NFC East Week 17 Wrap Up: Giants Clinch, Washington Fades

Recapping the Weeek 17 action in the NFC East.

Author:
Joe Najarian
Publish date:
Jan 1, 2023 6:16 PM EST

In this story:

The dream of all four NFC East teams being in the postseason took a hit in Week 17, as the Commanders (7-8-1) lost their game against the Browns, falling behind the victorious Lions, who won their game to improve to 8-8.

Meanwhile, the Giants took care of business by knocking off the Indianapolis Colts to clinch the sixth playoff seed. But the Eagles, who were again without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, lost to the Saints, thus failing to wrap up the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Here are the recaps from this week's NFC East action.

Philadelphia Eagles (13-3), 1st Place

Saints 20, Eagles 10

Needing a win to clinch the NFC East and the number 1 seed in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles were instead upset at home by the New Orleans Saints, 20-10. Once again, Jalen Hurts’ absence was felt, but to a much larger degree.

Eagles backup QB Gardner Minshew completed 18 of 32 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw a game-sealing pick-six. Philadelphia’s potent running game was also severely lacking without Hurts, managing only 67 total rushing yards, 61 of them from Miles Sanders.

The Eagles’ most noteworthy performances on offense came from receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, the former with 115 yards on nine catches and the latter with a 78-yard touchdown catch.

The Saints led the game wire-to-wire with a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on the game’s opening possession that took almost nine minutes off the clock. Super utility player Taysom Hill finished this long drive with a 1-yard touchdown run immediately after converting a 4th-and-2 on the previous play.

The only points in the second quarter came from a pair of Wil Lutz field goals, as the Saints led 13-0 at halftime. The Eagles were shut out in the first half, punting on every drive except their last, when time expired in the half.

Philadelphia scored all of their points in the third quarter, getting on the board with a Jake Elliott field goal and making it a three-point game on Minshew’s 78-yard touchdown bomb to Brown.

However, New Orleans added some huge insurance despite their offense punting on every drive of the second half (except the last one, which saw them run out the clock).

With just over five minutes left in the game and the Eagles deep in their own territory, Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore intercepted Minshew and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown, putting the Saints up 20-10 and delivering a back-breaking play. The Eagles turned the ball over on downs on their next drive, and the Saints ran out the clock to secure a massive upset.

Dallas Cowboys (12-4), 2nd Place

Dallas 27, Titans 13

The Dallas Cowboys kept their division hopes alive as they defeated the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football, 27-13.

Although Dallas only had a 10-6 advantage at halftime, they dominated the fourth quarter against an injury-riddled Titans squad.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 29 of 41 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions. Although the offense only had 87 rushing yards, CeeDee Lamb had another strong performance with 100 yards on 11 catches, while tight end Daulton Schultz caught both touchdowns from Prescott.

Dallas struck first on a 1-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott, who scored a rushing touchdown for the ninth consecutive game. They added to their lead with a Brett Maher field goal on the first play of the second quarter, but Tennessee would make things interesting.

The Titans moved the ball to the Dallas 24, only to lose the ball when backup QB Josh Dobbs fumbled and Dallas superstar Micah Parsons recovered. But the Cowboys gave the ball right back when Prescott fumbled, and Teair Tart recovered for Tennessee. Dallas’s defense forced a punt, but Prescott was intercepted twice by Titans safety Kevin Byard on the Cowboys’ last two possessions of the first half. Both interceptions were converted into Randy Bullock field goals, making it 10-6 Dallas at halftime.

After Tennessee punted to start the second half, Dallas drove 89 yards in 10 plays and extended their lead to 17-6 on Prescott’s first touchdown pass to Schultz. Tennessee refused to go away, as they responded with a 14-play, 71-yard drive that culminated with Dobbs’ 7-yard touchdown pass to Robert Woods.

But Dallas controlled the 4th quarter, getting their points back with Prescott’s second touchdown pass to Schultz, while Maher added another field goal for insurance. After the touchdown by Woods, Tennessee’s offense was completely shut down, as their final four drives ended in a punt, an interception, a turnover on downs, and time expiring in the game.

New York Giants (9-6-1), 3rd Place

Giants 38, Colts 10

The New York Giants dominated the Indianapolis Colts in MetLife Stadium, scoring 24 points in the second quarter to a 38-10 victory. With their ninth win of the season, the Giants secured their first winning season and playoff berth since 2016.

Giants QB Daniel Jones had a dominant performance in the air and on the ground. Passing-wise, he completed 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a 125.2 passer rating. He rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries on the ground, giving him four total touchdowns.

The game got so out of hand that New York gave running back Saquon Barkley only 12 carries and primarily used their backup players on their final drive.

Despite the lopsided result, the Colts would score first; a 49-yard strike from QB Nick Foles to Parris Campbell set up a Chase McLaughlin field goal for a 3-0 Indianapolis lead.

But after that, it was all Giants. New York’s offense responded with an 11-play, 71-yard drive that ended with Jones’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Richie James. After a Colts punt, the Giants stormed down the field again, finishing the drive with a 6-yard touchdown catch by Isaiah Hodgins. On the Colts’ next drive, Giants safety Landon Collins intercepted Foles and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown, and the rout was on.

A field goal by Graham Gano made it 24-3 Giants at halftime, and an 18-yard touchdown run by Jones early in the third quarter made it 31 unanswered points for New York. Indianapolis finally responded when quarterback San Ehlinger (replacing an injured Foles) threw his first career touchdown pass to Michael Pittman. Still, the Giants got those points back when Jones ran for a 10-yard touchdown to conclude the scoring.

Washington Commanders (7-8-1), 4th Place

Browns 24, Commanders 10

It was a miserable game for the Washington Commanders, as a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns combined with a Green Bay loss resulted in the Commanders' playoff hopes ending.

Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, who had just earned the starting quarterback job back, had an abysmal performance. He threw three interceptions, resulting in a passer rating of 31.4. Meanwhile, Washington’s normally reliable defense collapsed in the second half, allowing three touchdown passes to Browns QB Deshawn Watson in the final 30 minutes.

The first half was low scoring and controlled by the defense. Wentz’s first interception allowed the Browns to open the scoring, setting up a Cade York 37-yard field goal. The next three drives ended in a turnover on downs by both teams and Wentz’s second pick.

However, Washington harnessed some much-needed momentum after the two picks, as Wentz orchestrated a massive, 21-play, 96-yard touchdown drive that took a mind-blowing 11:27 off the clock.

The Commanders converted on five third downs, including a 3rd and 17, and Wentz ran the ball in on 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line. By the time Washington’s drive ended, there were 21 seconds left in the half, and they entered the locker room up 7-3.

But the Browns dominated the second half, as their offense got into sync and their defense continued to shut down the Commanders. A 46-yard touchdown from Watson to Amari Cooper gave Cleveland a 10-7 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. After forcing Washington to punt, the Browns marched 84 yards in 12 plays and extended their lead to 10 on Watson’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones.

The Commanders responded with a Joey Slye field goal, but the Browns found the end zone again when Watson threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Cooper, making it a 14-point game. All that remained for Washington was Wentz’s third interception and a turnover on downs.