Week 18 in the NFL, and we have reached the final week of the regular season. Playoff slots and seeding are still to be decided, alongside a few division titles up for grabs.
Let’s review week 18 in the 2023 NFL season.
The Texans Close In on the AFC South
The Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts were two of the worst teams last season. What a difference 12 months make. Coming into the final week of the season, both of these teams could still make the playoffs. They met on Saturday night and the permutations were simple. The winner would make the playoffs, while the loser would be eliminated. So, who will book their place in the postseason?
The Colts had the first possession of the game, and from this, they would be able to get some points. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Colts offense, led by Quarterback Gardner Minshew would be able to advance down to the Texans’ 14-yard line. However, the Colts would get a delay of game penalty against them on a 4th down attempt. This forced the offense back 5 yards, setting up a 38-yard field goal attempt for Colts kicker Matt Gay. Gay would be successful from this distance, and the Colts would take the early lead.
This lead would not last long. In reply to the Colts score, the Texans would find the endzone. On the opening play of their drive, Texans quarterback, and almost certain to be rookie of the year, C.J Stroud would throw a deep pass to Nico Collins, who then found the endzone for a 75-yard touchdown pass.
After the opening action, the game would struggle to keep this pace up. This led to the return of our old friend, the “Festival of Kicking”. The next 7 drives of the game would end in a punt.
This streak of punts would be broken by the next Texans drive. Starting from their 43-yard line, Stroud and company would move down to the Colts’ one-yard line. From here, Stroud found Beck for a one-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesJust before halftime, the Colts would score. The Minshew-led offense would be able to find themselves at the Texans’ 34-yard line. The drive was aided by a range of penalties against the Texans’ defense. The 34-yard line would be as far as the Colts would get on this drive, setting up a 52-yard field goal attempt for Gay. He would make this, meaning that at halftime, the Texans would have a 14-6 lead over the Colts.
The Texans would have the opening possession of the second half, but they were unable to do anything with this possession, and would quickly hand the ball to the Colts. This punt would mean that the Colts would begin their drive at their 13-yard line. Minshew and company would quickly move the Colts down to the Texans’ 49-yard line. From here, Jonathan Taylor would find the endzone, scoring a 49-yard rushing touchdown. The Colts would then attempt a two-point conversion to tie the scores. This attempt was successful, and the scores were now tied at 14-14.
The tie would be tried to be broken on the next Colts drive. The offense would stall at the Texans’ 39-yard line, setting up a 57-yard field goal for Gay. Unlike his previous attempts, Gay would be unsuccessful with this kick, and the scores would remain tied.
That is, until the next drive from Houston. Starting from their 47-yard line, the Stroud-led offense would advance down to the Colts 33-yard line, where this drive would stall. This set up a 51-yard field goal attempt from Texans kicker Kaimi Fairbairn. The kick would be successful, and the Texans would have the lead.
This lead would not last long. On the following Colts drive, they would reach inside the Texans’ red zone, but their advance would stall at the Texans’ 16-yard line. From here Gay would make a 35-yard field goal to again tie the scores.
But, yet again the Texans would break this tie. Starting from their 27-yard line, Stroud would lead his offense down to the Colts’ 3-yard line, This advance would be aided by a penalty against the Colts’ defense for a Horse Collar Tackle on the Houston offense. Then, from the 3-yard line, Devin Singletary would find the endzone for a 3-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 7-point game in the fourth quarter.
The Colts needed to score to stay in the game. On their next drive, it was looking like they could have got something from it, making their way down to the Texans’ 15-yard line. Here, a 4th down attempt was taken by the Colts, who needed one yard to continue the drive. Minshew would throw an incomplete pass, ending the drive and handing the possession over to the Texans with one minute left on the clock.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut, it was not all bad news for the Colts. The Texans struggled on this drive which ended with a safety against their defense. This gave the Colts two points, but with one second to go, they would have to play laterally on the punt return to win the game.
The punt return did not go well for Indianapolis. A fumble early in the return would end the game, giving the Houston Texans a 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
This victory gives the Texans a spot in the playoffs, their first since 2019. It caps off a season where they have completely transformed from the team they were last year. This is down to C.J. Stroud. Additionally, the Texans went into Sunday still with a chance to win the AFC South. As for the Colts, the defeat ends their season with a still impressive 9-8 record. Like Houston, they were also a poor team last season. This turnaround will give both teams a platform to build on in the playoffs and for next season.
Buffalo Won the AFC East
The AFC East title race has gone down to the final day. Coming into this game, both the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins could win the division, as they had the same record. Both teams had qualified for the playoffs already, but victory here would not only give the team a divisional title but also a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Who would win this game?
