What will be the biggest surprises in Week 18 of NFL's regular season?
The NFL's Week 18 is here.
In the league's inaugural year of an expanded regular-season schedule, much of the playoff picture is already settled. Eleven of the 14 postseason berths are accounted for, and six of the eight division crowns have been clinched. Meanwhile, home-field advantage has been decided in the NFC, with the Green Bay Packers securing the No. 1 seed.
But there's still plenty at stake in what will amount to the last Sunday of the season for a majority of the league's teams.
With that in mind, we asked Paste BN Sports' NFL writers, columnists and editors:
What will be the biggest surprise of the NFL regular season's final week?
Their answers:
Jarrett Bell
I'm thinking that after I totally whiffed in picking the Browns to reach the Super Bowl, it's rather surprising that you're asking me for another prediction. But I see there's no elimination for these roundtable Q&As, just more opportunity to look a bit foolish. That said, I've got two surprises. The Raiders will beat the Chargers and make the playoffs. Talk about high drama. That's been the deal all season in Las Vegas, so why stop now? Derek Carr will have a huge game and the phenomenal kicker, Daniel Carlson, will win another game at the buzzer. Now here's my bonus prediction: Ravens coach John Harbaugh will go for two-point conversions twice against the Steelers -- and they'll convert both times. I mean, the football gods owe these guys.
Jori Epstein
The Giants will throw for net positive passing yards. Didn’t you hear coach Joe Judge, in his 11-plus-minute rant ensuring fans that his team is not “a clown show”? To be, relatively, more serious: Give me the Seahawks over the Cardinals. Russell Wilson may be ready to bolt Seattle, Pete Carroll ready to show him the door. But the quarterback who won a Super Bowl with Seattle and earned seven Pro Bowl berths will elevate his level of play to conclude a storied Seahawks tenure on a high note. I’m not suggesting Seattle is a better team than Arizona. After all, I was live and present for the Cardinals’ upset of the Cowboys last week, a well-earned Arizona win in which the visitors outplayed, outcoached and outwitted an underwhelming Cowboys squad. But NFC West regular-season finales always seem to be a little wacky, Wilson has one last chance to bolster his free-agent resume, and Arizona has already claimed it first playoff berth since 2015 even if not its division title. Let Russ cook.
Mike Freeman
Hopefully this is wrong, but I think one of the biggest surprises will be seeing just how much Giants players have tuned out coach Joe Judge. I hesitate to use the word “quit” because most players are too professional to do that. Yet in the final game against Washington, you might see one team, Washington, play like it still cares, and then the opposite with the Giants. It’s possible the Giants’ lack of effort will send a signal about how the locker room feels about Judge. Again, hopefully, this is wrong.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
In a week that seems like it could be short on in-game drama (feel free to hold me to this if Sunday delivers some classics), let's have some fun. Kyle Shanahan said that he wouldn't announce his starting quarterback ahead of Sunday's game, but regardless of Jimmy Garoppolo's thumb injury, it's time to turn the reins over to Trey Lance. The No. 3 pick wasn't completely electric in making his first start in place of Garoppolo in last week's win over the Houston Texans, but Shanahan and John Lynch should be encouraged by what he can already do for this offense in attacking the entire field. I'll predict that whether by necessity or choice, Lance will start Sunday and lead San Francisco to a crucial win over the Los Angeles Rams, igniting a controversy in the Bay Area entering the playoffs.
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