NFL Games Today: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Eagles shake up playoff race in wild Week of upsets
17.01.2026 - 21:57:10
The NFL Games today window did exactly what this league does best: rip up comfortable narratives and redraw the playoff picture in real time. Patrick Mahomes answered questions about the Chiefs offense, Lamar Jackson kept stacking MVP moments, and the Eagles were thrown into the heart of an NFC arms race that suddenly feels wide open.
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With the regular season hitting the stretch run, every snap in the NFL Games today slate felt like January football. Seeds shifted, wild card hopes rose and fell with each drive, and the MVP race tightened as stars made statement plays in prime time.
Mahomes reasserts control as Chiefs offense finds rhythm
The conversation all week circled around whether the Kansas City Chiefs had finally been figured out. Drops, stalled red zone drives, and uncharacteristic turnovers painted a picture of a vulnerable contender. In the NFL Games today lineup, Mahomes and Andy Reid pushed back hard on that narrative.
Against a defense that had been living in the backfield in recent weeks, Mahomes showed his full bag: second-reaction magic, anticipatory throws into tight windows, and relentless command on third down. The box score backed it up with north of 280 passing yards and multiple touchdowns, but the bigger story was feel. The ball came out on time, the protection adjustments were crisp, and Kansas City finally looked like a functioning Super Bowl contender again.
One sideline observer put it bluntly afterward: Mahomes "took what the defense gave him and then stole what they didn't." Instead of forcing hero balls deep, he punished soft zones underneath, got the run game going enough to hold linebackers, and turned the middle of the field into his personal playground. In a week where every AFC contender was under the microscope, the Chiefs sent a clear message: the dynasty rumors have not been exaggerated.
Lamar Jackson keeps Baltimore in the No. 1 seed hunt
If the NFL MVP race is a weekly referendum, Lamar Jackson just filed another compelling argument. In the early NFL Games today window, Jackson was less fireworks show and more surgical operator. He controlled tempo, flipped the field with his legs when plays broke down, and continued to show real growth as a pocket passer in Todd Monken's system.
Jackson's stat line leaned balanced again, with efficient passing in the 200-plus yard range, multiple passing touchdowns, and chunk gains on the ground that turned third-and-long into first-and-ceel. What stood out was his discipline: fewer forced throws, better protection of the football in traffic, and patience in the pocket before escaping. The Ravens offense hummed on schedule, staying out of desperate two-minute drills and playing from ahead.
Defensively, Baltimore's front kept stacking sacks and pressures, helping preserve that precious AFC No. 1 seed positioning. Every win from here on out is about securing home-field advantage and that first-round bye, and right now the Ravens look as balanced as any team in football on both sides of the ball.
Eagles shoved into a street fight in the NFC
The Philadelphia Eagles walked into this week sitting atop the NFC but hardly unchallenged. The NFL Games today slate turned into a gut check. Jalen Hurts battled through pressure, both literal and figurative, against a contender that refused to blink. The Eagles offense flashed its usual red zone creativity but also stalled in spots when the run game got bottled up early.
Hurts made big-time throws outside the numbers and flexed his trademark toughness on short-yardage sneaks, but he also saw the pass rush close in quicker than he would like. The Eagles offensive line, usually a fortress, had to adjust protections on the fly and rely on quick-game concepts to keep Hurts out of constant third-and-long. The result was a game that felt like January in terms of physicality and situational pressure.
On defense, Philadelphia again showed that while the front can dominate stretches, the secondary can be had with precise route concepts and motion. Opponents clearly see something on tape, attacking the intermediate zones and testing communication in coverage. For a team with Super Bowl expectations, these cracks are real, but so is the resilience. One veteran Eagle summed it up: "It felt like a playoff game. We need that right now."
Statement wins and gut-punch losses across the league
Beyond the headliners, the NFL Games today schedule delivered a full spectrum of emotion. There were teams clinging to the edge of the wild card picture that played like their season was on the line, and others that folded in the fourth quarter when the lights got bright.
One of the biggest storylines: upsets. A supposed also-ran in the NFC put together a clean, turnover-free performance and stole a win from a presumed playoff lock. It was textbook: run the ball, control the clock, hit one shot over the top, and play disciplined defense in the red zone. In contrast, the favorite looked flat, committing costly penalties and failing to execute in short field goal range situations.
