SI:AM: NFL’s Week 18 Sets Stage for Early Playoff Vibes

It is win or go home for two divisional matchups, plus home-field advantage at stake in both conferences.

Peter Casey/Imagn Images

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In today’s SI:AM: 

🏅SI honors Phelps 

💰Shanahan’s best work

1️⃣Brady on the clock?

Playoff football comes a week early this year

Somehow, after tonight’s game between the Rams and Falcons, there will be just one week of football left to play in the regular season.

Two spots remain open for the playoffs, but the No. 1 seed in both the NFC and AFC is still up for grabs, as are divisional titles between teams that will make the playoffs in both conferences. There is plenty to play for in Week 18.

But the indisputable games of the week will be two divisional battles that will send one team to the postseason and the other to Cancun. The Panthers and Steelers could have clinched the NFC South and the AFC North on Sunday. With their losses, two playoff games come a week early.

In the NFC South, the Buccaneers will host the Panthers with the division on the line. Tampa Bay has won the division title four straight years and, early in the season, looked to be breezing to a fifth. Instead, Baker Mayfield & Co. have dropped four consecutive games and seven of their past eight, inviting the Panthers right back into the race.

Carolina could have put the division away with a win over the Seahawks on Sunday, paired with the Bucs’ loss to the Dolphins, but Seattle is the top team in the NFC for a reason.

When the two teams met just two weeks ago, Carolina eked out a win at home in a game that was always within one score. If the Panthers can complete the season sweep of the Buccaneers—a feat they have not accomplished since 2017—they’ll win the division for the first time since Cam Newton’s 15–1 campaign in 2015. The battle should be a banger. Kickoff will be Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.

Meanwhile, in the AFC North, the Ravens and Steelers will battle in one more war of attrition, a season defined by such wars between the two teams. Baltimore kept its postseason hopes alive on Saturday with a gutsy win over the Packers. Pittsburgh still could have locked up the division title with a win over the Browns on Sunday, but the Cleveland defense held the Steelers to just six points en route to an impressive victory with only pride on the line.

On paper, the Ravens should pull this one out. They have more talent and will not be short of their top receiver as the Steelers will on Sunday, thanks to DK Metcalf’s extracurricular activities a week ago.

But the Steelers have had the Ravens’ number in recent years, going 9–3 against their divisional foe since 2020.

Pittsburgh got the better of Baltimore just three weeks ago, taking a 27–22 win on the road in early December. It will have the home crowd behind it this time, but after this week’s no-show on offense, that crowd might be a little tight.

For the Ravens, the big question will be the availability of quarterback Lamar Jackson. Snoop Huntley played solid in Jackson’s stead against the Packers, but it was really running back Derrick Henry that lifted the team to victory. Getting Jackson back on the field would be a massive boon for Baltimore, but his health has been spotty all year. You have to imagine that the Ravens will do everything they can to get him on the field next week, but it’s worth noting that this week’s game was also do-or-die for Baltimore, and he was not able to go.

The Ravens and Steelers will close out the NFL regular season as the final Sunday Night Football matchup of the year, kicking off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

Finally, in case two de facto playoff games weren’t enough for you, the Seahawks and 49ers will face off for the NFC West title and with it, the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

The 49ers are coming off a thrilling win in prime time over the Bears, but they won’t be happy after giving up 38 points to Chicago. This one will be the nightcap of Saturday’s football action, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.

Elsewhere in the league, teams will be battling for playoff spots or for draft picks. While the final week of the regular season can sometimes leave us feeling a bit empty, there’s plenty to look forward to in Week 18.

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Olympic hero Michael Phelps has been named SI’s 2025 Muhammad Ali Legacy Award winner for his work with those struggling with mental health issues.

• 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy explains to Albert Breer how this season’s team is different, plus more in his Week 17 takeaways.

• The 49ers are not coach Kyle Shanahan’s most talented team, but Matt Verderame argues this could be his best chance yet win the Super Bowl.

• Tom Brady is on the clock. With the Raiders likely securing the No. 1 pick for the 2026 NFL draft, Conor Orr says the team’s minority owner will be one of the top stories in the offseason.

• Orr explains why Sunday’s loss by the Steelers was the most inexcusable of the Mike Tomlin era.

• Two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau’s LIV future is in doubt with his deal set to expire after next season, Max Schreiber writes.

• The best of NWSL. SI FC hands out awards for the best of 2025.

The top five…

… things I saw this weekend:

5. Fred Warner and his family are working the dance cam on Sunday Night Football.

4. Referee Dominique Pender is showing all sorts of hustle to help break up a scuffle.

3. Art But Make It Sports is counting down their top posts of the year.

2. No one in the world can explain an NBA foul like Bill Kennedy. Get this man on Cameo.

1. The Pop-Tarts Bowl sacrifice was a success once again, although one Pop-Tart opted out of being consumed, raising questions about the nature of the process that will undoubtedly have to be addressed next year.