NFL: Week 18 Games with Playoff Significance

All good fantasy football leagues have ended their season. With a number of teams resting their star players in the final week of the NFL regular season, if your league is still playing, find another league.

However, what is bad for fantasy football is good for the NFL. With players resting, but playoff spots and postseason seeds still in flux, we have a number of interesting storylines that surround the league’s handful of meaningful games.

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-20)

Saturday

20 — that is the size of the point spread as the Baltimore Ravens host the Cleveland Browns, where a win by Baltimore wraps up the AFC North and the AFC’s third seed.

It is the largest spread in the NFL since the Kansas City Chiefs were 20-point favorites over the New York Jets in 2020. In that game, the Chiefs covered.

The Ravens are playing about as well as anyone possibly can, the Browns are the anti-Ravens, counting down the minutes until they get to go on vacation, and Baltimore actually has something to play for. And Lamar Jackson has an MVP to play for as well.

Cincinnati Bengals (-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Saturday

The second game on Saturday is going to be much better than the first. Pittsburgh can still win the division if Cleveland shocks the world. But winning and finishing as the fifth seed also has importance. It is the difference between playing at Houston in the Wild Card round, or playing at Baltimore.

Cincinnati isn’t likely to get in, but a win on Saturday keeps those hopes alive. A loss and they will join the teams heading to the off-season.

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-10)

The Green Bay Packers are in the playoffs, but they could be either the sixth seed or seventh seed. They head into the week tied with the Washington Commanders at 11-5.

The difference between No. 6 and No. 7 is quite big. The sixth seed will play at the No. 3 seed, which will be either the Los Angeles Rams or the winner of the NFC South. As the seventh seed, they would play at the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Chicago Bears hold the ninth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and even with a win, they would draft no lower than 10th.

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-14)

This is the best season of Baker Mayfield’s career, and he is coming off his best game. He threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns with just five incompletions in a 48-14 win over the Carolina Panthers.

For the sake of football fans outside of Atlanta, it would be great to see Mayfield in the playoffs. If the Bucs win, they are in. And as two-touchdown favorites over the New Orleans Saints, we should see them playing next week.

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (-8)

If Tampa Bay doesn’t beat the Saints at home, then the Atlanta Falcons can win the NFC South with a victory over the Panthers. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. had moments last week in his first career start, but he also had moments of looking like an inexperienced quarterback who needs more reps.

He will get them this week in the second start of his career, and in a must-win scenario.

Washington Commanders (-6) at Dallas Cowboys

Like the Packers playing an overmatched Bears team, the Washington Commanders are playing for the sixth seed. Washington holds the tiebreaker over the Packers, so all they have to do is beat the Cowboys to get the higher seed. If they lose, then a Green Bay win gives it to them.

For the 7-9 Cowboys, the only question yet to be answered is the future of head coach Mike McCarthy. This will be McCarthy’s second season below .500 in his five seasons in Dallas.

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (-10.5)

In 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs ended the season at the Denver Broncos already locked into a playoff spot. The Chiefs rested many of their starters, giving their rookie backup quarterback the first start of his career that Sunday. That backup won the game.

Sure, the backup that day was Patrick Mahomes, and this time around it’s Carson Wentz. But Wentz has a Super Bowl ring from that 2017 season, and the Chiefs still beat the Broncos on a regular basis. KC has won 17 of the last 18 meetings.

But this Broncos team is not just playing out the string, as they have in years past. For Denver, if they beat the Chiefs, they are in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Chargers (-4.5) at Las Vegas Raiders

The Chargers can be no worse than the sixth seed in the AFC, but can still get up the No. 5 seed, which puts them into the same boat as the Pittsburgh Steelers. At five, you get to play the Texans. At six, you are likely to face the Ravens.

For the Raiders, a third-straight win will take them out of the top 10 in the NFL Draft.

Miami Dolphins (-1) at New York Jets

It’s a must-win for the Miami Dolphins, but once again they may be without Tua Tagovailoa. He has a hip injury that has limited him at practice all week, and it’s looking likely that Tyler Huntley will get another start.

If Denver loses to Kansas City and Miami wins at the New York Jets, the Dolphins will be the seventh seed. However, with Aaron Rodgers acknowledging that Sunday may be his final NFL start, perhaps the Jets have an extra incentive to win.

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (-2.5)

There has never been such a collection of wild card teams in the NFL playoffs. It’s possible that all three of the NFC wild cards will finish with at least 12 wins, and we know for certain that a 14-win team will be a wild card.

The winner of the Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions will win the NFC North and get the bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The loser drops to the fifth seed and will have to go on the road for the playoffs.

The stakes are huge, as is the matchup. Never before in the NFL has there been a regular season game between two 14-win teams.

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