The final week of the NFL season is here, and you better buckle up, because there’s a lot on the line. Heading into Week 18, there are still four division titles up for grabs and two playoff spots that haven’t been clinched.
The action kicked off Saturday with the Buccaneers beating the Panthers, 16-14, in an NFC South showdown that didn’t end up deciding anything. With Tampa Bay’s win, the battle for the division title is now in the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. That’s right, a team that’s already been eliminated from the playoffs will determine the winner of the NFC South.
If the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday, they’ll improve to 8-9, which would create a three-way tie atop the NFC South. In that scenario, the Panthers would win the three-way tiebreaker. On the other hand, if the Falcons lose to New Orleans, then the Bucs will clinch the division title.
Although nothing was decided in the NFC South, there will definitely be something decided Saturday night when the 49ers host the Seahawks in an epic showdown. The winner of the game will clinch the NFC West and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. That means the winner will get a bye in the opening round of the playoffs, while the loser will be forced to hit the road for the wild card round.
So who will the loser face in the opening round? Glad you asked. We’re going to break down the entire playoff field here by taking a look at the possible seeds for each team along with each playoff team’s possible opponent in the wild-card round.Â
With that in mind, let’s check out the current playoff standings along with clinching scenarios.
1. Denver Broncos (13-3)
Clinched AFC West
Possible playoff seed: 1, 2, or 3
Possible wild-card opponents: Texans, Jaguars, Chargers, Bills or first-round bye
The Broncos are in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. To clinch the top spot, all they have to do is beat a Chargers team that won’t be at full strength (the Chargers will be resting multiple starters, including Justin Herbert). If the Broncos slip up against Los Angeles, they could potentially drop all the way down to the three seed.
2. New England Patriots (13-3)
Clinched AFC East
Possible playoff seed:Â 1, 2, or 3
Possible wild-card opponents: Texans, Jaguars, Chargers, Bills or first-round bye
If the Patriots beat the Dolphins on Sunday, that will clinch them at least the No. 2 seed. If they win and the Broncos also lose, then New England would get the No. 1 overall seed.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed:Â 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Possible wild-card opponents: Chargers, Texans, Bills, Steelers, Ravens, Broncos, Patriots or first-round bye
It doesn’t seem possible, but with just one week left to play in the season, the Jaguars (12-4) could still end up with one of six different AFC playoff seeds (the only one they can’t clinch is the fourth seed). If the Jags beat the Titans on Sunday, they’ll clinch the AFC South. The Jags can still get the No. 1 seed with a win, but they’d also need both the Broncos and Patriots to lose.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Possible seed:Â 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Texans, Jaguars, Chargers or Bills
The Steelers’ route to the playoffs is pretty simple: They have to beat (or tie) the Ravens on Sunday night. If the Steelers lose, their season will be over. By the time the Steelers take the field Sunday night, they’ll know who their potential playoff opponent would be in the wild-card round if they can get past the Ravens.
5. Houston Texans (11-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed:Â 3, 5, 6, 7
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Chargers, Jaguars, Bills, Steelers, Ravens, Broncos or Patriots
The Texans can still win the AFC South, but for that to happen, they’ll have to beat the Colts and the Jaguars will have to lose to the Titans. Although the Texans don’t control their fate, they do control one thing: They’ll be guaranteed no worse than the fifth seed if they win Sunday.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed:Â 5, 6, 7
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Jaguars, Texans, Steelers, Ravens, Broncos, Patriots
Although the Chargers are still alive to earn the fifth seed, that’s likely not going to happen. The Chargers will be resting their starters against the Broncos on Sunday, and if they end up losing to Denver, then L.A. will either get a sixth or seventh seed, depending on what Buffalo does.
7. Buffalo Bills (11-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed:Â 5, 6, 7
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Jaguars, Texans, Steelers, Ravens, Broncos, Patriots
If the Bills lose to the Jets on Sunday, they’ll clinch the seventh seed. However, if they beat the Jets, they could move up to as high as the fifth seed if the Texans and Chargers both lose. With the Chargers resting their starters, there’s a very real scenario where the Bills could get the sixth seed. For that to happen, the Chargers would have to lose, while the Texans and Bills would both have to win.
