Week 17 in the National Football League had a very bizarre headline from the game’s most controversial player at the moment. Here are the top five storylines from the second last week of the regular season.
5) Justin Herbert sets Chargers record for most touchdown passes in a season.
The Los Angeles Chargers have set up a win and you’re in game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night in the biggest game of Week 18. In Week 17, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert set the Chargers franchise record for most touchdown passes in a season (35) in a 34-13 win over the Denver Broncos. Philip Rivers had 34 touchdown passes for the San Diego Chargers in the 2008 NFL season.
4) Patriots and Seahawks reach 50 points each.
Two teams reached the half-century mark in points on Sunday. The New England Patriots clobbered the Jacksonville Jaguars 50-10, while the Seattle Seahawks beat the Detroit Lions 51-29. The difference between the Patriots win and the Seahawks win was simple. New England clinched a playoff spot with the win, while the Seahawks are out of the playoffs at 6-10.
3) Green Bay Packers clinch the No. 1 seed in NFC
The Green Bay Packers clinched the no. 1 seed on Sunday night in the National Football Conference with a 37-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings. For the first time ever a NFL team has won a minimum of 13 games in three straight seasons. The Tennessee Titans are in the driver’s seat in clinching the number one seed in the AFC. All they have to do is beat the Houston Texans on Sunday.
2) Tom Brady delivers with a game-winning drive.
In the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 28-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady threw a game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds left to Cyril Grayson for his 40th TD pass of the season. He now has 40 touchdown passes three times in his NFL career, which ties him with Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers for the most all-time. Only 10 quarterbacks have thrown for 40 touchdown passes in a season in NFL history.
1) Antonio Brown just leaves the Buccaneers—during the game.
The curious case of NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown hit a new point on Sunday in the Buccaneers/Jets contest. On numerous occasions Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians asked Brown to go into the game. Brown then took his jersey off, left the stadium, and was subsequently released by the team immediately after the contest. According to Fred Goodall of The Associated Press, Brown did not go on to the field because of concerns of an ankle injury, but Arians claims Brown never told him of his ailment. Even though Brown is a threat every time he is on the field, as Dave Gray wrote in his week six post, you simply never know what you will get from him from a mental perspective on a weekly basis. Brown initially signed with the Buccaneers in October of 2020, after playing only one game in 2019 with the New England Patriots. In August of 2020, Brown was suspended eight games for inappropriate behaviour off the field.
