NEW YORK — Dec. 30, 2025 — Two playoff spots, four division titles and the top seed in both conferences will be decided in Week 18.
Denver (13-3, AFC West champion), New England (13-3, AFC East champion), Jacksonville (12-4), Buffalo (11-5), Houston (11-5) and the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) – have secured AFC playoff berths with the winner of Baltimore (8-8) at Pittsburgh (9-7) in #Game272 on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) deciding the final AFC playoff team.
Seattle (13-3), San Francisco (12-4), Chicago (11-5, NFC North champion), the Los Angeles Rams (11-5), Philadelphia (11-5, NFC East champion) and Green Bay (9-6-1) have qualified for the postseason in the NFC while the winner of the NFC South and final NFC playoff team will be Carolina (8-8) or Tampa Bay (7-9), who meet in Tampa on Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
The Bears and Patriots won their division this season after finishing last in their divisions in 2024. In 20 of the past 23 seasons (2003-25), at least one team finished in first place in its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place. The 49ers and Panthers can also accomplish this feat on Saturday in Week 18.
Three divisions – AFC East (New England), AFC West (Denver) and NFC North (Chicago) – have a new winner this season while four other divisions – AFC North (Pittsburgh), AFC South (Jacksonville), NFC South (Carolina) and NFC West (Seattle) – each have a team in first place entering Week 18 that did not win its division last season. There have been at least two new division winners for 23 consecutive seasons (2003-25) and since 2002, there have been seven new division winners in a season only once (2011).
Five teams – Chicago, Jacksonville, New England, San Francisco and Seattle – have qualified for the playoffs after missing the postseason last year. Since 1990 – a streak of 36 consecutive seasons (1990-2025) – at least four teams every season have qualified for the playoffs after failing to make the postseason the year before. Carolina can join this group on Saturday with a win.
For Week 18 capsules, click here.
For Week 18 Playoff Scenarios, click here.
The AFC entering Week 18:
AFC North #Game272: The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) will host the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) in #Game272, the final game of the 2025 regular season, on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) to determine the AFC North division champion. In Week 14, the Steelers defeated the Ravens, 27-22, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers passed for 284 yards and had two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) in the victory.
- Pittsburgh can win the division for the first time since 2020 while Baltimore seeks its third consecutive AFC North title.
- The Ravens can become the third team since 1970 to begin 1-5 and win their division in the same season, joining Washington in 2020 and Cincinnati in 1970.
AFC South: The Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) lead the Houston Texans (11-5) by one game entering the final week of the season.
- Jacksonville hosts Tennessee (3-13) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX) and with a win, can secure the fifth division title in franchise history (1998-99, 2017 and 2022) and reach 13 wins in a season for the second time ever (14 wins in 1999).
- Houston hosts Indianapolis (8-8) in Week 18 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS) and are the fifth team since 1990 to begin 0-3 and qualify for the postseason, joining the 2018 Houston Texans, 1998 Buffalo Bills, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1992 San Diego Chargers.
- With a Houston win and a Jacksonville loss in Week 18, the Texans win 12 games in a season for the second time in franchise history (2012) and secure their third consecutive division title.
AFC No. 1 seed: The Denver Broncos (13-3), New England Patriots (13-3) and Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) each can secure the top seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs in Week 18.
- Denver would be the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win against the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS). The Broncos, which won the AFC West for the first time since 2015, can win 14 games in a season for the second time in franchise history (1998). Denver won Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the host of Super Bowl LX, the last time they were the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
- On Sunday, New England can earn the top seed with a win against Miami (7-9) (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) and a Denver loss while Jacksonville would be the top seed with a win against Tennessee (3-13) (1 p.m. ET, FOX) and losses by both Denver and New England.
The NFC entering Week 18:
NFC West and the No. 1 seed: The Seattle Seahawks (13-3) visit the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) with the winner securing the NFC West division title along with the top seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks, 17-13, in Week 1 as quarterback Brock Purdy connected with tight end Jake Tonges for the game-winning touchdown with 1:44 remaining.
- With a win, the Seahawks can set a single season franchise record with 14 wins and win the division for the first time since 2020. Seattle can be the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2014, when they won Super Bowl XLVIII.
- Since head coach Mike Macdonald was hired in 2024, Seattle leads the NFL with 14 road victories, the second-most road wins by a head coach in his first two seasons all time (George Seifert, 16 road wins from 1989-90).
- The 49ers can win the NFC West for the third time in the past four seasons and win 13 games in a season for the third time under head coach Kyle Shanahan (2019 and 2022).
- San Francisco can become the top seed for the third time in the past seven seasons (2019 and 2023), previously advancing to the Super Bowl on both occasions. Since 1975, the 49ers have been the No. 1 seed 10 times, the most among all teams.
NFC South: The Carolina Panthers (8-8) will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) and one of those two teams will claim the NFC South division title and the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs. In Week 16, the Panthers defeated the Buccaneers, 23-20, as quarterback Bryce Young had two touchdown passes and a 102.5 rating in the win.
- Carolina can clinch its first NFC South division title since 2015 with a win OR an Atlanta victory over New Orleans in Week 18.
- Tampa Bay needs a win in Week 18 along with an Atlanta loss to win the division for the fifth consecutive season.
- The Panthers can become the 10th team in the past 20 seasons (2006-25) to secure a division title after beginning a season 1-3.
Among the milestones players can reach in Week 18:
Cleveland’s Myles Garrett leads the NFL with 22 sacks and can surpass Michael Strahan (22.5 sacks in 2001 with the New York Giants) and T.J. Watt (22.5 in 2021 with Pittsburgh) for the most sacks in a season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.
Baltimore’s Derrick Henry ranks fourth in NFL history with 122 career rushing touchdowns and can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (123 rushing touchdowns) for the third-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (164) and LaDainian Tomlinson (145).
Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson leads the NFL with 2,255 scrimmage yards and can become the third player all-time with 2,400 scrimmage yards in a season, joining Chris Johnson (2,509 scrimmage yards in 2009 with Tennessee) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (2,429 in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams).
Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 1,709 receiving yards in 2025 and can become the seventh player all-time with at least 1,800 receiving yards in a single season.
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