There’s always a lot of drama in the NFL over the final two weeks of the season, and that was definitely the case in Week 17.
Atlanta closed out the crazy weekend of action by throwing a wrench into the NFC South race with a stunning 27-24 win over the Rams. The Falcons’ win means that Saturday’s game between the Panthers and Buccaneers WON’T be a winner-take-all matchup.
If the Bucs beat Carolina, the Panthers will still win the division if the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday. In that scenario, all three teams would finish 8-9 and the Panthers would take home the division title. Basically, the Bucs now need a win and a Falcons loss to clinch the NFC South.
The Falcons’ win wasn’t the only surprise of Week 17:
- The biggest shocker of the week happened in Cleveland where the Browns pulled off a stunning 13-6 win over Pittsburgh. The Steelers could have clinched the AFC North with a win, but now they’ll be facing the Ravens on Sunday night in Week 18 with the division title on the line. The Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive with a 41-24 win over the Packers on Saturday night.
- The battle for the NFC West title will also be going down to the final week after the 49ers beat the Bears, 42-38, on Sunday night. San Francisco’s thrilling win now sets up a Saturday night showdown with the Seahawks in Week 18 where the winner will win the division title AND clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.
We’re not here to talk about the playoffs though, we’re here to talk about grades, so let’s hand out grades for every game that’s been played so far in Week 17, starting with Atlanta’s wild win.