Predicting Every NFL Game In Week 18

We’ve reached the final week of the NFL season as we’ll see one last great set of games to end the regular season. Multiple teams were eliminated from the playoffs in week 17, while others secured a spot and look to make a push to the Super Bowl. Top seeds are still up for grabs, the AFC North will crown a champion, and there could be a three-way tie for the NFC South leader. Playoff implications are still on the line, and in today’s article – we will be breaking down every game from week 18. I hope you enjoy!

Carolina At Tampa Bay

The first matchup of the final week was looking like a win or go home game between the Buccaneers and Panthers where the winner secures the NFC South while the loser is eliminated from the playoffs. Then, the Falcons pulled of an upset win against the Rams on Monday night, creating an opportunity for a 3-way tie in the division. The Falcons electrifying win gives the Panthers more options to advance, while the Bucs now need a win for themselves and a Falcons loss against the Saints this week.

With a chance to win the division in week 17, the Panthers lost to the Seahawks and kept the Buccaneers hopes alive. Bryce Young threw for just 54 yards and an interception, and while the Seattle defense is no joke, they would certainly be playing against high powered defenses like this one in the playoffs and I think this could be a bad sign for them. On the other hand, the Bucs lost to a 7th round rookie QB in week 17 to lose their 7th of last 8 games. Todd Bowles is certainly on the hot seat, and with the amount of talented names on the Bucs their current record does not reflect the way this team looked at the beginning of the season. A lot is riding on Baker Mayfield, who has struggled much of the second half this season, but has shown many times before that he can step up in big games if he can limit turnovers. It feels crazy to say it, but I think if the Bucs can pressure Bryce Young on defense and play a solid offensive game, they’ll take down the Panthers at home and wait to see if the Saints can beat the Falcons.

Buccaneers 27, Panthers 24

Seattle At San Francisco

This matchup has arguably the highest playoff implications in the final week, as the winner gets the #1 seed while the loser will likely fall the the #5 seed in the NFC. In a game that could easily be determined the game of the week, I think a defensive battle will be the deciding factor. Besides Brock Purdy’s 3 interception performance in week 12 against the Panthers (a game they still won), he and his offense have played tremendously since his return from injury. In the last 3 weeks the 49ers have scored 37, 48, and 42 points respectively, winning key games to elevate them above the Rams in the stacked NFC West. However, the Seahawks defense has been one of the best throughout the season. Coming off holding the Panthers to 139 total offensive yards last week, they look to slow the 49ers offensive down and give Sam Darnold and the Seahawks offense a chance to rise to the occasion. If they can put up points like the Bears did against the 49ers last week, they’ll win the game.

Seahawks 34, 49ers 30

Indianapolis At Houston

The Colts have now been eliminated from the playoffs, and face a buzzsaw as they travel to play the Texans this week. While it’s been fun to watch Philip Rivers still be able to electrify a professional game at 44 years old, it’s scary to think what it could look like for him against this dangerous Houston front. The Texans enter the game on a 8 game win streak, and look to continue to roll into the playoffs as strong contender in the AFC. On the other hand, the Colts have lost 6 straight and are on the road in a matchup that leans heavily towards the Texans. I hope to see a little more magic from Philip Rivers, but a shaky Colts defense has me believing this won’t be a close game by the end.

Texans 23, Colts 10

Dallas At New York

In a game for division bragging rights, this could still be an good matchup between two NFC East teams that are already eliminated from the playoffs. Neither team has a stout defense, and Dak Prescott leads the NFL in passing yards while Jaxson Dart has shown lots of upside when he’s been healthy this season. Especially if Javonte Williams doesn’t suit up, I expect the Dak to look for his two big receivers early and often.

In their week 2 matchup, the Cowboys narrowly won 40-37 in OT. A lot has changed since then as the Giants just got their 3rd win in week 17, and the Cowboys couldn’t sustain momentum throughout the season. In a game for pride, where Dak can stamp his name as the season’s leading passer, I look for the Cowboys to utilize their high-powered offense and end the season with a win.

