3 days Ago By Joe Tansey
Three division titles and one wild-card spot are left up for grabs in Week 18. The AFC North will be decided on Saturday, while the NFC South and NFC North will be figured out the following day. The lone wild-card spot left open is in the AFC, where the Denver Broncos need a win to clinch and eliminate the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals.
Sunday's marquee game is the last one, as the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings do battle for the NFC North crown and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. Both teams own a tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Eagles, so the final game of the NFL regular season comes with high stakes.
Division Leaders 1. Kansas City (15-1) 2. Buffalo (13-3) 3.
Baltimore (11-5) 4. Houston (9-7) Wild-Card Race 5. Pittsburgh (10-6) 6.
Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) 7. Denver (9-7) 8. Miami (8-8) 9.
Cincinnati (8-8) The most consequential Week 18 game in the AFC is Saturday's clash between the Bengals and Steelers. Cincinnati needs a win to put pressure on Denver and Miami going into Sunday. The Bengals must win and get losses from the Broncos and Dolphins to qualify for the postseason.
Pittsburgh's fate is in Baltimore's hands, as the Ravens can clinch the AFC North with a win over the Cleveland Browns. If Baltimore wins, the Steelers would then just play for seeding. A win keeps them in the No.
5 spot and sends them to Houston, while a loss and a Los Angeles Chargers win flips the two teams in the standings. Los Angeles is expected to beat the Las Vegas Raiders, but whether or not the Chargers starters play may be dependent on Pittsburgh's result on Saturday. Denver takes on a Kansas City team that already locked in the No.
1 seed and is expected to rest its starters. A Broncos win makes the Bengals and Dolphins results irrelevant. Miami needs to beat the New York Jets, possibly without Tua Tagovailoa, and for Denver to lose.
If Denver and Miami both lose, the Bengals would be the No. 7 seed with a win. The final wild-card team will head to Buffalo, as the Bills locked themselves into the No.
2 seed in Week 17. Division Leaders 1. Minnesota (14-2) 2.
Philadelphia (13-3) 3. Los Angeles Rams (10-6) 4. Tampa Bay (9-7) Wild-Card Race 5.
Detroit (13-2) 6. Washington (11-5) 7. Green Bay (11-5) 9.
Atlanta (8-7) The NFC North and No. 1 overall seed in the NFC come down to the final game of the regular season. Detroit and Minnesota meet on Sunday night to determine which stadium the NFC's path to the Super Bowl runs through.
The Lions do not have to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. All that matters to the NFC North and No. 1 seed races is they win next Sunday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can wrap up the NFC South title in Week 18's early-afternoon window with a win over the New Orleans Saints. The Atlanta Falcons must beat the Carolina Panthers and have the Bucs lose to claim the NFC South crown. Washington and Green Bay are still competing for the No.
6 seed. The Commanders play the Dallas Cowboys and the Packers take on the Chicago Bears. Green Bay must finish with a better record than Washington to secure the No.
6 seed because the Commanders hold the conference record tiebreaker..
