Shortly after the Washington Commanders defeated the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, the NFL Week 18 schedule was released. And while Washington’s win over Atlanta did a lot to clarify the NFL’s playoff picture, there’s still a lot left to be determined.
Of the 16 Week 18 games, 11 — including all three standalone games — have potential significance in terms of which teams make the playoffs and where they will be seeded.
NFL Week 18 schedule revealed.
Standalone games:
– Saturday
Browns at Ravens
Bengals at Steelers– Sunday Night
Vikings at Lions pic.twitter.com/5A93RtzYVF— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 30, 2024
Here, we look at the 11 Week 18 games that will — or at least, could — be important for the NFL postseason.
Note: All times listed are Eastern.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (Saturday, Jan. 4. 4:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN)
- What’s at stake: Browns are eliminated. AFC North title for the Ravens.
- Previous matchup: Browns 29, Ravens 24 (Week 8)
What the Ravens need:
A win or a tie.
Either of those results would give Baltimore its second straight AFC North title and the No. 3 seed in the AFC.
With a loss, the Ravens could potentially lose the division title and with that, would fall to the No. 5 seed in the AFC. That would mean starting the postseason on the road (against the Houston Texans) and would most likely mean that the Ravens would need three road victories to reach the Super Bowl.
So, if Baltimore wins or ties Cleveland, Saturday night will be one of celebration. If they lose, the Ravens will be watching Saturday’s second game closely.
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (Saturday, Jan. 4. 8 p.m. ABC/ESPN)
- What’s at stake: Possible playoff spot for the Bengals. Possible AFC North title and AFC No. 5 seed for the Steelers.
- Previous matchup: Steelers 44, Bengals 38 (Week 13)
What the Bengals need:
A win and some help.
For the Bengals to go to the playoffs, three Week 18 games need to go their way. This is the only one they have any control over. If Cincinnati beats the Steelers on Saturday and both the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos lose on Sunday, the Bengals will be the AFC’s No. 7 seed. We’re going to guess that the Buffalo Bills — who are locked into the No. 2 seed and will host the No. 7 seed on Wild Card Weekend — are hoping that the Bengals end up on the outside looking in.
What the Steelers need:
To win the AFC North and be the No. 3 seed in the conference, Pittsburgh will need to win and hope the Ravens lose. The Steelers will know Baltimore’s result by the time they get going. But even if the Ravens win, this game still matters for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers head into Week 18 with matching 10-6 records. Pittsburgh won the head-to-head matchup and with that, has the No. 5 seed. If the Steelers win, they hold that seed and start the playoffs in Houston. But if Pittsburgh loses on Saturday and Los Angeles wins or ties on Sunday (or if the Steelers tie and the Chargers win), Pittsburgh becomes the No. 6 seed and opens the playoffs in Baltimore.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 1 p.m. CBS)
- What’s at stake: Panthers are eliminated. Possible NFC South title for the Falcons.
- Previous matchup: Falcons 38, Panthers 20 (Week 6)
What the Falcons need:
There are no Wild Card spots to be had. To make the playoffs, Atlanta will need to win the division. To do that, the Falcons must make up a full game on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There’s only one way that can happen.
The Falcons must win and hope the Saints can beat the Bucs in Tampa.
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 1 p.m. Fox)
- What’s at stake: Saints are eliminated. NFC South title and possible NFC No. 3 seed for the Buccaneers.
- Previous matchup: Buccaneers 51, Saints 27 (Week 6)
What the Buccaneers need:
Like Atlanta, Tampa can’t earn a Wild Card spot. It’s division title or bust.
To win the division, the Bucs need only to beat the Saints. If they don’t, they’ll need the Falcons to lose or tie their game.
Tampa can move into the No. 3 spot in the NFC. To do that, the Buccaneers will need to win, then hope that the Los Angeles Rams lose to the Seattle Seahawks later in the day.
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 1 p.m. Fox)
- What’s at stake: Bears are eliminated. Possible NFC No. 6 seed for the Packers.
- Previous matchup: Packers 20, Bears 19 (Week 11)
What the Packers need:
A better result than Washington.
