10. Von Miller got a penalty for that?
In a Week 3 game between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills, Von Miller and Tyrod Taylor shared one of the more comical exchanges of the season. After just missing a sack, Miller extended his hand to Taylor, but just as Taylor reached out, Miller yanked his hand away with a smile. The clowning of Taylor drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that Miller later apologized for, but there was no malicious intent. Miller and Taylor are friends away from the field and it was just a good-natured ribbing. Taylor laughed about it during his postgame interview. Miller didn’t, as the penalty helped cost the Broncos the game.
9. Vikings play Duck, Duck, Goose
With rules pertaining to on-field celebrations relaxed in 2017, many entered the season excited to see what the players had in store. And while there have been many great celebrations throughout the season, none top what the Minnesota Vikings did in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears when they broke out into a game of “Duck, Duck, Goose” following a 13-yard touchdown courtesy of tight end Kyle Rudolph.
8. Jason Pierre-Paul honors young cancer-stricken fan
Prior to a Week 5 game against the Broncos, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul met with a 7-year-old boy named Hayden through the Garden of Dreams Foundation. During their visit in East Rutherford, JPP showed off his disfigured hand — the result of a fireworks accident in 2015 — and encouraged Hayden to never let anything keep him down. In return, Hayden showed JPP some of his dance moves complete with a dab, which Pierre-Paul vowed to use when (not if) he got a sack during the game. Sure enough, JPP stayed true to his word and during one of his three recorded sacks on the night, broke out Hayden’s dance.
7. Marshall Newhouse helicopter’d
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no … it’s Marshall Newhouse flying through the air like a helicopter! At least that was the case in a Week 9 game between the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins when Newhouse recovered a Derek Carr fumble and thought it would be wise to pick up some extra yards. Instead, Newhouse was met with a slew of aqua-colored jerseys and sent for a ride he’ll never forget. The spin became an instant viral sensation and meme factory, and even Newhouse himself got in on the action, cracking several jokes at his own expense on Twitter.
6. Marquise Goodwin scores emotional 83-yard touchdown
Negative and heartbreaking circumstances led to an incredible 83-yard touchdown for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin in Week 10 against the Giants. Fans later learned that just hours before the game, Goodwin and his wife lost their unborn child due to complications during pregnancy. But in honor of that life lost, Goodwin played through the heartache and went on to score a remarkable touchdown that gave the 49ers a lead en route to their first victory of the season.
5. Chiefs catch fire in NFL regular season opener
Everyone loves football, so kickoff Thursday is always an exceptionally exciting time in the NFL. Most also seem to hate the New England Patriots, so coming off of another Super Bowl victory, they added a little emotion to the regular season opener. For three quarters, the Pats went back-and-forth with the Kansas City Chiefs until the underdogs caught absolute fire. The Chiefs went on to score 21 points in the final 15 minutes, tallying 252 yards over that same span and, with a nail in the coffin move, stopped the Patriots on fourth-and-one.
4. Jaguars re-brand as ‘Sacksonville’
After several years of dropping money and draft picks into their defense, the Jaguars opened the 2017 regular season strong and pulled off what was, at the time, the most unexpected upset of the year. They didn’t just beat the favored Houston Texans by a score of 29-7, they completely dominated them in every aspect of the game. Under head coach Doug Marrone and executive vice president Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars defense paved the way with 10 sacks, including four by veteran Calais Campbell. The Jags nicknamed themselves “Sacksonville” following the game, and the defense hasn’t slowed down since.
3. Rams, Jared Goff prove they’re for real
Who saw the Los Angeles Rams coming? Who saw Jared Goof finding elite status? No one, that’s who. But it was during a Week 3 game against the 49ers it became evident Goff and the Rams were for real. Goff went 22-of-28 for 292 yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers, posting a 145.8 passer in a thrilling 41-39 victory. And while Goff later topped those career numbers in a blowout of the Giants, that game, which was played in front of his friends and family, put him and the team officially on the map in 2017. They later cemented that by beating the Seahawks to claim their first division title since 2003.
2. Tom Brady becomes winningest quarterback in NFL history
Tom Brady is a special talent. Whether you love him or you hate him, there’s no question about that. He entered the season as the all-time winningest quarterback in NFL history thanks in large part to his success in the playoffs. But in a Week 5 game against the New York Jets, he took another step towards cementing himself as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game by winning his 187th career regular season game, breaking a three-way tie with Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. And while there was nothing particularly exciting or noteworthy about his performance that day, it was an early highlight that will likely stand the test of time.
1. J.J Watt raises funds for Hurricane Harvey victims
In mid-August through early September, Hurricane Harvey devastated the southern United States, finishing as the costliest tropical cyclone on record, causing nearly $200 billion in damage, killing 91 people in total, displacing 17,000 more and causing the evacuations of 30,000 others. In its destructive aftermath came Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt, who put on a fundraising campaign for the ages. The “Houston Flood Relief Fund” he led saw donations for nearly 210,000 people and as of early November, totaled over $37.06 million.
“There are not enough words to thank you all for your generosity. If there is one thing that I have taken away from these last few weeks, it is the reassurance of how much good is out there in our world. When times are the toughest, humanity stands at its strongest and you have all helped to prove that emphatically,” Watt wrote on the donation page.
When all was said and done, it was one of the most incredible individual humanitarian and charitable efforts in NFL history.
