NFL Week 18: Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers meet in decider, Myles Garrett targets history and Las Vegas Raiders close in on No 1 Draft pick | NFL News

Editor’s note…

Welcome to the final weekend of the NFL regular season, where last-gasp playoff spots are up for grabs, where seedings are to be cemented, where the No 1 pick at the Draft will be decided and where players across the league chase millions of dollars worth of incentives.

The latter is always a fun watch at this time of year.

As I celebrate a £5 sale on Vinted, Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle enters Week 18 needing seven more scrimmage yards in Saturday’s NFC South climax against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to snag a $1m bonus for reaching 1,350 total yards this season.

Elsewhere, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen is six catches away from earning an extra $750,000 in bonus money for reaching 80 receptions on the year, but may have to stomach coming up shy amid the prospect of Jim Harbaugh resting his playoff-bound starters against the Denver Broncos. Having just accepted a £6 offer on a jumper I listed for £7, I too know the feeling of being cheated.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead needs 1.5 sacks to reach seven on the season for a $1m bonus, New England Patriots edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson is half a sack from $500,000 and Washington Commanders outside linebacker Von Miller is one sack away from a $500,000 bonus of his own.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown requires one more touchdown for a $750,000 bonus, and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold needs three touchdown passes, 150 passing yards, an increase of 0.3 in completion percentage and a rise of 0.8 in passer rating to secure a £2m bonus. Go get that bread, gentleman.

The not-so-coveted battle for the No 1 pick at the NFL Draft is currently led by the Las Vegas Raiders after last weekend’s defeat to the New York Giants left them 2-14 on the year. They finish the regular season against a Kansas City Chiefs team led by third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun, while the Giants, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals all sit 3-13. How very Raiders it would be to go and surrender top spot by beating Andy Reid’s backup-filled Chiefs.

At the top, where things actually matter, the Denver Broncos will look to hold off the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars to wrap up the AFC’s No 1 seed, while the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers face off on Saturday to decide the NFC’s No 1 seed.

Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett has one last chance to get the one sack he needs to break the all-time single-season NFL record, while the Buffalo Bills are preparing for an emotional farewell as they play their final ever regular-season game in 52-year-old Highmark Stadium ahead of moving into their new stadium.

The curtain will then close on the 2025 regular season when Sunday Night Football sees the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers meet in an AFC North decider.

I’s are to be dotted, t’s are to be crossed. But there is a feeling that football is beyond ready for the playoffs at this point.

Rodgers vs Lamar – the decider

Lamar Jackson confirmed this week he will be back to start for the Ravens as they seek to snatch the AFC North title from Pittsburgh and complete an unlikely playoff turnaround.

Jackson was absent with a back contusion for last weekend’s win over the Green Bay Packers, during which Derrick Henry ran for over 200 yards and four touchdowns to keep Baltimore’s once-written-off season alive.

“Yeah, 100 per cent,” Jackson said of his availability. “I’ll be out there.”

The Ravens had entered their Week Seven bye 1-5 behind one of the league’s worst defenses and with two-time MVP Jackson looking a shadow of his explosive self, marred by injuries that have limited his threat outside the pocket for much of the campaign.

A five-game winning streak resurrected their chances only to be followed by three defeats in four. The Pittsburgh Steelers could, maybe should, have been out of sight; instead, they face the prospect of being haunted by inconsistency.

So here we are. Win, and you’re in.

It lingers as an all-too familiar tale of uncertainty for Pittsburgh, who celebrated a 19th consecutive non-losing season under Mike Tomlin while still warranting the same scrutiny over the franchise’s direction – or lack of it.

Quarterback purgatory and offensive sputters have made for ugly viewing in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. They sought to address as much by signing Aaron Rodgers for what likely marks his final season in the NFL, while trading for D.K. Metcalf, giving him a $132m contract and then trading away star receiver George Pickens.

Fail to make the playoffs, and it will have all been for nothing.

