The Good, Bad and Ugly, Week 18: Myles Garrett Makes History

It may have been a down season for the Browns, but their star defensive end wrote his name into the NFL history books. Plus, after a slow start to the season, Trevor Lawrence & Co. are peaking at the right time.

Myles Garrett set a new NFL single-season sack record during the Browns’ Week 18 game against the Bengals. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Enough of the playoff pictures and hypotheticals. Let’s get to the results. 

There are 12 games on Sunday, and only one of them serves as a de facto playoff game. It comes in prime time with the preeminent AFC North rivalry as the Steelers and Ravens battle for the AFC North titles at Acrisure Stadium. The winner not only earns the division title but also secures the AFC’s fourth seed, while the loser will be eliminated. 

In the early Sunday window, the Falcons-Saints game provided clarity in the NFC South. By virtue of Atlanta winning, the Panthers won the NFC South and are the conference’s fourth seed.

Elsewhere, the Broncos beat the Justin Herbert–less Chargers, wrapping up home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Patriots plowed the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium, to take the second seed while the Jaguars are now locked into the third seed. In the wild-card round, they will host the Bills, who thrashed the Jets, 35–8, in the final game at Highmark Stadium.

But we begin in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars closed their regular season with gusto.

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Good: Myles Garrett gets the single-season sack record 

It’s been another down year for the Browns, but at least Clevelanders have something to remember that will make them smile. 

On Sunday, Myles Garrett broke the single-season sack record, a mark that has held up since 2001 when Michael Strahan had 22.5 sacks. T.J. Watt tied Strahan with his ’21 effort, but Garrett was able to eclipse it when he sacked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter of the Browns’ 20–18 win. 

Garrett’s career has been light on team achievements but full of individual accolades. He’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a soon-to-be five-time first-team All-Pro. Garrett also has 125.5 career sacks, putting him 20th since sacks became official in 1982, tied with Dwight Freeney. With 13 sacks in 2026, Garrett could move into ninth on the list depending on whether Cameron Jordan or Von Miller continue playing. 

Regardless, Garrett is one of the best pass rushers in NFL history, and now owns the biggest single-season defensive record in the sport.

Bad: Anybody facing the Jaguars in the playoffs

Jacksonville had all the markings of a fraudulent contender. The Jaguars were 5–4 with their previous two games being an overtime win over the Raiders and a loss to the Texans after leading 29–10 in the fourth quarter. 

Since then, the Jaguars haven’t lost. Jacksonville hammered the Titans 41–7 on Sunday to clinch the AFC South and, at worst, the No. 3 seed. Trevor Lawrence threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, continuing what has been a very strong close to his regular season. 

Lawrence got off to a slow start with 14 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions through the first 11 games of the season. However, he’s come alive in first-year coach Liam Coen’s offense over the past six weeks, racking up 15 touchdowns and one interception to help Jacksonville secure the division. 

Additionally, the defense is showing up under first-year coordinator Anthony Campanile. The Jaguars have allowed just 14.5 points per game during their eight-game winning streak, becoming a balanced threat to any playoff team.

Ugly: The Vikings have to consider all options at quarterback 

Minnesota finished its season Sunday, capping off a five-game winning streak and a 9–8 record with a 16–3 victory over the Packers’ backups. 

But the real story came in the third quarter, when starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy was forced from the game with an apparent right hand injury. Although it has yet to be confirmed, it seems as though McCarthy may have reaggravated an ailment sustained in Week 16 when he broke a bone in that hand against the Giants.  

All told, McCarthy has been with the Vikings for two seasons. He missed his entire rookie year with a torn meniscus. In 2025, McCarthy missed time with a broken hand, high ankle sprain and concussion, playing just eight complete games (10 starts). For general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell, the question is simple and a two-parter: Has McCarthy shown enough when healthy, and do you trust him to play often enough?

On the year, McCarthy threw for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a completion rate of 57.6%. With those numbers and his track record of myriad injuries, the Vikings have a challenging decision ahead.

J.J. McCarthy has struggled to stay healthy through his two-year NFL career. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Good: Bills close Highmark Stadium on a high note en route to postseason

After 53 seasons in a building originally known as Rich Stadium, the Bills said goodbye to their lady of Orchard Park. 

Buffalo sent it out in style, beating the hapless Jets 35–8 to finish the regular season 12–5 and as the AFC’s sixth seed. Ultimately, few will remember this game for anything other than it being the final contest at Highmark Stadium before the Bills move across the parking lot in the autumn, but it’s worth remembering what the venue witnessed over the years. 

