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Here are five quick takeaways from the Broncos’ 16-9 win over the Chargers on Sunday.
The Denver Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 on Sunday afternoon, but the team was also eliminated from NFL playoff contention due to other results in the AFC. Here are five quick takeaways from the victory.
Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham won his first career start with Denver. Here are the studs and duds from the victory.
The Denver Broncos came into Week 17 with a lot of controversy — specifically at the quarterback position — but ended on Sunday with a win, a 16-9 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
We take a look at the studs and duds from the win on New Year’s Eve.
The Broncos were eliminated from NFL playoff contention on Sunday despite their win. Here’s how Twitter/X reacted.
The Denver Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 on Sunday afternoon but results elsewhere eliminated the Broncos from NFL playoff contention.
Here’s a sampling of how Twitter/X reacted on Sunday.
WATCH: Dennis Allen addresses the victorious Saints locker room after Week 17 vs. Buccaneers
“Hell of a job this week!”
Inside the #Saints locker room after the win at Tampa 🙌 pic.twitter.com/3LnTOnxxOW
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 1, 2024
It’s not often we get a look inside the New Orleans Saints locker room, but the team shared head coach Dennis Allen’s postgame speech after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Allen gathered the team around and praised their effort in practice before handing the microphone over to Demario Davis.
And Davis brought in his own special guest: veteran safety Johnathan Abram, who got the starting nod at free safety while rookie draft pick Jordan Howden was dealing with an illness. And Abram’s words were powerful.
Abram thanked his teammates for their support in a big spot and urged them to keep perspective about what’s next: competing for a win in the regular season finale. He acknowledged that the playoffs are still just out of grasp but made it clear he’s going to push to reach the postseason, and by all accounts that’s something the locker room can agree on.
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The Ravens are the league’s No. 1 team in NFL power rankings after Week 17.
Going into the final week of the 2023 NFL regular season, the Baltimore Ravens have emerged as the clear No. 1 team in the league.
The Ravens took care of business against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and the Cleveland Browns have a Wild Card berth secured after their victory over the New York Jets.
Following the Miami loss and another Buffalo Bills victory, the AFC East is up for grabs going into Week 18.
The AFC South, meanwhile, is wide open with the Indianapolis Colts (9-7), Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7) and Houston Texans (9-7) all alive going into the final week of the season.
The Kansas City Chiefs clinched the AFC West, and the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention despite their win on Sunday.
Over in the NFC, the NFC East is also up for grabs as the Dallas Cowboys (11-5) and Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) will take it down to the wire.
The San Francisco 49ers (NFC West) and Detroit Lions (NFC North) have their respective divisions locked up, but the NFC South is still wide open. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8), New Orleans Saints (8-8) and Atlanta Falcons (7-9) have still have a shot to win the division.
So with a lot left to be decided, here are our latest NFL power rankings ahead of the final week of the 2023 season.
Twitter reacted to the #Chiefs’ accomplishment of clinching their eighth-straight AFC West title after Sunday’s victory over the #Bengals.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ run of dominance in the AFC West is the stuff of legend, and with their win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17, the team has officially won its eighth-straight division title.
In a season where the reigning Super Bowl champions have looked more like pretenders than contenders, the remarkable streak’s continuation is a good sign for Kansas City’s future.
The Chiefs’ ticket to the playoffs is officially punched heading into the final week of the regular season, and with the momentum built from their win over Cincinnati, the team may be able to parlay their victory into a hot streak just in time for the postseason.
Kansas City’s outstanding accomplishment on New Year’s Eve seemed to take the edge off for fans on social media who have been frustrated by the Chiefs’ losses in recent weeks.
Check out some of Twitter’s top reactions to Kansas City’s historic win over the Bengals:
Derek Carr expressed the accountability critics have been looking for, owning up to his mistake on his lone sack against the Buccaneers on Sunday:
Props to Derek Carr for playing a great game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday; the New Orleans Saints devised a plan well-suited for their quarterback, giving Carr favorable looks off of play action with a variety of big-bodied tight ends getting open downfield.
And Carr was productive. He had one of his best games of the year, completing 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 197 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He didn’t turn the ball over and he only took one sack, which he reflected on when speaking with reporters after the game.
“(The Buccaneers) have a lot of disguises, they hide their pressures better than anybody else. They’ve played a lot of football together, and you can tell,” Carr said postgame. Per ESPN Stats and Info, Carr was blitzed on 41% of his dropbacks in the first half but completed 8 of his 9 passes against the blitz — gaining 75 yards and scoring a touchdown.
