NFL playoff scenarios: The 1st Week 18 will end with a Sunday night showdown between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders for a wild-card spot

The NFL’s schedule changes for Week 18 will feature exactly what the league wanted: a Sunday night showdown for a playoff berth.

To finish the NFL’s first 17-game season, the Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders game was flexed from daytime to prime time. Both AFC West rivals are 9-7, and the winner will advance to the postseason.

“Each week has a life of its own in the NFL … and that’s the way we need to treat things around here,” Chargers coach Brandon Staley said. “And the longer that we’re here, the more people will realize that every week is going to feel like this coming week.”

Also in the mix for the final AFC wild-card slot — the New England Patriots own one of them — are the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. If the Colts win Sunday in Jacksonville, they’re in. The Steelers (7-7-1) must win out — they play Monday night at home against the Cleveland Browns, then visit the Ravens (8-8) — and still could fall short.

The Ravens need all sorts of help, but they are mathematically alive and must break a five-game slide Sunday against the Steelers. The Ravens would get the nod if they finish at 9-8 with the Chargers and Colts because they swept the other teams. But if the Raiders are 9-8 along with the Ravens and Colts, the Raiders go for the same reason.

A Chargers loss eliminates them.

The league also switched two games from Sunday to Saturday. The AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs will visit the Denver Broncos, followed by the Dallas Cowboys at the Philadelphia Eagles. Neither of those games has the strong postseason implications of Chargers-Raiders.

The Chiefs (11-5) could get the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a victory but also would need the Tennessee Titans (11-5) to lose Sunday in Houston. The Broncos are out.

The Cowboys (11-5) have won the NFC East, and the Eagles (9-7) own an NFC wild card.

Here are the other Week 18 games:

• The AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) at the Browns.
• The NFC North champion and top-seeded Green Bay Packers (13-3) at the Detroit Lions.
• The Seattle Seahawks at the Arizona Cardinals, who own a wild-card berth at 11-5 and still could win the NFC West.
• The New Orleans Saints (8-8 and in the mix for an NFC wild card) at the Atlanta Falcons.
• The New York Jets at the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (10-6), who would take the division with a victory.
• The San Francisco 49ers (9-7 and also in contention for an NFC wild card) at the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams (12-4).
• The Patriots (10-6), who could win the AFC East with a victory and a Bills defeat, at the Miami Dolphins.
• The Carolina Panthers at the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-4).
• The Chicago Bears at the Minnesota Vikings.
• The Washington Football Team at the New York Giants.

There are more permutations that will make heads spin. For example:

• A four-way or five-way tie at 9-8 for wild cards is possible in the AFC. If the Dolphins and/or Browns also get to that record, the Colts have the edge based on best conference record.
• While the Saints have the edge on the 49ers for an NFC spot at 9-8 based on a better conference record, in a three-way tie with the Eagles, Philly is in with the best conference record and then the Saints get the other berth over the 49ers.
• Finally, there are scenarios involving ties that even some of the teams might not be sure of.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3HufoxO