While hundreds of games were played there, two stand out above the rest. In 1990, the Bills reached the first of four consecutive Super Bowls by hammering the Raiders, 51–3, in the AFC championship game. Then, two years later, Buffalo played the Houston Oilers in the wild-card round without future Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas. In the third quarter, Buffalo trailed 35–3 before staging what was, until 2022, the largest comeback in league history, winning 41–38 in overtime. 

For Buffalonians, the perfect send-off would have been watching Josh Allen kneel down on the turf in three weeks, sending Buffalo back to the Super Bowl. But if he ends up doing it on enemy soil, that’s not a bad consolation prize. 

Bad: The Rams aren’t playing their best football going into the playoffs

Sometimes, it doesn’t matter whether you’re playing well or underwhelmingly heading into the postseason. The 2009 Saints are a perfect example, as they lost their last three games after starting 13–0 before going on to win the Super Bowl. 

However, the Rams haven’t been the best version of themselves in recent weeks. After taking a 30–14 lead in a game against the Seahawks in Week 16, Los Angeles ended up losing 38–37 in overtime, costing them any realistic shot at the No. 1 seed or NFC West crown. Then, last Monday night, Los Angeles fell to the Falcons.

On Sunday, facing the three-win Cardinals, who have won just one game since Week 2, the Rams trailed in the second half before finally winning 37–20. Ultimately, the win means going to Carolina instead of Philadelphia next week. That’s a big deal, considering the Panthers are the only playoff team with a sub-.500 record. 

All that said, if the Rams don’t play much, much better next week and going forward, they’ll have a short stay in the postseason.

Ugly: It needs to be one-and-done for Aaron Glenn with the Jets

When the Jets hired Aaron Glenn this past offseason, there was a thought that he and new general manager Darren Mougey could usher in a new era for Gang Green. After all, the Jets haven’t won a playoff game (or participated in one) since the 2010 season.

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Instead, the Jets are every bit as bad as the 1996 edition, when Glenn was a star cornerback and they went 1–15 under coach Richie Kotite. After that year, Kotite was ousted. Glenn might be looking at the same fate following a 35–8 beating at the hands of many Bills backups.

​Nobody expected New York to be good this season. But being bad and being an embarrassment are two different things. The Jets have lost their past five games by a combined score of 188–54, an average differential of 26.8 points per game. The overall margin of minus-134 would be the third-worst in football this season, only better than the Titans’ and the Raiders’. Even for owner Woody Johnson, a man accustomed to watching his team lose consistently, this might prove too much.

​If the Jets do move off Glenn, it’ll be one of the most unappealing openings in the league. New York has the second pick in the 2026 draft, but no quarterback and very few impact players across the roster. The bigger problem, though, is the lackluster ownership of Johnson, which would be trying to hire a second coach in as many years.

Good: Seattle’s defense is good enough to win the Super Bowl

Plenty of ink has been spilled about the terrific defenses in Houston and Denver. While all those compliments are well-earned, don’t forget about the unit in Seattle. 

Coming into Saturday night, the Seahawks’ defense ranked first in both yards per pass attempt (6.1) and yards per rush (3.7). 

That balanced excellence was on full display in the battle for the NFC West against the 49ers. San Francisco couldn’t do anything on the ground or in the air, averaging 4.1 yards per play. Christian McCaffrey was bottled up with few holes to exploit, gaining 23 yards on eight carries (2.9 YPC). Brock Purdy also struggled against Mike Macdonald’s defense, facing a ferocious rush and a lockdown secondary. All told, Purdy was 19-of-27 for a meager 127 yards with an interception. 

Now with home-field advantage, the Seahawks have the inside track to Super Bowl LX. They have to win two games at Lumen Field, one of the loudest buildings in the league, to get there. And while concerns remain about Sam Darnold in big games, there’s no reason to doubt the other side of the ball, a group good enough to win it all.

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Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 97 yards on 16 carries against the 49ers on Saturday night. / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Bad: The 49ers trying to stop the run regardless of the back

Going into the game, the overwhelming thought was that San Francisco would do everything to stop the backfield tandem of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, putting the game in Darnold’s hands. 

Instead, Walker and Charbonnet churned up both yards and the clock while Darnold benefitted from play-action passes and a clean pocket. The aforementioned duo totaled 171 yards on 5.1 YPC, with Walker gaining 97 rushing yards and Charbonnet posting 74 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown to give Seattle a first-quarter lead it never relinquished.

