That's a Wrap
The 8 best Moments of the NFL in 2017
By James Flint: Jan 31, 2018
1. Super Bowl LI Comeback Win
In February of 2017 history was made by The New England Patriots. After trailing 28-3 at halftime to The Atlanta Falcons the Patriots picked up the pace. The defense made sure that the Falcons stayed right where they were on the scoreboard allowing the offense to score 25 points in the 4th quarter. The 28-point tie put the game into overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history. On the first drive the Patriots marched down and sealed the game with a rushing touchdown by James White. This historical moment puts New England in the record book with the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, but also puts Tom Brady in the record book for most Super Bowl wins ever by a Quarterback.
2. Aaron Rodgers Injury
Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone early in the 2017 NFL season and missed a majority of the season. When Rodgers went out the Packers playoff chances went out with him. Had Rodgers been healthy for the full season they could have seen a completely different playoff picture than they are currently seeing.
3. Rams Turnaround from last season
Ever since former Head Coach Jeff Fisher was fired from the Rams they have performed much better. Last season the Los Angeles Rams finished with only 4 total wins. Now, it appears that the Rams are a whole new team and are on their way to the playoffs as the third seed in the NFC. They even have an MVP candidate on their team. Todd Gurley finished the season with more touchdowns than anyone else (excluding quarterbacks) with 13 rushing touchdowns and 7 receiving touchdowns.
4. Von Miller breaks Franchise Record
Broncos Linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller now has 7 consecutive seasons with 10 or more sacks setting the all-time record for consecutive seasons with at least 10 sacks in Broncos history. He also moved up to second on the Broncos all-time sack leaderboard with 80.5, putting him behind only Simon Fletcher who has 97.5. However, Miller is well on pace to break the Franchise record and possibly even the all-time record held by Bruce Smith with 200 total sacks.
5. Cleveland Browns 0-16
The Cleveland Browns also made history in 2017 just not exactly in the way that they wanted. The Cleveland Browns have officially become the second team in the history of the NFL to have 0 wins and 16 losses in a season. The first team to do this was the Detroit Lions in 2008. Although, the Browns have it even worse because they have only won one game in two years putting them at 1-31 since 2015.
6. Case Keenum Rise to Fame
Last season Keenum was a backup for the Los Angeles Rams where he was less than impressive. That all changed this year when he went to the Minnesota Vikings. He was still a backup for the first few games until starting Quarterback Sam Bradford left with an injury. Keenum not only revived his career, but he also led the Vikings to the playoffs. Even with their starting quarterback in, the Vikings were very close to not making the playoffs. This means Keenum not only played better than expected; he played better than the guy who was starting over him as well.
7. Kareem Hunt Leads League in Rushing Yards
Rookie Running Back Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs stood out in 2017 as he led the NFL in rushing yards. This is no minor feature for the Running Back either. Prior to this season only five players have led the league in Rushing yards as rookies. These players being Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson, Emmitt Smith, Steve Van Buren, and O.J. Simpson- all of which remain big names around the NFL and are either in the Hall of Fame or well on their way.
Andy Dalton Throws 53 yard Touchdown Against Ravens
In the final week of the regular season of 2017-2018, the Ravens and Bengals played a close game. Ultimately, the Bengals came out with a 31-27 win over the Ravens after Bengals Quarterback Andy Dalton threw a 53 yard Touchdown pass in the final seconds to seal the game. The Ravens would have clinched a playoff spot if they beat the Bengals but instead the spot went to the Buffalo Bills who hadn’t been to the playoffs in 18 years. That streak is the longest streak in sports history. Buffalo fans were so happy about this they sent 1440 wings 90 lbs of celery, 30 lbs of carrots, 6 gallons of blue cheese, 9 gallons of Duff’s wing sauce to Cincinnati as thanks.