Week 17 NFL losers: Lions cheated out of top seed, Arthur Smith on thin ice

Not every player, coach and team can shine. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the more unremarkable moments and performances from Week 17 of the NFL season:

Detroit Lions fans: The Lions already had the NFC North locked up, but Brad Allen’s officiating crew and their inexplicable blown call on Detroit’s two-point conversion in Saturday’s 21-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys denied Lions fans a potential No. 1 seed, a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs – something that’s happened just once since the merger. 

Fans who have suffered through six straight years without a playoff appearance and just three seasons with a playoff game since 2000 were robbed of potentially hosting multiple playoff games. 

Arthur Smith, head coach, Atlanta Falcons: While Falcons owner Arthur Blank has said there’s a chance Smith could be back for his fourth season next year, Smith is on track for his third straight 7-10 season following Sunday’s 37-17 loss to the Chicago Bears and he made fans suffer through 12 starts of Desmond Ridder this season. 

If Blank seriously wants to win, he can’t bring Smith back as his head coach next season. The Falcons roster isn’t terrible and they’re arguably one right head coach-and-quarterback combo away from becoming a playoff contender in 2024.

Everyone, Philadelphia Eagles: In the span of five weeks, the Eagles went from being on cruise control to locking up the NFC’s No. 1 seed to losing four of five games and in jeopardy of possibly not even winning their division. Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the 4-12 Arizona Cardinals was embarrassing and not indicative of a team anyone should fear in the postseason. 

Philly’s passing game was out of sorts, the defense allowed James Conner to burn them for 128 yards and a touchdown and they allowed Kyler Murray to log his first three-touchdown game since returning from injury eight weeks ago. The Eagles are a mess and they’re limping into the playoffs.

Antonio Pierce, head coach, Las Vegas Raiders: While Raiders players want Pierce to be the team’s permanent head coach, he likely needed to win his final two games and somehow sneak the team into the playoffs to even have a shot of making that a reality. Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts dashed those dreams. 

Pierce’s 4-4 record despite having no prior head-coaching experience and starting rookie QB Aiden O’Connell for all eight games is impressive, all things considered, but with the Raiders heading into a new era (and possible rebuild), owner Mark Davis will likely bring in a coach with more experience and higher upside than Pierce.

Dalvin Cook, RB, New York Jets: Thursday’s 37-20 loss to the Cleveland Browns was the first time in Cook’s career that he played zero offensive snaps. The 28-year-old running back has played just 21% of the Jets offensive snaps this season – a career low, per Pro Football Reference – and he’s had double-digit carries just once this year.

He hasn’t rushed for more than 35 yards in any game and unless he scores in Week 18, this will be the first time in Cook’s eight-year NFL career in which he will fail to score a single touchdown, which is somewhat tough to believe considering he was coming off of four straight Pro Bowl seasons in which he rushed for 1,100 yards or more in each of them.

David Tepper, owner, Carolina Panthers: Not only did Tepper’s Panther suffer their most lopsided loss of the year (26-0) to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but he made headlines after the game for all the wrong reasons. Video surfaced on social media showing Tepper throwing a drink on a Jaguars fan before storming out of his suite. 

The NFL has acknowledged it’s aware of the video and Tepper, who’s not making it easier for himself to hire a legitimate head coach to mentor Bryce Young, could be subject to some sort of fine or other disciplinary action from the league.

Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks: While it was always unlikely that Smith at age 33 would replicate his magical 2022 season (4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 100.9 passer rating), the Seahawks presumably expected more out of him than the 3,435 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions he gave them in 14 games this year. 

He did himself no favors in Seattle’s biggest game of the year against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, either. With playoff implications at stake, the Seahawks lost 30-23 and sealed a playoff berth for their division rival Rams. With Smith regressing this year, don’t be surprised if the Seahawks draft Smith’s eventual replacement at some point in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans: Despite what some jaded Titans reporters have been writing on social media, starting Levis in Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Texans – a game that meant literally nothing for the Titans – was the wrong call. The team subjected him to a relentless Texans pass rush that sacked him seven times just two weeks ago and forced him to play just a few weeks removed from an ankle sprain behind left tackle Andre Dillard, who’s surrendered a team-high 36 pressures, 10 sacks and nine QB hits. 

And as fate would have it, Levis ended up getting injured again. Levis completed just 2-of-6 passes for 16 yards and was sacked once before having to exit the game. For his sake, the Titans need to address the offensive line this offseason.