Green Bay and Washington are both 11-5 heading into Week 18. Both are in the playoffs but neither can win its division or earn the top Wild Card spot. Either the Packers or Commanders will be the No. 6 seed while the other will be the No. 7 seed.
For Green Bay to earn the No. 6 seed, it will most likely need a win and a Washington loss or tie. The Packers could leap the Commanders with a tie and a Washington loss.
If both Green Bay and Washington win in Week 18, the Packers will be 12-5 and the No. 7 seed in the NFC. For reference, the San Francisco 49ers were 12-5 a season ago and were the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 1 p.m. Fox)
- What’s at stake: Cowboys are eliminated. NFC No. 6 seed for the Commanders.
- Previous matchup: Cowboys 34, Commanders 26 (Week 12)
What the Commanders need:
The same result (or better) as the Packers.
As we covered, the two teams have the same record now and Washington has the tiebreaker. As long as the Commanders can come away with the same result in their game that the Packers get in theirs, Washington will have the better playoff seed.
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 4:25 p.m. Fox)
- What’s at stake: Possible playoff spot for the Dolphins. Jets are eliminated
- Previous matchup: Dolphins 32, Jets 26 (Week 14)
What the Dolphins need:
A win and a Broncos loss.
Much like Cincinnati, Miami has done a great job keeping itself alive in the playoff race. After going 2-6 in their first eight games, the Dolphins have gone 6-2 in their last and are therefore still alive going into Week 18.
But the 2-6 start has put Miami in a position where it needs help. Potentially more troubling is it needs that help from a team playing for absolutely nothing.
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 4:25 p.m. CBS)
- What’s at stake: Chiefs have secured the AFC No. 1 seed. Playoff spot for the Broncos
- Previous matchup: Chiefs 16, Broncos 14 (Week 10)
What the Broncos need:
Any result other than a loss and a Bengals or Dolphins win.
While the Broncos would lose a tiebreaker with either Cincinnati or Miami, they enter Week 18 at 9-7, while both the Bengals and Dolphins are 8-8. So, Denver only misses the playoffs with a loss and a win from either of those teams.
The Chiefs can make things even easier on their division rivals if they sit their key players for some — or all — of the game.
Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 4:25 p.m. CBS)
- What’s at stake: Possible AFC No. 5 seed for the Chargers. Raiders are eliminated
- Previous matchup: Chargers, Raiders 10 (Week 1)
What the Broncos need:
A better result than the Steelers.
If Pittsburgh wins on Saturday, this game means nothing for playoff seeding. The Chargers would open the playoffs on the road in either Pittsburgh or Baltimore. If Pittsburgh loses or ties its game and Los Angeles gets a better result against the Raiders, the Chargers would move into the No. 5 seed. They’d still open the playoffs on the road but it would be against Houston.
One last interesting note about this game. If Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles all hold their current seeds, Wild Card Weekend would feature a game between Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers and John Harbaugh’s Ravens.
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 4:25 p.m. Fox)
- What’s at stake: Seahawks are eliminated. NFC No. 3 seed for the Rams
- Previous matchup: Rams 26, Seahawks 20 (Week 9)
What the Broncos need:
Anything other than a loss and a Tampa Bay win.
Much like the Chargers game against the Raiders, this one may not mean anything by the time it kicks off. But if the Buccaneers win, the Rams will need to avoid losing to hold onto the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions: (Sunday, Jan. 5. 8:20 p.m. NBC)
- What’s at stake: NFC North title and NFC No. 1 seed for both
- Previous matchup: Lions 31, Vikings 29 (Week 7)
What both teams need:
It’s simple — win the game.
The team that wins this game will win the NFC North, be the No. 1 seed in the conference and have home-field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs. The loser will be the No. 5 seed, will open the playoffs on the road and will most likely need three road wins to reach the Super Bowl.
The full schedule is as follows:
Saturday, Jan. 4:
- Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens: 4:30 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)
- Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: 8 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)
Sunday, Jan. 5:
- New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles: 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans: 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys: 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: 1 p.m. (Fox)
- New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts: 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders: 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals: 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams: 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions: 8:20 p.m. (NBC)