Christmas time in the NFL. There were three irrelevant games on Christmas Day, and a weekend where presents of both playoff spots and draft picks were handed out. But who got these gifts?
Let’s look back at Week 17 of the 2025 NFL Regular Season.
The Bears win the division, but lose the game.
The race for both the NFC North and NFC West divisions is still going on coming into week 17. However, the Chicago Bears are one win away from winning the North (but another result going their way could mean that a loss can give them the division as well). The picture in the West is more complex, with three teams still in the hunt for the division. One of these teams is the San Francisco 49ers. A win over the Bears would keep them in the race with Seattle.
The 49ers had the first possession of the game, and everything went wrong for them on the first play. 49ers QB Brock Purdy’s pass was intercepted by the Bears defense, who would return the ball to the endzone for a pick-six touchdown to give Chicago the early lead. The 49ers’ second drive went much better. Purdy and company slowly made their way down the field to the Bears’ one-yard line. Here, the quarterback found Jake Tonges for the touchdown pass to level the scores.
Embed from Getty ImagesA few drives later, San Francisco was able to take the lead in the game through a 10-yard rushing touchdown from Purdy. This lead would be short-lived, as Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams found Luther Burden for a 35-yard touchdown pass on the following drive to level the scores again.
This score would begin a series of drives that culminated in a touchdown.
First, Christian McCaffrey would find the endzone for a five-yard rushing touchdown, which was immediately followed by Williams finding Colston Loveland for a 36-yard touchdown pass. The 49ers would then slowly make their way down to the Bears’ three-yard line, where Purdy found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
This back-and-forth meant that at halftime, the 49ers had a 28-21 lead over the Bears.
Chicago would have the first drive of the second half and used it to level the score again. Williams and company made their way down to the 49ers’ two-yard line, where D’Andre Swift found the endzone for the rushing touchdown. The tied game did not last long, as Purdy found Kyle Juszczyk for a six-yard touchdown pass to give San Francisco a seven-point lead going into the final quarter.
The Bears used their first drive of this quarter to again level the scores, with Swift scoring a 22-yard rushing touchdown. On their next drive, the Williams-led offense made its way down to the 49ers’ 11-yard line. The drive stalled here, but Cairo Santos was able to make the field goal from 29 yards out to give them a three-point lead.
This forced the 49ers to find the endzone on the next drive, or their hopes of winning the NFC West would be over. Starting from their 25-yard line, Purdy and company moved down the field to the Bears’ 38-yard line. Here, Purdy found Jauan Jennings for the touchdown pass, giving them a narrow lead to defend against the Bears.
Embed from Getty ImagesChicago would make it down to the 49ers’ two-yard line on the final drive and had one chance to score the game-winning touchdown. However, Williams’ pass was incomplete, giving the San Francisco 49ers a 42-30 win over the Chicago Bears.
This had all the feels of a playoff game, and with both teams making the postseason, it could be a preview of things to come. With the win, the 49ers improve to 12-4 for the season, setting up a mouthwatering clash against the Seattle Seahawks next week. A win for the 49ers will give them both the NFC West and the number one seed in the NFC. As for the Bears, they fall to 11-5 for the season, but because the Green Bay Packers lost the day before, they win the NFC North and will play for a good seed next week against the Detroit Lions.
The Tank Bowl
It has been a disappointing season for both the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants. But one can only wonder what the Giants’ season could have been if they hadn’t lost four games in the final quarter and all their star players remained healthy. This game between the two worst teams this season was dubbed the “Tank Bowl, where the winner would be in the driving seat for the number one pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The first three drives of the game all ended in punts, a usual occurrence for the Giants. But it would be the Raiders who would make the first mistake of the game. On the Giants’ 12-yard line, Raiders QB Geno Smith threw an interception. This mistake would be costly, as Jaxson Dart led the Giants’ offense down to the Raiders’ one-yard line. Here, Devin Singletary found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to take the lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Raiders had slightly more success on their next drive. They stalled at the Giants’ 24-yard line, setting up a 42-yard field goal attempt from Daniel Carlson, which was successful. In response to this, New York extended their lead through a 12-yard rushing touchdown from Dart. This lead became larger on the stroke of halftime, as kicker Ben Sauls found the uprights from 32 yards out. The Giants have had issues with kickers all season, so it is nice to have someone who can make these kicks.
This meant that at halftime, the Giants had a 17-3 lead over the Raiders.
On their first drive of the second half, New York extended their lead through another field goal, this time from 23 yards out. Then, the Raiders’ offense finally woke up. Smith and company made their way down to the Giants’ four-yard line, where he found Tyler Lockett for a touchdown pass. But any positive feeling from Raiders fans was quickly diminished when Deonte Banks scored a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown on the very next play of the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe woes continued for Vegas soon after when Smith threw another interception. This led to another widening of the lead, when on the following drive, Dart would score a two-yard rushing touchdown to seal a comprehensive 34-10 win for the Giants.
Coming into the game, the Raiders benched many of their top players in an apparent attempt to weaken their team. This worked, and they are likely to get the number one pick and Fernando Mendoza as their new, much-needed quarterback. As for the Giants, the win ends their nine-game losing streak, but does not do much else.