STILL ALIVE: Ravens (8-8)
Possible seed:Â 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Texans, Jaguars, Chargers or Bills
The Ravens will face the Steelers on Sunday night with the AFC North on the line. This is essentially a playoff game because the loser will see their season end. If the Ravens win, they’ll be hosting a playoff game in Baltimore next week.Â
AFC wild card games based on current standings
(7) Bills at (2) Patriots
(6) Chargers at (3) Jaguars
(5) Texans at (4) Steelers
Bye:Â Broncos
1. Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed:Â 1 or 5
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Buccaneers, Panthers or first-round bye
The No. 1 seed in the NFC will be on the line Saturday night when the Seahawks (13-3) face the 49ers. If the Seahawks win, they’ll clinch the top seed, but if they lose, they’ll be stuck playing on the road in the wild-card round against either Carolina or Tampa Bay.Â
2. Chicago Bears (11-5)
Clinched NFC North
Possible playoff seed: 2 or 3
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Packers, Rams or 49ers
The Bears can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win over the Lions on Sunday, and if that happens, Chicago will host the Packers in the wild-card round. The only way the Bears can drop to the three seed is if they lose and the Eagles beat the Commanders.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
Clinched NFC East
Possible playoff seed:Â 2 or 3
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Packers, Rams or 49ers
The Eagles will be resting their starters, including Jalen Hurts, against the Commanders on Sunday. If the Eagles lose, they’ll be locked into the three seed and an opening-round playoff game against either the 49ers or Rams.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)Â
Possible playoff seed: 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Rams, Seahawks or 49ers
The Buccaneers pulled off a huge win over the Panthers on Saturday, but they haven’t quite clinched the NFC South yet. To win the division, the Bucs need the Falcons to lose (or tie) the Saints on Sunday, which means everyone on Tampa Bay’s roster will be pulling hard for New Orleans to pull out the win. The Bucs would win the common-games tiebreaker over the Panthers if both teams finish 8-9, but Carolina would win a three-way tiebreaker with the Falcons, Bucs and Panthers all tied at 8-9.
5. San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed:Â 1, 5 or 6
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Buccaneers, Panthers, Eagles, Bears or first-round bye
The 49ers have a chance to earn the NFC’s top seed, and that will happen Saturday night if they can beat the Seahawks. If the 49ers clinch the top seed, it would give them an unheard-of home-field advantage: The Super Bowl is being held at Levi’s Stadium, so the advantage would run all the way into Super Bowl LX.
6. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed:Â 5 or 6
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Buccaneers, Panthers, Bears or Eagles
The Rams have lost two straight games, and because of that, they have no chance to win the NFC West. The Rams will clinch the fifth seed with a win over Arizona on Sunday combined with a 49ers loss to Seattle. If the 49ers win, then the Rams will get the sixth seed no matter what happens against Arizona.
7. Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed:Â Clinched No. 7
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Bears or Eagles
Heading into Week 18, the Packers are the only playoff team that has clinched its seed for the postseason, which explains why Matt LaFleur will be resting several starters against the Vikings on Sunday, including Jordan Love.
STILL ALIVE: Carolina Panthers (8-9)Â
Possible playoff seed:Â 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponents:Â Rams, Seahawks or 49ers
The Panthers had a chance to clinch the NFC South on Saturday, but they came up short. Now, Carolina’s playoff hopes are in the hands of the Falcons. If Atlanta beats the Saints on Sunday, then the Panthers will clinch the division title. A win by the Falcons would create a three-way tie atop the NFC South at 8-9, and the Panthers would win that because they have the best head-to-head record among the three tied teams (the Panthers went 3-1 against the Bucs and Falcons. The Bucs went 2-2 against Carolina and Atlanta. The Falcons went 1-3 against the other two).
NFC wild card games based on current standings
(7) Packers at (2) Bears
(6) Rams at (3) Eagles
(5) 49ers at (4) Panthers
Bye:Â Seahawks