Many teams clinched their spot in the playoffs in Week 18, some had known they were going to play in January for weeks, and just needed to know what seed they would be and others fell out all together.
On Saturday afternoon, the Steelers played in what was an elimination game for them against division rival Ravens. All while Baltimore had already locked up the top seed in the AFC after back-to-back blowout wins against the 49ers and Dolphins, so they rested their starters, but the Steelers needed the win to stay alive. With rainy conditions, the offenses struggled as the passing game for both teams never got going, needing the rushing attack to step up. Najee Harris went for 112 yards and a touchdown and added on five catches for 21 yards as the Steelers won 17-10. However, they hadn’t guaranteed a playoff position yet. Later in the day, the Texans and Colts played in Indianapolis with the winner going to the playoffs and the loser being eliminated. On their first play of the game, CJ Stroud threw a 75-yard touchdown to Nico Collins to give the Texans a 7-3 lead. He threw another touchdown to make it 14-3 before the Colts struck back, tying the game 17-17 on multiple scores. After another Texans touchdown, the Colts had one last chance to save their season, but they couldn’t convert on a fourth down and rookie phenom Stroud led the Texans to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
In the noon slot, there were six games, most of which with playoff implications. In Tennessee, Derrick Henry had a fantastic game, running for 153 yards and a touchdown as the defense managed to bottle up Travis Etteine, never letting the Jaguars take control of the game, stopping them on fourth down to win the game and eliminate the Jaguars from the playoffs, clinching the Steelers and Bills trips, and giving the Texans the division. The Buccaneers also went on the road to league’s worst record Carolina in a very low-scoring game, where they managed to win 9-0, not scoring a touchdown, but winning their division. The Saints also blew out the Falcons, eliminating Atlanta and keeping their hopes alive, while Detroit completed the sweep of Minnesota to put the pressure on Dallas and Philly.
In the afternoon, the Packers engaged in a hard-fought game with the Bears. Justin Fields seemed to be playing better, but Jordan Love led the Packers to their 17-9 win, sealing their spot in the playoffs as either the sixth or seventh seed, eliminating the Saints and Seahawks. The Rams also beat the 49ers, who had clinched the top seed in the NFC the week before, so were resting their starters, sealing themselves into the sixth seed and a storybook rematch with the Lions in Detroit where Stafford will return. In the NFC East, the Cowboys blew out the Commanders, winning the division, giving them the two seed and guaranteeing at least one home game, and the Eagles continued to spiral, getting blown out by the Giants and going into the playoffs an absolute mess.
The storylines are going to be entertaining, as the Cowboys and Packers renew their rivalry in Dallas, Stafford returns to Detroit for the first time, and the Eagles go back to Tampa Bay for a rematch in 2021. On the AFC side, Joe Flacco will lead the red-hot Browns into Houston for a battle with CJ Stroud and the Texans, new two seed Buffalo Bills will host the Steelers and the Chiefs will host the Dolphins in a rematch of a Germany game. If the NFL was trying to create drama, they got it.