The Dolphins had the opening possession of the game, and a mistake would be made on this drive. The drive started at the Dolphins’ 25-yard line, and the offense, led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, would be able to reach the 44-yard line. Here, the mistake would happen. Tagovailoa would throw a deep pass which would be intercepted by the Bills defense.
In reply to the interception, the Bills would have a strong drive. Led by quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills’ offense would be able to reach deep into the Dolphins’ red zone, at the 5-yard line. But here, a mistake would happen. Allen would throw a pass into the Dolphins’ endzone. But instead of finding a Bills receiver, the ball found the hands of a Dolphins defender.
The Bills’ next drive would be able to reach the Dolphins’ 35-yard line, having started from their 11-yard line. But then, Deja Vu occurred for the Bills. On an important 4th down conversion attempt, Allen would throw a deep pass into the endzone. But again, it found Dolphins arms (or fins). 3 interceptions to start this clash.
The Dolphins would then break this stress of drives ending in interceptions. Starting from their 20-yard line, the Tagovailoa-led offense would slowly make their way down to the Bills’ 25-yard line. From here, De’Von Archane would find the endzone for a 25-yard rushing touchdown to give the Dolphins the lead.
This lead did not last long. On the Bills drive, Allen and company would find themselves down at the Dolphins’ 6-yard line. From here, Allen would find Trent Sherfield for a 6-yard touchdown pass to tie the score.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut, the Dolphins would reply to this touchdown with a score of their own. Starting from their 25-yard line, Tagovailoa and company would be able to drive the ball down to the Bills’ 3-yard line. From here, Tagovailoa would find Tyreek Hill for a 3-yard touchdown pass.
This meant that at halftime the Dolphins would have a 14-7 lead over the Bills.
The Bills would have the opening possession of the second half, but this would lead to nothing of note. However, on the Bills’ next drive, they would be able to get somewhere.
The Allen-led offense would advance down to the Dolphins’ 21-yard line. But then, Josh Allen’s weakness would raise its dirty head. Allen would be sacked on this play, and would then fumble the ball. The ball would then be scooped up by the Dolphins.
The subsequent drive from the Dolphins could not get started, meaning that they had to punt to the Bills. On the return, the Bills would find the endzone for a 96-yard punt return touchdown to tie the scores as the game went into the final quarter.
This tie would be broken on the following drive from the Bills. Josh Allen would move his offense down to the Dolphins 5-yard line. Then, Allen would find Dawson Knox for a 5-yard touchdown pass to give the Bills a 7-point lead.
Time was running out for the Dolphins. With under two minutes left on the clock, they were given possession. They had to score from this drive or their hopes of a division title and the bye in the playoff would be over. Could they score?
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Dolphins would start their final drive at their 37-yard line. Tua Tagovailoa would then lead his offense down to the Bills’ 40-yard line. Then, a massive mistake would occur. Tagovailoa would throw a deep pass which would be intended for Chase Claypool. This would be intercepted by the Bills defense and the game would be over.
The Buffalo Bills had defeated the Miami Dolphins 21-14.
This victory gives the Bills the AFC East title, their 4th in a row. The victory also gives them the number two seed in the AFC, and thus a bye week during wildcard week next weekend. The defeat means that the Dolphins fall to the number 6 seed in the AFC. This continues the Dolphins’ poor performances against the strong teams.
Wentz vs Darnold
The San Francisco 49ers have already made the playoffs this year. This week, they faced a Los Angeles Rams side who had also already made the playoffs. Both teams decided to rest their starters in preparation for next week’s wildcard round. Who would win a battle of the backups, but as we’ll quickly find out, a couple of years ago, these quarterbacks were potentially franchise quarterbacks, with one nearly winning a Super Bowl.
The 49ers had the opening possession of the game and would be able to take the lead from this possession. Starting from their 25-yard line, the 49ers offense, led by quarterback Sam Darnold, would be able to advance down the field and into the Rams’ red zone. They would then be able to reach the one-yard line. From here, Elijah Mitchell would find the endzone to give the 49ers an early lead over the Rams.
But the Rams were able to immediately strike back on their opening drive. Led by former Eagle, Colt, and Commander Carson Wentz, the Rams offense would be able to make it down to the 49ers’ 19-yard line. From here, Wentz would find star rookie wide receiver Puca Nacua for a 19-yard touchdown pass, which leveled the scores.
