The NFC South champion is the final puzzle piece to the playoff picture on the NFC side of the 2024 NFL playoff bracket, and the winner will either be the 9-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the 8-8 Atlanta Falcons. For Tampa Bay, it’s simple — beat or tie the New Orleans Saints and win the division. But if the Buccaneers were to lose the game, the Falcons would win the division with a victory over the Carolina Panthers. If both clubs lose, the Bucs take the division crown. Both Atlanta and Tampa Bay head into Week 18 as big home favorites over the two clubs at the bottom of their division.
Elsewhere around the NFL in the Week 18 early window, the Bills (at Patriots) and the Eagles (vs. Giants) are both locked into the No. 2 seeds in their respective conferences and will be resting some starters ahead of the upcoming wild-card weekend. That includes Philadelphia resting Saquon Barkley, who is 101 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season NFL rushing record. In the NFC, the Rams, Packers and Commanders have all clinched postseason berths, but can maintain — or improve on — their seeding with Week 18 wins.
NFL Week 18 Sunday schedule
Early window
Saints vs. Buccaneers — 1 p.m. ET | Fox Panthers vs. Falcons — 1 p.m ET | CBS Giants vs. Eagles — 1 p.m. ET | CBS Bills vs. Patriots — 1 p.m. ET | CBS Jaguars vs. Colts — 1 p.m. ET | Fox Texans vs. Titans — 1 p.m. ET | CBS Bears vs. Packers — 1 p.m. ET | Fox Commanders vs. Cowboys — 1 p.m. ET | Fox
Late window
Chiefs vs Broncos — 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS Dolphins vs. Jets — 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox Seahawks vs. Rams — 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox Chargers vs. Raiders — 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Vikings vs. Lions — 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC
Live15 updates
Bears take the lead in a game for the first time since Week 12
Leave it to the Bears to dust off the interesting plays in Week 18, once most fans have stopped watching and everyone else thinks they’re incompetent.
And it worked! They pulled off a trick play and took their first lead in SIX WEEKS. Never change, Bears. (Don’t worry, they won’t.)
Eagles backups are doing work
Nearly every good/important Eagles player is inactive today, but the backups aren’t screwing around against the Giants.
Tanner McKee is making his first NFL start today, and he’s already got Philly up 7-0 after throwing a pass to Ainias Smith, who caught it the ball for his first career touchdown!
Micah Parsons is sacking it up vs. Commanders
Micah Parsons has two sacks in the the Commanders’ first possession. The Cowboys don’t have much to play for, but Parsons is doing work.
Josh Allen’s consecutive starts streak continues
Bills QB Josh Allen played one play then promptly went to the sideline and put on the QB parka coat. His streak is secure.
Josh Allen started Sunday’s game vs. New England and played one play. He now has started 105 straight games, the longest active streak for any QB and more than double the next closest streak that belongs to Lions QB Jared Goff.
Whoops! These Saquon fans traveled a long way to watch him sit on the sideline
Saquon Barkley is inactive today and won’t be attempting to break Eric Dickerson’s all-time single-season rushing record, despite being just 100 yards short.
These fans apparently did not get the message. At least they look happy to be there.
This Eagles fan traveled 1000 miles to see Saquon break the record
But remember in the final regular season game last year against the Giants, not only was AJ Brown lost for the playoff game, but Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown were as well. pic.twitter.com/1vckHwN0Qs
Simone Biles wearing enormous coat to support husband Jonathan Owens
It is 16 degrees in Green Bay right now, but there’s no way cold weather will stop Simone Biles from supporting her husband, Bears safety Jonathan Owens, in his last game of the season.
Wearing an enormous floor-length puffer coat (i.e. the fashionable version of the famous sideline parka cape), she was on the field pregame to wish Owens luck.
Bucs’ duck is back!
Remember the mallard that landed on the field of Raymond James Stadium during the Buccaneers’ victory over the Panthers in Week 17?
The duck is back!
Credit to Tampa’s social media team for finding the weirdest yet somehow perfect music for this duck video.
Inactives: Texans vs. Titans
Inactives: Saints vs. Buccaneers
NFL Week 18 inactives: New Orleans Saints
DT Khristian Boyd QB Derek Carr LB Willie Gay RB Alvin Kamara RB Kendre Miller WR Mason Tipton LB Pete Werner
Krista Sullivan, who writes about politics, health, business, and finance for Hermes News, is a lifelong news junkie. She spent her childhood reading the newspaper from front to back every day and developed an interest in politics at a young age.
After graduating from college, Krista worked as a reporter for several local newspapers before moving to Hermes News in 2015. She has been covering the economy since then and enjoys writing about new developments in the field.
