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PFT's Week 18 2024 NFL game previews, led by Vikings-Lions
A quick look at every game in the last week of the regular season.
www.nbcsports.com
Week 18 2024 NFL game previews
Two hundred and fifty-six down. Sixteen to go.And while most of the postseason field has been decided, five teams are alive for two remaining spots in the playoffs.
More importantly, three division titles are still up for grabs — including the Sunday night showdown for the NFC North and the top seed in the NFC.
3-13 Browns at 11-5 Ravens (-17.5), Saturday 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC (Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, and Dan Orlovsky)
If the Ravens win, they’ll be the AFC North champions and the No. 3 seed in the conference. If they lose, Baltimore will be the No. 5 seed and make a quick return to Houston, where the Ravens won on Christmas Day, 31-2.
The Browns are starting quarterback Bailey Zappe, which will complicate the attempt to sweep Baltimore for the first time since 2007.
For quarterback Lamar Jackson, the standalone game gives him a chance to make a strong closing argument for his second straight league MVP award and his third overall.
8-8 Bengals (-2) at 10-6 Steelers, Saturday 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
A Ravens loss and a Steelers win delivers the AFC North title for Pittsburgh. Even if Baltimore wins (as they should) in the early game, a win for the Steelers could be the difference between being the No. 5 seed (and a wild-card game against the Texans) and the No. 6 seed (and a wild-card game at Baltimore).
The Bengals need a win on Saturday night and losses by Denver and Miami to secure the No. 7 seed in the AFC. With a loss, Cincinnati is eliminated.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow leads the league with 4,641 passing yards and 42 touchdowns. With 359 yards, he’ll finish with 5,000.
Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase leads the league in receptions (117), receiving yards (1,612), and receiving touchdowns (16). He can become the fifth receiver to win a triple crown, joining Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe, Steve Smith Sr., and Cooper Kupp.
4-12 Panthers at 8-8 Falcons (-8), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
The Falcons can win the division by beating the Panthers, but only if the Buccaneers also lose to the Saints. That’s Atlanta’s sole path to the postseason.
If the Falcons win the NFC South, they’ll be the No. 4 seed. They’d host the loser of the Vikings-Lions game in the wild-card round.
Atlanta hasn’t won the division since their Super Bowl appearance from 2016.
11-5 Commodes (-5) at 7-9 Cowboys, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez)
With a win, the Commodes take the No. 6 seed, and a playoff game at the Rams or Buccaneers. With a loss or a tie and a Packers win against the Bears, Washington would return to Philly as the No. 7 seed.
For Dallas, the status of coach Mike McCarthy hovers over the game, and its aftermath.
4-12 Bears at 11-5 Packers (-10), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)
Green Bay has beaten the Bears 11 straight times. Chicago hasn’t won at Lambeau Field since 2015.
The Packers could end up being the No. 7 seed even, if they finish with 12 wins. They’ll be the sixth seed only with a win and a Washington loss or tie.
The Packers are 0-5 against the Vikings, Lions, and Eagles, which are a combined 41-7. Green Bay is 11-0 against the rest of the league.
4-12 Jaguars at 7-9 Colts (-4.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Jason Benetti and Brady Quinn)
Will the Colts clean house next week? Will the Jaguars? Will this game change anything for either team?
13-3 Bills (-3) at 3-13 Patriots, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)
Buffalo has clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Quarterback Josh Allen will start the game (in order to preserve his streak of consecutive starts of 108) but exit quickly.
A win would give the Bills the most in franchise history.
With a loss, the Patriots would clinch the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1993, when they selected quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
3-13 Giants at 13-3 Eagles (-2.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty)
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who is only 101 yards from breaking the 40-year-old single-season rushing record, won’t play in a game that has no bearing on the postseason for second-seeded Philadelphia.
The Giants, who blew the inside track to the No. 1 overall draft pick by winning last week, can win it back with a loss and wins from the Patriots, Titans, and Browns.
5-11 Saints at 9-7 Buccaneers (-13.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)
The Buccaneers win the NFC South with a victory, or with a Falcons loss or tie.
With a win and a Rams loss, the Bucs will be the No. 3 seed, putting them in line to host the Commodes or the Packers in the wild-card round. If the Buccaneers finish as the No. 4 seed, they’ll host the loser of the Vikings-Lions game.
Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans needs 85 yards to reach 1,000 for the eleventh straight season, which would tie Jerry Rice for the all-time record for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield is tied with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for second in the league, with 39 touchdown passes.
9-7 Texans (-1) at 3-13 Titans, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker and Jay Feely)
This game has no impact on the postseason. However, after losing 31-2 in Week 17, the Texans could use a decent showing in order to re-establish themselves before the postseason begins.
The Titans will play both Will Levis and Mason Rudolph at quarterback. The loser gets fired; the winner gets a Water-Pik.
6-10 49ers at 7-9 Cardinals (-4), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth)
Once upon a time, this was the NFC’s equivalent of Titans-Jaguars. At least for this week, it is again.
15-1 Chiefs at 9-7 Broncos (-10.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)
The Broncos are in with a win, or with losses by the Bengals and Dolphins.
The Chiefs are resting quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other key starters, squandering their chance to keep a division rival out of the playoff field.
Denver has lost two straight win-and-in games, to the Chargers and then the Bengals.
9-7 Seahawks (-6.5) at 10-6 Rams, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)
The Rams will clinch the No. 3 seed with a win or a Tampa Bay loss; they’d host the Packers or Commodes in the wild-card round. With a loss and a Tampa Bay win, the Rams are the No. 4 seed, which means they’ll host the Vikings or Lions to start the postseason.
The Rams have gone 9-2 since starting 1-4, and they’ve won five in a row. However, they’ve scored only 44 total points over the last three games.
The Seahawks have a chance to finish with 10 wins, despite not making the playoffs.
10-6 Chargers (-5) at 4-12 Raiders, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)
The Chargers currently are the No. 6 seed, which with a Ravens win puts them in line for a trip to Baltimore and another Harbaugh Bowl. With a win and a Steelers loss, the Chargers would be the No. 5 seed, sending them to Houston.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has 565 passing yards in the last two games, with five touchdown passes and one interception.
Raiders tight end Brock Bowers is nine catches away from breaking the single-season record for receptions by a tight end. Zach Ertz had 116 in 2018.
8-8 Dolphins (-1) at 4-12 Jets, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Davis and Greg Olsen)
The Dolphins are in with a win and a Broncos loss. Miami would return to Buffalo in the wild-card round for the second time in three years.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (hip) will miss his second straight game. Tyler Huntley led Miami to a 20-3 win over the Browns last Sunday.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has 499 passing touchdowns. Four others have thrown for 500 or more: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Brett Favre.
Sunday possibly if not likely will be Rodgers’s last game with the Jets.
14-2 Vikings at 14-2 Lions (-2.5), Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)
The winner gets the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The loser falls to the No. 5 seed, with a trip to Atlanta, L.A., or Tampa Bay for the wild-card round.
It’s the first regular-season game in NFL history featuring two teams with 13 or more wins.
Minnesota is attempting to win 10 in a row for the first time since starting 1975 with a 10-0 record.
In the last seven games, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has 2,012 passing yards, 18 touchdown passes, and two interceptions. Over that same stretch, Lions quarterback Jared Goff has 20 touchdown passes and one interception.