But what’s most encouraging was what else Carr had to say about his performance under pressure: “To come out of that with one sack, which was my fault, but none by the O-line, that’s an amazing feat that they had, and they deserve a lot of credit.”
That’s accountability. It’s exactly what Carr’s critics (including those here at Saints Wire) have been wanting to see from the quarterback. Not finger pointing, not filibusters, not blaming someone else when he’s obviously made a mistake. Owning up to his errors and taking responsibility for them will go a long way.
So what happened on that sack? Carr was moved off his spot by pressure from Buccaneers outside linebacker Markees Watts, who sent him running out of bounds. Carr wasn’t technically taken to the turf for a conventional sack, but it was a 6-yard loss that went down in the stats sheet as one. And the play happened on third down to force a New Orleans punt midway through the third quarter, which wasn’t ideal.
Maybe Carr could navigate that situation better by getting rid of the football sooner or throwing it away to avoid the loss of yardage. Either way, that he acknowledged it and gave his teammates the credit they deserved for standing up against a challenging opponent is good to see. Getting everyone on the same page is critical for team success, whether that’s knocking out the Atlanta Falcons next week or, if they can get some outside help, keeping it going into the playoffs.
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Twitter had mixed feelings about the #Chiefs’ playoff-clinching Week 17 win over the #Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs punched their ticket to the playoffs with their Week 17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium on New Year’s Eve.
Cincinnati was without star quarterback Joe Burrow in the game, and while Kansas City’s offense had a hard time finding the end zone, its defense was able to pick up the slack and hold the Bengals to just 17 points in the contest.
Harrison Butker was the Chiefs’ leading scorer, nailing six field goals and one extra point to help lift Kansas City to victory.
While this wasn’t the most dominant performance Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have put together, the result was ultimately a step in the right direction for the Chiefs, who have struggled to look like viable playoff contenders in recent weeks.
Fans on social media expressed their feelings about Kansas City’s latest win and didn’t hold back in making their voices heard about the team’s effort.
Check out some of Twitter’s top reactions below:
It wasn’t pretty, but Jarrett Stidham won his first start with the Broncos on Sunday.
In their first game since benching Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 on Sunday afternoon. Despite the win, Denver was eliminated from playoff contention due to other results in the AFC in Week 17.
Broncos new starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham went 20-of-32 passing for 224 yards with one touchdown in the victory.
After exchanging punts early, the Broncos took a 3-0 lead on a 32-yard Wil Lutz field goal late in the first quarter. The Chargers later matched that score with a field goal of their own to make it 3-3 in the second quarter.
Later in the second quarter, Stidham bought time on third down and found receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey in the middle of the field. Humphrey then broke multiple tackles on his way to a 54-yard touchdown to make it 10-3.
On their ensuing drive, Los Angeles botched a fake punt and turned the ball over on downs at their own 42-yard line. Denver went on to kick a 42-yard field goal to extend the lead to 13-3.
After forcing a Chargers punt, the Broncos went 55 yard fore attempting a 48-yard field goal. Lutz hooked the kick right and Denver took a 13-3 lead into halftime.
The Broncos were shut out in the third quarter while Los Angeles kicked a 50-yard field goal to make it 13-6. Denver then opened the fourth quarter with a takeaway when D.J. Jones forced an Austin Ekeler fumble that was recovered by linebacker Josey Jewell.
After a 28-yard pass interference penalty helped the Broncos convert a fourth down in Chargers territory, Denver got down to the one-yard line before having to settle for a 20-yard field goal to make it 16-6. Los Angeles later added another field goal but wasn’t able to complete a comeback.
On the injury front, Broncos offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey suffered a ribs injury in the first quarter and did not return. Cam Fleming filled in at right tackle.
Up next for Denver is a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders to close out the 2023 season in Week 18.
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What went right and what went wrong in the New Orleans Saints’ Week 17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? And what’s the bottom line?
Nobody saw this coming: the New Orleans Saints dismantled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and are leaving town with a much-needed win, keeping their playoff hopes alive as the wild card race takes shape. It was maybe the Saints’ most entertaining game of the year, and certainly their most complete effort against a quality opponent.
How did we get here? Let’s break it down by asking and answering three questions:
