With just one game left in the regular season, it's shocking just how much is still up for grabs around the NFL. The top seeds in both conferences have yet to be decided, plus four divisional races to monitor and a seemingly endless array of seeding combinations. Oh, and we haven't even gotten to the mess that is the race to the top of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The upshot is that there's still something for each of the 32 NFL fan bases to root for. Whether it's wins to lock up a division title, losses for a better draft pick or something in between, here's a look at what everyone should want to happen in Week 18.
Arizona Cardinals
- The goal: Embrace the tank
Unfortunately, strength-of-schedule tiebreakers have left the 3-13 Cardinals out of the running for the No. 1 overall pick even if both the Giants and Raiders somehow win in Week 18. But Arizona can climb as high as No. 2, though it's a long shot: The Cardinals at least need losses from both New York teams, plus either a Titans win or other results around the league that would drop Arizona's SOS below Tennessee's. (It's complicated, but root for Minnesota and Cleveland in particular.)
Atlanta Falcons
- The goal: Sweet, sweet rivalry revenge
Atlanta can't even tank really, owing their first-round pick to the Rams this year. The best they can hope for is to foil a rival's tank job, as a loss to the Saints would potentially push New Orleans out of the top 10. Hey, it's something.
Baltimore Ravens
- The goal: Win and in
Somehow, some way, the Ravens are still alive. The Steelers' loss to the Browns in Week 17 has set up a do-or-die game for the AFC North (and the No. 4 seed in the playoffs) in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. And it looks like Lamar Jackson is getting healthy just in time.
Buffalo Bills
- The goal: Play the seeding game (and keep Josh Allen in bubble wrap)
The division is now out of the question for Buffalo, thanks to Sunday's loss against Philly. The highest the Bills can finish is the No. 5 seed, which would require losses from both the Texans (vs. the Colts) and Chargers (vs. the Broncos). It's a long shot, especially the former, but it would give Buffalo a Wild Card date with a very beatable AFC North champ.
Carolina Panthers
- The goal: Win and in
The scenario is simple for Carolina, despite their loss to the Seahawks in Week 17: Beat the Bucs in Tampa on Sunday, and punch your ticket to the playoffs (locked into the No. 4 seed). Lose again, though, and you're going home. As for a potential postseason opponent, well, they've already beaten the Rams once this year, and L.A. can get to the No. 5 seed with a win and a 49ers loss to Seattle.
Chicago Bears
- The goal: Just take care of business
A win over an eliminated Lions team at home on Sunday is huge for Chicago: Sure, the NFC North may already be sewn up, but the Bears should very much want to wrap up the No. 2 seed (and a rematch with the slumping Packers) rather than lose and potentially tumble into a matchup against a dangerous NFC West team.
Cincinnati Bengals
- The goal: Lock Joe Burrow out of the building
Burrow apparently plans to play in a meaningless game against the Browns on Sunday, but that seems like a very bad idea: Not only because Cincinnati could use a loss to shore up a top-10 pick, but also because of the particular motivations of the next team on this list ...
Cleveland Browns
- The goal: Get Myles Garrett the sack record as early as possible
After Pittsburgh's cowardice last weekend, Garrett is still looking for one more sack to set the new single-season NFL record. They'll look to get it done quick against Burrow and Co. ... and then immediately get Garrett out of the game in order to avoid another win that would take them out of the running for the No. 2 overall pick. (Cleveland needs every three-win team in front of them to win on Sunday, but hey, you never know.)
Dallas Cowboys
- The goal: Foil a hated rival
Dallas has very little to play for on Sunday, eliminated from the playoffs but also boxed out of a top-10 pick. The most fun Cowboys fans can have would, ironically, be to lose to the Giants, thereby dooming New York's shot at the top overall selection.
Denver Broncos
- The goal: Sew up the top seed
It's simple for Denver: Win at home against the Chargers, sew up the top seed and enjoy a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Lose, and they'll likely get leapfrogged by the Patriots and get left with a tricky Wild Card matchup against someone like the Bills.
Detroit Lions
- The goal: Draft positioning
At 8-8, Detroit won't be able to crack the top 10 in next spring's draft. But a loss to the Bears on Sunday will at least ensure they stay somewhere in the top 15 rather than potentailly falling a few spots. (A Minnesota win would also be helpful here.)
