Let’s be trustworthy: Sunday’s slate of season finales isn’t precisely brimming with the promise of drama, contemplating many of the playoff seeds are locked in as we head into the ultimate week of the season. However the Sunday night time showdown between NFC North rivals Detroit and Minnesota is definitely poised to make up for it — as a result of as we sit up for the post-season matchups to come back, Sunday’s divisional matchup seems like an early dose of playoff soccer.
In every week through which most contenders are resting their starters — no, we gained’t be seeing Saquon Barkley run for historical past when the Eagles play, for instance — we actually will be ready all day for Sunday night time.
The Lions and Vikings have been on a collision course for a top-seed showdown since their Week 7 assembly, which noticed Detroit hand Minnesota its first lack of the season by a rating of 31-29. Each golf equipment arrive at Week 18 with matching 14-2 information — no regular-season NFL recreation has ever featured two groups with as many wins (28, mixed) as this one does. It’s a season tally we anticipated of those powerhouse Lions after they claimed the division crown final 12 months and got here inside a single win of a Tremendous Bowl look. Minnesota’s journey, in the meantime, has been dotted with doubts — ‘are the Vikings for actual?’ was a really actual, and infrequently repeated, chorus for a lot of the 12 months.
At stake on Sunday night time is not only the title of prime group within the NFL’s hardest division this 12 months, however the No. 1 seed in your complete NFC — and the bye week and home-field benefit that comes with it. It’s a uncommon win-and-in state of affairs for either side, although Detroit holds the tie-breaker ought to Sunday’s head-to-head finish with a tie. Whoever loses will get dropped all the way down to the fifth seed and first wild-card spot, and the honour of being the most effective group in NFL historical past not to win the division.
The Lions have gained the final 5 head-to-heads between these golf equipment, all of which have been high-scoring affairs. However are they wholesome sufficient to beat the Vikings? With their defence decimated by accidents, Detroit must lean on its high-octane offence in the event that they’re going to prime the Vikings. That’s a recreation Minnesota can play — and win — too, contemplating Darnold’s acquired his alternative of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison each snap.
Earlier than we get to the primary occasion — the grandest of grand finales to wrap up what’s been a reasonably enjoyable common season — right here’s what else we’re expecting as all 32 groups hit the sector within the 18th and remaining week of the marketing campaign.
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Who will declare the AFC North crown?
Three of the AFC’s prime 4 seeds are locked in, with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (No. 1), Buffalo Payments (No. 2) and Houston Texans (No. 4) all having secured their respective division titles in current weeks. That leaves solely the AFC North because the convention’s lone division in query, and we’ll get our reply on Saturday as all 4 squads sq. off in what ought to be a enjoyable double-header earlier than the remainder of the league hits the sector on Sunday.
The 11-5 Baltimore Ravens at the moment sit within the AFC’s third seed atop the AFC North and might keep there with a division-clinching victory or tie in opposition to the 3-13 Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon. A loss to the Browns places the Ravens’ destiny within the Bengals’ palms — if Cincinnati bests Pittsburgh afterward Saturday, Baltimore nonetheless clinches the division and sends the Steelers to the fifth seed. A Ravens loss and a Steelers win sees Pittsburgh declare the crown.
Bengals? Dolphins? Broncos? AFC’s seventh seed nonetheless TBD
Whereas the stakes are excessive for each the Ravens and Steelers as they battle to see who will host a playoff recreation and who will journey as a wild-card membership, the Bengals are spending their season finale preventing for his or her playoff lives. 4 straight wins — together with final Saturday’s must-win extra time thriller in opposition to fellow playoff-hunter Denver — has Joe Burrow & Co. in place to pounce… with a little bit luck, after all.
The 8-8 Bengals are considered one of three groups vying for the AFC’s remaining wild-card spot, together with the 9-7 Broncos and 8-8 Dolphins. Regardless of dropping to Cincinnati final week, the Broncos have a major edge on this race and are the lone group of the three that may management its personal future. Denver, whose playoff chance is at the moment at 84 per cent, can punch its ticket to the playoffs with a win or tie in opposition to the top-seeded Chiefs on Sunday — a KC squad that’s locked into the highest seed and prone to relaxation loads of starters. Denver can even get in with a loss, so long as each the Bengals and Dolphins lose or tie their respective matchups.
Miami must beat the Jets on Sunday in addition to a Broncos loss to be able to bounce into that remaining playoff spot, and whereas their post-season odds (11 per cent) are barely higher than that of the Bengals (six), it’s arduous to see Miami doing a lot of something with out quarterback Tua Tagovailoa taking snaps.
The Bengals have the hardest path: They should defeat the Steelers on Saturday after which pray to the soccer gods for each a Broncos loss and a Dolphins loss or tie on Sunday.
Any person is lastly (!) going to win the NFC South
The NFC South has been just about the precise reverse of its northern counterpart — simply whenever you assume one of many Falcons or Buccaneers is about to stake their declare, they fall again down with out the crown.
However Week 18 brings a decision, ultimately. The 9-7 Buccaneers have the sting on this race, and the momentum sides with them, too — they’ve gained 5 of their six video games since their bye week, whereas Atlanta, who’s twice bested the Bucs this season, hasn’t been in a position to recuperate from the four-game dropping skid that noticed them fumble away a wholesome lead within the South.
Tampa Bay can declare the crown (and the NFC’s fourth seed) with a victory over the Saints on Sunday or if the Falcons fall to the Panthers. It could mark their fourth consecutive division title. The one means for Atlanta to sneak again into the playoff image is with a victory of their very own and a Buccaneers loss.
When a loss may imply a win: Who will land the primary general draft decide?
4 groups enter Week 18 with only a single win, however just one can declare the 32nd spot within the standings when all is claimed and completed — and the No. 1 general draft decide that comes with being the league’s worst group.
The New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants all have matching 3-13 information and are all within the combine to assert the primary draft decide of 2025.
If the season ended after 17 weeks, the Patriots would personal the primary general choice as a consequence of energy of schedule. A loss to the Payments on Sunday would clinch that decide, however contemplating Buffalo’s locked into the AFC’s second seed and might primarily create its personal bye week this Sunday, it’s not precisely a assure.
The Titans, at the moment holding the second decide and going through Houston on Sunday — one other group with nothing at stake in Week 18 — would step into the highest choice spot with a loss and a Patriots win. The Cleveland Browns sit third-last, adopted by the Giants, with the worst odds of the quad to land the highest decide.
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