This tie would not last long. The next drive from the 49ers was a slow-moving possession down the field. Darnold and company would find their way down to the Rams’ one-yard line. From here, Darnold would find the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Rams would have the ball next, but would not be able to hold onto it for long. From the Rams’ 25-yard line, Wentz would throw a pass intended for Tutu Atwell. But this pass would be intercepted by the 49ers, ending the drive. The mistake would lead to San Francisco moving down to the Rams’ 20-yard line. But, the drive would stall here. This would set up a 38-yard field goal attempt from 49ers kicker Jake Moody, but this kick would be unsuccessful.
But after the missed field goal attempt, the 49ers would recover and score on the final drive of the half. Starting from their 10-yard line, Darnold and company would make it down to the Rams 5-yard line. From here, Ronnie Bell would find the endzone for a 5-yard rushing touchdown. This meant that at halftime, the 49ers had a 20-7 lead over the Rams.
The Rams would have the opening possession of the second half and they would be able to get some points from this drive. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Wentz-led offense would slowly make its way down to the 49ers’ 8-yard line. From here, Wentz would find Tyler Johnston for an 8-yard touchdown pass. The score meant that the 49ers would have a 7-point lead.
This lead would soon be removed. The Rams would start their next drive on their 29-yard. Starting from their 29-yard, Wentz and company would advance down to the 49ers’ 12-yard line. This drive was heavily aided by a defensive pass interference penalty against San Francisco. Then from the 12-yard line, Wentz would find the endzone for a 12-yard rushing touchdown. The Rams would then attempt a two-point conversion, which would be successful. This gave Los Angeles a one-point lead with under 5 minutes left to play. Could the 49ers come back?
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter a few drives that lead nowhere, the 49ers would have the ball with under one minute left on the clock. They needed a field goal from this to win the game. The drive started on the 49ers’ 22-yard line, and Sam Darnold would move his offense down to their 40-yard line. Here, a game-ending mistake would occur. Darnold would be sacked and then fumbled the ball, which would be scooped up by the Rams.
This meant that the Los Angeles Rams had defeated the San Francisco 49ers 21-20.
This victory seals the number 6 seed in the playoffs for the Rams. Not a lot can be said about this game, as both teams were resting most of their starters.
The Giants Finally Defeat the Eagles
Throughout this season, I seemed to have been doing many in-depth reviews of Philadelphia Eagles games. This was mostly because they were playing big games. This one is solely by choice. The Eagles faced the New York Giants on the final day. Victory for the Eagles may give them the division title, but the Giants will not just hand them the victory. Could the Giants cause an upset against a struggling Eagles, a team who have lost 4 of their last 5 games?
The Giants had the opening possession of the game, but they would not be able to get anything from this drive and would punt to the Eagles. In response to this, the Eagles would also struggle with their opening drive, and this led to Philadelphia punting to the Giants.
The Giants would have a more successful second drive. Starting from their 27-yard line, the Giants offense, led by quarterback Tyrod Taylor, would be able to quickly advance down to the Eagles’ 6-yard line. Here the drive would stall, setting up a 24-yard field goal attempt for Giants Kicker Mason Crosby, who would want to redeem himself after missing the game-winning field goal against the Rams. His kick would be successful, and the Giants would take the lead.
The good luck would continue for the Giants on the next drive of the game. The Eagles would have the ball, and their offense, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, would be able to drive down to the Giants’ 27-yard line. Here, a mistake would occur. Hurts would throw to Antonio Brown, who would subsequently fumble the ball. The ball would then be scooped up by the Giants. Luckily for Philadelphia, New York would be unable to convert this gain of possession into a touchdown.
However, the Giants would be far more successful on their next drive. Starting from the Eagles’ 48-yard line, the Taylor-led offense would be able to make it down to the 27-yard line. Here, the offense would be lucky, and Taylor would fumble the ball, but would also recover it. They would then make their way down to the Eagles’ 2-yard line. From here, Saquon Barkley would find the endzone for a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
New York’s lead would be extended on their next drive. On this drive, Taylor and company would be able to quickly advance down into the Eagles’ red zone and then down to their 3-yard line. From here Barkley would again find the endzone for a 3-yard rushing touchdown to give the Giants a 17-point lead over their rivals.
A third touchdown would follow. On this occasion, Taylor would throw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton to make the Giants lead 24 points.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Eagles would try to respond to this, but their attempt would end as, soon as it started. Hurts and his offense would be at their 27-yard line. Here, he would throw an interception. However, luckily for the Eagles, the Giants would be unable to do anything with the New possession.
However, the poor form would continue for Philadelphia. On the first play of their next drive, Marcus Mariota would throw another interception. This would immediately be followed by Taylor throwing an interception. Halftime would soon follow, with the Giants having an impressive 24-0 lead over the Eagles.
