The 2023 NFL season is nearing its culmination as we say goodbye to the calendar year 2023. And there was plenty of drama around the league to help ring in the new year. From the Cardinals spoiling Philadelphia's holiday to the Ravens announcing themselves as the class of the AFC, Week 17 has been chock-full of big headlines.
Which players, coaches and teams deserve the utmost praise (or criticism)? Here are our biggest winners and losers:
Winner: Lamar Jackson's MVP case
Will Brinson has already outlined as much, going so far as to suggest Jackson is borderline Hall of Fame material, assuming he makes NFL history by becoming the youngest quarterback to win multiple MVPs at 27. One thing isn't debatable: Jackson was lights out in a critical battle over the AFC's top playoff seed with the Dolphins. His effortless five-score game put Miami to shame, solidifying Baltimore as a title contender, plus himself as this year's most simultaneously dynamic and efficient quarterback.
Loser: Nick Sirianni and the Eagles' staff
If ever there were a time for the slumping Birds to get right ahead of the playoffs, it should've been at home against Jonathan Gannon's Cardinals, who took Lincoln Financial Field with a half-sick Kyler Murray and a lineup full of spare parts. Instead, Sirianni and Brian Johnson got too cute down the stretch, and Matt Patricia's defense looked helpless besides a first-half pick-six. There's really no world where the 2023 Eagles should be surrendering 35 points to the 2023 Cardinals. Philly needs to wake up fast.
Winner: Justin Fields' future
Nothing Fields does late in 2023 may prevent the Bears from seizing the opportunity to reset at quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft. And certainly beating the Falcons doesn't equate to, say, guiding a playoff run. But he was nearly flawless against an underrated Atlanta defense in Week 17, topping 300 total yards to lead one of the Bears' most convincing wins of the year. It's not hard to see this kid still has the talent to be a difference-maker. And if the Bears don't buy it, someone else will.
Loser: The Florida teams
The Jaguars won, so they're excused. But the others? Baker Mayfield has been getting more and more hype in recent weeks as a potential post-2023 option for Tampa Bay under center, but with a clear shot to clinch the NFC South against the mercurial Saints, he and Todd Bowles and basically all of the Buccaneers' core leaders flopped, making Week 18's rematch with the Panthers all-important. Mike McDaniel's Dolphins, meanwhile, couldn't keep up with Baltimore to prove they're ready for a deep playoff push.
Winner: NFL parity
A day after the Cowboys and Lions played within one point of each other, Sunday's schedule was yet another reminder that nothing is a given in this league. The Cardinals upset the Eagles. The Giants nearly did the same to the Rams. The Colts and Raiders fittingly played a one-score affair. So did the Bills and Patriots, who should theoretically be on two different planes. The only teams to perhaps survive the latest barrage of questions were the 49ers and Ravens, who are justified Super Bowl front-runners.
