Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos
Sunday, January 4th, 4:25 PM ET
The Denver Broncos are one win away from clinching the first overall seed in the AFC for the playoffs, and that would be the first time since 2015 they’ve done that. Denver was the seventh seed in 2024 and could totally flip the playoff script by being the first seed.
LA Chargers’ starting QB Justin Herbert will not be playing in this one, so that could be enough of a deciding factor here to tilt the game to Denver. Oddly enough, the Broncos faced very similar circumstances in Week 18 last year, as they were wearing the throwback uniforms and played a Kansas City Chiefs’ team primarily playing backups.
It could be a similar situation here in Week 18. Denver knows what is at stake, and they’ve come through just about every time this year, so there really isn’t going to be much of a doubt here, in my opinion. Denver wins, earns the top AFC seed, and gets that crucial first-round bye.
Prediction: Broncos win 31-17
Kansas City Chiefs @ Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday, January 4th, 4:25 PM ET
The two worst teams in the AFC West play each other, and if the Las Vegas Raiders lose this game, they will indeed earn the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so the Raiders’ front office probably wants a loss. The Kansas City Chiefs also probably want to lose this game, as this roster is in desperate need of some young, explosive talent.
The Chiefs should end up picking inside the top-10 of the 2026 NFL Draft. This could be a classic ‘tank bowl’ type of game where the game plans are vanilla, and no team truly wants to win.
Kansas City is slightly better, so they should be able to take care of business and seal the deal. Third-string QB Chris Oladokun is the Chiefs’ starter.