10 Thoughts Entering Week 17 of the 2016 NFL Season

A 10-pack of notes, reflections, and musings as we enter the last week of the 2016–2017 regular season of the NFL.

1. Five weeks ago, the Detroit Lions were a shoo-in for the NFC North title, and the Green Bay Packers were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL. Fast forward about one-and-a-half-months later, and the Packers are suddenly the favorites to not only go into Detroit and beat the Lions, but to come away with the NFC North title.
2. The interesting wrinkle to this Redskins-Giants affair will be whether the Giants decide to rest their starters in the game. Washington is “win and in” to the postseason (assuming the Green Bay vs. Detroit game doesn’t end in a tie). New York can do no better or no worse than the fifth seed in the playoffs regardless of the outcome of the game, so it bears watching as to whether they’ll still have their star players — like Odell Beckham Jr., among others — participate in this meaningless match up.
3. If the Ravens lose to the Bengals, it will be the third time in four years that head coach John Harbaugh has failed to lead Baltimore to a winning record.
4. New Orleans has nothing left to play for at this point, besides the “spoiler role.” If they beat Atlanta, it could hurt the Falcons chances of getting a first round bye. For those who might not care about the Falcons postseason hopes, they can stick around for the potential fireworks. The last time these two teams played, they combined for 77 points and over 900 yards of total offense.
5. After losing 10 games last year, they’ve already won 10 games this year. While there are many worthy candidates this year, it’s hard to put anyone ahead of Dolphins head coach Adam Gase in the coach of the year award race.
6. Buffalo already dismissed head coach Rex Ryan and assistant head coach Rob Ryan this week, and one has to wonder whether the New York Jets might be inclined to do the same with their own head coach. Todd Bowles is only finishing his second season in New York, but finishing this year with double-digit losses has to be very disconcerting, considering the Jets won double-digit games last year. If they can’t beat the Bills, who will be starting quarterback EJ Manuel this week, things could get very uncomfortable for Bowles and his staff.
7. While quarterback Matt Barkley will finish the season as the guy under center for the Chicago Bears, it’s all but inevitable that the team will have a new starting quarterback next season. It’s basically a given that they’ll move on from Jay Cutler, before his $16 million cap number becomes guaranteed. There was some thought that the Bears could look to Barkley for the immediate future, while grooming a young successor, but after throwing eight interceptions in the past two games, it’s doubtful the Bears can trust him.
8. After losing to the Cleveland Browns last week, it bears saying just one more time: the San Diego Chargers have found new and inventive ways to lose games, week after week. There isn’t a more talented team in the NFL that has 10 losses than the Chargers. It’s really amazing how snakebitten this team has been all year.
9. Even though Dallas has already wrapped up the top overall seed in the NFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has publicly stated that he will not be resting either of his rookie superstars (quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott). One has to wonder whether this move will backfire on the Cowboys, be it sooner or later. While both players have performed fantastically this year, it’s only a matter of time before they hit “the rookie wall.”
10. They may not have made it into the postseason this year, but there’s definitely something good brewing down in Tampa. Quarterback Jameis Winston can still be erratic and streaky when throwing the football, but he simply oozes that “it” factor that draws his teammates to him. Wide receiver Mike Evans became one of the five best players at his position this year. The offensive line is still getting better. The defense is young, fast, and increasingly talented. They’re definitely a team to watch out for in 2017