We’re rolling into Week 18 with plenty to play for in the regular-season finale. Let’s dive in …
Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay’s declaration that the Rams will play their starters against the Cardinals on Sunday should get your attention. It was only a year ago that McVay decided to rest his stars in the final week of the season over pursuing the No. 3 seed to avoid a 14-win NFC North runner-up (the Lions and Vikings played for the division that week) in the wild-card round.
It was roundly questioned. The move paid off in a very big way, with a rested Rams team blowing out the Vikings—who were coming off a war in Detroit—even amid wildfires that forced the game from Inglewood to Arizona.
So McVay stepped to the podium, without knowing all the stakes that would be there in Week 18, and told reporters that he was going the other way this time around on the premise that “we need to play better.” Which indicates that, as McVay sees it, there was more to the way that the team played than the absence of cornerstone players such as Davante Adams, Kevin Dotson and Alaric Jackson in Monday night’s game in Atlanta.
And for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, and rightfully so, there’s plenty to pick apart. Matthew Stafford’s uptick in turnovers is one thing—he’s been clean all year, with two exceptions. He had three turnovers against both the Panthers and Falcons, and no more than one in any of the Rams’ other 14 games. The other thing is a suddenly leaky run defense. Bijan Robinson went for 195 yards on the ground. Atlanta went for 219 yards as a team, after Seattle and Carolina went for 171 and 164, respectively, on the Rams over the past month.
Now, are these fatal flaws? Only time will tell. The Rams were my pick to win the Super Bowl both in the summer and midseason, and I still see them as one of the favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara.
There was enough there Monday, though, to get everyone’s attention. McVay’s included.
Atlanta Falcons
How the Falcons handle the next week will be interesting. With the consulting firm Sportology in to do a health check of the football operation (which extended all the way to sports science and the medical staff), and the potential that franchise icon Matt Ryan comes aboard (as Jay Glazer reported), there’s been an assumption in league circles that owner Arthur Blank’s readying for a fresh start with a new coach and GM.
I still think it’s unlikely Blank runs the whole thing back again. That said, the Falcons are 4–2 since Kirk Cousins reentered the starting lineup. They’ve won three consecutive games and could finish the season in a three-way tie atop the NFC South (though it won’t change that their season will end with Sunday’s game against the Saints).
They also have a coach and GM who are on different timelines. GM Terry Fontenot is in his fifth season. Coach Raheem Morris is in his second. Fontenot will miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year. Morris, meanwhile, has a chance at repeating last year’s middling 8–9 record.
Then there’s Ryan, who I’ve heard could take on a role similar to Chris Spielman’s in Detroit, helping align all facets of the organization. Ryan, for what it’s worth, does have a background with both Morris and Fontenot. Morris, of course, was an Atlanta assistant from 2015 to ’20, and Fontenot was there for Ryan’s final season as a Falcon, then dealt Ryan to the Colts in early ’22.
And if you’ve watched the team recently, you can see the bones of something pretty good. We’ll see if Blank allows either Fontenot or Morris to see that through.
New York Jets
Here’s the reality of the Jets’ situation: There has been no discussion at the upper reaches of the organization about moving on from Aaron Glenn after one year. And while some people would warn that Woody Johnson could quickly turn with another embarrassing Sunday at the office, I’d be pretty surprised if that happens.
That said, the biggest question being considered internally is the obvious one: what the Jets should do at quarterback. From ownership on down, there was a conscious decision made that 2025 wasn’t the year to put that on Glenn and GM Darren Mougey, because so few options were available. So they brought in Justin Fields as a high-end Band-Aid, and that, obviously, didn’t work out as planned.
With that as the backdrop, I’d expect a lot of effort and energy to be put into the position this offseason. Part of that will be assessing if the right offensive structure is in place, and that will be evaluated. Would the Jets make significant changes to the offensive staff this soon after Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks? To me, that is the sort of question to consider. And the plan is for Glenn to be in place in 2026 to answer it.
(As it stands now, I think it’ll mean changes around OC Tanner Engstrand, with perhaps some more quarterbacking infrastructure, rather than replacing him.)
Brock Purdy
In Monday’s takeaways, we had a note on Brock Purdy not feeling like he needs to, or should try to, play the position any differently than he ever has.
“You can’t overthink it, and randomly decide, Hey, I’m going to be Superman right here, and put the team on my back and do something crazy,” Purdy told me. He’s better served, he figures, following his coaching.
And it’s fair to say this year that approach has served him well.
