What happens in week 18 of the 2025 season?

The 2025 NFL The regular season will end on Sunday, with so much still up for grabs in a year where parity has rarely seemed clearer.

There is no real standout team in the NFL this year, making it a Super Bowl favorite hard to choose. Each of the 12 teams that have clinched a playoff spot so far have obvious flaws, setting the stage for one of the most unpredictable playoff campaigns in recent memory.

Yet there are still some important questions, including two tournament spots, to be decided before attention turns to the playoffs.

Here’s an in-depth look at what’s still at stake in Week 18.

Which teams qualified for the NFL playoffs?

AFC

• Denver Broncos (13-3, AFC West champions)
• New England Patriots (13-3, AFC East champions)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
• Houston Texans (11-5)
• Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
• Buffalo Bills (11-5)

NFC

• Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
• Chicago Bears (11-5, NFC North champions)
• Philadelphia Eagles (11-5, NFC East champions)
• San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
• Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
• Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)

Which teams are still in the running?

In the NFC, the final playoff spot to be decided is in the NFC South, with the Carolina Panthers (8-8) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) facing off for the division title on Saturday.

If the Panthers win, they will be the NFC South champions and the fourth seed. If the Buccaneers won, they would need the New Orleans Saints to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday to secure their spot in the playoffs and the division crown. If the Falcons win, they would then be tied with the Panthers and Buccaneers at 8-9. The three-way tiebreaker would go to the Panthers as they swept the Falcons, while Tampa Bay lost to Atlanta in Week 15.

On the AFC side, the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) will face off in the final game of the regular season on Sunday Night Football. The equation is much simpler. The winner is the AFC North champion, the loser is eliminated. In the unlikely event of a tie, the Steelers would make the playoffs.

What still remains to be decided?

Three things are certain in the playoffs. The winners of the AFC North and NFC South will be the top four seeds in each conference, and the Packers are the top seven seeds in the NFC playoffs. They face a road matchup with the second seed in the Wild Card Round. Everything else is up for grabs.

The most attractive carrots available are the seeds of each conference. Only the top seed receives a first-round bye, as well as home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Saturday night, the 49ers will host the Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in a true winner-take-all showdown. If the 49ers win, they will be NFC West champions and top seed in the conference. With the Super Bowl being played at Levi’s Stadium, victory would mean the Niners would never have to pack up for the remainder of their campaign.

A Seahawks victory would give them the title and send the NFC playoffs to Seattle. This would also be the case in the event of a tie.

In the AFC, the Broncos are in the driver’s seat for the one seed, which they will clinch with a victory over the Chargers. They will also claim the top seed if the Patriots and Jaguars each lose to the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.

New England will earn the top seed if they win and the Broncos lose. The Jaguars also have a path, albeit a more unlikely one, to home-field advantage.

They will be the only top seed with a win against the Titans and losses to the Broncos and Patriots.

For Jacksonville, the least they will look to do is seal the AFC South title and third seed in the conference. They will achieve that goal with a win or tie against the Titans, or if the Texans fail to beat the Indianapolis Colts.

A Texans win and a Jaguars loss would give Houston the division crown and at least one home game in the playoffs.

What about the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft?

It’s not just about the Week 18 playoffs, there’s also the race to the bottom and the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Two teams are in the running to pick first in Pittsburgh in April, the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants.

After the Giants’ victory against the Raiders last week, Las Vegas could land the first pick by losing in the final against the Kansas City Chiefs.

A Giants win against the Dallas Cowboys would also seal the deal, while there is a more complex scenario involving the Falcons, Bears, Browns and Seahawks.

If three of these teams lose, the Raiders will have the first pick.

The Giants’ path to the top pick is unlikely. This requires a Raiders win, a New York loss to Dallas and 1.5 combined wins (with a tie counting as a half-win) from the Falcons, Bears, Browns and Seahawks.