Green Bay Packers
- The goal: Get healthy
Green Bay is already locked into the No. 7 seed ahead of a Week 18 game against the Vikings, and the Christian Watson injury late last regular season should give Matt LaFleur all the cover he needs to rest his key guys at get ready for Wild Card weekend.
Houston Texans
- The goal: Steal the AFC South
Houston is white-hot right now, and the team still has plenty to play for despite wrapping up a playoff spot in Week 17. The AFC South and the No. 3 seed remain on the table, with a win over the Colts (starting Riley Leonard at QB) and a Jags loss to Cam Ward and the Titans. Of course, winding up as the No. 5 seed might be preferable if it means the Steelers in the Wild Card round.
Indianapolis Colts
- The goal: Play spoiler
Indy sent its first-round pick in 2026 (and much more) to the Jets in the Sauce Gardner deal, so there aren't any real tanking considerations at play in the season finale against Houston. The best-case scenario here is to somehow spring an upset that costs the Texans playoff positioning and gives the Colts some reason for hope that they might have something in Leonard under center.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- The goal: Absolute chaos
The Jags are starting from a good spot, needing just a win at home over the Titans to sew up the AFC South. But Jacksonville can still climb as high as the No. 1 overall seed: Trevor Lawrence and Co. just need a win plus losses by both the Patriots (against the Dolphins) and Broncos (against the Chargers) for the bracket to run through Duval.
Kansas City Chiefs
- The goal: Out-tank the tankers
Kansas City could very much use a loss in Week 18, one that would bump K.C. as high as No. 8 in next spring's draft and put the top offensive playmakers (WRs Jordyn Tyson and Carnell Tate, RB Jeremiyah Love) on the table. The problem? Their opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders, also needs to lose to ensure the top overall pick.
Las Vegas Raiders
- The goal: Embrace the tank
Geno Smith's parting gift was one more clunker in Week 17 that now has the Raiders in pole position for the No. 1 pick. All Vegas needs to do now is somehow find a way to lose to third-string Chiefs QB Chris Oladokun. Good luck. (Silver lining: The Raiders are very unlikely to fall lower than No. 2 no matter what.)
Los Angeles Chargers
- The goal: Ideal playoff positioning
At this point, all Chargers fans should be concerned with is which teams they do and don't want to face in the first round. Drawing either the Steelers or Ravens in the 4-5 matchup feels preferable to another date with Denver or Houston, and that would require a win against the Broncos plus a Texans loss to the Colts. Another interesting option? A loss that would drop L.A. to the No. 7 seed and a matchup with the Patriots, whose mediocre pass rush might not be able to exploit the Chargers' porous O-line.
Los Angeles Rams
- The goal: Get the No. 5 seed
It feels strange that it's come to this for a Rams team that's felt like a Super Bowl favorite for much of this year, but here we are. The silver lining is that, if L.A. avoids a stunning upset to the Cardinals and gets a Niners loss against the Seahawks, Sean McVay's team would get a juicy first-round matchup against the NFC South champ in the 4-5 game.
Miami Dolphins
- The goal: Embrace the tank
Sure, upsetting the division-rival Pats and costing them potential playoff seeding might be fun, but let's be honest: Dolphins fans need to be thinking about the future, and how best to acquire a new quarterback. At 7-9, the best draft position is already out of reach. Then again, a loss to New England could still push Miami into the top 10 if teams like the Bengals, Chiefs and Saints all win their winnable matchups this weekend.
Minnesota Vikings
- The goal: Let J.J. McCarthy cook
McCarthy might actually play in Minnesota's season finale against Green Bay after all. And with a draft pick around the middle of the first round already secure (and zero spoiler potential after the Packers locked themselves into the No. 7 seed), the only thing to play for here is a solid McCarthy performance that will give Vikings fans something to cling to over a long, cold winter at home.
