NFL Week 17 takeaways from the NFC West

Weather certainly played a role here, but the Seattle Seahawks did a great job of managing things on the ground. It allowed them to control the tempo of the game and ultimately led to an easy victory. Kenneth Walker had 15 carries for 51 yards while Zach Charbonnet took on a starring role. He finished with 100 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. It’s difficult to argue with the two-headed approach.

The Defense Came to Play

Considering Bryce Young has the Carolina Panthers in position to win the NFC South, the young quarterback has made strides this season. Instead, the Seahawks limited Young to just 54 yards passing while sacking him twice and generating an interception. The Panthers also lost a fumble while Seattle had four quarterback hits and five tackles for losses.

McBride Hits the Record Books

Unfortunately for Trey McBride and the Arizona Cardinals, his talent was wasted this season. We know how bad the Cincinnati Bengals are at defending the tight end, but that doesn’t mean McBride doesn’t deserve his due, either. To get there, McBride caught 10 of 13 targets for 76 yards and a touchdown.

An Unlikely 1,000 Yard Receiver

Expecting Trey McBride to break the 1,000-yard mark with receiving yards is far from surprising. I thought, and wow was I wrong, the same would apply to Marvin Harrison. Instead, for multiple reasons, but injuries as of late, that didn’t take place. Despite being a non-factor in the first half of the season, though, Michael Wilson appears poised to break that mark. He caught five of 10 targets for 89 yards in Week 17, leaving him at 907 yards on the season. Considering what we have seen to this point, 93 yards is a surprisingly manageable number for Wilson. The fact that Arizona will be playing catch-up doesn’t hurt.

CMC Shows Up

Now the San Francisco 49ers offense is humming. Complaining about a player who has eclipsed 2,000-yards this season just feels wrong, and Christian McCaffrey proved again on Sunday why he’s one of the best. With 23 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown, McCaffrey was a beast. He also added four catches for 41 yards in another great performance.

Tonges Steps in With No Issue

George Kittle is still one of the best tight ends in football. It’s clear that the 49ers need him, and I’m not looking to discount his impact. But perhaps, San Francisco is becoming a two-tight-end team. That was evidenced as Jake Tonges caught seven passes for 60 yards and a touchdown in Week 17.

The Run Defense Didn’t Show Up

Stafford Threw it Away

Granted, his defense didn’t do him any favors, but Matthew Stafford needed to do a better job of protecting the ball. With three interceptions Monday night and a few misthrows on the Rams’ last-ditch effort to get the game to overtime, Stafford didn’t do himself or the Rams any favors. In a close MVP race with Drake Maye, this could have been the deciding factor.