The 2017 NFL season produced many unexpected results, some of which sparked huge changes that will reverberate around the league for years to come.
Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Some franchises are locked into success for the foreseeable future, while others are doomed to fail.
Now that the playoffs are about to start we’re taking an extensive look at the biggest winners and losers from the 2017 NFL season.
Winner: Tom Brady, the ageless one
Barring an upset (Todd Gurley), Tom Brady will win the 2017 NFL MVP award. At the age of 40.
While there were a few games in which Tom Terrific looked ordinary (the Monday night game in Miami, for example), his 2017 campaign is truly remarkable.
Brady finished the regular season with a 66.3 completion rate, a league-leading 4,577 passing yards with 32 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. As a point of reference, only Brett Favre (played until he was 41) and Warren Moon (played until he was 44) have more touchdown passes (36 and 37, respectively) after hitting the age of 40 in NFL history.
Oh, and the New England Patriots claimed the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a record of 13-3, meaning the playoffs run through Foxborough.
Loser: Colts botching Andrew Luck situation
First off, how the heck did it take two years for Andrew Luck to have surgery? In the end, he said it was his decision to have it done, suggesting he decided against having it done initially. But for the love of all that’s good and holy this young man was injured way back in Week 2 of the 2015 season and played two full seasons with a bum throwing shoulder.
That’s 100 percent a failure by the Indianapolis Colts, who should be ashamed of the way they’ve treated their franchise quarterback. And as if that weren’t bad enough, the franchise totally botched the way it handled things during the offseason, through training camp and during the season, up until the point when he was finally placed on IR.
At this point, the Colts have essentially wasted three years of Luck’s career, and while he says he’ll be ready for next season there’s no way anyone outside the organization can feel confident about that.
Winner: Alvin Kamara sets the league on fire
Draft Twitter was enamored with Alvin Kamara coming out of Tennessee, but nobody saw this coming. Eventually selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round (67th overall) this past April, it’s clear now that the Saints got one of the biggest steals in the 2017 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Kamara totaled 1,554 yards from scrimmage and scored 13 touchdowns on offense. He averaged 7.73 yards per touch and added another 347 yards on kickoff returns, including an incredible 106-yarder in Week 17 (watch here).
He and fellow back Mark Ingram became the only running back duo in history to both go for at least 1,500 yards from scrimmage. It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say that Kamara, along with rookie cornerback Marcus Lattimore, is the biggest reason the Saints won the NFC South with a record of 11-5.
Loser: Browns find out how far down the rabbit hole goes
We all know the story by now. Hue Jackson, after the Cleveland Browns went 1-15 last year, pledged to jump in Lake Erie if they failed to improve upon that dismal record. Not only did they fail to improve, the Browns ended up going winless, becoming just the second team in NFL history to finish 0-16. They will now be subject to a parade in Cleveland mocking their “accomplishment,” along with the spectacle of Jackson living up to his promise.
The way Cleveland lost some of its games this year, it’s clear this team is cursed. Not only that, but less than two seasons into the Sashi Brown project, the Browns canned him and his Moneyball approach. Yet the organization retained Hue Jackson, who, according to owner Jimmy Haslam, hasn’t lost his coaching magic.
It’s hardly surprising that two of the best young quarterbacks who could potentially be available at No. 1 next April have both reportedly expressed they’d rather stay in school than be drafted by the Browns. Cleveland is where quarterbacks go to die — just ask DeShone Kizer, and the myriad of others who have crashed and burned in the Factory of Sadness.
Winner: Jacksonville’s legendary defense
The 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars left a lasting impression due to their defense, which sparked the team’s first playoff appearance in 10 years.
The Jags finished second in points allowed (16.8), first in total defense, first in passing defense (170 yards per game), second in sacks (55) and second in takeaways (33). Four defensive linemen finished with at least eight sacks, and free agent acquisition Calais Campbell led everyone with 14.5. The duo of Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye at cornerback was peerless, as both men had All-Pro-caliber seasons.