The Eagles would have the opening possession of the second half, but would be unable to do anything with this possession and would quickly hand the ball to the Giants.
Philadelphia would be able to get their first points of the game on their next drive. Starting from their 16-yard line, the now Mariota-led offense would be able to slowly march down to the Giants’ 18-yard line before the advance would stall. This set up a 36-yard field goal attempt from Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, who would be successful with this.
The Eagles would next be able to score what was a consolation touchdown on their next drive. The offense would reach the Giants’ 16-yard line before Mariota would find Quez Watkins for a 16-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Giants would then respond to their slightly cut-into lead by scoring a field goal. The Giants would stall at the Eagles’ 3-yard line, which set up Crosby with a 21-yard field goal attempt which he would make.
Today was not the Eagles, day. It didn’t end well for them either, with Mariota being sacked and then fumbling the ball. The ball would then be scooped up by the Giants, sealing an unlikely victory.
The New York Giants had easily defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.
This game was meaningless. The Eagles had already made the playoffs and took their foot off the gas when they knew this game would not be won by them. It is their 5th loss in 6 games, improvements will need to be made in the playoffs.
As for the Giants, it has been a rollercoaster of a season. They opened the year scoring 0 points, and would never live up to their pre-season expectations. The quarterback injuries did not help. Did the New York Giants ruin my weekend? No. Did they ruin my NFL season? At times. Improvements still need to be made, but I think they can get better.
What Happened in the Other Games?
The Baltimore Ravens have already secured the number one seed in the AFC. They finished their season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Without Lamarr Jackson, the Rabens would be less dominant than usual, as the Steelers won win 17-10.
The Cleveland Browns have made the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals are out. This game is meaningless. The Bengals would dominate this game and defeat the Browns 31-14. This victory means that every team in the AFC North finished the regular season with a winning record. The last time this happened was 1935.
The Detroit Lions prepared for their first playoff game since 2016 with a victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions would easily win this game 30-20, but they would lose rookie star Sam LaPorta. We’ll find out next week if the Lions can win a playoff game for the first time since 1991
The Jacksonville Jaguars came into their game with the Tennessee Titans knowing that a win would put them into the playoffs. The Jags would struggle in the fourth quarter, and the Titans would win this game 28-20. This knocks the Jags out of playoff contention and gives the AFC South to the Houston Texans. In a further development, the Titans would fire Head Coach Mike Vrable after this game after their poor season
In what was Bill Belichick’s last game, the New England Patriots faced the New York Jets in a snow game. The Patriots had a terrible season which ended with a 17-3 loss to the Jets. What could have been for the Jets if Aaron Rodgers hadn’t been injured after 4 plays in their opening game?
Embed from Getty ImagesDerek Carr showed off in the New Orleans Saints game against the Atlanta Falcons. Carr would score 4 touchdowns as the Saints defeated the Falcons 48-17. However, both teams would lose something after the game. The Saints would not make the playoffs, and the Falcons would fire Head coach Arthur Smith
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Carolina Panthers, knowing that a win would give them the division title and a spot in the playoffs. The Buccaneers would win this game 9-0, in another low-scoring game that has been common this season. The Panthers end this season as the league’s worst team with a 2-15 record
In one of football’s biggest rivalries, the Chicago Bears faced the Green Bay Packers. If the Packers won this game, they would make the playoffs. Victory is what they did, as Green Bay defeated the Bears 17-9 and made the playoffs.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe resurgent Las Vegas Raiders ended their season against the Denver Broncos. The Raiders would win this game 27-14
The Seattle Seahawks faced the Arizona Cardinals, with a victory putting them into the playoffs. But after the Packers’ victory, their playoff chances were over. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith would throw 2 touchdowns as the Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 21-20
The Kansas City Chiefs will be playing in a wildcard match next weekend. They finished their regular season against the struggling Los Angeles Chargers. All season long, the Chargers would lose the game by under 3 points. This game would be no exception, as the Chiefs would win this game 13-12. All the points for Los Angeles came from Cameron Dicker, the Chargers kicker. I going to miss saying that name.
With the Eagles’ loss to the Giants, the Dallas Cowboys had to defeat the Washington Commanders to win the NFC East. While they did struggle to begin with, the Cowboys would dominate the second half to defeat the Commanders 38-10, to hand them the title.
So, after 18 weeks of football action, we have the 12 teams that are in the playoffs. Next week, we have the “Super Wildcard Weekend” with 6 playoff games spread across the weekend. The road to Las Vegas has begun.
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