the NFL, but they ended with a season-high six turnovers in Minnesota as Goff went 18-for-29 for 197 passing yards and a touchdown while facing constant pressure. With the loss, the Lions were eliminated from playoff contention.

Key stat to know: This is the first time the Lions have lost multiple fumbles in a game this season with four. Goff fumbled his snap in the first quarter, then RB Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled while rushing at 14:22 in the second quarter. Goff fumbled twice in the fourth quarter. Prior to this game, Detroit’s last time losing at least two fumbles in any game was in Week 12 of 2023 against the Packers. The Lions’ 38-game streak without losing multiple fumbles was the fourth-longest active streak in the NFL entering Thursday behind the Falcons (42), Chiefs (41) and Texans (40). — Eric Woodyard

Next game: at Bears (TBD)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Cowboys

Does finishing with a non-losing record matter? It does to Brian Schottenheimer, who has frequently referred to this being the first year of the program. The Cowboys are 7-8-1 with their Week 18 finale against the New York Giants looming, and Schottenheimer has given no indication that the Cowboys plan to sit regulars such as Dak Prescott to avoid injury. The quarterback has said he wants to play and will fight to remain in the lineup. If the Cowboys lose to the Giants — whether they play their main guys or not — it will be the first time Dallas has had consecutive seasons with a losing record since three straight 5-11 finishes from 2000 to 2002.

Key stat to know: The Cowboys converted 4 of 9 third downs in the first half and all four chances on fourth down. They finished with six — the most fourth-down conversions the Cowboys have had in any game over the past 45 seasons. The last team to have four first-half fourth-down conversions was the 2006 New Orleans Saints, who also had four against the Giants. The Cowboys had 17 first downs in the first half, while the Commanders ran just 18 plays. Dallas added two more fourth-down conversions in the fourth quarter. — Todd Archer

Next game: at Giants (TBD)

Commanders

Will Dan Quinn end the season on the hot seat? There has been no indication that Quinn’s job is in jeopardy, but even if he doesn’t end the season on the hot seat, his future job security will be a topic entering next season. Washington has lost 12 of its past 13 games — one year after winning 12 in the regular season. But a lineup depleted because of injuries has been the main culprit to Washington’s season, giving Quinn and his staff a reprieve. However, Quinn will have a decision to make at defensive coordinator. He took over playcalling duties from Joe Whitt Jr. in Week 11. Multiple players have said Quinn hasn’t lost the locker room, and despite being undermanned against Dallas — starting their No. 3 QB in Josh Johnson — the Commanders made it a game thanks in part to strong performances from running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (105 yards rushing) and defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton (three sacks).

Biggest hole in the game plan: Third- and fourth-down defense. Dallas converted 8 of 19 third downs, which wasn’t horrible. There was one 14-yard gain on third-and-18 that set up a fourth-and-short. That’s where the Commanders faltered, as Dallas converted all of its fourth-down attempts, leading to 17 points. Dallas was able to run 87 plays — 19 more than any other team has had against the Commanders this season. — John Keim

Next game: at Eagles (TBD)