For the 49ers, it was a crushing way to lose. San Francisco was bullied all over the field in its own building. With the front seven attempting to hold up without All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner and star edge rusher Nick Bosa, coordinator Robert Saleh finally saw a challenge he had no answer for. 

Going into the postseason, there’s a good chance the 49ers will be the No. 6 seed (the Rams need to beat the lowly Cardinals for that to happen) and heading off to play either the Bears or Eagles. Either way, they’ll need to be much better against the run.

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Ugly: A lack of perimeter playmakers is catching up with the 49ers

San Francisco has one of the league’s most dynamic players in McCaffrey, who entered Week 18 trailing only Bijan Robinson in yards from scrimmage. It also has George Kittle, a future Hall of Fame tight end. 

Unfortunately for the 49ers, they don’t have a wide receiver capable of consistently making plays. With second-year man Ricky Pearsall inactive against the Seahawks and Brandon Aiyuk on injured reserve (and no longer around the team), San Francisco couldn’t threaten against a secondary, including star corner Devon Witherspoon and rookie standout Nick Emmanwori. Overall, the receivers managed only seven receptions for 59 yards. 

Going into the playoffs, it’s going to be a major concern any time McCaffrey and Kittle are bottled up (they had 86 total yards against Seattle). Purdy will need to extend plays and create off-schedule with a group of wideouts who struggle to generate explosive gains, having only 30 across 17 weeks.

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Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has Tampa Bay on the doorstep of the playoffs. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Good: Tampa Bay giving itself a chance of avoiding total embarrassment

The Buccaneers looked like a contender at 3–0 to start the year, with Baker Mayfield getting some early-season MVP talk. 

Then things fell apart. Tampa Bay lost nine of its next 13 games, including seven of eight down the stretch. With a loss on Saturday in their rain-soaked home stadium, the Buccaneers would have been eliminated from postseason contention while questions would have rained down on whether coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht deserved to return for 2026.

With the 16–14 victory, Tampa Bay isn’t out of trouble. The Buccaneers still need the Saints to beat the Falcons in Atlanta, which wouldn’t qualify as a massive upset but more a mild surprise. If Tampa Bay makes the playoffs, the season is still underwhelming based on preseason expectations (yours truly picked the Bucs to reach the NFC title game) but at least Tampa Bay would be the division champion for a fifth consecutive season. 

Ultimately, Tampa Bay should be embarrassed by how the last two-thirds of this season has gone, even with injuries to receivers Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, running back Bucky Irving and others throughout the year. But the Week 18 win shows some gumption for a team that appeared comatose last weekend in a loss to the Quinn Ewers–led Dolphins.

Bad: Carolina’s run game abandoned it at the wrong time

The Panthers entered the weekend having rushed for 1,958 yards, 11th most in the league. The ground attack has been buoyed by Rico Dowdle, a soon-to-be free agent on a one-year deal who rushed for 1,066 yards on 4.7 yards per attempt. 

But on Saturday, with a playoff berth and division title on the line, the Panthers couldn’t find a yard. Dowdle carried seven times for 10 yards while Chuba Hubbard matched him on five attempts. All told, Carolina rushed for 19 yards on 14 attempts while facing the 21st-ranked defense in yards per carry at 4.4.

If the Panthers end up in the playoffs, they need to run the ball for any chance of advancement. Carolina can’t rely on Bryce Young, who for the year has thrown for 3,007 yards in 16 games. No quarterback has thrown for less when playing in at least 15 contests. 

Give the Panthers credit for finding ways to win all year with a passing game limited to short throws, as Young entered Saturday night with only 33 passes of more than 20 air yards in 2025. But if they play next weekend, their only chance of success will be on the ground.

Ugly: The NFC South over the past four seasons

It’s been a while since the NFC South produced a team anybody wanted to watch, or thought could win the Super Bowl, come January. 

The Buccaneers won their second Super Bowl to cap the 2020 season, with Tom Brady beating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, 31–9. The following year, Tampa Bay went 13–4 and lost to the eventual champion Rams in the divisional round. 

Since then, it’s been a lousy division with largely lousy results. 

Over the past four years, including Saturday’s results, here are the regular-season records of the four NFC South teams:

Buccaneers: 35–33

Saints: 27–40

Falcons: 29–38

Panthers: 22–46

It’s been bad football, producing only a single playoff victory, coming when Tampa Bay defeated the Eagles in the 2023 wild-card weekend, the season Philadelphia collapsed down the stretch in between Super Bowl appearances. The Buccaneers are the only NFC South team to make the playoffs over the past four seasons (it will be five if Atlanta loses on Sunday), doing so as the No. 4 seed in three of those campaigns.

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