What To Look For – Week 17

MONDAY NIGHT MATCHUP: Week 17 will conclude with one of the most anticipated games of the season, as the AFC East champion BUFFALO BILLS (12-3) travel to face the CINCINNATI BENGALS (11-4) on Monday Night Football (8:30 PM ET, ESPN/ABC). Cincinnati has clinched a postseason berth for the second-consecutive season and has a chance to capture the AFC North title this week.

For the full Week 17 playoff scenarios, click here.

The matchup will mark only the third game in Monday Night Football history between teams each with at least 11 wins, and the 14th between teams each with at least 10 wins.

The Bengals enter the week having won seven consecutive games, while the Bills have won each of their past six games. This marks the third game since 1978 – when the 16-game schedule was instituted – to feature teams each on winning streaks of six-or-more in the final two weeks of a season.

Last week, Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN recorded his 25th career game with at least one touchdown pass and one rushing touchdown, becoming the fourth player ever with 25 such games. Allen ranks third among quarterbacks with seven rushing touchdowns this season and leads all quarterbacks with 38 rushing touchdowns since entering the league in 2018.

With a rushing touchdown on Monday night, Allen will surpass KORDELL STEWART (38 rushing touchdowns) for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history.

The quarterbacks with the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history:

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CHIEFS KINGDOM: The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (12-3) have clinched the AFC West division title for the seventh consecutive season and are the third team ever to record at least 12 wins in five straight seasons.

Quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES leads the league with 4,720 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes in 2022. With 280 passing yards against Denver on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Mahomes will have recorded 5,000 passing yards in a season for the second time in his career (5,097 in 2018), and became the third player in NFL history to total at least 5,000 passing yards in multiple seasons, joining DREW BREES (five seasons) and TOM BRADY (two).

He can also join Brees as the only players ever with two career seasons of 5,000 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes.

Mahomes has totaled 321 rushing yards this season and has recorded a rushing touchdown in each of the past two weeks. His 5,041 combined passing and rushing yards also lead the league.

With 522 combined passing and rushing yards over the final two weeks of the season, Mahomes will surpass DREW BREES (5,562 yards in 2011) for the most in a single season in NFL history.

The players with the most combined passing and rushing yards in a single season in NFL history:

Mahomes’ top target this season has once again been tight end TRAVIS KELCE, who leads all tight ends and ranks seventh in the league with 1,257 receiving yards. He is on pace to have among the most receiving yards ever by a tight end in a single season. Kelce holds the tight end record with 1,416 receiving yards in 2020.

The tight ends with the most receiving yards in a single season in NFL history:

Kelce has recorded at least 100 receiving yards in six games this season, including each of the past two weeks. With 100 receiving yards on Sunday, he will become the first tight end ever to record at least 100 receiving yards in seven games within a single season.

JERICK MCKINNON leads all running backs this season with a career-high six touchdown receptions and has recorded a touchdown reception in each of the past four weeks. With a touchdown catch on Sunday, McKinnon will become the first running back since 1970 to record a touchdown reception in five consecutive games.

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FLYING INTO HISTORY: The PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (13-2) have clinched a spot in the postseason for the second-consecutive season and this week can secure their first NFC East division title since 2019.

The Eagles have recorded a rushing touchdown in 14 of their 15 games this season, with multiple rushing touchdowns in four of their past five games. Philadelphia leads the league with 31 rushing touchdowns, led by quarterback JALEN HURTS (13 rushing touchdowns) and running back MILES SANDERS (11). They are the only pair of teammates each with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in 2022.

With three rushing touchdowns against New Orleans on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), the Eagles will surpass the 1976 PITTSBURGH STEELERS (33 rushing touchdowns) for the most rushing touchdowns by a team in a season in the Super Bowl era.

The teams with the most rushing touchdowns in a season in the Super Bowl era:

Philadelphia also leads the league with 61 sacks this season, led by linebacker HAASON REDDICK (14 sacks), defensive end JOSH SWEAT (11), defensive tackle JAVON HARGRAVE (10) and defensive end BRANDON GRAHAM (nine).

With another sack by Graham, the Eagles will become the first team with four players each with at least 10 sacks in a single season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.

With six sacks on Sunday, the Eagles will surpass the 2000 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (66 sacks) for the most sacks by any team in a season since 2000.

The teams with the most sacks in a season since 2000:

Last week, Philadelphia became the second team ever to record at least six sacks in four consecutive games, joining the 1976 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS. They can become the first team ever to record at least six sacks in five straight games.

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BAY WATCH: San Francisco defensive lineman NICK BOSA leads the NFL with a career-high 17.5 sacks this season. He has recorded at least one sack in 12 games in 2022 and can become the fourth player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with 13 such games in a single season, joining DEMARCUS WARE (14 games in 2008), JUSTIN HOUSTON (13 in 2014) and CHANDLER JONES (13 in 2017).

