Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season is here, and league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are breaking down the biggest questions, latest news and notable buzz of the week.

What are our boldest playoff race predictions with two weeks remaining? Which players have the most to prove before the end of the regular season? How many coaching jobs will be open come the offseason? And which teams are on upset watch this weekend? It’s all here, as Dan and Jeremy answer big questions and empty their notebooks with everything they’ve heard heading into Week 17

Graziano: The Jaguars will miss the playoffs. They were 8-3 at one point but have lost their past four in a row and are in a three-way tie with Houston and Indianapolis for first place in the AFC South. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is being held together with wire and duct tape, and receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones are out with injuries. The offensive line was never a strength. And the defense hasn’t stopped anybody all season. We thought this team would coast to a division title, and it very much has not.

Now the Jaguars’ last two games come against the Panthers and Titans. Both winnable games, and if they win them both, they win the division. But Jacksonville is running on fumes right now, the Panthers are playing better and you know Mike Vrabel will have the Titans ready to go in Week 18. I don’t think it would be a total shock to see the Jaguars slip up and lose one or even both of those games. Houston could get C.J. Stroud back from concussion protocol as soon as this week, and the Colts and Texans play each other in Week 18, meaning one of them will get to at least nine wins. You asked for bold, and this qualifies. It would be an epic collapse for the Jags.

Fowler: The Packers will sneak into the playoffs — and win a game. Their schedule is manageable, with the injury-ravaged Vikings — another player in the wild-card hunt — and the uneven (though surging) Bears on deck. If the Packers get both games, and the Rams lose to the 49ers in Week 18, Green Bay holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Los Angeles. And with the NFC South teams all playing each other over the next two weeks, they could cancel each other out, leaving just one of them — the division winner — in the final field

Sure, the Packers’ defense is underachieving, but the offense is trending positively, and Jordan Love appears built for the moment. They can match up admirably against, say, a second-seeded Eagles in the first round. What about the top of the AFC, Dan? Can Miami take the top seed from Baltimore?

Graziano: Oh, sure. These two teams will play this weekend, and the Ravens had to fly back across the country after what was clearly an emotional victory over the 49ers in San Francisco on Monday night. It’s not out of the question that the Ravens could let down and the Dolphins could steal one before going home to beat the Bills in Week 18 to snatch the No. 1 seed. I wouldn’t classify it as likely, but Miami is legitimate as a top contender and would relish the opportunity to prove it by taking down the conference’s best team on the road.

People have started to talk about the Bills catching the Dolphins for the division title, but I still find that farfetched. Miami has something special going on. To be fair, that’s also true for the Ravens, and I have no idea who I’m picking in that game this weekend. But it wouldn’t be a shock if either of those teams won it.

Fowler: Even though I’m leaning Dolphins for Sunday’s game, Baltimore’s performance over San Francisco resonates in a big way. That Mike Macdonald-led defense looks built for the playoffs. It totally minimized San Francisco’s attack and forced Brock Purdy to play from behind, which doesn’t look like San Francisco’s forte. While the Bills might be the most dangerous team in the AFC — they are peaking at the right time, and back-dooring the playoffs as a non-favorite might be the fuel they need to actually break through — Baltimore looks like the team that can put together complete performances most consistently.

Fowler: Justin Fields. Barring a surprise, the Bears will secure the No. 1 overall draft pick via Carolina, giving them the entire field of draft-eligible quarterbacks. Many people around the league believe Chicago should just take USC’s Caleb Williams and start over. But Fields has made this decision difficult with his toughness, work ethic and playmaking. He has shown some growth over the past five weeks, and he’s very well liked in the locker room.

Could Fields use the final two games to show he’s not a limited passer from the pocket? There’s already a pretty big sample on that, but closing arguments are important, and Fields can make a compelling one over the final two weeks against the Falcons and Packers. Plus, the contractual implications loom large because he’s eligible for the fifth-year option this offseason.