Blake Bortles is still mistake prone, and the offense could be a liability in the playoffs. But thanks to this defense, this team has a shot to win any game.
Loser: Ben McAdoo craps on one of the most impressive streaks in NFL history
Heading into Week 13, Eli Manning had started in 210 straight games. He was tied with the great former Oakland Raiders center, Jim Otto, for the ninth-longest streak in NFL history.
Then, for reasons nobody besides perhaps Ben McAdoo himself can comprehend, Manning was benched. Not only that, but he was benched for Geno Smith, who is one of the more notable draft busts in recent memory. Pretty much everyone who covers the NFL had the same reaction: “If you’re going to bench Manning, at least let the rookie, Davis Webb, see what he can do.”
Predictably, Smith was unable to spark New York’s offense, throwing the first ball that was intercepted by Oakland’s defense all year to that point. Manning, who was understandably crushed to have his streak broken in this manner was back under center in Week 14, and he finished out the season as the team’s starter.
Not surprisingly, the Giants fired McAdoo shortly after this game. But the damage had already been done.
Winner: Emergence of Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz
Houston’s 2017 season was all for naught, but the Texans do have a franchise quarterback. Provided Deshaun Watson can stay healthy going forward, he’s going to win a ton of games for this team. Even after seeing him play less than half the season, J.J. Watt is already convinced Houston can win a Super Bowl with the Clemson product.
The emergence of Carson Wentz was even more impressive. Until he tore his ACL in Week 14, Wentz was a legitimate MVP candidate, leading the league in touchdown passes. In fact, at the end of the season he’s only one behind Russell Wilson for the NFL lead.
The future is bright for both the Eagles and Texans now that they’ve found their answers at the critical quarterback position. And to think, the Browns could have had either of them but traded their picks away.
Loser: So many devastating injuries to superstars
Injuries are a big story every year. But my goodness, the 2017 season was devastating in terms of superstars being taken out of commission.
We already mentioned both Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz suffering season-ending injuries. Here are a some more notables: Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, Odell Beckham Jr., Allen Robinson, Spencer Ware, Dalvin Cook, Julian Edelman, Ryan Tannehill, David Johnson, Sam Bradford, Ryan Shazier, J.J. Watt and Eric Berry.
The NFL isn’t quite like the NBA in terms of how superstars matter, but it’s darn close. Needless to say, losing so many this year had a negative effect on the league.
Winner: Sean McVay > Jeff Fisher
Don’t tell this to Jeff Fisher (who thinks the Rams are succeeding in part because of him), but coaching matters. The 2017 Los Angeles Rams are Exhibit A for this argument.
Last year, with Fisher at the helm, the offense was one of the worst in the NFL and the Rams won just four games. One year later, the Rams have the NFC West title in hand heading into the playoffs and featured the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. What’s even more staggering is that, for the most part, the Rams are working with many of the same players Fisher couldn’t get to work in 2016.
Sure, the front office added some key players, such as Andrew Whitworth at left tackle and rookie receiver Cooper Kupp. But let’s not kid ourselves about why this team is succeeding. Sean McVay has made all the difference in the world. And the Rams are one of the most exciting teams in the league because they had the good sense to sign him.
Loser: QB-needy teams refusing to hire Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick isn’t likely to win the collusion case he’s filed against the NFL unless he has some concrete proof, and we’ve yet to hear about a smoking gun. That said, there is damning circumstantial evidence to support the notion he’s been blackballed from the league.
After all, we’re talking about a quarterback who has taken a team to the Super Bowl. A quarterback who has thrown 72 touchdowns and just 30 interceptions in his career and who is among the most exciting running passers the league has ever seen. Regardless of what coaches, general managers and owners have said, this is not about football.
All we have to do to prove this point is look at the other quarterbacks who have been signed this year as Kaepernick remained an outsider. Guys like Matt Schaub, Kellen Clemens, EJ Manuel, Mark Sanchez, T.J. Yates, Alek Torgersen (who?), Zac Dysert, Luke McCown, Keith Wenning, Brandon Weeden, Brock Osweiler, Ryan Nassib…the list goes on and on.
