What NFL teams must do to make the playoffs in Week 18

For the first time ever there are 18 weeks in the National Football League regular season. The fact that half the teams in the NFL have one more home game than the other half is down right ridiculous at the moment, which makes the NFL distinct from every other major professional sports league in North America. It is what it is, and NFL fans just have to live with the overall stupidity of the structure of the league.

As the NFL moves to the final weekend of the regular season, we know that the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans are playoff bound in the AFC, while the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playoff bound in the NFC. That leaves one playoff spot up for grabs in the NFC and two playoff spots up for grabs in the AFC.

Let’s take a look at the simpler conference first–the NFC. If the 9-7 San Francisco 49ers get a win or a tie on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, they are in. San Francisco also gets in with a New Orleans loss to Atlanta. The Saints reach the playoffs with a win over Atlanta and a San Francisco loss to the Rams.

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The AFC is a little more complex. The 9-7 Indianapolis Colts are playoff bound with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the winner of the Sunday nighter between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders are also in the playoffs. However things will get a little crazy if the Jaguars upset the Colts. That will then open the door for the Pittsburgh Steelers who can make the playoffs if they beat the Baltimore Ravens, and if the Chargers/Raiders game does not end in a tie. Both the Chargers and Raiders make the playoffs if they tie and the Colts lose to Jacksonville. Meanwhile, the Ravens at 8-8, are mathematically still alive too. They can reach the playoffs with a win over Pittsburgh, a Jacksonville win over Indianapolis, a Las Vegas win over the Chargers and a New England win or tie against Miami.

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