Even with the injuries and attrition around him, and the injury he dealt with personally, he has a 104.2 passer rating for the season, a 20–9 TD-INT ratio, a 69.3% completion rate and a 7–1 record over his eight starts. So I thought this would be a good shot, with the playoffs looming, to ask Purdy how he viewed his own play.
“I feel pretty good,” he said. “Obviously, there’s always a couple drives and plays that you wanted to put together and try to be flawless. But at the end of the day, for me, if I can continue to play decisive and aggressive and protecting the team, I think we’ll always have a chance. So I’m trying to stay in that state of mind.”
Purdy has, for sure, given the 49ers a chance. Which is, ultimately, what you’re paying your quarterback, regardless of the rate, to do.
Tyler Shough
Will Tyler Shough be the Saints’ quarterback in 2026?
For my money, he’s been the most impressive rookie quarterback this year. He has the most wins, the best passer rating and completion percentage of the class, and has shown considerable growth—even if he is 26 years old after a seven-year run in college. And that was enough for me to ask the above question of New Orleans coach Kellen Moore.
“Yeah, he’s done a lot of good,” Moore said. “He’s done a lot of good through this entire journey. He’s gotten better, and he’s undoubtedly had a significant influence on us winning some games down the stretch.”
I’d translate that to say that he has a shot to be the starter in 2026, pending whatever the Saints’ options are in the offseason.
New Orleans Saints
One other note from Moore: I asked him, specifically, as a former quarterback, how scout-team work can help a young quarterback develop, as it has with Shough. I alluded to his answer in the takeaways.
“I think there’s always two parts,” Moore said. “One is the pocket. When you’re a scout-team quarterback, the pocket is not good in practice. You’re going against a starting defense, and so you have to deal with some uncomfortable environments. And I think that was one thing that [Shough] was able to grow from, coming from college to the NFL.
“And the second part is you get to test yourself as a scout-team QB. You get to make throws in all honesty where it’s like, Hey, let’s see if I can make that throw or not.”
Seattle Seahawks
One more leftover from Monday: I thought AJ Barner’s perspective on Mike Macdonald’s impact on the Seahawks was really interesting after the team’s 27–10 road win Sunday in Charlotte over the Panthers.
“It’s infectious, what Coach Mike brings to the table,” Barner said. “He lets you be you. Like, whoever you are, wherever you wanna be, follow the rules, do what you gotta do, but bring energy, be yourself, show up to work every day and get it in. That’s the type of guys that we have, too. So, it’s awesome. The division’s here, and it’s time to go do what we gotta do.”
With a win Saturday night against the 49ers, Macdonald’s second regular season as Seahawks coach would end with Seattle winning the NFC West, holding the NFC’s No. 1 seed and finishing with the NFL’s best record while playing in arguably its toughest division.
Dallas Cowboys
The disconnect between Trevon Diggs and the Cowboys has dragged on throughout the season, and his fit in Brian Schottenheimer’s culture, or lack thereof, hastened the team’s decision to sever ties with the veteran corner. So rather than wait until season’s end, Dallas waived him on Tuesday.
Would he be worth taking a flier on?
He has $500,000 left on his $9 million base for 2025, and no guaranteed money past this year (he’s due $15.5 million next year, which is probably more than anyone would be willing to pay him). So a team picking him up would almost certainly be a playoff team, paying the half million to get added depth at a premium position for the postseason.
Diggs’s recent tape isn’t great, he hasn’t tackled well and he’s lost a step. So it’ll be interesting to see if someone claims him, or picks him up, should he clear waivers, on the premise that there isn’t a lot to lose in taking a chance on a guy who should be motivated to show everyone he can still play.
Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s still weird that the Steelers are without DK Metcalf for these two critical weeks after they traded George Pickens for being unreliable. Pickens, of course, has had an All-Pro-level season with the Cowboys, with 92 catches for 1,420 yards and nine touchdowns (and a big decision looming on his future by Dallas).
Indianapolis Colts
On Riley Leonard starting for Indy: It’s really cool that Philip Rivers is there with him. The two have worked together in the offseason the past couple of years in the Mobile, Ala., area, where Rivers lives, and Leonard is from, to the point that Rivers has become a mentor to the young quarterback. I’m sure Rivers wants to play, but getting to be there for Leonard isn’t a bad way for the old gunslinger to ride off into the sunset.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- NFL Power Rankings: Rams Hold Steady While 49ers Surge After Big Win
- Joe Burrow Was So Tickled by His Offensive Lineman’s Angry Run
- Mike Evans Remains Undecided on 2026 Status, Retirement
- George Kittle Takes Important Step From Injury in Order to Return for 49ers’ Playoff Run
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sean McVay Is Approaching Week 18 Differently This Year.