Teams like the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers ended up going belly up rolling with guys that have no business starting games in the NFL, rather than sign Kaepernick. So yeah, this was never about football. And don’t @ me.
Winner: Kareem Hunt claims rushing title as rookie
Like Ezekiel Elliott in 2016, Kareem Hunt won the NFL rushing title as a rookie. Only, unlike Elliott (No. 4 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft), Hunt wasn’t heralded as a franchise-altering player. He was a third-round pick out of Toledo who only landed the starting job because Spencer Ware suffered a season-ending knee injury last summer.
For the first five weeks of the season, nobody was hotter than this young man. He was routinely pulling off explosive plays like this.
He had a rough patch in the middle of the season, mirroring the Kansas City Chiefs’ entire campaign, but rebounded nicely at the end. All told, Hunt finished with 1,327 yards and eight yards rushing, totaling 1,782 yards and 11 touchdowns from scrimmage.
Loser: John Elway’s failure at QB position
It might be a bit too early to say Paxton Lynch is a bust. But we’ve seen enough that it’s not too early to wonder. He couldn’t beat out Trevor Siemian two summers in a row, and Siemian is about as average as they come.
Bringing back Brock Osweiler was one of the more hilarious moves any team made this past season. And it was even funnier/depressing (depending on your fandom) that he ended up playing a fair amount, and was just as disastrous as ever before.
There are already reports out there that the Broncos’ first order of business this offseason is to find a franchise quarterback.
Elway better not get it wrong this time around, or he might have a full-blown fan revolt on his hands in another year or two. At this point, the best thing Elway has been able to do in his career as a front office man is convince Peyton Manning to sign. Since Manning retired, things have gone downhill, and fast.
Winner: John Lynch swings deal for Jimmy Garoppolo
Speaking of quarterbacks, the San Francisco 49ers have one now. And, he’s kind of good.
John Lynch swung a sweet deal with Bill Belichick to land Jimmy Garoppolo for a second-round pick, which will actually be lower than people anticipated. The reason for this is that Garoppolo sparked a five-game winning streak that helped the Niners finish 6-10, good for the No. 9 or No. 10 overall pick. Before the streak, San Francisco was right behind Cleveland with just one win.
Garoppolo was incredible. With the five wins, he’s now 7-0 in his career as a starter. This season he completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,560 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Now that the 49ers have their franchise passer, they can start to provide him with more weapons and are loaded with cap space. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch this team in the coming years.
Loser: Marvin Lewis bungling his way to another season at the helm
During his end-of-year press conference Monday, Marvin Lewis said there is “mutual interest” between himself and the Cincinnati Bengals for him to remain in place as the head coach. That sound you hear is the chirping of crickets at Paul Brown Stadium, which will continue to be an empty vessel should this come to pass.
Lewis has been in place in Cincinnati longer than any other head coach in the league other than Bill Belichick. You don’t have to be a football analyst to understand why Belichick is still leading the New England Patriots. But you might need a degree in psychology to explain how Lewis still has a job. In 15 seasons, he has a record of 125-112-2 and has never won a playoff game. Not one.
The past two seasons, Cincinnati has won just 13 games and regularly no-showed big games. Somehow, Lewis remains a viable option for this team, which is just maddening.
Winner: Case Keenum resurrects his career, saves Vikings’ season
Just like Jared Goff did in Los Angeles, Case Keenum benefited from a change of scenery away from Jeff Fisher. He was thought of as nothing more than a backup when the Minnesota Vikings signed him last April. After all, Sam Bradford was coming off a career year, and Teddy Bridgewater was rumored to be coming back at some point in the season (he did).
So, when Bradford was lost for the season with another knee injury, things looked really desperate for the Vikings. Keenum smoothed those choppy waters very quickly, however. He had a career year, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,547 yards with 22 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
Not only did he resurrect his career, he saved Minnesota’s season to boot. The Vikings have a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed and have the look of a championship contender.
