NFL Week 18: Biggest Question Marks for Players, Coaches to End the Regular Season

This is it, football fans. The final week of the NFL regular season has arrived, and while most of the playoff picture has been settled, there's plenty at stake in Week 18.

For teams still fighting for postseason berths or positioning, the stakes are clear. The Baltimore Ravens, for example, only need to win on Saturday to clinch the AFC North and a home playoff game.

Teams out of the playoff mix don't have as much to play for, unless they're actively trying to improve their draft positioning.

Some individuals on those teams, however, have a lot on the line. Whether they're fighting for their jobs or trying to make one final impression before the spring, Week 18 will be anything but meaningless for these players and coaches.

As more than half of the league prepares to begin the offseason, let's examine the players and coaches who carry the biggest question marks and have to most to prove in Week 18.

The Cincinnati Bengals still have a chance to make the playoffs. However, they need to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday and then see losses by the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Regardless of how things unfold for Cincinnati, No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins can potentially gain a lot with a big performance on Sunday. He already figures to be the top receiver headed to 2025 free agency, but he can solidify that standing by thriving against Pittsburgh.

The one knock on Higgins is that soft-tissue leg injuries have limited him in both 2023 and 2024. He's been limited to 11 games this season but can still reach the coveted 1,000-yard mark with a 142-yard outing on Saturday.

If a strong performance also helps Cincinnati beat its division rival, it'll only aid Higgins' case for getting a new contract from the Bengals. Quarterback Joe Burrow repeatedly lobbied for the team to re-sign Higgins and has continued lobbying to keep his top teammates.

"You don't want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building," Burrow said this week, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "And I think that's why you gotta do everything you can to get those deals done early."

Complicating matters for Higgins is the fact that No. 1 receiver Ja'Marr Chase is extension-eligible, is already likely to top the receiver market with his next contract and could secure the receiving triple crown this week.

However, Higgins has one last chance to show the Bengals that they'd be foolish to let him leave. At worst, he can raise his 2025 market value by finishing the season on a high note.

The Steelers are already in the playoffs, but they can win the AFC North with a victory and a Baltimore loss—not that anyone expects the Ravens to stumble at home against the Cleveland Browns.

Assuming the Ravens do win early on Saturday, Pittsburgh won't be playing for much against Cincinnati. Quarterback Russell Wilson, however, will have a lot at stake.

Pittsburgh probably won't go back to quarterback Justin Fields for the postseason, though it's not outside the realm of possibility. