The final week of the NFL regular season is here, and the stakes are varied throughout the league. Even teams locked into the playoffs have seeding implications on the line, and the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft is still up for grabs.
Some teams are opting to use Week 18 as a tune-up before the playoffs begin, while others are making bold moves to keep their starters in. Here is a rundown of notable roster situations to watch in Week 18.
Expected to play starters
Los Angeles Rams
After a “humbling” 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on “Monday Night Football,” Rams head coach Sean McVay did not hesitate to declare his starters active for Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals.
“We need to play,” McVay said. “We need to play better football.”
The Rams have lost their last two games and eliminated themselves from the NFC West and No. 1 seed race. Instead, Los Angeles is between the No. 5 or 6 seed. Quarterback Matthew Stafford might also want to use this week to redeem his MVP case after one of his most inconsistent showings against the Falcons. It’s worth noting a win by the Seattle Seahawks over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night would lock the Rams into the No. 5 seed — and a wild-card matchup with the NFC South champions — and perhaps change McVay’s approach.
Statuses to watch
Buffalo Bills
Coach Sean McDermott said quarterback Josh Allen will practice on Friday and “be good to go” against the New York Jets on Sunday. The quarterback missed some practice time earlier this week with a foot injury, bringing up speculation about how the team would handle his status — and the status of the other starters — against a lowly 3-13 Jets team. Buffalo is already locked into a wild-card spot in the AFC and could land anywhere between the No. 5 and 7 seeds.
There are two caveats here, though. First, Allen has a 139-game starting streak, across the regular season and playoffs, that is the longest active streak for a quarterback. Last season, he played one snap in Week 18 to preserve it.
Second, this is likely the final game at the Bills’ old Highmark Stadium.
Resting QB/key starters
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback Justin Herbert will not dress for his team’s Week 18 matchup with the Denver Broncos, coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week. Herbert fractured his left hand four weeks ago. He had surgery to stabilize the fracture and didn’t miss a start, but Harbaugh said “he’s got bruises that need to heal” before the Chargers’ playoff run.
Los Angeles could rest other starters against the Broncos, but Harbaugh did not specify who those players might be. The Chargers already clinched a playoff berth and are currently the No. 6 seed in the AFC. They could drop to No. 7 with a loss to the Broncos or move up to No. 5 with a win, plus some help elsewhere. Trey Lance will start at quarterback for the Chargers.
The game means much more for the AFC West champion Broncos, who would lock up the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye with a victory. Denver could fall as low as the No. 3 seed if it lost and the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots both won.
Philadelphia Eagles
Coach Nick Siranni said the “marathon of a season” is the reason he will be resting key starters against the Washington Commanders despite playoff seeding still on the line. Tanner McKee will start at quarterback in place of Jalen Hurts, and others will likely join Hurts on the sideline. This is the fourth time in five seasons in which the Eagles have rested key players in Week 18.
The Eagles, currently the NFC No. 3 seed, could rise to No. 2 if they beat the Commanders and the Chicago Bears lose to the Detroit Lions. If they remain the No. 3 seed, they would host either the Rams or the 49ers.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback Jordan Love has cleared concussion protocol but will not start against the Minnesota Vikings. Love has not played since suffering his first documented NFL concussion in the second quarter of a Week 16 overtime loss to the Bears.
Third-string quarterback Clayton Tune will get Sunday’s start. The Packers’ backup options are limited in a banged-up quarterback room. Malik Willis is nursing a hamstring injury, and the team signed Desmond Ridder to the practice squad on Wednesday. The Packers are already locked into the NFC’s No. 7 seed and will travel to play either the Eagles or Bears in the wild-card round.
Indianapolis Colts
Philip Rivers’ three-game resurgence from retirement is officially done. Already eliminated from playoff contention, the Colts will start rookie Riley Leonard in their season finale against the Houston Texans.
The 44-year-old Rivers confirmed in an interview on the “Up & Adams Show” on Wednesday that his playing career is over (again) and he will return to coaching high school football next year in Fairhope, Ala., where two of his sons will be on the same team. Leonard was a sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame and has appeared in four games this year, mostly in garbage time during blowouts.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders don’t have playoff implications at stake, but they will lock up the No. 1 pick if they lose to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Wednesday that he was getting quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Aidan O’Connell ready to go, while starter Geno Smith is likely not to play with an ankle injury. Carroll said Pickett, who has been the primary backup this season while O’Connell spent time on the IR, will likely start, but he expects both quarterbacks to play.
Star pass rusher Maxx Crosby will also not play after the Raiders placed him on injured reserve last week due to a lingering knee injury. The decision caused tension between the team and Crosby, who told reporters three days before his IR designation, “I don’t give a s— about the (first) pick, to be honest.” Tight end Brock Bowers was also placed on IR last week with a knee injury that’s bothered him all season.
If the Raiders beat the Chiefs, who are down to their third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun, they could still end up with the No. 1 pick if the New York Giants lose to the Dallas Cowboys. They also could still end up with the top pick even if the Cowboys win so long as at least three of these teams win this weekend: Seahawks (at 49ers), Cleveland Browns (at Cincinnati Bengals), Falcons (vs. New Orleans Saints) or Bears (vs. Lions). Among those teams, the Seahawks, Falcons and Bears are all favored, according to BetMGM.
