It’s week 17, and the NFL regular season is in the books save for the NFC East title game happening in Washington right now. Rather than wait for that game to be decided, let’s take a look at the unexpected (and expected) for week 17.

We hope you all had a wonderful end to the holiday week as we all prepare for New Years’ Eve, and a wild week 17 in the NFL. We didn’t let the holidays slow us down, as we churned out a fresh batch of great content for you to consume. Enjoy.

Adrian Peterson has a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s hallowed single-season rushing record. The Los Angeles Rams runner rushed for 2,105 yards in 1984, in just his second season in the NFL. With that in mind, we take a look back at the careers of Dickerson and Peterson through trading cards in a little feature we like to call The Cardboard Bio.

If the Mayans are correct, the world will end tomorrow, and if you’ve been paying attention there have been several signs in the 2012 NFL season that the Mayans may have been right after all

The holidays are a magical time of the year. Families come together, communities help the needy, and almost anything is possible. Including miracles. Several NFL teams are in need of such a miracle, whether for a playoff run or long-term future of their franchise. Here’s a run-down of which NFL teams are in need of a little magic this holiday season:

Much like Clark Griswald in the holiday classic, Christmas Vacation, many NFL players and coaches are in need of a few relaxing days all to themselves (and that Christmas bonus!). Whether from a disappointing season, injury, poor performance or single-handedly carrying their team through the first 15 weeks, these players and coaches could use a little respite. And probably a large glass of egg nog.

Eric Dickerson says it will take a couple weeks for MJD to get into shape.

Who was better at running down his competition, Darrell Green or I’ll Have Another?

With the myriad of off the field issues coming to a head today, we thought we would take a break and harken back to a simpler time with the help of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today’s topic comes from their weekly historical series regarding the first player to break 1,000 yards rushing in a single season.

Still early, but the scene at Radio Row is heating up. Already spotted: Eric Dickerson, Miles Austin, Drew Brees, Dick Vermeil, Cowboys cheerleaders… and Bugs Bunny.

Steelers fans love the Terrible Towel. In fact, there hasn’t been an inexplicable love for an inanimate object this big since Germans started flocking to David Hasselhoff concerts. But there hasn’t been any empirical data to back that up, until now.

With an assist from George Li on the NFL Network research desk, here’s a look at some of the most notable numbers and best performances to come out of Week 4.

The Titans don’t expect to pull back the reins on Chris Johnson this season, but I still don’t think he’ll duplicate his 2009 totals.

With the threat of a training camp holdout gone, fantasy owners can now draft Chris Johnson with confidence.

Total Access counted down the Top 10 rookie seasons of all-time and they came to the only conclusion possible — Eric Dickerson of your Los Angeles Rams in 1983 (the second overall selection that year).