What’s at stake in the NFL playoff race in Week 18? Both No. 1 seeds, 4 division titles and more
No. 1 seed in the AFC
It’s been a long time since there has been this much intrigue involved in the race for the No. 1 spot in the AFC playoffs. Kansas City has won it four of the last seven years, while Baltimore has done it twice and Tennessee once. Not once has the competition for that coveted honor come down to the last week of the season during that stretch, and definitely not with three teams in the running. Yet here we sit, with the Broncos, Patriots and Jaguars all dreaming about the possibility of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round bye. At 13-3, the Broncos have the easiest path. All they have to do is beat the Chargers at home and it’s a wrap. Of course, Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh might not be in the mood to rest his starters in this contest, so it might not be that simple. The Chargers also beat the Broncos in their first meeting, so Los Angeles is plenty capable of killing the dream in Denver. The Patriots are next in line to claim the top seed if Denver loses, because all New England must do is beat Miami at home (the Pats lose the tiebreaker to Denver). Finally, Jacksonville has the toughest task. The Jaguars need to beat the Titans at home and hope both Denver and New England lose. In a normal year, it wouldn’t be wise to think all that will happen. This also hasn’t been anything close to a normal year, so the Jags should have some optimism. This obviously is a lot to digest, but it feels like Denver isn’t going to blow this shot. Head coach Sean Payton finds a way to get his team across the finish line.
