The New England Patriots will close out their regular season on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET against the Miami Dolphins. In terms of playoff qualification, both teams already know their fate: the Patriots are in, the Dolphins are out. And yet, the game could have a significant impact on seeding in the AFC.
In that regard, it is not the only important contest in Week 18. So, with that said, let’s find out who to root for.
Saturday
4:30 p.m. ET
Carolina Panthers (8-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9): Go good game! This game might
help determine the NFC South champion, but it has little to no meaning for the Patriots. | ESPN/ABC
8 p.m. ET
Seattle Seahawks (13-3) at San Francisco 49ers (12-4): Go good game! The Patriots own one of the 49ers’ draft picks next year, but they are already qualified for the playoffs. While a San Francisco loss might impact their playoff seeding and therefore increase the likelihood of an early playoff exit, this is a rabbit hole too deep to climb into. | ESPN/ABC
Sunday
1 p.m. ET
Indianapolis Colts (8-8) at Houston Texans (11-5): Go Texans! We are going best-case scenario here, and as we will outline further below this in combination with some other games would seemingly give the Patriots the best playoff path. | CBS
Tennessee Titans (3-13) at Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4): Go Titans! Consider this a fail-safe: if the Patriots end up losing to the Dolphins, a Titans win would ensure they at least remain in the second seed in the AFC. | FOX
New Orleans Saints (6-10) at Atlanta Falcons (7-9): Go good game! One of many games this weekend whose outcome has little importance from a New England perspective. | FOX
Cleveland Browns (4-12) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-10): Go Bengals! This has more to do with messing with the New York Jets’ draft position than anything else. A Browns loss coupled with a New York win might end up weakening the value of the Patriots rival’s draft portfolio. | CBS
Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) at Minnesota Vikings (8-8): Go good game! Another game that has no real meaning for the Patriots. | CBS
Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1) at New York Giants (3-13): Go Cowboys! Once again, this has nothing to do with the Patriots and everything with hurting the Jets. Yes, it may be petty, but it’s still something to root for. | FOX
4:25 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) at Denver Broncos (13-3): Go Chargers! The stakes are pretty straight-forward: if the Chargers beat the Broncos and the Patriots beat the Dolphins, the AFC playoffs will run through New England. Problem is that L.A. will rest some key players, including quarterback Justin Herbert, lessening the likelihood of a Chargers upset victory. | CBS
New York Jets (3-13) at Buffalo Bills (11-5): Go Jets — unless! In the context of this rooting guide, a Jets upset would be the preferred outcome: if the Chargers indeed beat the Broncos and the Texans the Colts, this would lock Buffalo into the seventh seed and set up a trip to Denver in the wild card round. It also might end up hurting New York’s draft position. Now, this is where the “unless” comes in: if the Chargers do not win, New England might be better off with a Buffalo victory to prevent a third game with the Bills — who beat the Patriots the last time the two AFC East rivals met — and set up a home game with L.A. instead that would on paper be more favorable toward New England. | CBS
Detroit Lions (8-8) at Chicago Bears (11-5): Go good game! Another “doesn’t matter” game for the Patriots. | FOX
Arizona Cardinals (3-13) at Los Angeles Rams (11-5): Go Rams! Once more, this is about the Jets not potentially being in a position to get one of the highest draft choices in April. | FOX
Kansas City Chiefs (6-10) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-14): Go Raiders! Speaking of draft choices, the Patriots’ own the Chiefs’ sixth-rounder from the Joshua Uche trade. The worse Kansas City’s record, the better for New England’s draft pick. | CBS
Washington Commanders (4-12) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-5): Go Eagles! Another “don’t let the Jets select in top three” pick. | CBS
8:20p.m. ET
Baltimore Ravens (8-8) at Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7): Go Steelers! We could go for the Ravens here to help boost the position of the draft pick the Patriots received from Pittsburgh in the Kyle Dugger trade, but this is all about the current playoffs. Frankly, Baltimore looks like a potentially tougher opponent in the postseason than Pittsburgh. | NBC
This article also serves as an open thread for this week’s games. Please head down to the comment section to discuss and share your thoughts on the games as they unfold.
