Ravens RB Derrick Henry, Falcons RB Bijan Robinson highlight Players of the Week

With Lamar Jackson out due to a back injury, the responsibility of keeping the Ravens' playoff hopes alive fell to Derrick Henry in Week 17. He responded with a signature King Henry cold-weather performance, running through Green Bay's Swiss cheese defense for 216 yards and four touchdowns on a career-high 36 carries in Baltimore's 41-24 win. He now has the most games in NFL history with 200-plus rushing yards (seven) and four more games with 200-plus rushing yards and two-plus rushing TDs than any other player (again with seven). The AFC Offensive Player of the Week very well might have given the performance of the year, considering the stakes.

Robinson keyed the Falcons' 27-24 prime-time upset over the Rams, torching Los Angeles' defense for 229 scrimmage yards. His greatest highlight came on a 93-yard run during which he found his way through traffic before blazing past a host of hopeless defenders and outlasting them to the end zone to open up a 21-point lead. It marked the longest touchdown run in franchise history, and his 195 rushing yards by game's end were the most by a Falcons ball-carrier since 2008. Far from just a threat on the ground, Robinson also passed Christian McCaffrey for most scrimmage yards by a player before turning 24 years old (5,605).

Miami might be out of the playoffs, but that doesn't mean it can't play spoiler down the stretch. That's what the Dolphins set out to do in a 20-17 win over the Buccaneers, and few players were more impactful in the victory than Chubb. The two-time Pro Bowler had three pressures, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and two sacks, including a fourth-quarter strip sack of Baker Mayfield with the game still hanging in the balance. On top of earning Player of the Week honors, Chubb also earned a nice chunk of change -- a $900,000 incentive for hitting eight-plus sacks on the season.

Smith turned back the clock in Minnesota's 23-10 Christmas Day victory over the Lions. Despite the Vikings finishing the game with 3 net passing yards, they never trailed, thanks in large part to Smith and Co. putting the hurt on an uncharacteristically overmatched Detroit offense. Smith logged three passes defensed, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, a sack and an interception -- one of five Jared Goff turnovers forced by the Vikings. A month and change shy of his 37th birthday, Smith became the fourth-oldest player in NFL history with a sack and an INT in a game. His performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week in potentially the penultimate outing of his career.

Townsend's services were not needed on the Texans' first two possessions, quick-strike scoring drives that had Houston rolling early, but once the offense fell silent he did everything necessary to keep the Chargers behind the eight ball. The former All-Pro helped the Texans win the field-position battle and ultimately the playoff-clinching game, 20-16, by booting his five punts an average of 50.4 yards. Townsend landed four of those five boots inside the 20, matching a season high, and accumulated 239 net yards.

Carter returned from a three-game absence to log a sack in the Eagles' 13-12 win over the Bills, but his POTW-earning play took place on special teams. Holding onto a tenuous lead following Buffalo's first fourth-quarter touchdown, Carter skied on the ensuing extra-point attempt to deny Mike Badgley's kick. By keeping the margin at seven, Carter forced the Bills' hand when they went on to score again just before time expired. Buffalo opted to go for two and the win but instead failed to give Philly a victory in a grueling, low-scoring affair.