Week 18 is here, and although there are a number of teams that have already locked up their positions, multiple continue to do battle to make the dance and even improve their seeding. Which teams have already made the playoffs, and which still have meaningful games to play this week?
NFL Standings | NFC
1. Detroit Lions (14-2)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
3. Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
5. Minnesota Vikings (14-2)
6. Washington Commanders (11-5)
7. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
In The Hunt
9. Atlanta Falcons (8-7)
NFL Standings | AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
3. Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
4. Houston Texans (9-7)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
7. Denver Broncos (9-7)
In the Hunt
8. Miami Dolphins (8-8)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
Current Matchups
Obviously, these matchups will change as teams play their games in Week 18, but if the playoffs were to start right now, this is what it would look like.
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (BYE)
2. Buffalo Bills vs. 7. Denver Broncos
3. Baltimore Ravens vs. 6. Los Angeles Chargers
4. Houston Texans vs. 5. Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC
1. Detroit Lions (BYE)
2. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 7. Green Bay Packers
3. Los Angeles Rams vs. 6. Washington Commanders
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 5. Minnesota Vikings
When Do the NFL Playoffs Start in 2025?
- Wild-card round: Jan. 11-13
- Divisional round: Jan. 18-19
- Conference Championships: Jan. 26
- Pro Bowl: Feb. 2
- Super Bowl: Feb. 9
NFL Teams Benching Their Starters in Week 18
The following teams are planning to sit their starters during the final week of the season.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have already secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and they have decided to rest their starters. Since Kansas City will have a first-round bye week, their players will get a nice two-week break until their next meaningful game.
The following players have been ruled out or doubtful for Sunday’s road game against the Denver Broncos:
- Patrick Mahomes
- Travis Kelce
- Chris Jones
- Trent McDuffie
- Isiah Pacheco
- Jawaan Taylor
- Jaylen Watson
- Nick Bolton
- Kareem Hunt
- George Karlaftis
- Justin Reid
- Drue Tranquill
- Mecole Hardman
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC, so they are expected to rest many of their key players. Even with Saquon Barkley just 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, he’s expected to sit out.
The Eagles haven’t officially announced who will be out, but judging by the players they are holding out of practice due to rest, it appears the following players will sit out Sunday’s game against the New York Giants:
- Jalen Hurts (Concussion)
- Saquon Barkley
- A.J. Brown
- DeVonta Smith
- Zack Baun
- Mekhi Becton
- Jalen Carter
- Reed Blankenship
- Cooper DeJean
- Landon Dickerson
- C.J. Gardner-Johnson
- Lane Johnson
- Cam Jurgens
- Jordan Mailata
- Quinyon Mitchell
- Darius Slay
- Nolan Smith
- Josh Sweat
Los Angeles Rams
While it initially seemed that the NFC West would come down to the Week 18 matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, the Rams actually clinched the division in Week 17 due to the strength-of-victory tiebreaker.
Now, the Week 18 matchup doesn’t hold much significance for the Rams (beyond determining whether Los Angeles is the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the NFC, which head coach Sean McVay recently said doesn’t matter).
The following Rams have been ruled out for Week 18 against Seattle:
- Matthew Stafford
- Cooper Kupp
- Puka Nacua
- Kyren Williams
- Alaric Jackson
- Kevin Dotson
- Rob Havenstein
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC, so they are expected to rest many of their starters.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed that Josh Allen will start the contest (to keep his streak of consecutive starts alive), but Mitchell Trubisky will take over shortly after.
While McDermott said they want to win the game, he stressed the importance of “making sure we’re as fresh as possible coming out of this week and [as] healthy as possible.” He also said this would be an opportunity to evaluate a number of practice squad players.
Unlike some of the other teams on this list, the Bills haven’t said exactly who will be resting on Sunday against the New England Patriots, but expect most of their significant contributors to sit out or play sparingly.
San Francisco 49ers
Unlike the other teams on this list, the San Francisco 49ers have been eliminated from the playoffs. After last year’s Super Bowl appearance, the Niners have dealt with a ton of injuries to key players, and it has greatly impacted their season.
From Christian McCaffrey to Brandon Aiyuk to Javon Hargrave to Nick Bosa to Trent Williams to Jordan Mason, San Francisco has had star-studded injury reports for much of the year.
Prior to Sunday’s road game against the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers ruled out several players due to injuries (but it’s possible they are being cautious since the season is over):
- Deebo Samuel Sr. (ribs, wrist)
- Brock Purdy (elbow)
- Deommodore Lenoir (shoulder)
- Spencer Burford (calf)
- Robert Beal Jr. (ankle)
George Kittle is questionable with an ankle injury and could potentially sit out too.
