With just one week of the regular season remaining, four divisions and five playoff spots are up for grabs. The top two seeds in each conference top these rankings with Baltimore showing themselves to be the league's dominant force in recent weeks. At the other end of the scale, the likes of New England, Washington and Carolina cannot wait for their horrible campaigns to end.
The Ravens delivered an emphatic message over the Christmas period that they are the class of the NFL, beating the San Francisco 49ers by 14 and putting 56 points on the board against their nearest rivals in the AFC, the Miami Dolphins. Lamar Jackson all but locked up the MVP award in the process.
The Niners got back on track with last Sunday’s 27-10 victory over the Washington Commanders and the NFC road to the Super Bowl runs through San Francisco. With the bye week secured, San Francisco can now rest some banged-up players; most notably running back Christian McCaffrey, who has a calf injury.
Their Christmas Eve loss to Miami was hard to take and they could have lost to the Detroit Lions on Saturday night but for some officiating intervention. But they did look good for much of that game and have now won 16 home contests in a row. Win on Sunday and they’ll get at least one home playoff game.
The Dolphins didn’t just get humbled in Baltimore, they were embarrassed and now they have to pick up the pieces to clinch a division they have controlled for much of the year. Tua Tagovailoa’s throwing shoulder is a concern, but a greater worry is Jaylen Waddle’s ankle and Bradley Chubb being lost for the year.
The Bills have won four straight to move into a position where they can snatch the AFC East crown for the fourth year in a row. It has been somewhat shaky the past two weeks. That said, Buffalo are now finding ways to win ugly games against the Chargers and the Patriots. They will need a cleaner showing in Miami.
The Lions continue to impress with their talent and their spirit. Regardless of what happens in Week 18, they are hosting a playoff game in the Wild Card Round and will be looking for a first postseason victory since the 1991 season. We don’t know who they will play yet, but the Lions should be a favourite.
The offense that used to be impossible to stop in the red zone is getting bogged down near the goal-line. Kansas City required six Harrison Butker field goals to secure the AFC West crown on Sunday. The Chiefs’ high-end defense is going to need to continue to carry the load if a lengthy playoff run is to be achieved.
Joe Flacco has literally saved the entire season for the Cleveland Browns. Since being signed to upgrade on the performances of Dorian Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker, the 38-year-old has led Cleveland to a 4-1 record. And Flacco has thrown for at least 300 yards in four straight games. What a story!
The Eagles have lost four of their last five and have hit a very poor run of form at the worst possible time. The defense allowed Arizona to gain 449 yards and score 35 points on Sunday. The pass rush – historically good a year ago – is now non-existent. Frustration levels are building across the board in Philadelphia.
The Texans are one victory away from the playoffs and if they get that win, it will give them 10 on the season. They only registered 11 wins in the previous three seasons combined. That’s the power of an excellent young quarterback in C.J. Stroud and the future looks very bright indeed in Houston.
The Rams are into the playoffs as one of the form teams of the NFL, winning six of their last seven. And their one loss during that run was a 37-31 overtime defeat in Baltimore – there’s no shame in that result! Week 18 won’t matter and likely will be a Backup Bowl affair against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Jaguars ended their four-game losing streak with a classic ‘get right’ game against Carolina last week. But how much did that 26-0 win really tell us? Trevor Lawrence needs to tidy up his game as the playoffs approach or the Jags will have to lean even more on the excellent Josh Allen and his fellow defenders.
I just don’t know who the Colts are anymore. They got badly beaten by Cincinnati in Week 14, defeated Pittsburgh handily in Week 15, got blown out by Atlanta in Week 16 and then won a hard-fought affair against the Raiders in Week 17. I do know this… a win on Saturday gives them 10 and a spot in the playoffs.
Mason Rudolph and George Pickens have given the Pittsburgh passing attack a real boost. And that means fit-again passer Kenny Pickett will be a spectator in Week 18. With nine victories, the Steelers are guaranteed another winning season. But I think they will regret those losses to Arizona and New England.
The Bucs missed their first opportunity to secure the NFC South as their four-game winning streak was comfortably ended by the New Orleans Saints. That should give Tampa some cause for concern. But they should stroll across the finish line and win the division with a Week 18 victory over the hapless Panthers.