“Great player, but we would definitely like to have his last memory be a negative one,” said Ravens corner Marlon Humphrey of Rodgers.

Listen to Inside the Huddle

Sky Sports NFL’s Neil Reynolds and Phoebe Schecter look ahead to the last week of the regular season in the NFL and (eventually!) make their predictions. They discuss playoff scenarios, the Lions and the Colts missing out and why there’s still so much to play for in this unpredictable season!

Playoff/division-clinching scenarios in Week 18

AFC

Denver Broncos (13-3) – vs Chargers (11-5)

How Broncos can clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage:

1. Win
2. Tie & Patriots defeat or tie
3. Patriots defeat & Jaguars defeat or tie

New England Patriots (13-3) – vs Dolphins (7-9)

How Patriots can clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage:

1. Win & Broncos defeat or tie
2. Tie & Broncos defeat

Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) – vs Titans (3-13)

How Jaguars can clinch AFC South division title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed first-round bye and home-field advantage:

1. Win, Broncos defeat & Patriots defeat

Jaguars clinch AFC South division title with:

1. Win or tie
2. Texans defeat or tie

Houston Texans (11-5) – vs Colts (8-8)

How Texans can clinch AFC South division title:

1. Win & Jaguars defeat

Baltimore Ravens (8-8) – @ Steelers (9-7)

How Ravens can clinch AFC North division title:

1. Win

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) – vs Ravens (8-8)

How Steelers can clinch AFC North division title:

1. Win or tie

NFC

San Francisco 49ers (12-4) – vs Seahawks (13-3)

How 49ers can clinch NFC West division title and NFC’s No.1 seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage:

1. Win

Seattle Seahawks (13-3) – @ 49ers (12-4)

How Seahawks can clinch NFC West division title and NFC’s No.1 seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage:

1. Win or tie

Carolina Panthers (8-8) – @ Buccaneers (7-9)

How Panthers can clinch NFC South division title:

1. Win or tie
2. Falcons win

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) – vs Panthers (8-8)

How Buccaneers can clinch NFC South division title:

1. Win & Falcons defeat or tie

Who said what?

Bengals QB Joe Burrow on Myles Garrett chasing NFL sack record against him: “I’m certainly not going to overcompensate either way. I’m not going to go out of my way to not let him get the record, and I’m not going to go out of my way to let him get the record either.”

Lions head coach Dan Campbell on QB Jared Goff: “Jared Goff is a stud. He played at a very high level all season long, even better than he played the year before. I’m thankful to have him, he’s an absolute stud, he’s a pro, he’s going nowhere.”

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles on Baker Mayfield: “We’ve got to be better at the quarterback position and we’ve got to be better at the signal-calling position and we’ve got to be better blocking it.”

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson on QB J.J. McCarthy: “Of course I would love for him to be the quarterback. Especially off this year. I feel like he needs to show everybody and prove to everybody that he is that top-tier quarterback. So I would love to have him. I would love to work with him and show everybody that he is that No. 1 guy.”

Packers CB Trevon Diggs on joining Green Bay: “It feels good, you know?. I want to be comfortable with being uncomfortable being somewhere that I’ve never been before. Just starting over, starting fresh, a clean slate, and just working, and keeping my head down, and just working.”

News around the league

• The Packers claimed Trevon Diggs off waivers after the cornerback was released by the Cowboys
• Riley Leonard will start at quarterback for the Colts over Philip Rivers against the Texans
• Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing strangulation and other criminal charges
• Rams safety Quentin Lake signed a three-year $42m contract extension
• Bills quarterback Josh Allen missed another practice as he continues to nurse a foot injury
• Trey Lance will start at quarterback for the Chargers against the Broncos as Justin Herbert is rested
• Packers quarterback Jordan Love cleared concussion protocol but Clayton Tune will start in his place against the Vikings
• Saints WR Chris Olave will miss Sunday’s game against the Falcons due to a blood clot in one of his lungs

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Watch the 2025 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every minute of the playoffs and Super Bowl LX; Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.