NFL Week 17 bold predictions: Panthers shock No. 1 seed Seahawks, Justin Herbert cooks Texans defense

Two of the three Christmas Day NFL games went about as expected, with the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos taking care of business, but the Detroit Lions' 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that eliminated them from postseason contention was jaw-dropping.

Not just because they lost to the Vikings, who started backup quarterback Max Brosmer, but it's how the Lions lost. Detroit sacked Brosmer seven times, and he threw for just 51 yards. That made him the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to play an entire game, throw for under 70 yards and get sacked seven times, yet still emerge victorious. 

How was that possible? The Lions committed six turnovers, five of which came from quarterback Jared Goff (three lost fumbles and two interceptions). Detroit entered Week 17 with just eight giveaways all season, including none in its prior four games. That made the Lions the first team in the Super Bowl era to have a game with six or more turnovers after not having any in their previous four games. An absolutely unfathomable meltdown.

What other shocking events could occur during a Week 17 NFL weekend heavy with playoff implications? Let's take a look with five bold predictions.

Panthers shock Seahawks to ruin Sam Darnold's, Seattle's No. 1 seed hopes

The Seahawks are soaring high with a 12-3 record and possession of the NFC's No. 1 seed after an epic 16-point comeback in a 38-37 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams. All they have to do to clinch the No. 1 seed is win out.

However, the Jekyll-and-Hyde Carolina Panthers, who lead the NFC South at 8-7, will upset former quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seahawks in Week 17. After two years of looking like a potential bust, Carolina's 2023 first overall pick, quarterback Bryce Young, is figuring it out. Young has 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions over his last five games, and he has produced career highs in nearly every key passing category: completion percentage (63.5%), passing yards per game (192.2), passing touchdowns (21) and passer rating (89.5).

His six game-winning drives this season are tied for the most in the NFL through 16 weeks, and he racks up a seventh in Week 17 against the Seahawks as a seven-point underdog, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Young and the Panthers did beat the Rams back in Week 13, 31-28, and they'll knock off another NFC West division leader in the Seahawks.

Justin Herbert shreds Texans' No. 1 defense for 300 yards, career-high four TDs

The Houston Texans are the NFL's best scoring defense (16.6 points per game allowed) and total defense (272.3 total yards per game allowed in 2025), and the last time they faced the Los Angeles Chargers, they threw quarterback Justin Herbert in a locker. Back in the 2024 AFC wild card round, the Texans coerced Herbert into four interceptions in a 32-12 blowout defeat, a game in which Herbert threw more interceptions than he did during the entire 2024 regular season (three).

However, Herbert will get his redemption on Saturday with 300 passing yards and a career-high four passing touchdowns. Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston rediscovered his TCU form (104 yards and a touchdown on four catches) back at AT&T Stadium, just a few miles east of Fort Worth, in a 34-17 domination of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16. 

Rookie running back Omarion Hampton appears to have his legs back under him after an efficient 85 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries -- 5.3 yards per carry -- last week. The Texans' defense will have to respect Hampton, which will allow Herbert to let it rip in ways he wasn't able to, especially on play-action passes, against Houston a year ago. That will lead to a massive day for the Chargers QB.

Jets intercept Patriots QB Drake Maye

The New York Jets have no interceptions in 2025. That's right: zero, zilch, nada -- zero interceptions. The 2025 Jets' 15 consecutive games without a defensive interception is the longest in NFL history, and it spans the entire season. New York is the only team with fewer than six interceptions as a team this season, and it's threatening the record for the fewest interceptions by a defense in NFL history. That number is currently two by the 2018 San Francisco 49ers.

The Jets will get their first one of the year against Patriots two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Drake Maye. Yes, Maye leads the NFL in completion percentage (70.9%) and is on pace to be the youngest player to lead the league in that metric since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. He also leads the NFL in expected points added (EPA) per dropback (0.23) while ranking second in yards per pass attempt (8.7) and second in passer rating (108.5).

However, facing a 3-12 Jets squad will lull Maye into a false sense of security, which is when New York will strike. Maye and the Patriots needed a double-digit, fourth-quarter comeback to beat the struggling, now 7-8 Baltimore Ravens last week. New England starts slow once again in Week 17, and the Jets will capitalize with their first interception of 2025.

San Francisco 49ers go third consecutive game without a punt vs. Bears

The 49ers' offense is humming. They haven't punted across their last two games, which is the first time that's happened in team history. The 2025 49ers are also now just the fifth team in the last 75 seasons to go consecutive games without a punt, joining the 2004 Steelers, the 2021 Bills, the 2024 Commanders and the 2025 Colts.

San Francisco will stretch that streak to three consecutive games, even against the NFC North-leading Bears. The 49ers are on a five-game winning streak and begin Week 17 as the NFC's top wild card team with an 11-4 record. During the team's five-game winning streak, which coincides with quarterback Brock Purdy's return from a turf toe injury, Purdy leads the league in completion percentage (70.2%), passer rating (110.0) and first-down rate (48%). An insane 47% of his throws are going for a first down this season, which is the highest by any quarterback in the last 35 seasons.

Purdy and the 49ers keep the good times rolling against Chicago and don't punt against them.

Jonathan Taylor goes for more than 100 yards vs. Jaguars' No. 1 run defense

No team has been better against the run than the AFC South-leading Jaguars. They are allowing 87.3 rushing yards per game, and they'll face a struggling Jonathan Taylor when playing the Colts in Week 17. Indianapolis is on a five-game losing streak after an 8-2 start, and to reach the postseason, it needs to win out and have the Texans lose out.

Taylor's play falling off a cliff, with the All-Pro running back going for under 100 yards in each of the five losses, is a key reason why the Colts are flailing the way they are. Indianapolis is now threatening to become the first team in 30 years to miss the playoffs after an 8-2 start, something that hasn't been done since the 1995 Raiders. With the deepest desperation setting in for the Colts, Taylor will get the Indianapolis crowd roaring on Sunday with over 100 rushing yards against the Jaguars' top-ranked run defense.