Hello everybody and welcome to a spinoff of my “Bursting the NFL Bubble” column. I have been covering the NFL playoff picture for a little over two months and it is finally the week of reckoning. Week 18 represents the last chance for a team to make a playoff push or choke away a playoff spot. This comes with a plethora of games that will be life or death for NFL teams on Saturday and Sunday and a fair amount of games that mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. So let’s get into what you should be watching for in Week 18.
Saturday
Saturday is all AFC North which has some massive playoff implications. This is because the AFC North is the only division in the AFC that hasn’t been clinched yet and the two teams vying for the crown will be playing Saturday. Kicking off the day is Ravens vs Browns at 3:30 p.m. If the Ravens win this game, they will win the division and lock themselves in as the No. 3 seed in the AFC. If they lose, the stakes of the other Saturday game, Bengals vs Steelers, become much greater. With a Ravens loss, the Steelers can swoop in and win the division by beating the Bengals via the divisional record tiebreaker. Meanwhile, the Bengals need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Depending on the result of the Ravens game, this game could be the most impactful to the AFC Playoff Picture.
Sunday: Noon
Sunday at Noon is a wasteland of mostly meaningless games like Texans vs Titans or Jaguars vs Colts but there are a few games of interest. For starters, the Patriots can clinch the first overall pick in the draft if they lose to the Bills. Eagles runningback Saquon Barkley is 100 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record and has a chance to break it against his former team, the New York Giants. Most importantly, the NFC South will be decided during Falcons vs Panthers & Saints vs Buccaneers. If the Buccaneers win, they clinch the NFC South for the fourth time in as many years. If they lose, they open the door for the Falcons to win the division via a victory against Carolina, due to their two early season wins vs Tampa Bay. The divisional winner will be locked in as either the three or four seed (based on the result of the Rams game), the loser will be eliminated entirely from the playoffs.
Sunday 3:25 PM
The afternoon slate keeps the fun rolling starting with a matchup between the #1 seed Chiefs and the #7 seeded Broncos. While the Chiefs have clinched a first-round bye, the Broncos will make this matchup very interesting with their win-and-in status. If the Broncos lose, their situation becomes very perilous depending on whether the Bengals win and the result of Dolphins vs Jets. If the Dolphins win and the Broncos lose, Miami will have locked themselves in as the #7 seed. If they both lose, the Bengals will be in if they win on Saturday. If all three lose, the Broncos will stay in. Outside of those two games, the afternoon window is a bit dull. Sure, Chargers vs Raiders and Rams vs Seahawks may have seeding implications if the Steelers and Rams lose but the rest of the window will have no effect on the near future.
Sunday 7:20 PM
The NFL really cooked with this one. Lions vs Vikings. Winner gets the NFC North title, the #1 seed and a first round bye. Loser goes on the road to face the Falcons, Buccaneers or Rams. Not only that but both teams are 14-2, making for the most combined wins in a single matchup in NFL history. Given both team’s high octane offenses, stellar defensive performances and flair for the dramatic; this could go down as the best regular season game in NFL history. If you aren’t absolutely salivating at the thought of watching this game, then you aren’t a football fan, or perhaps you’re a Bears fan.