Week 18 of the NFL season is upcoming and playoff spots are on the line. In the NFC, the Buccaneers and the Falcons are battling for the 4th seed and the NFC South crown. The winner of the 4th seed would face one of four teams: Lions, Packers, Vikings, or the Commanders.
Buccaneers: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been on and off throughout the season, but they have now found their footing, winning five out of their last six games. The Buccaneers simply need to beat the Saints (who have nothing to play for now) to advance to the playoffs.
Falcons: The Atlanta Falcons, seen as division favorites before the season began with the addition of Kirk Cousins and a number of changes to the coaching staff to provide more offense, have also been difficult to judge – sometimes playing flawless football, and other times (more recently) being unable to win games, winning only two of their last six games. To make the playoffs, the Buccaneers must lose, and the Falcons must beat the Panthers.
Between these two teams in the NFC, the Buccaneers have the best chance because Baker Mayfield has been on fire as of late, and the Buccaneers play an injured and lifeless Saints team at home, that they beat earlier in the season 51-27. The Falcons are also running into a Panthers team that is playing much better at this point in the season, and have decided to shift to their rookie quarterback, Michael Penix, Jr. (benching Kirk Cousins) who is bound to make some mistakes in the passing game.
In terms of the AFC, the Bengals, Broncos, and Dolphins are all still in the hunt for the last playoff spot. The team that clinches a playoff spot will play the impressive Buffalo Bills in the first round.
Bengals: The Bengals have been piling on wins to keep their playoff hopes alive over the second half of the season. MVP candidate Joe Burrow and star wide receivers JaMaar Chase and Tee Higgins have helped the Bengals stay in contention during a four-game winning streak. To make the playoffs, the Bengals have to defeat the division-rival Steelers, the Jets have to beat the Dolphins, and the Chiefs have to beat the Broncos.
Dolphins: At the beginning of the season, the Dolphins looked like a team that might be able to compete for the AFC East title, but after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion, the Dolphins began to struggle mightily. Tua came back, and the Dolphins began to win games again, but he recently suffered another injury to his hip and is very questionable for their upcoming game against the New York Jets. To make the playoffs, the Dolphins have to beat the Jets and need the Chiefs to beat the Broncos.
Broncos: The Broncos were not expected to be above .500 before the season began due to their rookie quarterback and questionable coaching from Sean Payton last season. Somehow, the Broncos have been able to play well enough (with a 9-7 record) to survive most of their opponents and have a chance to clinch the 7th seed. To make the playoffs, they have to beat the Chiefs (who should be resting their starters). If they lose, the Broncos need either the Jets to beat the Dolphins or the Steelers to beat the Bengals.
Between these three teams, I believe the Broncos will make the playoffs because they have the easiest path to the playoffs, needing only a win against a Carson Wentz-led team of backup players on the Chiefs to move on.
In any event, it should be an exciting final week of the NFL regular season (unless you’re a Jets fan like me)!
