New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday, January 4th, 4:25 PM ET
The Buffalo Bills will not win the AFC East, as they lost in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets as well, so for the first time since the 2019 NFL Season, the AFC East is represented by another team other than the Bills.
Buffalo had a nice run, but now things will only get harder, as they’ll likely have to go on the road multiple times to reach the Super Bowl, something they have not done for years. In Week 18, Buffalo could still be playing for playoff seeding, and even if they’d rather rest some of their starters, the New York Jets really do not stand a chance.
The Jets have been a total disaster this year and probably need to cut ties with Aaron Glenn at the end of the season, as bad as that might sound. The Bills are going to win this game and win their 12th of the season, capping off an otherwise great regular season.
Prediction: Bills win 30-10
Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
Sunday, January 4th, 4:25 PM ET
At the beginning of the 2025 NFL Season, did anyone expect the Detroit Lions to already be out of the playoffs, but the Chicago Bears to have already wrapped up the NFC North? The division totally flipped on its head, and while the Bears have won the NFC North this year, they still could have some playoff seeding to play for.
The Lions are surely wanting to go out with a win in an otherwise disappointing season where the defense primarily let the team down. I do believe this will be a close game, as divisional games usually are, but Chicago gets a bit of revenge here and wins by a few points to end the season 12-5.