With most of these games serving as meaningless filler and many players already focusing on their offseason vacations rather than the playoffs, I’ve decided to keep things brief this week. Once this week concludes and all the playoff matchups are finalized, I’ll release my Wild Card round predictions next Friday.
Saturday Night Football (ESPN/ABC)
3:30 PM: Browns @ Ravens
The Ravens are in a win-and-clinch scenario for the AFC North crown, but a loss could potentially hand the division to the Steelers. Meanwhile, the Browns have been struggling for the past month and likely won’t put up much resistance. The Ravens should win this game comfortably.
Prediction: 27-13 Ravens
7:00 PM Bengals @ Steelers
Even if the Ravens win and clinch the division in the early window game, the Steelers will still have something to play for. A win would lock them into the five seed, setting up a Wild Card matchup with the Texans instead of the Ravens. Meanwhile, the Bengals must win their game and hope against hope that the Chiefs, playing their backups, can defeat the Broncos. Additionally, they need the Dolphins to lose. The Bengals opened as a three-point favorite, but the line has since shifted to just one point at even money.
Prediction: 33-30 Steelers
Sunday Noon Window
Panthers @ Falcons (CBS)
Michael Penix has done an admirable job filling in for Kirk Cousins and played well enough to win against the Commanders last week. However, with their overtime loss to Washington, the Falcons must win this game and hope the Buccaneers lose to the Saints. Meanwhile, the Panthers will be looking to finish the season on a high note. Bryce Young has shown enough promise to earn a chance to solidify the starting quarterback role for Carolina next year.
Prediction: 20-17 Panthers
Commanders @ Cowboys (FOX)
With his heroics against the Falcons, Jayden Daniels has all but secured Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and clinched a playoff berth for the Commanders. Washington has already announced plans to play their starters against the Cowboys, aiming to avoid a potential Wild Card matchup with either the Vikings or Lions. Stylistically, this is a tough matchup for the Cowboys, given their struggles with run defense.
Prediction: 24-20 Commanders
Bears @ Packers (FOX)
Another year, another lost season for the Bears. Their optimistic start has completely unraveled, with the team dropping their last ten games. Meanwhile, the Packers have been the clear third-best team in the NFC North this year but still possess enough firepower to handle the Bears. With a win and a Commanders loss, the Packers would secure a Wild Card matchup against the Rams instead of facing the Lions or Vikings.
Prediction: 23-10 Packers
Texans @ Titans (CBS)
The Titans opened this game as favorites, which suggests the Texans might be planning to rest some starters. However, the Texans have not made any official announcements regarding their lineup. If they do rest key players, including C.J. Stroud, expect to see Davis Mills under center for Houston.
Prediction: 17-13 Texans
Jaguars @ Colts (FOX)
The Colts find themselves in an unenviable position: stuck with a mediocre quarterback they don’t trust and too far back in the upcoming draft to select a top prospect. Meanwhile, the Jaguars showed rare signs of life by completing a season sweep of the Titans with last week’s victory. A win against the Colts this week would allow the Jaguars to finish 5-12, including a 4-2 record within the AFC South.
Prediction: 21-17 Jaguars
Bills @ Patriots (CBS)
Despite having nothing to gain, the Bills plan to play Josh Allen—at least briefly—to keep his consecutive starts streak alive. Meanwhile, the Patriots have made it clear they are playing to win this week, even though they currently hold the top overall pick in this year’s draft, which could be used to select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. As Kenny Rogers famously sang, ‘You’ve got to know when to fold them,’ and it seems the Patriots might be about to play themselves out of a franchise-altering talent.
Prediction: 24-21 Patriots
Giants @ Eagles (CBS)
Speaking of teams playing themselves out of the first overall pick, let me introduce the New York Giants. Big Blue erupted in Week 17 for 45 points, effectively ruining the Colts’ playoff hopes in the process. As for the Eagles, they can’t surpass either the Lions or Vikings for the bye, so expect them to approach this game like a preseason matchup, with their starters seeing minimal action—if any at all.
Prediction: 24-21 Eagles
Saints @ Buccaneers (FOX)
The Buccaneers enter this game as 13.5-point favorites and need only a win against a depleted Saints team to clinch the NFC South. With the Falcons also playing in the noon window, the Buccaneers won’t have the luxury of waiting to see how things unfold, meaning they’ll likely play their starters for the full game. Meanwhile, the Saints face an offseason of soul-searching as they prepare to move on from a challenging season.
Prediction: 28-14 Buccaneers
Sunday Afternoon Window
Chargers @ Raiders (CBS)
The outcome of the Steelers game on Saturday will determine whether we see the Chargers’ starters or backups in action. If the Steelers lose, the Chargers will have an opportunity to secure a Wild Card matchup against the struggling Texans instead of the Ravens. Meanwhile, the Raiders are simply playing out the season, with only one game left before they can begin yet another rebuild.
Prediction: 23-14 Chargers
Seahawks @ Rams (FOX)
With the NFC West title and the No. 3 seed secured, the Rams will rest their starters for this Week 18 matchup against the Seahawks, who were eliminated from playoff contention last week. Jimmy Garoppolo will take snaps for the Rams, while Seattle appears set to play its starters for now. Expect a routine, low-effort performance from the Rams’ backups as they prioritize entering the postseason as healthy as possible.
Prediction: 27-10 Seahawks
Dolphins @ Jets (FOX)
The Dolphins find themselves in a situation similar to the Bengals: they must win this game and hope the Chiefs defeat the Broncos to secure the final playoff spot. However, all signs point to Tua Tagovailoa being unavailable, leaving the Dolphins’ season in the hands of Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley. While Aaron Rodgers is coming off the worst game—and arguably the worst season—of his career, he remains more than capable of leading the Jets to victory against a depleted Dolphins squad.
Prediction: 21-13 Jets
49ers @ Cardinals (FOX)
The season of woe is nearly over for San Francisco, as they’ve been hit by the Super Bowl hangover like a freight train. The 49ers will turn to Joshua Dobbs to close out this miserable campaign, while the Cardinals appear set to play Kyler Murray and their starters. Combined, these teams are just 3-11 over their last 14 games, with both seasons unraveling rapidly after the halfway point.
Prediction: 20-13 49ers
Chiefs @ Broncos (CBS)
Las Vegas is taking a significant gamble by making the Chiefs 10.5-point underdogs in this game, as the Chiefs’ approach will hinge entirely on the outcome of the Bengals game on Saturday. If the Bengals win, expect the Chiefs to run the ball 40+ times, with Carson Wentz doing little more than managing the game and the backups merely going through the motions. However, if the Bengals lose, the Chiefs will go full throttle with Wentz and the backups in an effort to eliminate Denver from playoff contention.
Prediction: 27-24 Broncos
Sunday Night Football: Vikings @ Lions 7:20 PM (NBC)
Very rarely do we get such an enticing matchup for the final game of the season, as this typically features two underperforming teams fighting for the right to lose in the Wild Card round. Instead, we have a showdown between two of the top three teams in the NFC, with the number one seed and a coveted bye on the line. Turnovers will be the deciding factor in this game—if the Vikings win the turnover battle, they’ll not only win the game but also claim the division and secure the top spot in the NFC playoffs.
Prediction 33-27 Vikings
Overall Record: 181-75 (Last Week 13-3)