Five worst Week 17 NFL performances: Panthers, Bucs have major concerns

Does anyone want to win the NFC South? The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play next Sunday for the final open NFC playoff spot, but before then, the two teams occupy two of this week’s five spots in the worst performances from Week 17.

Below, we take a closer look at where things went most wrong for them and three other teams in Sunday’s worst performances.

The Panthers had a chance to not only clinch the NFC South thanks to Tampa Bay’s loss to the Miami Dolphins but also rethink what’s possible in the playoffs when they hosted the Seattle Seahawks (13-3) on Sunday. Instead, Young’s dreadful performance helped remind us how far Carolina is from contending for more than an NFC South title, the NFL’s version of a participation trophy.

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick couldn’t get anything going against an elite Seahawks defense, finishing the 27-10 loss 14-of-24 for 54 yards and an interception. When accounting for sacks and rushing totals, Young averaged a minuscule 1.9 yards per play on 35 snaps.

Carolina may very well win the division next Sunday by defeating the Bucs, but it will be a somewhat hollow victory. As much as it would mean to make the postseason, the Panthers will be one-and-done if Young produces another clunker like his one against the Seahawks in the wild-card round. 

The performance also makes the front office’s evaluation of Young much more difficult, as it weighs giving him an extension this offseason. Several young quarterbacks approaching the end of their rookie contracts in recent seasons — including Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Trevor Lawrence and Brock Purdy — have signed lucrative extensions, but Young hasn’t proven to be worth the cost at this point in his career. Sunday only gave the team more reason to hesitate.

Before exiting what was possibly his final start for the Raiders with what head coach Pete Carroll later said was a high ankle sprain, Smith gave his team one parting gift by likely handing it the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.

In a battle for first overall with the New York Giants (3-13), Las Vegas (2-14) proved more adept at tanking in the 34-10 defeat. Smith was 20-of-28 for 176 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, giving him a league-high 17 in 15 games. If the Raiders secure the first pick in Week 18, they’ll most likely select a quarterback, and with Smith’s status uncertain for Week 18, his rough performance against the similarly awful Giants will be a brutal yet accurate lasting impression.