Loser: Raiders follow up breakout campaign with a resounding thud
Things were looking up for the Oakland Raiders before Derek Carr broke his leg last season. The team went 12-4 and made the playoffs for the first time 2002. Sure, the defense was highly suspect, but few teams had an offense that could keep up with Carr and Co.
Well, the defense got no better in 2017, and the offense took a huge step back. The decision to replace Latavius Murray with Marshawn Lynch backfired in a major way, Amari Cooper developed a frightening case of the dropsies and Carr was generally out of sorts. The end result was a 6-10 campaign that got Jack Del Rio fired.
The only good news is that Jon Gruden is rumored to be coming on board, and his return to the game would certainly be a fun development to watch in 2018.
Winner: Bills shock the league, break playoff drought
When Brandon Beane started shaking up Buffalo’s roster, it sure looked like the Bills were going to have trouble winning many games. In fact, we advocated for an even bigger overhaul — a total tank job — that would really kick-start a rebuild.
Yeah, about that.
Not only did the Bills win nine games this year, they made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Sean McDermott has pressed the right buttons most of the year (minus his ill-fated decision to start Nathan Peterman against Los Angeles).
Now the only thing left to do is fully commit to Tyrod Taylor going forward. He’s much better than people give him credit for and is a big reason this team is competing this January.
Loser: Washington is still a dysfunctional mess
We recently did a holiday themed list discussing perfect gifts for every team. When thinking about Washington, the best thing that came to mind was Daniel Snyder selling this team. Since he took over in 1999, this team has just five winning seasons to its credit and is one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the league, year in and year out.
Kirk Cousins had his top offensive weapons taken away from him prior to the 2017 season. Not surprisingly, the offense struggled without DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Bruce Allen is running the show again after running Scot McCloughan out of town while slandering his name with baseless claims of alcoholism. This team is just a gigantic mess, and it starts at the top.
Don’t be surprised if Cousins jumps ship, and eagerly, this offseason.
Winner: Anthony Lynn turning things around in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Chargers missed out on the playoffs by virtue of some tiebreakers going against them. But finishing 9-7 was a huge win for the franchise after going 9-23 the previous two years, especially after starting the season with four straight losses.
The big issue facing this team going forward is finding Philip Rivers’ replacement. He’s 36 now, and the Chargers don’t have anyone behind him that can step up if he retires or goes down with an injury.
That said, there is a ton of positive momentum otherwise. The team’s defense features the best 1-2 punch in the league with edge rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. The secondary is darn good and getting better. The offense has some tremendous skill position players and a burgeoning offensive line in development.
A few more savvy draft picks, and the good health of Mike Williams, should result in a playoff berth in 2017.
Loser: Packers’ lack of overall talent exposed
Here’s a stat for you. It blew this scribe away. The Green Bay Packers allowed opposing teams to score 100 percent of the time in the red zone during the 2017 season. This unit also allowed a touchdown in the red zone over 65 percent of the time. Those numbers are staggering.
Depth is a huge issue on offense. Obviously losing Aaron Rodgers was a killer this year. But what that did was truly expose just how weak the overall roster was without Rodgers’ exploits to rescue the team time and time again. The offensive line needs serious work. The defense, in general, needs a complete overhaul minus a few positions.
It’s really not surprising in hindsight that longtime general manager Ted Thompson will no longer be the team’s personnel kingpin. And it’s not surprising that longtime defensive coordinator Dom Capers was fired, either. Change is coming. Packers fans hope it’s for the better.
Winner: Falcons overcome the dreaded Super Bowl hangover
The first half of the season was rather disconcerting for Atlanta Falcons fans. Their team went 4-4, at one point losing three games in a row while the offense really struggled to find any sort of rhythm. In fact, at one point offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian got the old Wikipedia treatment by some disgruntled fans.