New England Patriots
- The goal: Get a Broncos loss
Drake Maye and Co. shouldn't have too much of a problem dispatching of the Dolphins at home in Week 18. Take care of business there, and then all eyes turn to Denver, where a Broncos loss to the Chargers would give the Patriots the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
New Orleans Saints
- The goal: Embrace the tank
New Orleans currently sits at No. 8 in the draft order, but with both Cincinnati and the Chiefs breathing down their neck with all three teams at 6-10. A win could well drop New Orleans out of the top 10 entirely, with Miami likely to lose at New England. Don't mess around here and ensure a prime position to put more help around Tyler Shough.
New York Giants
- The goal: Lose and hope for a miracle
Another year, another round of draft heartbreak for New York Giants fans, who watched their team roll in a meaningless game in Las Vegas that dropped them out of the No. 1 overall pick. All hope is not lost, however: The Raiders now play the Chiefs' third-string quarterback, and if New York loses to Dallas, they'd be a Vegas loss away from reclaiming the top spot thanks to the SOS tiebreaker.
New York Jets
- The goal: Lose and hope for a miracle
The Jets are behind both Vegas and the Giants when it comes to the SOS tiebreaker, putting the No. 1 overall pick more or less out of reach. But No. 2 is still in play with a loss to the Bills in Buffalo (pretty likely) and a Giants win over the Cowboys (... less so). If New York stays put at No. 3, that will make the pursuit of a QB like Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore a bit dicier.
Philadelphia Eagles
- The goal: The No. 2 seed is still in play
Philly can't get to the top overall seed, but finishing at No. 2 (and a first-round date with the Packers) would be far preferable to remaining at No. 3 and having to deal with whichever unlucky third-place team in the NFC West falls all the way to the No. 6 seed. If the Eagles win and get a Bears loss to Detroit, their playoff path becomes a bit easier.
Pittsburgh Steelers
- The goal: Win and in
Pittsburgh has only itself to blame for this, but if you told fans at the beginning of the year that they'd have a play-in game at home against the Ravens for the AFC North title, most of them probably would've taken that deal. As for first-round matchups, you probably want to avoid Josh Allen, and at this point having the scorching-hot Texans win the AFC South and drop the Jags to No. 5 might be preferable.
San Francisco 49ers
- The goal: Take the top seed
It beggars belief considering all the injuries they've had to deal with, but the 49ers can sew up the top seed in the conference with a win at home against the Seahawks on Sunday. Arguably no team could use the first-round bye more, as San Francisco tries to get as healthy as possible before the postseason rolls around.
Seattle Seahawks
- The goal: Take the top seed
Of course, sweeping Seattle will be easier said than done, even with home-field advantage. Sam Darnold has begun to leak oil, but this defense is still absolute nails, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is still arguably the best in the business on the outside. If the Seahawks can't take care of business in San Francisco, they can't tumble further than the No. 5 seed, which still ensures a friendly matchup against the NFC South champ.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- The goal: Win and in (with some help)
Few teams inspire less confidence right now than Tampa, losers of four in a row and seven of eight. But thanks to their division, they can still make the playoffs ... provided they get a little bit of help. A win over the Panthers at home on Sunday would pull the two teams into a tie at 8-9. Unfortunately, the Falcons can also reach 8-9 with a win over the Saints. A two-way tiebreaker decided by common games favors the Bucs; however, a three-way tiebreaker, decided by head-to-head record among the three teams, would favor Carolina. So Tampa needs to get a win and a New Orleans win in order to be safe. God bless the NFC South.
Tennessee Titans
- The goal: Lose and hope for a miracle
Tennessee sits in a four-way tie at 3-13, but SOS leaves it well behind both New York teams in the tiebreaker race. They likely can't get enough help in Week 18 to flip that, meaning that they'll need both the Jets and Giants to win (plus a loss against Jacksonville) to jump up to the No. 2 pick. Even one win among the two gets them into the top three, though, which should still give them their pick of the non-QBs.
Washington Commanders
- The goal: Embrace the tank
Washington needs to not only lose at Philly in Week 18 but also get some serious help if it hopes to sniff a top-five pick in next spring's draft. At 4-12, the Commanders are behind the four-way logjam at 3-13 and lose the SOS tiebreaker to Cleveland. If the Browns beat the Bengals and some combination of the New York teams, Tennessee and Arizona pull upsets, they could still climb up the board. It's a long shot, though.