NFL Week 17: The good, the bad, the ugly and the Vikings

THE GOOD

The streak continues! With Cincinnati and New England clinching playoff berths on Sunday, the NFL has now gone 32 consecutive seasons in which at least four teams made the playoffs that didn't make it the year before. Dallas and Arizona are the other two this year. Yes, Vikings fans. We're saying you've got a chance in 2022.

THE BAD

Speaking of the Vikings, they, of course, will miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2013-14, the last time they switched head coaches. The last time the Vikings went three years without a playoff game was 2005-07. No pressure, Mark & Zygi.

THE UGLY

As Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors, we're told to consider only what a player does on the field. Well … what the great but troubled Antonio Brown did on the field Sunday was the strangest, saddest, most selfish thing these eyes can recall seeing a player do. Upset in the middle of a game at the Jets, he took off his shoulder pads. He threw his shirt into the stands. And with both teams on the field, he ran across the field flashing the peace sign on his way to the locker room. If you quit on Bruce Arians and Tom Brady that way, let's just say you've exhausted your last life in this league. Brown's career is over. Yes, he's a four-time first-team All-Pro and one of the best ever. But what he did Sunday will be added to the ugly endings in Pittsburgh, Oakland and New England when it comes time to judge Brown's worthiness for Canton.

RANKING THE VIKINGS (7-9)

No. 20. Shout-out to a Twitter follower who tweeted Saturday that Sunday night would be "Kirk Cousins Appreciation Night" in Lambeau Field. Ha. Hate Kirk if you want to, but COVID-19 and Sean Mannion proved this Vikings team had/has zero chance of winning without him. Last week: 19.

TWO UP

Bill Belichick: The late Don Shula hated Belichick. Sorry, Don, but Belichick just joined you as the second coach with 20 seasons of 10-plus wins. And this Associated Press voter thinks Belichick also should join Shula as a four-time NFL Coach of the Year.

Ja'Marr Chase: The electrifying Bengals receiver isn't making it easy to vote for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones as rookie of the year. Chase's 266 receiving yards in the upset of the Chiefs broke Justin Jefferson's one-year-old rookie record for yards in a season and Jerry Butler's 42-year-old rookie record for yards in a game. Chase has 1,429 yards, 29 more than Jefferson had for the Vikings last year. Butler had 255 yards in a game for the Bills in 1979.

TWO DOWN

Mike McCarthy: For a division winner with 11 victories, the Dallas coach sure gets ripped a lot. This week, it was his poor use of timeouts that left him unable to challenge a clear Cardinals fumble that wasn't called with about three minutes left in a loss that eliminated the Cowboys from the NFC's top seed.

Matthew Stafford: Yeah, he won. But raise your hand if you have full confidence in him leading the Rams on a deep playoff run. He has six ugly turnovers in his past two games — both wins — and his 15 interceptions are tied for second-most in the league.

STATS OF THE WEEK

32: Number of games decided by a game-winning score on the final play this season, an NFL record. The Bengals and Raiders won Sunday on field goals with no time remaining.

25: Interceptions by Patriots under-the-radar cornerback J.C. Jackson since entering the league in 2018. With eight this season, he joined Lem Barney (32), Lester Hayes (25) and Everson Walls (25) as the only players with at least 25 interceptions in their first four seasons.

73.3: Completion percentage by Mac Jones in the 50-10 win over Jacksonville. It was Jones' ninth game with a completion percentage of 70 or higher. That ties Dak Prescott's rookie record from 2016.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Chargers (9-7) at Raiders (9-7)

One of three games between teams with winning records, this essentially is the season's first playoff game. Assuming the No. 6-seed Colts dispose of lifeless Jacksonville on the road, Chargers-Raiders is a play-in game on "Sunday Night Football." The No. 7-seed Chargers beat the No. 8-seed Raiders 28-14 in Week 4.