At that point, the Super Bowl hangover effect seemed to be really in play for this team. But Dan Quinn found a way to turn things around, engineering a 6-2 finish in which the team’s only losses were to NFC top dogs Minnesota and New Orleans.
The offense is still a bit questionable, but Atlanta’s defense is playing extremely well heading into the playoffs. If Matt Ryan and Co. get hot, this team could be a force to be reckoned with in the month of January.
Loser: Bucs in self-destruct mode
Thanks in part to HBO’s Hard Knocks, and thanks in part to the team’s big improvements in 2016, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the sexy picks to make the playoffs and then make some noise. They brought in some big-time free agents like DeSean Jackson and defensive tackle Chris Baker, and it appeared the sky was the limit.
Things did not go according to plan. Jameis Winston took steps in the wrong direction, then got hurt before finally showing some flashes of his greatness late in the year. The team’s offensive line was a train wreck, and the running game was, too. The defense was among the league’s worst at stopping the pass for most of the season.
Then there were the blow-ups. Mike Evans and Winston both displayed childish tempers at times, and Evans ended up getting suspended one game for his classless actions against Marshon Lattimore.
The Bucs have given head coach Dirk Koetter at least one more year to get things figured out. Perhaps he deserves that chance, though it certainly seems like he lost his locker room this past year, leading us to wonder if things aren’t going to be more of the same next season.
Winner: Cam Newton and the Panthers keep finding ways to win
The Carolina Panthers have some issues that could plague them in the playoffs. In particular, the offense is seriously lacking weapons outside of Cam Newton himself, running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end Greg Olsen.
Speaking of Newton, he’s been dealing with a thumb injury for much of the second half and has eclipsed 200 yards just once the past six games. He’s made up for some of this with his legs and actually topped his personal best with 754 yards on the ground to lead the team in this category.
The team’s defense is stout, especially up front. Because of that, and because Newton has a knack for pulling out big plays when he needs them, the Panthers have a 8-1 record this season in one-score games. That’s the biggest reason they won 11 games this season and are back in the playoffs.
Loser: Seahawks’ refusal to invest in offensive line leaves a lasting mark
Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has refused to provide Russell Wilson with protection up front for years now. We predicted this would haunt the offense this year, and it did. Wilson was sacked 43 times this year and has been among the most-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL the past few seasons.
Making matters worse, the Seahawks had no running game. None. Wilson was, by far, the leading rusher this year, more than doubling up any other player on the team and accounting for almost all of Seattle’s offensive output on the season.
Additionally, injuries on defense depleted the Legion of Boom, which was a shell of itself in the second half. Not surprisingly, all of this led to the team missing out on the playoffs. And there are whispers some serious changes are on the way.
Winner: Steelers rediscover winning formula
It’s been some years since the Pittsburgh Steelers had a defense like the one they’re taking into the playoffs this January. They have the No. 5 overall defense in the league, the No. 7 scoring defense and racked up 56 sacks to lead the NFL.
That’s only half the formula, however. Pittsburgh’s offense is among the most potent in the league. The Steelers can gash you on the ground, beat you with quick passes or torch you over the top with their insane lineup of talented receivers. The emergence of JuJu Smith-Schuster has supercharged the passing game, which was already loaded before he arrived.
All this to say that, if the defense can continue applying pressure during the postseason, the Steelers could be on their way to their seventh Super Bowl title.
Loser: Dak Prescott suffers through dreaded sophomore slump
Losing his buddy Ezekiel Elliott for six games hurt Dak Prescott, to be sure. So did losing left tackle Tyron Smith for a few games. But let’s be honest, much of what transpired the second half of the season was the result of a pure and simple sophomore slump.
After throwing 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions in the first eight games of the season, Prescott fell apart down the stretch. He finished the final eight games with just six passing scores and nine picks to his credit, many of the latter being incredible lapses in judgement.
