Week 18 offers up dramatic finale
Week 17 saw the 49ers clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed, while the Ravens clinched the AFC’s top seed.
But the final week of the season figures to be a doozy. Five teams are in play for three playoff spots in the AFC, while six teams are alive for two spots in the NFC. So fasten your seatbelts, anything can happen. Meanwhile, the Bears, who aren’t in the playoff mix, had a good week. They won and also clinched the No. 1 overall pick (from the Panthers) in the 2024 draft.
Here are the power rankings heading into Week 18:
1. Ravens (13-3): Maybe John Harbaugh decides to sit Lamar Jackson in the finale. No matter, he still looks like a lock for his second MVP award.
2. 49ers (12-4): Brock Purdy brought 49ers fans back off the ledge, bouncing back from his career-worst performance last week with two TDs vs. the Commanders.
3. Lions (11-5): No surprise Dan Campbell went for the win against the Cowboys. It looked like he had it. But officials nullified the potential game-winning two-point conversion over a miscommunication on who was eligible.
4. Browns (11-5): First NFL team to make the playoffs after starting four different QBs in the same season. They’re lucky the fourth guy — Joe Flacco — was the charm.
5. Dolphins (11-5): Rookie mistake by Mike McDaniel leaving his starters in during a blowout loss to the Ravens. Getting waxed is one thing. Heading into the playoffs without one of the Dolphins’ best players (Bradley Chubb) because he was left in, will haunt them.
6. Cowboys (11-5): They were lucky to snap a two-game skid. But it’s hard to ignore Mike McCarthy’s continued clock management issues.
7. Chiefs (10-6): Can’t recall a game with Patrick Mahomes in it, where the Chiefs won thanks to six field goals.
8. Bills (10-6): The Bills battled back to wild-card status, and can keep their division title with a win vs. the Dolphins. They could also lose and be out of the playoffs entirely.
9. Eagles (11-5): The Eagles don’t look like a team headed back to the Super Bowl. They’ve been shaky down the stretch, at best.
10. Rams (9-7): The Rams clinched a wild-card berth and are a team no one in the NFC wants to face.
11. Steelers (9-7): With a playoff berth on the line, Mike Tomlin decided to stick with Mason Rudolph at QB.
12. Jaguars (9-7): No Trevor Lawrence? No problem, especially against the Panthers. They can still save face and wrap up the AFC South with a win Sunday.
13. Texans (9-7): C.J. Stroud returned, and all seemed right in the Texans’ world. A win vs. the Colts, and they land a playoff berth.
14. Colts (9-7): Every time you want to bury the Colts, they produce a win.
15. Packers (8-8): The improvement for Jordan Love vs. teams he lost to earlier in the season continued with his four-TD effort vs. the Vikings on Sunday night.
16. Seahawks (8-8): They’re not out of the playoff mix with the loss to the Steelers, but it’s hard to see them doing much in the postseason if they manage to get there.
17. Bengals (8-8): Jake Browning gave it the old college try, but still couldn’t will the Bengals back into the playoffs after Joe Burrow went down. A defense that was prone to giving up big plays also didn’t help the cause.
18. Broncos (8-8): Extract Russell Wilson. Insert Jarrett Stidham, and produce a win. That’s fine. But the Broncos still were eliminated Sunday.
19. Saints (8-8): The Saints seemed to be down and out but played one of their best games against the Buccaneers, and have a legit shot at the postseason.
20. Buccaneers (8-8): The Bucs squandered a chance to lock up the division title at home. For one game anyway, Baker Mayfield lost his magic.
21. Bears (7-9): Do they really want to draft a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick the way Justin Fields is playing?
22. Vikings (7-9): Ultimately, the Vikings just couldn’t overcome the loss of Kirk Cousins.
23. Raiders (7-9): The Raiders were eliminated from the playoffs. The question now is whether Antonio Pierce was also eliminated from staying on as head coach.
24. Falcons (7-9): They need to win next week to have a chance at the playoffs.
25. Giants (5-11): The Giants’ loss basically assured them of a top five pick in the 2024 draft.
26. Jets (6-10): Why didn’t the Jets re-sign Joe Flacco when Aaron Rodgers went down to injury?
27. Cardinals (4-12): What were they thinking, beating the Eagles white fighting for draft position?
28. Titans (5-11): The Titans have a lot of work to do to get back to contender status. We’ll see if Mike Vrabel is still part of that equation.
29. Chargers (5-11): Jim Harbaugh? Bill Belichick? Ben Johnson? Stay tuned. It’s about to get very interesting with the Chargers’ coach search.
30. Patriots (4-12): At the risk of stating the obvious, if the Patriots don’t use their first pick on a QB in the upcoming draft, it would be a stunner.
31. Commanders (4-12): Did Jacoby Brissett’s loss turn into Sam Howell’s gain? Howell was benched and not supposed to start, but Brissett turned up with a hamstring injury. No matter. Howell didn’t take advantage.
32. Panthers (2-14): Did Panthers owner David Tepper really throw a drink at a Jaguars fan? Yikes.