Ugly and Exciting Playoff Previews in NFL Week 18

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Its what we were promised, even if its far from glamorous or attractive. NFL Week 18 has all the circumstance with little pomp, but its exciting and fun all the same.

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It all comes down to this. NFL Week 18 is on deck, and so much of the playoff field is still up for grabs! Ugly, exciting, dramatic, pathetic, and glorified are a few of the adjectives that come to mind. The truly good teams are secure, but several fringe contenders must win now or face severe consequence. Other wannabe contenders will play for a seat in the postseason, but the irony is obvious. None appear to be Super Bowl contenders.

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All of Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Houston are tied for first place in the AFC South. Jacksonville owns the tiebreaker over both of the other two but could be without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence yet again. Meanwhile, Houston plays Indy. They both have a tiebreaker over Pittsburgh, meaning a win puts them in the playoffs even if it does not give them the South crown. The NFC is equally murky, and then there’s Buffalo and Philadelphia. Nothing is guaranteed in NFL Week 18.

 

NFL Week 18: Ugly & Exciting Playoff Previews

 

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Who should we fear the most out of this AFC South trio? It has to be Houston, right? Even at full strength, Jacksonville hasn’t felt right all year. Indy is finding ways to win but has been playing with house money after the loss of its quarterback. The Texans, though, have built an offense that scares opponents. Maybe that’s an offensive bias, as Jacksonville has the superior defense. But, in my mind, it isn’t good enough to scare an opponent. The only unit that does that from this division is the Houston offense.

Elsewhere, Buffalo and Miami are facing off for the AFC East title. It’s been a wild season for the Bills, and that continues here. The rub is that the Bills haven’t even clinched a playoff spot yet, so a loss could knock them out completely. I still think the Bills are the second-best team in the conference, but there now exists a rather large gap between Baltimore and the rest of the AFC.

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The NFC mirrors the AFC in many aspects. We also have a division up for grabs with three squads vying for the South, between Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Atlanta. New Orleans plays Atlanta, while the Bucs luck out with a matchup against Carolina. All Tampa Bay has to do is win…though the same was true last week. I like the Buccaneers story, but none of these teams are going to win a playoff game regardless, right?

Another mirror takes place in the East, where Philadelphia and Dallas can each win the division title. Dallas wins a tiebreaker over the Eagles, so all it has to do is take care of business. We can say that like it’s easy, but neither of these teams has been able to secure winnable games for some time now. Philadelphia, specifically, is cratering at the wrong time. Lucky for them, they have at least clinched a playoff berth. 

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Are either of these teams truly vying for the Super Bowl? It doesn’t feel likely, but they both have so much talent still. The Dallas defense has fallen off; the Philadelphia everything has as well. It doesn’t seem possible that such a collapse could be due to Jalen Hurts not being 100 percent, but nothing else paints a clear picture. I like Dallas more between the two.

And finally, we have the NFC wildcard race, which is a doozy…except for the fact that all the teams in contention aren’t that good. The consequence of expanded playoffs is evident. But it isn’t just the wildcard teams. Is it just me, or is everyone outside of Baltimore rather suspect? I thought San Francisco was the best team in the league, until the Ravens stomped them. Now, Baltimore keeps wrecking title contenders like it’s nothing, and who else is left? 

 

 

Dan Salem: Ugly Is Still Fun in NFL Week 18

It may not be pretty and the teams involved certainly aren’t thoroughbreds, but NFL Week 18 is chock full of huge playoff implications. This is exactly what the NFL wanted and while Miami versus Buffalo has all the sexy, our South division races bring the spunk. Win and you’re in comes down to the wire.

I can’t reasonably fear any of the three teams in the AFC South, but Houston has the firepower to make some playoff waves. The Texans are also a feel-good story and deserve to cap it off with a trip to the postseason. I want to watch their rookie quarterback step into playoff action, not what’s left of the Jaguars or Colts. Houston better win this thing. Same goes for Miami, who has major demons to deal with no matter the outcome of their game.

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The NFC South does not have a team worth fearing either, nor does it have a favorite. While Tampa Bay is probably the most consistent and dare I say best of the bunch, I really don’t want them to make the playoffs after I doomed them to last place back in August. Stay in your lane. Let the Falcons “win” this thing, just as someone will “win” the final wildcard spot. It may be exciting, but its inconsequential.

I called Baltimore versus San Francisco as the Super Bowl matchup to expect back in November, because they are the two best teams. The Ravens may have stomped on the 49ers, but I still want the rematch. Any other outcome would be an upset at this point, because every other playoff team has been blown out by someone they shouldn’t have. I am waiting for Kansas City to turn things on and truly defend their championship, but I may be waiting long past the Super Bowl. Anything other than Dolphins versus Cowboys will be a win in my book.

 

Meet our Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

NFL Week 18 Photo Credits: thephinsider.com and houstonchronicle.com via Getty Images

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