Clearly, Prescott was moved outside his comfort zone this season. The Cowboys had a perfect storm brewing last year while winning the top seed in the NFC. They hit some speed bumps this year. Prescott responded about as well as most young quarterbacks do under these circumstances, meaning he struggled. But this is a young man who clearly still has tons of upside — there’s no need to panic, Cowboys fans.
Winner: Jets exceed expectations, have some intriguing pieces for future
It’s funny. Some folks might be down on the Jets for actually doing too good to land one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. They clearly do need one, and winning five games makes it harder to land one. But any objective observer who paid attention to what transpired this season has to be encouraged by the things this team did right.
For one, the young defensive core is tremendous. The two safeties drafted atop last year’s draft both have bright futures, and Darron Lee came on strong, too. On offense, Robby Anderson was spectacular, as was Jermaine Kearse, brought over in a trade with Seattle.
There is still a ton of work left to build up this roster on both sides of the ball. But the team has committed to letting Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles continue working together, extending them both for two more years.
Loser: The Jay Cutler experiment
So, it turns out that bringing a previously mediocre quarterback out of retirement to replace your franchise passer isn’t necessarily a good strategy.
Cutler, who once quipped he didn’t need to be in good shape to throw the ball, didn’t throw the ball all that well most of the season. He finished with very Jay Cutler-type numbers, completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,666 yards with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, appearing in 14 games.
The Dolphins finished the season with a record of 6-10 and better pray Ryan Tannehill is healthy next year. Because they have nobody else capable of consistently winning games, and if he suffers another big injury the franchise will have to go back to the drawing board at this critical position.
Winner: Titans break through with playoff berth
Somehow, the Tennessee Titans are playoff bound. We say “somehow,” because this team wasn’t exceptional in any way. It finished with the No. 19 scoring offense, the No. 17 scoring defense and a negative-22 point differential.
Also, third-year quarterback Marcus Mariota had a rough season. He threw just 13 touchdowns and 15 interceptions and battled through injuries all year.
Yet this team found ways to win, including in Week 17 against one of the best teams in the AFC, their rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars. We don’t expect the Titans to do much damage in the postseason unless Mariota can really turn his game up a few notches.
Loser: Adrian Peterson is toast
Besides a couple of throwback games, Adrian Peterson’s 2017 campaign was a gigantic flop.
Before being forced out with a neck injury, Peterson managed just 529 yards and two touchdowns on 156 carries. That’s 3.39 yards per carry, folks. And when you take away the two huge games Peterson had (159 and 134 yards), it’s much, much worse.
Clearly, after a couple of major knee operations and at the age of 32, he’s in the twilight of his career. He should quite honestly shut it down or significantly reduce what he believes his value is. Personally, I don’t think we’ll ever see Peterson running like a spry, spring chicken again.
Winner: Mitch Trubisky showed promise
Mitch Trubisky was put in an impossible situation this past season in Chicago. Playing without any top receiving talent, and for a coaching staff that was led by John Fox, he never really had a chance to shine.
Still, there were some very encouraging signs. Trubisky displayed the ability to drop dimes while on the move and in the pocket. He finished the season with just seven touchdowns, but it’s clear he has the tools teams need at this position.
Give him an offensive-minded head coach who knows how to bring along a quarterback the right way, and some receivers who can get open on a regular basis, and you’ve got something special.
Loser: Ravens’ Jekyll and Hyde tendencies seal their fate
The Baltimore Ravens were either very good or awful most of the season. There wasn’t much room for in between. And sometimes, when their offense finally showed up huge, their normally stellar defense laid a turd on the field (see Pittsburgh in Week 14 as a prime example).
They needed a win to get into the playoffs and totally crapped the bed. At home against the hapless Cincinnati Bengals, no less. Just like we saw in Pittsburgh, the defense was atrocious when it needed to be its best. Andy Dalton of all people won the game on a desperation heave to Tyler Boyd with under a minute remaining.
It was just that kind of season for the Ravens. They’ve now missed the playoffs three seasons in a row, and there needs to be some serious discussions about the direction of the franchise going forward.