Tuesday Takeaways: NFL Week 17 Reactions

Week 17! We had constant football throughout the week with football on Christmas, Thursday, Saturday, and of course on Sunday and Monday. Most playoff spots have been secured, it is just a matter of seeding. Week 18 means everything for some teams and absolutely nothing for others. With that being said, here are some standout things to me from this past non-stop week of NFL! Comment below your thoughts or reactions!

1. The Chiefs are peaking at the right time.

The Chiefs are 15-1 but we all have heard that they just "don't look as dominant as years past". Kansas City is heating up (if you can say that about a team who has only one loss) right in time for postseason. Everything about Kansas City is starting to click offensively. Mahomes has thrown for 20 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions since Week 8. Xavier Worthy is starting to find his footing and has become a quality threat. The offensive line has only given up 1 sack in the last three weeks, all while going up against elite edge rushers like TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. They have still yet to score 30 points in a game this season which is worrisome for most teams heading into the playoffs, but that just seems to fit how this team plays. With the #1 seed locked up, the Chiefs are expected to not play their starters in Week 18, which means that Mahomes and Co. will have over 20 days in between games. Scary thought for whoever travels to Arrowhead for the Divisional Round.

2. Najee Harris set to hit free agency?

The Steelers declined to pickup the 5th year option for their 2021 first round running back Najee Harris. For a stretch this season it looked like he might change the organizations mind, as he saw his usage and productivity go up. That has changed once again the last couple of weeks, and it looks like Pittsburgh may be ready to let him walk. Najee has only averaged 9 carries a game the last 3 weeks and has only caught 3 passes in that time frame. Jaylen Warren has seen the field a lot more than Harris lately, with Warren being on the field for 56% of all offensive snaps since Week 14 and Harris only seeing a snap percentage of 37%. In the early part of the season, Harris looked the best he has to me since maybe his rookie year, so I am a little surprised to see his usage in such a decline. Even so, expect Harris to be one of the most sought after running backs in free agency. 

3. This may be an all time great draft class.

I have harped on this rookie class on this blog almost weekly, and I am going to do it once again. As a whole the 2024 draft class is looking like it might be a dominant one. Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Caleb Williams have all done enough to give their fan bases hope that their team has found their franchise guy. Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. look to be amongst the best wide receivers in the game already, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Ladd McConkey have star potential, and Brock Bowers is having the best rookie TE season of all time. Bucky Irving has been one of the most exciting runners in the league during the second half of the season, many lineman such as Joe Alt or Zach Frazier look like they may be league stalwarts for a decade plus. Defensively Jared Verse has looked like he may be a future pro bowler, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have played major impacts in the Philadelphia secondary. There are plenty of other guys playing well and have started their careers off quite well like Jonah Ellis, Max Melton, Terrion Arnold, Braden Fiske, Byron Murphy, Xavier Legette, Xavier Worthy. Add in the possibilities of throwing Michael Penix Jr. and JJ McCarthy into this list, and with their potential of becoming good QBs, this may be an all time draft class.

4. Has Mac Jones played himself into contract as a bridge QB? 

While he is certainly not the most exciting name in the league, I have been impressed with some of the things that Mac Jones has showed during his time replacing Trevor Lawrence. Since the Week 13 game against the Texans where Lawrence suffered his season ending injury, Jones has averaged 234 yards on a 67% completion rate, while throwing for 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He's even won as many games as Lawrence did. They are not mind blowing stats at all, but he has played with a swagger and consistency that we haven't always seen with Jones. He is hitting the open market this offseason and I would not at all be surprised if some teams take a shot at Jones to be the bridge QB to try and keep them afloat next season. Teams like Cleveland, Tennessee, or both New Yorks come to mind if they do not get their guy at the top of the draft.

5. I was incorrect about my preseason MVP, am I wrong about them as a player too?

One of my bold preseason predictions was that Kyler Murray would win the league MVP. Obviously that one was a swing and a miss! I'm not surprised by that reality. What I am surprised by is the fact that Kyler has disappointed me greatly this season. While his box score stats look great, when watching the games and looking at the advanced analytics, Kyler simply is not an elite QB. I thought with the continued ascension of Trey McBride and the addition of MHJ we would see Kyler become fully unlocked. I'm afraid he just is not in the same tier as the elite players of his position. I do think part of the problem is the play calling in Arizona, as the route combos are often congested or take too long to develop. Part of the problem is Kyler's inability to read defenses and throw his guys open. Murray's skillset will always be tantalizing to me, but I am starting to accept the fact he may not QUITE live up to #1 pick expectations.