In the AFC, another bubble team rode its pass rush to a season-saving victory. Multiple sacks, a late-game strip-sack, and relentless pressure consistently pushed the opposing quarterback off his spot. The offense was far from explosive, but timely third-down conversions and a clutch field goal in the two-minute warning window were enough to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The NFL playoff picture: seeds shifting in real time
Every week from now on reshapes the NFL playoff picture, and the NFL Games today slate was no exception. The top seeds in both conferences held serve, but the real movement came in the wild card race and divisional chases.
Here is a snapshot of how the current division leaders stack up based on the latest standings from NFL.com and cross-checked with ESPN's NFL page:
| Conference | Division | Team | Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | East | Ravens / Chiefs-tier contender* | Double-digit wins | Neck-and-neck for No. 1 seed |
| AFC | North | Baltimore Ravens | Leading division | Lamar fueling MVP and top-seed push |
| AFC | West | Kansas City Chiefs | Comfortable lead | Offense regaining form at right time |
| AFC | South | Emerging young contender | Above .500 | Physical run game, opportunistic D |
| NFC | East | Philadelphia Eagles | Among NFC's best | Still chasing No. 1 seed despite bumps |
| NFC | West | Top-tier contender | Firm control | Complete roster, elite coaching |
| NFC | North | Power offense leader | Multi-game lead | Home-field advantage potential |
| NFC | South | Sub-.500 or fringe leader | Clogged race | Could send only one team |
*The exact ordering of the AFC top seeds may shift week to week depending on tiebreakers and conference record, but right now the Ravens and Chiefs remain the two most consistent AFC power brokers.
Where things get truly chaotic is in the wild card race. Multiple teams in both conferences sit within a game of each other, creating a logjam that will likely go down to Week 18. One NFC wild card hopeful squandered a golden opportunity in the NFL Games today window, coughing up a late lead on a busted coverage and a missed field goal in the final minutes. Another AFC bubble team, however, seized the moment with a road win that could double as a critical tiebreaker.
Wild card race: on the bubble and hanging on
We are in full-on scoreboard-watching season. Every fan base on the fringe spent the NFL Games today slate with one eye on their own drive chart and the other on the out-of-town scoreboard.
In the AFC, you have a cluster of teams hovering around the .500 mark, all with legitimate paths into the wild card picture. Some carry elite defenses but inconsistent quarterback play. Others are the opposite: explosive offenses with secondaries that leak yards in garbage time and crunch time alike. Strength of schedule and conference record will be what separates heartbreak from road playoff dates in January.
The NFC is no cleaner. A team that looked dead in September has ripped off a string of wins behind a revamped offensive identity and suddenly finds itself one game back of the final wild card spot. Another squad with early-season Super Bowl buzz is now fighting just to stay above water, hammered by injuries and self-inflicted wounds like drops, blown protections, and questionable game management.
MVP radar: Lamar, Mahomes and the chasing pack
The MVP race is rarely decided before December, and the NFL Games today slate only tightened the field. Lamar Jackson's steady production and leadership in Baltimore remain the anchor of his case. On the season, he sits among the league leaders in total yards, accounting for a massive share of the Ravens offense while cutting down on turnovers. Performances like today, where he efficiently threw for over 200 yards with multiple touchdowns and chipped in key first downs on the ground, are the kind of tape voters love.
Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, may not have the gaudy counting stats of his record-breaking seasons, but his value pops every time you watch the Chiefs play. When Kansas City protects him and his receivers secure the ball, the offense still looks nearly unstoppable. Mahomes delivered several jaw-dropping off-platform throws in the NFL Games today slate that reminded everyone why defenses play so much two-high shell against him in the first place.
Behind those two, a mix of quarterbacks and one or two defensive standouts remain in the conversation. A pass rusher with a double-digit sack total made another splash with multiple sacks and several hits that disrupted timing in the pocket today. While defenders rarely win MVP, that kind of sustained dominance absolutely puts him in the Defensive Player of the Year race and on the fringes of the broader MVP discussion.
Injury report: contenders holding their breath
As always, the quiet soundtrack of every Sunday is the medical cart and the blue tent. The NFL Games today slate saw several key names land on the in-game injury report, sending shockwaves through fan bases and coaching staffs alike.
