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Week 18 in the NFL brings a slew of exciting division matchups, many of which carry major playoff implications.
The headliner will be the clash between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings that will decide the winner of the NFC North as well as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The loser would fall to the No. 5 seed in the conference, and that game is scheduled for Sunday Night Football.
The rest of the Week 18 schedule is as follows:
The Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers 27-25 on Sunday to improve to 14-2 and overtake first place in the NFC while the Lions (13-2) were idle as they waited for the Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Minnesota has won nine straight games and has all the makings of a title contender, but one of its two losses was against Detroit, 31-29 in Week 7.
The Lions had been in first place in the NFC for most of the year. The team had its 11-game win streak snapped two weeks ago in a loss to the Buffalo Bills, but it bounced back last week with a win over the Chicago Bears. Even if Detroit loses to San Francisco, it could win the tiebreaker over Minnesota with a win in their Week 18 matchup.
The NFC South is also up for grabs, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a win over the New Orleans Saints to earn their fourth straight division title. if the Bucs lose and the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons will claim the division crown and eliminate them from the playoffs. Atlanta was in control of the division until its overtime loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football put Tampa Bay in the lead entering the final week of the season.
Over in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens need a victory against the Cleveland Browns to secure the AFC North title. A loss would open the door for the Pittsburgh Steelers to take it with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals, who are also still alive for playoff contention. However, the Bengals need a lot of help.
The Denver Broncos are in the driver’s seat for the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC. However, they are facing the back-to-back reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18. Luckily for the Broncos, the Chiefs already secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC and could decide to rest the majority of its starters.
If Denver loses to Kansas City, the Miami Dolphins could earn the final playoff spot in the AFC with a win over the New York Jets. The Bengals need both the Broncos and Dolphins to lose if they want to earn a playoff berth by defeating the Steelers.
It all makes for a thrilling finish to the 2024 regular season, and the NFL playoffs will surely bring even more excitement no matter how things shake out.
