NFL Week 18: Lions clinch home-field, Titans get top draft pick
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The 2024 NFL regular season is in the books. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Week 18:
➤ In one of the biggest regular-season finales, and certainly the most important showdown ever between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, it was the Lions who emerged with the NFC North title and the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC. For the first time ever, the Lions have home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Lions are one of four NFL teams – the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars are the others – that have never appeared in a Super Bowl.
➤ Something that isn't new, the road to Super Bowl 59 in the AFC playoffs will go through Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs' starters will be well-rested by the time the divisional playoff round comes along. Most of the team's key players will not have played since the Christmas Day win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, when K.C. clinched the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed. It'll be 23 or 24 days between games for Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and other Chiefs stars. This will further test the rest vs. rust theorem.
Here is your Super Wild Card Weekend schedule 📆:
Saturday
- Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m. ET (Amazon Prime Video)
Sunday
- Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
Monday
- Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)
Which teams might emerge victorious during the wild-card round? Paste BN Sports' Tyler Dragon has predictions for each matchup ✔️.
➤ The NFL's insistence of placing the Houston Texans' playoff opener in the Saturday afternoon time slot is one of the league's great traditions.
➤ The Tennessee Titans now are on the clock. The Titans secured the top overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft after two events took place on Sunday. First, the Titans were defeated by the AFC South champion Houston Texans. Then, the New England Patriots prevailed over the Buffalo Bills, who – like the Chiefs – were resting some key starters.
Here is the top-10 order for the first round of the 2025 NFL draft:
- Tennessee Titans
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Giants
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Jets
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Chicago Bears
➤ Not only did the Patriots lose the No. 1 draft pick by winning, but the team also pulled the plug on Jerod Mayo's head-coaching tenure after just one season. It was a stunning about-face from team owner Robert Kraft, who just a few months ago said Mayo was part of the post-Bill Belichick succession plan. Now, that plan might include another former Patriots player.
➤ The Green Bay Packers are stumbling into the playoffs with a wounded quarterback, grounded star receiver and on a two-game losing streak. The team's defeat Sunday was particularly jarring, since it was the only one all season to not come against one of the NFC's elite teams. It came against the Chicago Bears, a team the Packers had owned to the tune of an 11-game winning streak dating back to 2018 entering Sunday. Maybe this will start a new era of Bears domination over their ancient rivals under the guidance of quarterback Caleb Williams 🤷♂️.
➤ Possessing less playoff momentum than the Packers are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are riding a four-game losing streak going into a wild-card playoff showdown with the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
NFL Week 18 key storylines
➤ Winners and losers: Week 18 in the NFL provided teams with the opportunity to make a final push ahead of the playoffs. Who took advantage and who faltered?
➤ Patriots' firing of Jerod Mayo points to this marquee coach candidate: As fast as Robert Kraft moved last year to replace Bill Belichick with the in-house promotion of Mayo, the table is suddenly set for another familiar face to become the next coach, Jarrett Bell writes.
➤ Aaron Rodgers opens up as Jets future and retirement rumors swirl: Rodgers is aware he might have played his last game with the Jets – and maybe in the NFL – but the QB wasn't making any decisions following Sunday's win.
➤ Mock draft: For many NFL teams, Week 18 is a window into playoff season. But for others, it marks the unofficial start to draft season. Who might the Titans consider with the No. 1 overall pick?
📸: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games
NFL Week 18 results
- Detroit Lions 31, Minnesota Vikings 9: For the first time ever, the Lions own home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
- Arizona Cardinals 47, San Francisco 49ers 24: This was an encouraging finish to a lost season for the Cardinals that started with so much promise.
- Denver Broncos 38, Kansas City Chiefs 0: The Broncos did exactly what they needed to do against the Chiefs' backups, clinching a playoff berth and shutting the door on the playoff hopes of the Bengals (and Dolphins, too, though they didn't help themselves) in the process.
- Seattle Seahawks 30, Los Angeles Rams 25: The Seahawks won 10 games in head coach Mike Macdonald's debut season, but this win was a little too late to save the team's playoff hopes.
- Los Angeles Chargers 34, Las Vegas Raiders 20: The Jim Harbaugh Effect turned a five-win team in 2023 to an 11-win playoff squad in 2024.
- New York Jets 32, Miami Dolphins 20: If this was the last we see of Aaron Rodgers as an NFL quarterback, he leaves on a positive note, throwing for four touchdowns and registering his 500th career scoring pass in the process. Rodgers is the fifth quarterback to throw for 500 or more touchdowns, joining Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571), Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508).
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, New Orleans Saints 19: For the fourth consecutive season, the Buccaneers are NFC South winners. A little history was made, too, as Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans registered his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season, tying him with Jerry Rice for the longest such streak in NFL history.
- Carolina Panthers 44, Atlanta Falcons 38 (OT): The Falcons' fate already was decided before this game went to overtime, during which Bryce Young and Carolina capped a promising finish to the season with a thrilling road win.
- Washington Commanders 23, Dallas Cowboys 19: The Commanders' last-minute win in Jerry World essentially rendered what was going on late in the Bears-Packers game at Lambeau Field meaningless. Washington earned the NFC's No. 6 playoff seed, therefore avoiding the division-rival Eagles on Super Wild Card Weekend.
- Chicago Bears 24, Green Bay Packers 22: This was the first time that Packers head coach Matt LaFleur lost to the longtime rival Bears.
- Indianapolis Colts 26, Jacksonville Jaguars 23 (OT): The Colts ended yet another disappointing season with a back-and-forth overtime win against the Jaguars, as both teams enter a crucial offseason.
- New England Patriots 23, Buffalo Bills 16: This win cost the Patriots a shot at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but more importantly signaled another shift in the head-coaching position after the firing of Jerod Mayo after just one season.
- Philadelphia Eagles 20, New York Giants 13: Saquon Barkley opted to be fresh for the playoffs versus attempting to break Eric Dickerson's record, and Tanner McKee made his first NFL start as Jalen Hurts also sat out. It didn't matter, even the Eagles' second- and third-stringers can beat the hapless Giants.
- Houston Texans 23, Tennessee Titans 14: While the Texans secured a second straight 10-win season, the Titans are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
- Cincinnati Bengals 19, Pittsburgh Steelers 17: The Bengals got the win, but did not get the help they needed on Sunday as Cincinnati failed to qualify for the postseason.
- Baltimore Ravens 35, Cleveland Browns 10: Baltimore continues to own the AFC North, and will face a familiar foe in the first round of the playoffs.
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