In the Week 18 late afternoon slate, seven games are on tap, two of which will help decide the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are the frontrunners for the top seed in the conference. Both teams close the season at home on Sunday, kicking off at 4:25 p.m. ET. The Broncos host the Chargers, while the Dolphins visit the Patriots.
There are still multiple scenarios in play to determine the top seed in the AFC. While the Broncos and Patriots share the same record (13-3), their paths to home-field advantage vary slightly. For Denver, it’s as simple as win and you’re in the top spot, although that will require beating a tough Chargers squad for the second time this season.
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However, with Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh opting to sit their starters for the season finale, including quarterback Justin Herbert, the Broncos’ path to No. 1 became much clearer. Denver can also claim the top seed with a loss, but would need New England and Jacksonville to lose as well.
New England needs to beat Miami, then have the Broncos lose to the Chargers to claim the No. 1 seed. Now, should both Denver and New England lose on Sunday, a Jacksonville victory over Tennessee would give the Jaguars the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Jets vs. Bills, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
Lions vs. Bears, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
Chargers vs. Broncos, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
Cardinals vs. Rams, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
Chiefs vs. Raiders, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
Dolphins vs. Patriots, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
Commanders vs. Eagles, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the afternoon window in Week 18:
Live27 updates
Kate Magdziuk
Quinn Ewers continues his tryout to earn the team’s starting quarterback role next year amid a rocky 2025 campaign from Tua Tagovailoa.
After a turnover on downs in the opening possession, Ewers executed a 10-play, 65-yard drive ending in a two-yard passing touchdown to WR Malik Washington.
Ewers has now thrown for three passing touchdowns and two interceptions thus far in his three career starts. He led the Dolphins to a surprising upset over the Buccaneers in Week 16
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 2:18 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
The Eagles and Commanders are tied 7-7 in the second quarter.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 2:13 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr ties the game at 7 in the second quarter.
Commanders quarterback Josh Johnson is 8-11 for 72 yards. Johnson also has 16 yards on the ground. Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has three catches for 43 yards.
Criss Partee
It’s a low scoring affair at SoFi Stadium for the Rams and Cardinals season finale. Jacoby Brissett has 91 passing yards and a fumble for the Cardinals so far. Tight end Trey McBride has three receptions for 39 yards. For the Rams, Matthew Stafford has 26 yards passing. Running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum have combined for 37 yards.
The game is tied 6-6 just about halfway through the second quarter.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 2:09 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
Jake Bates finishes off another Lions scoring drive with a field goal.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff is 12-18 for 37 yards. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has 16 yards on three carries. Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has five catches for 46 yards.
Kate Magdziuk
Josh Allen has officially kept his consecutive starting streak alive in Week 18, but he wasn’t long for the drive. After making his start official, backup Mitch Trubisky came in to replace him.
They executed a drawn-out, 11-play, 80-yard drive ending with a 17-yard passing touchdown from Trubisky to TE Dawson Knox.
Criss Partee
With both teams eliminated from the postseason, it’s a battle of backups in Las Vegas as the Chiefs and Raiders close out the season. Chris Oladokun is starting for Kansas City and completed 3 of 7 passes for 16 yards in the first quarter. Brashard Smith rushed for 35 yards.
The Raiders have Kenny Pickett under center to end the season and he was 1 of 4 for 3 yards in the first quarter. Ashton Jeanty rushed for 14 yards in the first quarter.
Kate Magdziuk
The New England Patriots are off to a hot start with a 14-0 lead over the Dolphins, posting their second rushing touchdown of the day on a direct snap to Rhamondre Stevenson.
He and rookie TreVeyon Henderson continue to dominate this game, having combined for 96 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns through the first quarter.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 1:59 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
Eagles tight end Grant Calcaterra scores the first touchdown of the game on a pass from Tanner McKee. The Eagles lead the Commanders 7-0 early in the second quarter.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 1:55 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner Mckee’s pass to DeVonta Smith gives him over 1,000 receiving yards this season. Smith has three catches for 52 yards against the Commanders.