On Sunday in Las Vegas (4:05 PM ET, FOX), Bosa – who has at least one sack in 29 of his first 49 career games – can join VON MILLER (32 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer REGGIE WHITE (31) as the only players since 1982 with at least one sack in 30 of their first 50 NFL games.

The players with the most games with at least one sack in their first 50 NFL games since 1982:

Rookie quarterback BROCK PURDY has won each of his first three career starts and last week, joined Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO as the only quarterbacks since 1950 with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in each of his first three career starts.

On Sunday, Purdy can become the fifth rookie quarterback ever to win each of his first four career starts, joining BEN ROETHLISBERGER (won first 13 starts in 2004), MIKE KRUCZEK (first six in 1968), VIRGIL CARTER (first four in 1968) and PHIL SIMMS (first four in 1979). He can become the seventh rookie in the Super Bowl era with at least two touchdown passes in five consecutive games and the first since JUSTIN HERBERT (2020).

Tight end GEORGE KITTLE leads all NFC tight ends with a career-high eight touchdown receptions this season, including two touchdown catches in each of the past two weeks. On Sunday, he can become the first tight end ever with at least two touchdown receptions in three consecutive games within a single season and the second tight end all-time with three consecutive games overall with two touchdown receptions, joining BEN COATES (Week 18 in 1993 and Weeks 1-2 in 1994).

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FIRE THE CANNONS: With a win against Carolina in Week 17 (1:00 PM ET, FOX), the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-8) will clinch consecutive NFC South division titles for the first time in franchise history.

Quarterback TOM BRADY leads the league with 443 completions this season and ranks fourth with 4,178 passing yards. This marks his 14th-career season with at least 4,000 passing yards, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING for the most all-time.

With two weeks remaining, Brady is 43 completions away from breaking his own single-season completions record, which he set last season (485 completions).

The players with the most completions in a single season in NFL history:

Brady has completed at least 30 passes in each of his past four games and can become the first player in NFL history to complete at least 30 passes in five consecutive games.

On the season, Brady has nine games with at least 30 completions, tied with DREW BREES (2011) for the most such games in a single season in NFL history. He can become the first player ever with at least 30 completions in 10 games within a single season.

Wide receiver MIKE EVANS leads the team with 917 receiving yards in 2022 and is aiming to become the first player in NFL history with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first nine seasons.

He can also become the third player ever with at least 1,000 receiving yards in nine consecutive seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (11 consecutive seasons from 1986-96) and TIM BROWN (nine consecutive seasons from 1993-2001).

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RECEIVING RECORDS IN REACH: Minnesota wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON leads the league this season with 123 receptions and 1,756 receiving yards. At Green Bay on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX), he can continue his climb up the single-season receiving charts.

The players with the most receptions in a single season in NFL history:

The players with the most receiving yards in a single season in NFL history:

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DOMINANT DUOS: Miami wide receiver TYREEK HILL ranks second in the league with 1,632 receiving yards this season, while teammate JAYLEN WADDLE ranks sixth with 1,260. They are the only pair of teammates each with over 1,100 receiving yards in 2022 and their combined 2,892 receiving yards are the most among teammates.

With 108 combined receiving yards at New England on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Hill and Waddle will become the fourth pair of teammates to combine for at least 3,000 receiving yards in a single season in NFL history.

The teammates with the most combined receiving yards in a single season in NFL history:

Philadelphia wide receivers A.J. BROWN and DEVONTA SMITH have each recorded at least 100 receiving yards in each of the past two weeks. If they both reach the mark against New Orleans on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), they will become the first pair of wide receiver teammates to each record at least 100 receiving yards in three consecutive games since 1970.

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ELECTRIC EKELER: Los Angeles Chargers running back AUSTIN EKELER leads the league with 16 touchdowns (11 rushing, five receiving) this season, while ranking eighth with 1,406 scrimmage yards (759 rushing, 647 receiving).

Last year, Ekeler tied for the league lead with 20 touchdowns and had 1,558 scrimmage yards. With 94 scrimmage yards against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Ekeler will join PRIEST HOLMES (2002-03) as the only undrafted players with at least 1,500 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns in consecutive seasons in the common-draft era.

Since entering the league in 2017, Ekeler has totaled 6,944 scrimmage yards and 61 scrimmage touchdowns (32 rushing, 29 receiving). With 56 scrimmage yards on Sunday, Ekeler will join ARIAN FOSTER (8,350 scrimmage yards) and Holmes (7,143) as the only undrafted players with at least 7,000 scrimmage yards in their first six seasons in the common-draft era.

The undrafted players with the most scrimmage yards in their first six seasons in the common-draft era:

With a touchdown reception, Ekeler can also join Pro Football Hall of Famer LENNY MOORE as the only players ever with at least 30 rushing touchdowns and 30 touchdown receptions in their first six seasons.

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