Dec. 31 (UPI) — A Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers clash will be among several Week 18 season-finale matchups with major NFL playoff implications.
“It’s a meaningful thing,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters. “We’ve worked hard to get to this position. There are a lot of different paths in football and a lot of different paths in life. This is the path of the 2025 season.
“So here we are. Our goal is to make the most of it.”
The Steelers (9-7) will host the Ravens (8-8) in the primetime meeting at 8:20 p.m. EST Sunday in Pittsburgh. The winner will claim the AFC North division crown and No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, while the loser misses the postseason. The Steelers also could claim the title and playoff berth with a tie.
The rth matchup will air on NBC.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) will host the Carolina Panthers (8-8) in the first NFL game of that week. The Panthers can win the NFC South title and No. 4 seed in the conference with a win or a tie. They also could lose and still reap the same rewards if the Atlanta Falcons (7-9) beat the New Orleans Saints (6-10).
“That would be cool,” Falcons running back Bijan Robinson told reporters Monday, when asked about potentially knocking the Buccaneers out of the playoffs.
The Buccaneers can only claim the playoff berth if they beat the Panthers and the Saints beat the Falcons.
The Buccaneers and Panthers will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Tampa, Fla. The game will air on ESPN and ABC. The Falcons will host the Saints at 1 p.m. Sunday in Atlanta. That meeting will air on Fox.
Another key NFC matchup to watch will be a regular season finale between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
The NFC West rivals will not only play for the division crown, but also the NFC’s top seed and a first-round bye. The 49ers (12-4) will host the Seahawks (13-3) at 8 p.m. Saturday in Santa Clara, Calif. That game will air on ESPN and ABC.
The loser will earn an NFC wild-card spot and be forced to play on the road, despite finishing the season with a 13-4 or 12-5 record. The Seahawks also could clinch the No. 1 seed with a tie.
“It’s very important,” 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said. “We know what’s at stake right now. We’ve gotta have a great week of prep and get ready to go.”
In the AFC, the Denver Broncos (13-3) can clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed, which comes with a first-round bye and home field advantage, with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5). The Broncos and Chargers will kick off at 4:25 p.m. Sunday in Denver. The meeting will air on CBS.
The Broncos also could clinch the top seed with a tie and New England Patriots loss or tie. A Patriots loss and Jacksonville Jaguars loss or tie also could give the Broncos the top seed.
“Just historically speaking, [the No. 1 seed] is extremely important, every study would show you,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “The first reason would be: you skip a game in which you are at risk to not play well. … You skip right to the next round. And to be able to play in front of our fans, with the crowd noise and atmosphere.”
The Patriots (13-3) can steal the No. 1 seed with a win over the Miami Dolphins (7-9) and a Broncos loss or tie. They would also clinch the top spot with a tie and Broncos loss.
The Patriots will host the Dolphins at 4:25 p.m. Sunday in Foxborough, Mass. The AFC East matchup will air on Fox.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only other team that could earn the AFC’s top seed, but they need to beat the Tennessee Titans (3-13) and hope for losses by both the Broncos and the Patriots.
With a win or tie, the Jaguars would clinch the AFC South. They also could win the division title if the Houston Texans lose to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Jaguars will host the Titans at 1 p.m. Sunday in Jacksonville. The AFC South meeting will air on Fox.
The Texans (11-5) need to beat the Colts (8-8) and the Titans to beat the Jaguars to win the AFC South. They will host the Colts at 1 p.m. Sunday in Houston. The meeting will air on CBS.
Additional Week 18 NFL meetings will determine seeding for the postseason. The Buffalo Bills (11-5), who currently hold the No. 7 seed in the AFC, join the Broncos, Patriots, Jaguars, Texans and Chargers as teams who already clinched playoff spots.
The Chicago Bears (11-5), Philadelphia Eagles (11-5), Los Angeles Rams (11-5) and Green Bay Packers (9-6-1), along with the Seahawks and 49ers, clinched NFC playoff spots.
The NFL playoffs run Jan. 10 to Feb. 8.
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