NFL playoff scenarios: The 1st Week 18 will end with a Sunday night showdown between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders for a wild-card spot

The NFL’s docket changes for Week 18 volition diagnostic precisely what the league wanted: a Sunday nighttime showdown for a playoff berth.

To decorativeness the NFL’s archetypal 17-game season, the Los Angeles Chargers astatine Las Vegas Raiders crippled was flexed from daytime to premier time. Both AFC West rivals are 9-7, and the victor volition beforehand to the postseason.

“Each week has a beingness of its ain successful the NFL … and that’s the mode we request to dainty things astir here,” Chargers manager Brandon Staley said. “And the longer that we’re here, the much radical volition recognize that each week is going to consciousness similar this coming week.”

Also successful the premix for the last AFC wild-card slot — the New England Patriots ain 1 of them — are the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. If the Colts (9-7) triumph Sunday successful Jacksonville, they’re in. The Steelers (8-7-1) get successful with a triumph Sunday successful Baltimore and a Colts loss, arsenic agelong arsenic the Chargers-Raiders crippled doesn’t extremity successful a tie.

The Ravens (8-8) request each sorts of help, but they are mathematically live and indispensable interruption a five-game descent Sunday against the Steelers. The Ravens would get the motion if they decorativeness astatine 9-8 with the Chargers and Colts due to the fact that they swept the different teams. But they wouldn’t spell if the Miami Dolphins besides get to 9-8. The Colts would get that tiebreaker based connected league record.

If the Raiders suffer and decorativeness 9-8, they inactive would marque the playoffs if the Colts and Steelers some lose. The Chargers would beryllium eliminated with a loss.

The league besides switched 2 games from Sunday to Saturday. The AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs volition sojourn the Denver Broncos, followed by the Dallas Cowboys astatine the Philadelphia Eagles. Neither of those games has the beardown postseason implications of Chargers-Raiders.

The Chiefs (11-5) could get the No. 1 effect successful the AFC with a triumph but besides would request the Tennessee Titans (11-5) to suffer Sunday successful Houston. The Broncos are out.

The Cowboys (11-5) person won the NFC East, and the Eagles (9-7) ain an NFC chaotic card.

Here are the different Week 18 games:

• The AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) astatine the Browns.
• The NFC North champion and top-seeded Green Bay Packers (13-3) astatine the Detroit Lions.
• The Seattle Seahawks astatine the Arizona Cardinals, who ain a wild-card berth astatine 11-5 and inactive could triumph the NFC West.
• The New Orleans Saints (8-8 and successful the premix for an NFC chaotic card) astatine the Atlanta Falcons.
• The New York Jets astatine the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (10-6), who would instrumentality the part with a victory.
• The San Francisco 49ers (9-7 and besides successful contention for an NFC chaotic card) astatine the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams (12-4).
• The Patriots (10-6), who could triumph the AFC East with a triumph and a Bills defeat, astatine the Dolphins.
• The Carolina Panthers astatine the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-4).
• The Chicago Bears astatine the Minnesota Vikings.
• The Washington Football Team astatine the New York Giants.

There are much permutations that volition marque heads spin. For example:

• While the Saints person the borderline connected the 49ers for an NFC spot astatine 9-8 based connected a amended league record, successful a three-way necktie with the Eagles, Philly is successful with the champion league grounds and past the Saints get the different berth implicit the 49ers.
• Finally, determination are scenarios involving ties that adjacent immoderate of the teams mightiness not beryllium definite of.