Why You Should Watch Every NFL Week 18 Game

Here we are. The final week of the NFL's regular season. What's on the line? Let's see why you should watch each game this week. 

SATURDAY

BROWNS AT RAVENS: If the Ravens win this game, they are the AFC North champions and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. A loss keeps the Steelers hope to win the division alive, which would knock the Ravens to the No. 5 seed.

BENGALS AT STEELERS: Two pronged deal here. If the Ravens lose the earlier game, then a win for the Steelers gives them the AFC North title and the No. 3 seed. Even if the Ravens win, the Steelers have a lot to play for. A win gives them the No. 5 seed and a road game at Houston while a loss could drop them to the No. 6 seed and playing at rival Baltimore. As for the Bengals, they must win to keep their playoff hopes alive. They need to win and hope both the Broncos and Dolphins lose. A loss knocks them out. 

SUNDAY, 1pm GAMES

SAINTS AT BUCCANEERS;
PANTHERS AT FALCONS: Let's put these two games together. If the Buccaneers beat the Saints, they are the NFC South champs and the No. 4 seed (they'd be the No. 3 seed if the Rams lose). A Bucs loss and a Falcons win makes Atlanta the NFC South champs and the No. 4 seed. If both teams lose, the Buccaneers are the No. 4 seed.

COMMANDERS AT COWBOYS: A win by the Commanders gives them the No. 6 seed. A loss and a Packers win gives them the No. 7 seed. 

BEARS AT PACKERS: Another classic rivalry, a Packers win and a Commanders loss gives Green Bay the No. 6 seed. Anything else and the Packers will be the No. 7 seed. 

GIANTS AT EAGLES: The only real reason to watch this game is to see if Saquon Barkley rushes for 101 yards and breaks the single season rushing record. All signs point to the Eagles resting their starters, however. 

BILLS AT PATRIOTS: A weird game. Look for Josh Allen to start to keep his streak alive, then bow out quickly. As for New England, they currently hold down the top pick in the draft which could be a gold mine for them. If they keep it, they could use it to get one of the most unique players in the country in Travis Hunter. Or ... since they already have their QB ... trade it to someone desperate and gain a haul of picks. This is a game New England doesn't want to win. So they probably will. 

TEXANS AT TITANS: Not much of a reason to watch this game. Houston is locked into the 4th seed in the AFC and should be resting their guys. The Titans have been a mess all season and are in a scrum for one of the top picks in the draft. 

JAGUARS AT COLTS: A battle of two teams who have had disappointing seasons. It has been a disaster in Jacksonville that will likely cost head coach Doug Pederson his job. There's a lot of heat in Indianapolis, too, where the quarterback hasn't improved much and is habitually injured. 

SATURDAY, 4pm GAMES

CHIEFS AT BRONCOS;
DOLPHINS AT JETS: By the time we get to this game, we will know the Bengals result. If the Bengals lost, it comes down to the Broncos and Jets. Broncos win ... and they are in.  Broncos lose ... then the Dolphins can win and get in. If both lose and the Bengals won ... Cincinnati is in. If all of them lose, well Denver gets in.  

CHARGERS AT RAIDERS: The Chargers will know before this game if there's anything to play for. If the Steelers beat the Bengals on Saturday, the Chargers are locked into the No. 6 seed. If the Steelers lose and the Chargers beat the Raiders, they move up to the No. 5 seed. Like I mentioned before, being the 5th seed means you play on the road against the Texans and not at the Ravens. 

SEAHAWKS AT RAMS: This nearly was for the NFC West title, but a complicated tiebreaker has already given the title to the Rams. Still, LA needs to win to keep that No. 3 seed. A loss and a Buccaneers win knocks LA down the No. 4 seed. That difference is staggering, as the No. 4 seed will host a 14-3 team (Lions or Vikings) in the first round; while being the 3rd seed means hosting the Commanders or Packers. 

49ERS AT CARDINALS: Not much reason to watch this game as both teams are done for the season and neither team has been bad enough to sneak into a great draft pick. 

SUNDAY NIGHT

VIKINGS AT LIONS: This is a rather huge game. Both teams are 14-2 with the winner becoming the NFC North champion and the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs. With that comes a first round bye. The loser would be a wildcard team and drop all the way to the No. 5 seed and would play on the road at Atlanta/Tampa/Los Angeles.