NEW YORK, Wednesday, December 31st, 2025: The National Football League’s Week 17 honor roll has arrived, and it is unequivocally defined by ground dominance. As playoff pictures solidified and draft orders shifted, two running backs—one a veteran king cementing his Hall of Fame resume, the other a rising prince rewriting franchise history—delivered performances that will be replayed for decades. With the regular season finale looming, the league formally recognized Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, and a cast of defensive closers for defining the penultimate week of the 2025 season.
With MVP candidate Lamar Jackson sidelined by a back injury, the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff destiny fell squarely on the shoulders of Derrick Henry. The veteran responded with a vintage “King Henry” winter performance in a 41-24 demolition of the Green Bay Packers.
Henry didn’t just carry the load; he trampled the history books. Racking up 216 rushing yards and four touchdowns on a career-high 36 carries, Henry shredded a Packers defense that looked helpless in the frozen conditions. This outing marked his seventh career game with 200+ rushing yards, extending his own NFL record. Perhaps more absurdly, he now owns seven career games with at least 200 yards and two touchdowns—four more than any other player in league history. In a season where the passing game often dominates headlines, Henry proved that a dominant run game remains the ultimate equalizer in December.
While Henry dominated with power, Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson dazzled with explosive speed in a 27-24 upset over the Los Angeles Rams. Robinson was the engine of the Falcons’ offense, compiling 229 scrimmage yards (195 rushing) and effectively ending the Rams’ hopes of a higher seed.
The defining moment came on a franchise-record 93-yard touchdown run, where Robinson navigated heavy traffic before simply outrunning the entire Los Angeles secondary. This performance wasn’t just a single-game peak; it was a milestone night. Robinson surpassed Christian McCaffrey’s record for the most scrimmage yards by a player before turning 24 (5,605), signaling his arrival as the undisputed dual-threat face of the NFC.
The Miami Dolphins may be looking toward 2026, but Bradley Chubb ensured the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wouldn’t have an easy path to the postseason. In Miami’s gritty 20-17 victory, Chubb was a one-man wrecking crew.
His stat line—two sacks, three pressures, two tackles for loss, and a strip-sack of Baker Mayfield—doesn’t fully capture his disruption. His fourth-quarter forced fumble stifled a Bucs comeback bid, preserving the win. Sweetening the victory, Chubb’s performance triggered a $900,000 contract incentive for reaching eight sacks on the season, proving that playing spoiler can be profitable.
In a Christmas Day classic, 36-year-old Harrison Smith turned back the clock to orchestrate a defensive masterclass against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings’ 23-10 win was fueled by Smith’s ability to confuse and conquer Jared Goff.
Despite Minnesota’s offense generating a paltry 3 net passing yards, they never trailed—because Smith and the defense wouldn’t allow it. He filled the box score with three passes defensed, a sack, an interception, and two tackles for loss. By doing so, he became the fourth-oldest player in NFL history to record a sack and an interception in the same game, keeping Minnesota’s chaotic season alive for one more week.
Field position is often the silent killer in playoff-clinching games, and punter Tommy Townsend wielded it like a weapon in the Texans’ tight 20-16 win over the Chargers. With the Houston offense stalling late, Townsend consistently pinned Los Angeles deep, averaging 50.4 yards per punt and dropping four of his five kicks inside the 20-yard line. His precision forced the Chargers to drive the length of the field against a rested defense, a task they ultimately failed.
Rarely does a defensive tackle win Special Teams Player of the Week, but Jalen Carter’s athleticism was the difference in Philadelphia’s razor-thin 13-12 victory over Buffalo. Carter, returning from a three-game absence, blocked a critical fourth-quarter extra point by Mike Badgley. That single play forced the Bills to chase points; when Buffalo scored late, they were forced to go for two—and the win—rather than settle for overtime. The attempt failed, and Carter’s block stood as the game-winning play.
