Numbers Time: Yes, THAT Sam Darnold

THINGS WE KNOW FOR SURE:

1) The Chiefs, Bills, and Texans will be the 1, 2, and 4 seeds respectively 2) The winner of the AFC North will be the 3 seed. 3) One of Broncos, Dolphins, or Bengals will be #7, the other two will be eliminated

4) The winner of Lions/Vikings will be the 1 seed 5) The loser of Lions/Vikings will be the first ever 14-3 team at #5 6) Eagles will be the 2 seed.

With that said...

THESE GAMES DON'T MATTER:

THE A.F.C. SHUFFLE

The NFL decided to settle the AFC North on Saturday. Baltimore and Pittsburgh have been here many times before, neck-and-neck with a division rival. Steelers win AND Ravens lose and Steelers win the division, otherwise Baltimore takes it. Both teams are in, though. Ravens have the tie breaker with the Chargers, so the lowest they could go is #5, but Steelers could drop to #6.

Unless Jim Harbaugh is afraid of facing Lamar Jackson (or, I guess if the Steelers lose), I’d expect him to sit starters. In all likelihood, they’ll be #6, no matter what happens.

The Broncos had a chance to clinch the playoffs two weeks ago, but they haven’t won since. With Kansas City most likely sitting their starters, there’s a good chance Denver’s in with a win. They’re also in with a loss if Miami and Cincy lose. Dolphins’ only chance is a win and Denver loss. But that’s not nearly as unlikely as Denver losing AND Miami losing AND the Bengals somehow pulling out a win against a Steeler team playing for the division, which is what it will take for Burrows boys to slip into the post-season.

THE N.F.C. SEATING CHART

Commanders have the tie breaker, so in all likelihood, they lock in the 6 seed and avoid Philly. But if they lose AND Green Bay wins, they fall to 7.

With a win and Tampa loss, Atlanta could snake the NFC South, and if they don’t, they’re out. A Tampa win is just enough incentive for Los Angeles to go all out this week because if they lose, they drop to the 4 seed and have to face...

Of course, this game got flexed to SNF. Independent of everything else happening this week, this will be potentially the most impactful Week 18 game in NFL history. This game could determine the course of the entire NFC post season. This game could be better than any playoff game this year, including the Super Bowl. The winner of this game is the NFC 1 Seed, locking in that coveted first round bye. The loser will become the first 14 win team ever to lose their division and will have to play every game on the road, including the very likely re-match of this very game in the NFC Championship