The NFL regular season comes to an end this weekend. There’s still plenty to be decided this week, with four divisions and five total playoff spots still up for grabs.
As has been the case the past few years, the NFL waits to schedule the dates and times for the Week 18 games to get the most exposure for the most important matchups when it comes to playoff seeding. We’ll mostly be focused on those games for our final “Games of the Week” roundup of the year – but first, a game that holds meaning for other reasons.
5. New York Jets (6-10) at New England Patriots (4-12)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX
Both of these teams have been eliminated from the playoffs for a few weeks now. So, why does it make our list?
Throughout the season there have been rumors, rumblings, and reports about the job security of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. There’s a real chance this is Belichick’s final game with the Patriots, the team he coached to six Super Bowl titles. Given that historical context this game makes our list. Certainly be sure to pay attention near the end, to see if Belichick gets any sort of recognition from the Gillette Stadium crowd.
4. Chicago Bears (7-9) at Green Bay Packers (8-8)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Packers, but they’re win-and-in on Sunday. Standing in their way are the Chicago Bears, a team the Packers have bullied for the better part of two decades.
Can the Bears get some revenge against their NFC North rival and play spoiler to the Pack’s playoff chances? Chicago has won four of its last five and Justin Fields is playing the best football of his NFL career. It should be a good, emotional game and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chicago come away with the upset.
3. Atlanta Falcons (7-9) at New Orleans Saints (8-8)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
In the first of three games in which both teams are alive for a playoff spot, the Falcons take on the Saints in an NFC South battle. The tricky thing here is that – while both teams are still able to make the playoffs – neither is win-and-in.
It’s actually the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who have the inside track on the NFC South title, and they visit the 2-14 Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The first meeting between those two teams went down to the wire, so a Panthers upset win isn’t off the table. If that happens, the winner of this Falcons-Saints game will win the division and make the playoffs. The Saints come in as the hot team, going 3-1 in their last four, while Atlanta is 1-3 in that same span.
2. Indianapolis Colts (9-7) at Houston Texans (9-7)
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN
This is the first of two outright win-and-in games. For the Texans, a win would give them an AFC South title. The Colts would need a win and a Jacksonville Jaguars loss to the Tennessee Titans to win the division, but do lock up a Wild Card spot with a win no matter what.
These teams first met back in Week 2, with the Texans winning 31-20. Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud played exceptionally well in that loss though, and with his added experience could be the difference-maker in this game.
1. Buffalo Bills (10-6) at Miami Dolphins (11-5)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC
The NFL regular season wraps up with what is a de facto AFC East championship game between the Bills and Dolphins. The Bills have rallied back to get to this point, winning four games in a row after a 6-6 start. At the same time some of those wins have been nailbiters against weaker opponents like the Patriots and Chargers. There’s still a chance Buffalo misses the playoffs outright with a loss.
Miami has clinched a playoff spot, but homefield advantage in South Beach for any playoff game would be big. The Dolphins may also feel like they have a message to send after last week’s 56-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Buffalo won the Week 4 meeting between these two teams comfortably 48-20 in Upstate New York. Josh Allen and Buffalo’s offense has struggled in Miami in the past though, and the Dolphins are 7-1 at home this season. That homefield advantage could be the difference in this one.