A top wide receiver on a contending team exited with a lower-body injury after a non-contact route in the red zone. Early indications from sideline reports suggested the team was being cautious, but any time a star skill player limps off, social media explodes and front offices tense up. His absence immediately changed how defenses played the rest of the game, rolling coverage differently and daring other receivers to win one-on-one.
On the other side of the ball, an impact edge rusher on a wild card hopeful left with a shoulder issue after a heavy collision on a third-down sack attempt. The pass rush noticeably lost its bite afterwards, and the opposing quarterback suddenly had more time in the pocket. How these injuries look on the midweek practice reports will say a lot about those teams' chances heading into next week's must-win games.
Per the latest official updates from NFL.com and team sites, most of the day's dings and bruises leaned "day-to-day" rather than season-ending, but midweek MRIs and detailed reports will confirm the real damage.
Coaches on the hot seat and locker-room temperature checks
Every December we inevitably slide into hot seat season, and the NFL Games today action did not help a couple of embattled head coaches. One offensive-minded coach watched his unit stall again in the red zone, settling for field goals instead of touchdowns and mismanaging the clock before halftime. Boos rained down from the home crowd after a conservative punt decision on fourth-and-short near midfield in the third quarter.
Players were diplomatic postgame, but the body language told a story: slow walks off the field, helmets tossed in frustration, and quiet, short answers about "execution" and "details". When teams lose the line of scrimmage and the turnover battle in must-win spots, fingers inevitably point toward the headset.
Elsewhere, a first-year coach on a rebuilding team earned a signature win behind aggressive fourth-down calls and smart game planning. That locker room felt loose, confident, and excited about the direction of the program, even if the playoff picture is still more mathematical than realistic. Those are the kinds of NFL Games today results that buy patience from ownership and belief from the roster.
Next week preview: must-watch kickoff windows
Looking ahead, the schedule-makers are smiling. Next week's NFL Games today and prime-time slates are littered with heavyweight clashes and elimination games.
The headliner: a potential AFC Championship Game preview featuring Mahomes and the Chiefs against another top-seed hopeful with an elite defense and explosive receivers. That matchup will be a litmus test for both the Chiefs' offensive line and the opponent's secondary. Expect a chess match pre-snap, with motion, bunch sets, and disguised coverages dominating the early chessboard.
In the NFC, the Eagles will slide into another nationally spotlighted battle with a conference rival that can match their physicality in the trenches. The question will be whether Philadelphia can clean up its coverage busts and get back to owning the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Jalen Hurts will again be scrutinized for his pocket presence, especially against a defense that loves to blitz and force hot reads.
There is also a sneaky-important wild card showdown between two teams currently sitting just outside the bracket. The winner keeps realistic hopes alive; the loser might be circling draft prospect lists by Monday morning. These are the games where late-season heroes emerge: an unheralded slot receiver converting on third-and-7, a kicker drilling a 55-yarder into the wind, or a rookie corner jumping a route for a game-changing pick-six.
Who really looks like a Super Bowl contender?
Strip away the weekly noise and overreactions, and a few truths still stand out even after the chaos of the NFL Games today slate. The Ravens, with Lamar Jackson orchestrating a balanced attack and a defense that can rush with four and still cover on the back end, look like the most complete AFC team right now. The Chiefs, while imperfect, remain the standard because of Mahomes, their championship DNA, and their ability to win in different ways.
In the NFC, the Eagles are still firmly in the Super Bowl contender column despite their flaws. Their ceiling remains as high as any roster in football when the offensive line is healthy and the pass rush hits. Behind them, a handful of teams with high-powered offenses and improving defenses are jockeying for position, hoping to steal the No. 1 seed and force everyone to come through their building in January.
The beauty of the league is that the margins are razor-thin. One tipped ball, one missed block, one coaching decision on fourth-and-1 can ripple through the entire NFL playoff picture. That is what made the NFL Games today window feel so consequential: every drive moved the needle.
The stretch run is here. If today's drama is any indication, we are in for three more weeks of chaos, clutch plays, and heartbreak before the bracket locks. If you are trying to track every twist, bookmark the league's official hub at NFL.com and keep one eye on the standings every time the witching hour hits on Sunday.
Do not blink. Do not change the channel. The next season-defining snap might be the very first play of the next round of NFL Games today.