Cowboys 31, Giants 17

Cleveland At Cincinnati

Both teams enter the final week coming off a win, but aren’t really playing for anything but pride to close out the season. The Browns snuck out a win against the Steelers where they lost the turnover battle and were held to just 13 points. The Bengals are coming off a big win against the Cardinals where it was never really a game. While this game doesn’t really have implications for the season, all eyes will be on Myles Garrett as he seeks out one sack to set the NFL single-season record. He has sacked Joe Burrow 12 times, the most against any QB in his career. On the offensive side for the Browns Shedeur Sanders has made some great plays since being named the starter this season, but has struggled with mistakes and turnovers that have contributed to continued losses. Overall, I think the Bengals are a better team and Joe Burrow will still manage to find his top targets to beat the Browns.

Bengals 24, Browns 20

New Orleans At Atlanta

The Falcons made it interesting in both the NFC South and NFC West on Monday night when they took down the Rams in an upset win. They are now playing for a potential 3-way tie in the NFC South, where they won’t have a chance to win but can continue to impact the result of the division. Bijan Robinson lit it up on Monday for 195 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, and will look to stay hot and end the season on a high note at home once again. The Saints have looked good in recent weeks, winning 4 straight behind Tyler Shough who continues to impress in his rookie season. However, if they allow Bijan to get rolling again and the Falcons can get production from Drake London it will be a tough matchup for them. I expect an offensive game where the Falcons come out on top, eliminating the Bucs from the playoffs.

Falcons 23, Saints 20

Green Bay At Minnesota

While the Packers have secured their spot in the playoffs, locked in at the 7th seed in the NFC, it would make sense for them to rest key players or keep banged up starters sidelined in the final week. But, in a league where momentum can carry teams one way or the other, I expect the Packers to go for the win in week 18 to avoid entering the playoffs losing 4 in a row. Whether or not starters are playing, it will likely be a defensive game. The Vikings defense held the star studded Lions offense to just 10 points last week, but the last time the Vikings played the Packers, they allowed 23 points and scored only 6. That loss also came with J.J, McCarthy at the helm, who is still questionable coming into the week. The Vikings started Max Brosmer last week, who had just 51 yards on 16 attempts. This won’t be enough to beat the Packers when they’re in need of momentum before the playoffs.

Packers 17, Vikings 16

Tennessee At Jacksonville

While the Titans enter the final week winning 2 of their last 4, they once again face the red-hot Jaguars who have won 7 straight. In their week 13 matchup, the Jaguars held the Titans to a field goal, putting up 25 points in a decisive victory. I think it will be a similar result this week, where Trevor Lawrence gets back to a 4,000 yard season and AFC South victors. In his rookie season, Cam Ward has shown a lot for Titans fans to look forward to in the future, but has struggled to find ways to win as his team gives up an average of 17.3 PTS/G. He and his team will look to right their wrongs and enter the offseason on a positive note, but it will be too tall of a task against their division rival this year. The Jaguars continue to carry momentum into the playoffs and beat the Titans to secure the AFC South Championship.

Jaguars 31, Titans 16

Arizona At Los Angeles

After their two game skid late in the season, the Rams need a win badly. The Rams could still move up to the 5 seed, but they need a win against the Cardinals and a 49ers loss against the Seahawks. This matchup should be a great way to work out the kinks, as a home game against one of the worst teams in the league this year could break them out of their funk. The Cardinals are 1-10 this season with Jacoby Brissett at starting QB and are likely to see a lot of roster moves before next season. While the Rams made it tougher on themselves with their loss last week against the Falcons in upset fashion, they are still playing for playoff positioning and a momentum shift as they enter the playoffs. The Rams win by a large margin behind their high-powered offense.

Rams 38, Cardinals 20

Washington At Philadelphia

The Eagles hope that a win can be enough to get them to the 2 seed heading in to the playoffs coming into their final regular season matchup against the Commanders. Last week the Philly offense hit a snag once again in the second half and snuck out a win, thanks to their impressive defensive play and Josh Allen’s uncharacteristically inaccurate pass going for the two-point conversion as time expired. It is yet another week where we say we need to see the offense prove themselves, as the inconsistencies have led to doubt about how legit the Eagles are this season. It’s looking like the Eagles will rest many of their starters for this game as they enter the playoffs. However they’ll still be going for the win as seeding could secure a division round home game. For the Commanders, this disappointing season will end with a tough road game in Philadelphia behind their 3rd string QB Josh Johnson. It’s been tough sledding for the Commanders this year, and their offense hasn’t been able to produce as it had under Jaden Daniels last season. They’ll remain hopeful it will be back to normal next season. In a matchup of backups, the Eagles get the win.