Smith has 77 catches for 1,007 yards and 4 touchdowns this season.
Criss Partee
Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillan picks off Chargers quarterback Trey Lance and takes it 45 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos lead the Chargers 10-0 late in the first quarter.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 1:48 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
The Bears could not score on their first drive. The Lions lead 3-0 in the first quarter.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is 1-2 for 8 yards. Bears running back D’Andre Swift has 21 yards on four carries. Bears tight end Colson Loveland has one catch for eight yards.
Criss Partee
The Rams started strong, forcing a Jacoby Brissett fumble less than two minutes into the game. Defensive end Kobie Turner recovered the ball for Los Angeles. The Rams can secure the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs with a win after the 49ers’ loss to the Seahawks on Saturday.
Kate Magdziuk
Less than three minutes into the game, the Kansas City Chiefs have forced the first turnover of the day, picking off Kenny Pickett on a target to rookie WR Jack Bech.
The Raiders secured the No. 1 overall pick in Week 18 thanks to a win from the New York Giants … and quarterback will surely be at the top of the list.
Pickett started in place of Geno Smith in Week 18, who missed practice all week with an ankle injury. Smith entered the week leading the NFL with 17 interceptions ot his 19 passing touchdowns, with an 84.7 passer rating in his first season with the team.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 1:38 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
The Lions take a 3-0 lead over the Chicago Bears after a Jake Bates field goal. The Lions quickly drove down the field but could not end their streak of no opening drive touchdowns in the last eight games.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff is 5-6 for 37 yards. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has 16 yards on three carries. Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has two catches for 21 yards.
Kate Magdziuk
The Patriots’ run game remains strong with the duo of Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
It took just three plays combined between the two of them to put the first points of the day on the board, starting with a nine-yard run from Stevenson, which he followed up with another chunk gain — this time, for 56 yards.
Henderson punched it in from five yards out on the third play of the drive to give the Pats a 7-0 lead over the Dolphins less than two minutes into the game with the successful PAT.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 1:24 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy, running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive end George Karlaftis will miss Week 18’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to the team’s injury report.
Worthy was battling an illness. Worthy struggled to break out in his second season. Worthy struggled with ankle and shoulder injuries throughout the season. He finished the year with 42 catches for 532 yards and a touchdown, all of his numbers being down from last season.
Pacheco and Karlaftis will rest for the last game.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 1:10 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams enters the Lions game with the possibility of achieving something a Bears quarterback has never done: becoming a 4,000-yard passer.
At 3,730 passing yards, Williams is 270 yards away from accomplishing it and only 109 shy of Erik Kramer’s franchise record. Williams has also led the Bears to their first NFC North title since 2018.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 12:54 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams and tight end Terrence Ferguson won’t suit up against the Arizona Cardinals, according to the team’s injury report.
Adams will now miss the last three games of the regular season after re-aggravating his hamstring in Week 15 against the Detroit Lions.
Ferguson is also dealing with a hamstring issue. Ferguson has 11 catches for 231 and 3 touchdowns. With the Rams locked into a Wild Card spot, it is not known how long the other key starters will play.
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 12:46 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
The Los Angeles Chargers will be without quarterback Justin Herbert, running back Omarion Hampton and safety Derwin James against the Denver Broncos, according to the team’s injury report.
With the Chargers locked into a wild-card spot, the team is expected to be taking precautions before the playoffs. Herbert has battled a hand injury for most of the year. Former No. 3 pick Trey Lance is starting in Herbert’s place.
Hampton missed a big portion of his rookie season with an ankle injury. While James has played in all of the previous 16 games, the team decided to rest the veteran safety.
Chargers star pass rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, defensive back Elijah Molden, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and center Bradley Bozeman are also being held out for the Broncos game.