For the second year in a row, the Packers face a win-and-in scenario in front of their own fans at Lambeau Field. They have Jordan Love to thank for that as the promising and fast-developing quarterback has led Green Bay to a 5-2 record over the past seven weeks. He is going to be their long-term answer at QB.
The Saints evened up their record at 8-8 with their best showing of the season against Tampa Bay in Week 17. But they may have left themselves too much to do. They have to beat Atlanta in Week 18 and hope Tampa slip to take the division. Or they can win and have Green Bay and Seattle lose to get into the playoffs.
The Seahawks no longer control their own destiny after allowing Pittsburgh to march up and down the field on them in Week 17. Seattle now need to top the suddenly-competitive Cardinals and will be scoreboard watching and hoping for a Chicago win at Lambeau Field. Both games kick off at the same time.
Cincinnati’s season is over and, in truth, it was one that never really got started. Genuine Super Bowl hopes were dashed the moment Joe Burrow injured his calf in training camp. Those dreams were totally shattered when he was lost for the year and the defense really fell apart in the second half of the season.
The Bears are going to head into the offseason feeling much better about their future. Chicago have won five of their last seven just like their opponents on Sunday, Green Bay. Justin Fields has shone bright down the stretch. What will they do in 2024? Stick with him or roll the dice on the top college QB coming out?
The Broncos are out of the playoff running in Week 18 and thinking about their immediate future, which likely involves a complicated and expensive parting of ways with quarterback Russell Wilson. Sean Payton doesn’t have an immediate answer at that position, but he’s made it clear that Wilson is not his guy.
While they are technically still alive, the Vikings need to beat Detroit on Sunday and have four other results go their way. They have lost five of their last six games and have, ultimately, been undone by the failure of Josh Dobbs, Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens to come anywhere close to the level of Kirk Cousins’ normal game.
As the Raiders move into their final game of this season, they could provide a positive platform for the offseason. A win against Denver would ensure a 3-1 finish for Antonio Pierce, who could become more than this team’s interim head coach. There are many who feel he would be the ideal long-term candidate.
The Falcons have seen the NFC South slip from their grasp with three losses from their last four. They can still win the division with a win over the Saints and a Bucs loss to Carolina. But current form suggests neither will happen. Coach Arthur Smith could pay for Atlanta’s lack of an elite quarterback with his job.
The Titans may have lost three in a row but last week’s defeat to Houston was the first time they’ve not been competitive in a game since mid-November. Mike Vrabel demands toughness and commitment and he will get both from quarterback Will Levis. He may not be perfect, but he makes you want to see more.
The Cardinals only have four wins on the year, but they’ve taken some big scalps in Dallas and Philadelphia. They will have a high pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but will that result in a new quarterback? Head coach Jonathan Gannon insists that Kyler Murray is their guy. He certainly looked the part against the Eagles.
The Giants only have five wins to their name this season, but head coach Brian Daboll can take heart from the fact that they have played hard to the end. They beat Green Bay in Week 14, gave Philly a scare on Christmas Day and almost took down the Rams in Week 17. Do they need a new quarterback in 2024?
There’s nothing to see here, move along! The Chargers are playing out a disappointing slate without Justin Herbert at quarterback and with no permanent head coach in place. Wake me up when Herbert is fit again and Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh is his new head coach.
The Jets literally cannot wait to turn the page on this miserable season and get back to dreaming about an Aaron Rodgers-led campaign in 2024. Ahead of that time, they need to build a wall up front because their offensive line would not have been good enough this season even if Rodgers had been fit.
The Patriots have hit rock bottom, posting 12 losses in a season for the first time since 1992 and finishing last in the AFC East for the first time since 2000. Belichick’s final days in New England – and I believe he will be gone by the middle of next week – have been as dark and as dreary as he could ever have feared.
Ron Rivera is another dead man walking as head coach of the Washington Commanders. He has been undone by a lack of stability at the quarterback position. His teams in Washington have had their competitive moments, but have lacked an answer at the NFL’s most pivotal of all positions.
The Panthers continue to embarrass themselves on and off the field. The losses continue to pile up and team owner David Tepper has now been fined $300,000 for throwing a drink over fans in Jacksonville last week. I simply cannot see a top-level head coach going anywhere near this opening in the offseason.