To end the season, the Giants face the Dallas Cowboys, while the Raiders face the Kansas City Chiefs.
A finale is set up in the NFC South
For most of the first part of the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a contender to make the playoffs and even the Super Bowl. Then the momentum just stopped, and the team has been on a downward spiral over the last few weeks, putting their playoff chances in jeopardy. This is similar to the Indianapolis Colts, but Baker Mayfield did not suffer a season-ending injury at the worst possible time. With the Carolina Panthers in front of them, Tampa Bay needed to beat the Miami Dolphins if they were going to have a chance to make the postseason.
The Dolphins had the first possession of the game, but did nothing with it. The same could not be said for the Buccs. Mayfield and company made their way down to the Dolphins’ five-yard line before the quarterback found Chris Godwin for the touchdown pass to take the early lead.
This lead did not last long. A 63-yard touchdown pass from Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers to Theo Wease would level the scores and give Ewers a good chance of becoming the long-term starting QB for the Dolphins in the future. On their next drive, Miami took the lead, thanks to a 29-yard field goal from Riley Patterson.
Embed from Getty ImagesThings then went worse for the Buccaneers on the next drive, when Mayfield threw an interception. This mistake would be costly, as on the resulting drive, Ewers found Greg Dulcich for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
This meant that at halftime, the Dolphins had a 17-7 lead over the Buccaneers.
After a slow start to the second half, Tampa Bay was able to get itself back into the game. On a very slow drive that started on their 35-yard line, the offense made its way down to the Dolphins’ 15-yard line (but was lucky to get there thanks to a recovered fumble on the previous play). This setup kicker Chase McLaughlin for a 33-yard field goal attempt, which was successful.
Embed from Getty ImagesMiami restored its 10-point lead on its next drive thanks to a 31-yard field goal from Patterson. Any future attempt by the Buccaneers went nowhere or ended with a loss of possession via interception or fumble. This put the e out of reach, but a late concession touchdown would give the Buccaneers something to work with at the end of the game.
The Miami Dolphins had defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17.
This win will help Quinn Ewers in his quest to become an NFL starting quarterback, but nothing else for the Dolphins, who improve to 7-9 with the win. As for the Buccs, they fall to 7-9, but are still in the hunt for the NFC South title. All they will need to do is beat the Carolina Panthers next week. Miami ends its season against the New England Patriots.
What Happened in the Other Games?
The first game of Christmas Day featured the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders, two teams out of playoff contention. Dak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 30-23 win.
The second Christmas Day game was between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. The Lions needed a win to stay in playoff contention. They did not get it. The Lions turned the ball over six times in the Vikings’ 23-10 victory.
The final Christmas Day game was the Denver Broncos’ trip to the Kansas City Chiefs. This was a close game, but a late touchdown from Bo Nix gave the Broncos a 20-13 win over the Mahomes-less Chiefs. It will be either the Broncos or the Patriots as the Number one seed in the AFC.
The Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers are both heading to the playoffs. In what could be a preview of the wildcard round, it was Houston who was able to get the win. C.J. Stroud threw for two touchdowns in the Texans’ narrow 20-16 victory.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Baltimore Ravens are still in contention for the AFC North title. This week, they faced the already playoff-bound Green Bay Packers, who were without QB Jordan Love. Star running back Derrick Henry had a game to remember, as he recorded 216 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the Ravens 41-24 win over the Packers.
The Cincinnati Bengals faced the three-win Arizona Cardinals. The game went as expected, with the Bengals cruising to a 37-14 win.
The Pittsburgh Steelers needed to beat the Cleveland Browns to win the AFC North. In a very low-scoring affair, the Browns did enough to record a 13-6 win to set up an interesting game next week for the North title.
Tyler Slough continued his good rookie season by leading the New Orleans Saints to a 34-26 win over the Tennessee Titans.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are one step closer to winning the AFC South thanks to a 23-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts. This is the last game we will see Philip Rivers in the NFL, as the Colts will play Riley Leonard next week, which would give them a losing record. You would not have thought that would happen earlier in the season.
The New England Patriots had a field day against the New York Jets. By halftime, they were 35-3 up on them. Drake Maye threw five touchdowns in the 42-10 win, which should make him a contender for the MVP this year.
In a battle that had ramifications for both the NFC West and South division races, the Seattle Seahawks faced the Carolina Panthers. A strong performance from Seattle gave them a 27-10 win, putting them one win away from the NFC West title. After losing, the Panthers set up a decider with the Buccaneers next week.
In what was a good game on paper, the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Buffalo Bills. This is a very defensive game, with numerous mistakes from both offenses. The Eagles held on for a 13-12 win over the Bills.
To have a chance of winning the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams had to defeat the Atlanta Falcons. However, a strong performance by Bijan Robinson, paired with a last-minute field goal by Zane Gonzalez, gave the Falcons a 27-24 win, knocking the Rams out of contention for the division, but they still made the playoffs.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat was a look back at the penultimate week of the regular season. Next week, the Panthers and Buccs meet to decide the NFC South, the Seahawks and 49ers meet to determine the NFC West and the Ravens and Steelers meet to decide the AFC North.
Other games have no implications whatsoever.