NFL Scores Week 18: Final Results, Playoff Standings and Picture for AFC, NFC

The NFL playoff picture is finally coming into focus. Heading into Week 18, two division titles and three playoff spots remained up for grabs.

Saturday's action had little meaning aside from playoff seeding, as the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs had already secured playoff spots.

Much more was at stake on Sunday, including the top seed in the AFC. The Tennessee Titans clinched that with a win and will now have a first-round bye to open the playoffs. The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, upset the Indianapolis Colts to throw the AFC wild-card race into chaos.

Below, you'll find the full results from the final week of the regular season, a look at the latest playoff-related buzz, and a preview of the upcoming playoff schedule. Updates will be available following the late-afternoon window and Sunday Night Football.

Kansas City Chiefs 28, Denver Broncos 24 (Saturday)

Dallas Cowboys 51, Philadelphia Eagles 26 (Saturday)

Washington Football Team 22, New York Giants 7

Minnesota Vikings 31, Chicago Bears 17

Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Indianapolis Colts 11

Cleveland Browns 21, Cincinnati Bengals 16

Tennessee Titans 28, Houston Texans 25

Detroit Lions 37, Green Bay Packers 30

Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Baltimore Ravens 13 (OT)

AFC

Tennessee Titans 12-5 (Z, Y)

Kansas City Chiefs 12-5 (Z)

Buffalo Bills 10-6 (X)

Cincinnati Bengals 10-7 (Z)

New England Patriots 10-6 (X)

Los Angeles Chargers 9-7

Las Vegas Raiders 9-7

Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7-1

Indianapolis Colts 9-8

Miami Dolphins 8-8

Baltimore Ravens 8-8

Cleveland Browns 8-9

Denver Broncos 7-10

New York Jets 4-12

Houston Texans 4-13

Jacksonville Jaguars 3-14

NFC

Green Bay Packers 13-3 (Z, Y)

Los Angeles Rams 12-4 (X)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12-4 (Z)

Dallas Cowboys 12-5 (Z)

Arizona Cardinals 11-5 (X)

San Francisco 49ers 9-7

Philadelphia Eagles 9-7 (X)

New Orleans Saints 8-8

Minnesota Vikings 8-9

Atlanta Falcons 7-9

Washington Football Team 7-10

Seattle Seahawks 6-10

Chicago Bears 6-11

Carolina Panthers 5-11

New York Giants 4-13

Detroit Lions 3-13-1

*X=clinched playoff berth, Z=division title, Y=first-round bye

Indianapolis' surprising loss opened things up for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens and Steelers needed a lot of help coming into Week 18, one key factor being a Jaguars' upset. With that happening, plenty hinged on the Ravens-Steelers rivalry game, which naturally went into overtime.

Pittsburgh won on a Chris Boswell field goal late in the extra period. The Steelers victory eliminated the Colts and leaves the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers with a must-win (or tie) scenario on Sunday night. The Raiders and Chargers now need a win or a tie to advance.

A tie on Sunday night would allow both AFC West rivals to move on while eliminating Pittsburgh. If the regular-season finale does not end in a tie, the Steelers will be in the postseason.

The Cincinnati Bengals rested several starters—including quarterback Joe Burrow—against the Cleveland Browns. By doing so, they severely hurt their chances of taking the AFC's No. 2 seed. Cincinnati's loss leaves the Bengals with only only one guaranteed home playoff game—but they should be relatively healthy next week.

Titans running back Derrick Henry didn't make his return from foot surgery on Sunday. However, he was designated for return from injured reserve and could have him back for the playoffs.

"We have some time to make that decision and we will evaluate where we are at," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Friday, per ESPN's Turron Davenport. "But I think that he looked good. We continue to track his speed and his mileage and volume and see how he responds. I feel good about where he is at."

With the win over the Houston Texans, the Titans will hold the AFC's lone first-round bye. This means that Henry will have two more weeks to prepare for his return. Understandably, that could have a massive impact on the conference playoff race.

Similarly, the Green Bay Packers decided not to activate cornerback Jaire Alexander for the finale against the Detroit Lions. Alexander, though, should return following Green Bay's opening-round bye.

Alexander, who has been out since Week 4 with a shoulder injury, allowed an opposing passer rating of only 67.4 last season. Green Bay locked up the NFC's No. 1 seed before Week 18, so there really was no need to rush Alexander back into action against Detroit.

Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari did return against the Lions, playing for the first time since tearing his ACL near the end of the 2020 regular season.

The Titans and Packers will both be off next weekend and carrying reinforcements into the divisional round.

AFC

Bye: No. 1 Tennessee Titans

No. 7 Las Vegas Raiders at No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs

No. 6 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 3 Buffalo Bills

No. 5 New England Patriots at No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals

NFC

Bye: No. 1 Green Bay Packers

No. 7 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 2 Los Angeles Rams

No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No. 5 Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 Dallas Cowboys

Wild Card Round

Saturday, January 15

4:35 p.m. ET: TBD

8:15 p.m. ET: TBD

Sunday, January 16

1:05 p.m. ET: TBD

4:40 p.m. ET: TBD

8:15 p.m. ET: TBD

Monday, January 17

8:15 p.m. ET: TBD on ESPN

Divisional Round

Saturday, January 22

4:25 p.m. ET: TBD

8:15 p.m. ET: TBD

Sunday, January 23

3:05 p.m. ET: TBD

6:40 p.m. ET: TBD

Championship Weekend

Sunday, January 30

3:05 p.m. ET: AFC on CBS

6:40 p.m. ET: NFC on Fox

Super Bowl LVI

Sunday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC

*Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.