Falcons, Giants, Pats among top Twitter trolls in NFL Week 17
As if New Year's Day wasn't entertaining enough, the NFL slate provided even more action on the first Sunday of 2023.
The playoff picture is becoming fairly clear as a handful of stars delivered at the right time. Perhaps the biggest example was Mike Evans'207-yard, three-touchdown performance in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFC South-clinching win over the Carolina Panthers.
On the other hand, some squads hurt their postseason stock -- and had to face their opponents' social media accounts heckling them after the game.
Here are the most entertaining NFL Twitter trolls from Week 17:
Atlanta Falcons 20, Arizona Cardinals 19
After three games, rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder got his first win as the starter after Younghoe Koo's game-winning 21-yard field goal.
The Falcons threw shade at the Ohio State Buckeyes, who lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl after missing the potential game winning field goal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night.
Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Baltimore Ravens 13
This AFC North rivalry has a flair for the dramatic with the past six meetings being decided by less than a touchdown.
Kenny Pickett connected with Najee Harris with 56 seconds remaining to complete the Steelers' comeback effort and keep their unlikely playoff hopes alive. It was somewhat of a familiar sight for Pickett, who found George Pickens with 46 seconds left last week in Pittsburgh's win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pickett is the first rookie since at least the 1970 merger to throw a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute of regulation in back-to-back games.
Seattle Seahawks 23, New York Jets 6
The Jets have not made the postseason since 2010 and that trend will continue as they were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. New York owns the longest active postseason drought in the NFL.
Meanwhile, Seattle's social media account celebrated staving off elimination for at least another week.
New Orleans Saints 23, Philadelphia Eagles 20
Just two weeks ago, it appeared that the Eagles could cruise to securing the NFC's No.1 seed, but that has quickly changed. With quarterback Jalen Hurts out because of injury, Philly has lost its past two games and is in jeopardy of falling out of first place and into the wild-card slot.
The Saints' Twitter account celebrated the win by welcoming back cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who snagged a fourth-quarter pick-six from Gardner Minshew. It was Lattimore's first appearance since Week 5.
New England Patriots 23, Miami Dolphins 21
Once upon a time, the Dolphins were 8-3 with the tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle taking the league by storm.
This week, however, the team dropped to 8-8 after losing to the Patriots.
New England defensive tackle Christian Barmore did Waddle's signature penguin-inspired move during the win.
New York Giants 38, Indianapolis Colts 10
Quarterback Daniel Jones showed up in a big way Sunday. He was responsible for all four of the team's offensive touchdowns, joining Justin Fields as the second player this season to record two rushing TDs and two passing TDs in a game.
After five consecutive losing seasons, the New York football Giants clinched their first playoff berth since 2016.
Kansas City Chiefs 27, Denver Broncos 24
The Chiefs made history in their 15th consecutive win against the Broncos, which is the longest active streak in any NFL matchup.
Patrick Mahomes recorded 40 touchdown passes and 5,000 passing yards in a season for the second time in his career, joining Drew Brees as the only quarterback to record that stat line in multiple years.
