Which NFL teams are playing on Saturday in Week 18?
The NFL season is coming down to the wire as there is just one week left to conclude four months of storylines. While most of the playoff field has been set thanks to some unusually strong and weak teams, there are still a few division titles and postseason slots up for grabs entering Week 18.
One of the relatively new traditions for Week 18 is the advent of a Saturday doubleheader to kick off the final weekend of football. This twin bill is part of ESPN's Monday Night Football package and was negotiated as part of the league's new television contracts, ensuring ESPN will get to end the season with two games that have some form of playoff implications to serve as an appetizer for the final full day of football on Sunday.
Which NFL teams are playing on Saturday in Week 18?
- Cleveland Browns (3-13) at Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
- Date: Jan. 4
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- How To Watch: ESPN/ABC/ESPN+
- Venue: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
The AFC North will take center stage on Saturday of Week 18 as both games of the doubleheader will settle the division championship. While the Browns are in the running for the top pick of the draft, they will have an opportunity to play spoiler for Baltimore's division title chances.
The Ravens looked dominant in a 31-2 Christmas Day win over the Houston Texans, allowing them to climb past the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the division. A win here will lock up the division for Baltimore, but they were already upset by Cleveland earlier this season and surely won't take the Browns lightly with a home playoff game on the line.
- Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
- Date: Jan. 4
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- How To Watch: ESPN/ABC/ESPN+
- Venue: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
What happens in Baltimore will have a direct impact on the nightcap since Pittsburgh has an opportunity to win the division if the Browns upset the Ravens. The Steelers will be looking to bounce back from a discouraging loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day and can at least lock up the No. 5 seed in the playoffs with a win, which would avoid a first round rematch with the Ravens if Baltimore clinches the division.
Cincinnati is in full-on desperation mode, having ripped off four straight wins to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. A fifth straight win is a necessity for the Bengals, who also need losses from Denver and Miami on Sunday to pull off an improbable postseason surge.
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