Eagles 20, Commanders 16

Los Angeles At Denver

Without any real playoff implications on the line for the Chargers it looks like they’ll be benching some key starters for rest before playoffs, including QB Justin Herbert. The Broncos on the other hand need to win to secure the AFC Championship and enter the playoffs with a first round bye. Bo Nix could have his first career 4,000 yard season, as he has been one of the better young QBs this season. While the Chargers are 5-0 in the AFC West this season, their decision to rest Justin Herbert will give them their first division loss and make the Broncos the #1 seed in the AFC for the first time since 2015.

Broncos 27, Chargers 17

Kansas City At Las Vegas

In what could be Travis Kelce’s final NFL game, the Chiefs travel to Vegas and face the last place Raiders. We’ll see another matchup between eliminated teams, both of which enter the matchup on hefty losing streaks looking to snap them on the last game of the year. The dynastic run of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs took a step back this year and with Kelce’s decision to retire or return lingering, they could look like a different team entering next season. The Raiders have been a dumpster fire this season and are in desperate need of a quarterback change for next year. While the Chiefs haven’t looked good either, they proved last week against the Broncos they can still contend to some degree and it will be enough to be the Raiders who will start Kenny Pickett or Aiden O’Connell at QB.

Chiefs 21, Raiders 20

Miami At New England

Drake Maye and the Patriots have been dominant this season, and the AFC East Champs have 1 more game to win in the 2025 regular season. Playing at the same time as the Broncos, who also enter the week at 13-3, the Pats need a win and Broncos loss for the AFC’s #1 seed. I don’t think the win will be a problem for them as they take on the Dolphins and their rookie QB Quinn Ewers. While the Dolphins are coming off a win against Tampa Bay last week, they’re facing a different beast in this one and will likely struggle to maintain a close game. Baker Mayfield’s 2 inceptions were pivotal in their game, and this week they face a QB in Drake Maye that has been far more consistent and behind better coaching. The Patriots end their regular season with a win and hope for a Broncos loss.

Patriots 24, Dolphins 13

Detroit At Chicago

Entering the game as one of the more disappointing teams in the league, I think the Lions could squeak out a win against the AFC North winning Bears. The Bears need to win (or an Eagles loss) to secure the #2 seed and are playing at home, where they are 6-1 this season. This has been an almost even matchup over the last 10 seasons, but the Bears have found ways to win the big games this season that the Lions haven’t and look like the better team behind a big-play offense and solid defense. Although the Lions are eliminated from the playoffs, this game still has a lot of meaning to the team and it’s fans as they can upset the Bears and get a bit of positive momentum back to end the season. They have underperformed this year, but Motor City Dan Campbell will certainly fire up his team to play an aggressive game and not let them end the season without pride.

Lions 28, Bears 27

New York At Buffalo

The Bills have secured their place in the playoffs, but a week 17 loss to the Eagles made them the 7 seed. Facing the Jets, another team that has been awful this season, we will see if they are able to move up in seeding with a win and loss by the Texans or Chargers. Josh Allen is expected to start and play a few snaps to keep his consecutive starts streak alive, then sit and rest his foot injury that was re-aggravated last week. They are facing the Jets, whose leading receiver hasn’t played since mid November and Brady Cook, who is 0-4 to start his career in NY. Even without Josh Allen, this will be a tough game for the Jets and they will end the season returning to the bottom of the AFC East.

Bills 20, Jets 13

Baltimore At Pittsburgh

To me, this game poses two big questions. First, will the Steelers defense come to play this week? Second, will Lamar be able to suit up and play at a level we’re used to seeing him at?

We will get our answers Sunday night, in the final game of the regular season that will determine the champion of the AFC North. Derrick Henry lit up the Packers last week in a must-win game without Lamar Jackson, while the Steelers lost their matchup against the Browns that would have clinched them the division. The Steelers have a loaded defense, and are 4-1 in their last 5 matchups with the Ravens. Their offense has shown flashes but a rough showing last week and still without their star receiver DK Metcalf (who had 7 receptions for 148 yards in the week 14 matchup), they will rely on their defense to keep them in the game once again. If Lamar Jackson, who is known to be a dominant prime time starter plays, I believe him and Derrick Henry can do enough to win in Pittsburgh. While the Steelers have the better defense, I don’ think it will be enough to win them the game against an offense can will find ways to get points on the board and outscore their own questionable offense.

Ravens 24, Steelers 23

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