NFL Week 18 Preview: Final Week of Regular Season Playoffs

CNN
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The NFL family was worried last week about the health of Dumar Hamlin, who continues to recover in the hospital, but the show continues this weekend, and there’s still plenty of thrilling football to come in the week of the regular season’s final game.

Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter of the Bills’ game in Cincinnati on Monday, causing the contest to be postponed and canceled by the NFL on Thursday night.

The canceled game leaves the Bills (12-3) – win behind the Chiefs (13-3) in the No. 1 seed Hunt and bye next round.

The Bills have to face the Patriots (8-8) on Sunday. With a win and a loss to the Chiefs, we know he can take the top spot in the AFC thanks to a higher winning percentage.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow says he “probably wants to play” in his team’s next game, but also understands others won’t play in the aftermath of Monday’s Hamlin collapse. There is

“If you voted for the locker room, there would be pros and cons,” he told reporters. “Personally, I think it’s hard to play, but some people want to play, some people don’t.

“Personally, maybe I want to play. Getting back to normal as soon as possible is how I personally deal with this kind of thing. There are different ways to do it.”

The Bengals have no chance of leading the AFC. At best, if they beat the Ravens and the Bills lost, they could steal the Bills’ second spot.

Conversely, even if the Ravens beat the Bengals, the Bengals would remain top of the AFC North due to their high winning percentage.

The Ravens have looked toothless in recent weeks with the absence of quarterback Lamar Jackson, but a tight defense could mean the Bengals are struggling to overcome Monday’s shock. So there’s an opportunity for the Ravens to build momentum and move into the playoffs.

Games begin at 6:00 PM ET on Sunday.

Joe Burrow returns to action after appearing in the game Hamlin went down.

The playoffs came early in Tennessee and Jacksonville.

The winner will qualify for the playoffs and top spot in the AFC South, while the loser will get nothing at all.

And it doesn’t look great for the Titans, who lost their sixth game on the go after losing 27-13 at home to the Cowboys.

The situation at quarterback makes things even worse. Starter Ryan Tannehill injured. His replacement, Malik Willis, threw for just 99 yards and was flipped twice against Houston before being replaced by Josh Dobbs in the final game.

The 2017 draft pick has only played 7 games in his NFL career and started the game for the first time against the Cowboys.

The two teams met just four weeks ago, with the Jaguars leading the way on Tennessee ground, 36-22. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was on fire throwing for 368 yards and his three touchdowns.

Watch Saturday at 8:15 PM ET.

With the Packers, Lions and Seahawks all having the same 8-8 record, another game with everything going into the final game.

If the Packers won, they would advance to the playoffs, as previous results pitted them against each other. If the Lions win, they’ll need a down-and-out Rams team to do them a favor and stop the Seahawks from winning on home soil.

It’s also a matchup between two teams recovering from a terrible start (3-6 for the Packers and 1-6 for the Lions) to finish the regular season in the best possible way.

The Packers have had success with one of the meanest defenses in the NFL. They have won the last four games without losing more than 20 points in a spin.

Against the Packers is a Lions team scoring for fun. Detroit hit top form last week as Jared Goff had 255 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions to beat Chicago 41.

The Packers wish the Seahawks a win as this is Sunday’s final game.

But this game could affect everything for both teams if the Rams throw an upset.

Watch Sunday at 8:20 PM ET.

The Lions beat the Packers 15-9 the last time the Lions and Packers met this season.

A few weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles seemed unstoppable. They have only lost one game to him, the best record in the NFL and virtually the top spot in the NFC.

Fast forward to this weekend and the Eagles could end the weekend as the 5th seed after losing their last two games.

The Cowboys are just one game behind the Eagles in the NFC East after beating them two weeks ago and could overtake them at the playoff table.

But with their fate still in their hands, Philadelphia hopes the Giants will do them a favor by letting their starters rest.

The Giants beat the Colts last week to secure an unlikely playoff spot, but face the age-old question of playing or resting their best players as they will be seeded sixth regardless of the outcome. .

That farewell was sensational for the Eagles, but it’s especially important for a team that is desperate to give star quarterback Jalen Hurts a full rest after missing two recent losses due to a shoulder injury. am.

With the Cowboys facing a relatively easy game against the Commanders, either the Eagles can turn around a mini-slump and end the season on a high, or they can lose all the momentum they built this season. All eyes are on the Eagles to see.

Games begin at 6:00 PM ET on Sunday.