The first-ever Week 18 in NFL history did not disappoint, with several surprising results defying expectations. The end result? An upended playoff field that sets us up for an eventful wild-card weekend.
In the NFC, the Rams were in position to lock up the No. 2 seed after building up a 17–0 halftime lead over the 49ers, but fell apart in the second half in what became a 27–24 defeat in overtime. That result bumped San Francisco into the field and eliminated the Saints, who finished the year with a 30–20 win over the Falcons.
In the AFC, the Steelers found themselves in playoff position thanks to the Jaguars shocking Carson Wentz and the Colts with a 26–11 win over Indianapolis. Frank Reich’s crew was in prime position to make the playoffs before dropping its last two games of the regular season.
But Pittsburgh had to wait out its playoff berth until the conclusion of the Raiders-Chargers game, which saw Oakland defeat Los Angeles in overtime. Had the game ended in a tie, then the Steelers could have been eliminated and both AFC West teams would have advanced. Instead, The No. 4 Bengals will play the No. 5 Raiders next week, the No. 3 Bills will play the No. 6 Patriots and the No. 2 Chiefs will play the No. 7 Steelers.
Check out the list below for the full slate of wild-card matchups. This page will be updated once the full playoff field is finalized, and also when kickoff times and TV channels are announced.
Saturday, Jan. 15
- 4:30 p.m. ET: Raiders @ Bengals, NBC & Peacock
- 8:15 p.m. ET: Patriots @ Bills, CBS & Paramount+
Sunday, Jan. 16
- 1 p.m. ET: Eagles @ Buccaneers, Fox
- 4:30 p.m. ET: 49ers @ Cowboys, CBS, Paramount+, Prime Video & Nickelodeon
- 8:15 p.m. ET: Steelers @ Chiefs, NBC & Peacock
- 8:15 p.m. ET: Cardinals @ Rams, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 & ESPN+
