Around the AFC

WTH DK. The Steelers are going to have to try to clinch the AFC North without star wide receiver DK Metcalf, who was suspended for two games after an interaction with a fan against Detroit. The fan in question is now clearly seeking attention himself, but only one of them plays in the NFL and faces actual consequences. Pittsburgh’s still in good shape, but … man.

One-seed vision. A trio of teams playing Sunday are vying to challenge Denver for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. New England is two-touchdown favorites over the New York Jets, Jacksonville is a 5.5-point road favorite at Indianapolis and Buffalo is a 1.5-point home favorite against Philadelphia. They can all get to Week 18 in position to at least hope the Chargers beat Denver and make things interesting.

Record watch. Myles Garrett’s team is bad, but he is incredible. The Cleveland pass-rusher just needs one sack to break the single-season mark of 22.5, shared by T.J. Watt (2021) and Michael Strahan (2001). Garrett has a chance to break the record by getting to Aaron Rodgers this weekend. If he doesn’t get it, then he’ll have one more shot against Cincinnati. Let’s get the guy to 25 or some entirely absurd number.

Around the NFC

Ram-ifications. It wasn’t long ago that the Los Angeles Rams controlled the board in the NFC. Now Sean McVay’s team, if the playoffs started today, would enter the postseason as the No. 6 seed. They can still get the No. 1 seed but are more likely to finish as low as third in their own division. That’s how big Seattle’s two-point conversion last week to win in overtime against the Rams was. It changed the complexion of the race entirely.

Bayou sesaoning. There won’t be a ton of attention paid to a 5-10 team closing out its season, but there are signs of progress for first-year head coach Kellen Moore and the New Orleans Saints. Moore appears to have a promising quarterback in Tyler Shough, a second-round pick back in the spring. They’ve won three in a row and four of the past six. They close with Tennessee and Atlanta. You could squint at a 7-10 Saints team and see a 2026 NFC South contender, which is indicative of the division, too. But still. Progress.

FoCo’s finest. His team’s season overall has been a disaster, but Arizona tight end Trey McBride is putting together a remarkable campaign. The Fort Morgan High and Colorado State grad through 15 games has 109 catches for 1,098 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those are all NFL-best marks for tight ends. McBride could win the tight end triple crown, which would be quite an accomplishment for the 26-year-old. Whoever the next quarterback for the Cards is will love him.

Game of the Week
Chicago at San Francisco

Both of these teams are led by coach of the year candidates — Ben Johnson for what he’s done with the Bears as a rookie head man, and Kyle Shanahan for navigating a brutal spate of injuries and continuing to find ways to keep winning. And both teams have a legitimate shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC, too. If the 49ers win their final two — a tough task, given the foes are Chicago and Seattle — the top spot and the first-round bye is theirs. Two Bears wins plus one Seattle loss would route the NFC playoffs through the Windy City. The 49ers are 3-point favorites at home in prime time, so this figures to be a good one on the West Coast. If you like dynamic running games, Christian McCaffrey on one side and Johnson’s ever more creative attack on the other is must-see stuff.

49ers 27, Bears 26
Lock of the Week
Seattle at Carolina

Yeah, it’s a little bit dicey any time a team from the West Coast — particularly from as far away as Seattle — travels all the way East. Yes, the Panthers are still squarely in the mix to win the NFC South. Mike MacDonald’s team, though, has been dynamite on the road. Seattle is 6-1 away from Lumen Field on the season and is going to need that pedigree down the stretch as it closes with the Panthers and then at San Francisco — a matchup that could decide the No. 1 seed. The Seahawks put themselves in the NFC’s driver seat and they’re a 7-point road favorite despite the long trip. There’s a lot of work left to be done to finish where they want to, but it’d be a pretty big surprise if this was the spot at which they tripped up.

Seahawks 24, Panthers 16
Upset of the Week
New York Giants at Las Vegas

The loser of this game will enter the final season with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft in their sights. Whoever loses this game will hit Week 18 as the lone team in football with only two wins for the season. Players have been getting put on injured reserve left and right. Other players may not play. If this isn’t tanking, then what is? The Giants came to Denver a 2-4 team with some juice back in October but that wild, 33-32 loss at Empower Field started a still-running 10-game losing streak. The Raiders, meanwhile, beat New England (really!!) in Week 1 and have one victory since. They’ve lost seven straight and already started firing seemingly a coordinator a week. The Giants opened as 3-point favorites but the line is down to 1.5. The underdog Raiders just might have what it takes to mess this up for themselves.

Raiders 16, Giants 15

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