NFL Week 18: What’s on the line as the regular season draws to a close?

The 2025 NFL regular season will reach its conclusion on Sunday, with so much still up for grabs in a year in which the parity has rarely seemed more stark.

There is no true standout team in the NFL this year, making a Super Bowl favourite hard to pick. Each of the 12 teams to have clinched a playoff berth so far has clear flaws, setting the stage for one of the most unpredictable postseason campaigns in recent memory.

Yet there are still some big issues, including two places in the tournament, to be decided before the focus turns to the playoffs.

Here’s an in-depth look at what is still on the line in Week 18.

Which teams have qualified for the NFL playoffs?

AFC

• Denver Broncos (13-3, AFC West champions)
• New England Patriots (13-3, AFC East champions)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
• Houston Texans (11-5)
• Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
• Buffalo Bills (11-5)

NFC

• Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
• Chicago Bears (11-5, NFC North champions)
• Philadelphia Eagles (11-5, NFC East champions)
• San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
• Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
• Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)

Which teams are still in the mix?

In the NFC, the final playoff berth to be decided is in the NFC South, with the Carolina Panthers (8-8) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) set to face off for the division title on Saturday.

If the Panthers prevail they are the NFC South champions and the fourth seed. Should the Buccaneers win, they would need the New Orleans Saints to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday to lock in their place in the playoffs and the division crown. If the Falcons win, then they would be tied with the Panthers and Buccaneers at 8-9. The three-way tiebreaker would go to the Panthers as they swept the Falcons, whereas Tampa Bay lost to Atlanta in Week 15.

On the AFC side, the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) and Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) will meet in the final game of the regular season on Sunday Night Football. The equation is much more simple. The winner is the AFC North champion, the loser is out. In the unlikely event of a tie, the Steelers would make the playoffs.

What else is still to decided?

Three things are for certain in the playoffs. The AFC North and NFC South winners will be the four seeds in each conference, and the Packers are the seven seed in the NFC playoffs. They face a road game with the second seed in the Wild Card Round. Everything else is up for grabs.

The most enticing carrots available are the one seeds in each conference. Only the one seed receives a first-round bye, along with homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

On Saturday night, the 49ers host the Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in a true winner-take-all clash. If the 49ers win, they are NFC West champions and the one seed in the conference. With the Super Bowl being held at their Levi’s Stadium home, victory would mean the Niners never having to pack a suitcase for the remainder of their campaign.

A Seahawks victory would give them the title and see the NFC playoffs go through Seattle. That would also be the case in the event of a tie.

In the AFC, the Broncos are in the box seat for the one seed, which they will clinch with a victory over the Chargers. They will also claim the one seed if the Patriots and Jaguars each lose against the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.

New England will claim the one seed if they win and the Broncos lose. The Jaguars also have a path, albeit a more unlikely one, to homefield advantage.

They will be the one seed with a victory over the Titans and defeats for the Broncos and Patriots.

For Jacksonville, the least they will be looking to do is seal the AFC South title and third seed in the conference. They will achieve that goal with a win or a tie against the Titans, or if the Texans fail to beat the Indianapolis Colts.

A Texans win and a Jaguars loss would give Houston the division crown and at least one home game in the playoffs.

What about the No. 1 Pick in the NFL Draft?

It isn’t just about the playoffs in Week 18, there’s also the race to the bottom, and the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Two teams are in the mix to pick first in Pittsburgh in April, the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants.

Following the Giants’ win over the Raiders last week, Las Vegas can clinch the top pick with a loss in their finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.

A Giants win over the Dallas Cowboys would also seal the deal, while there is a more complex scenario involving the Falcons, Bears, Browns and Seahawks.

If three of those teams lose, the Raiders have the top pick.

The Giants’ path to the top pick is an unlikely one. It requires a Raiders win, a New York defeat to Dallas and 1.5 combined wins (with a tie counting as half a win) from the Falcons, Bears, Browns and Seahawks.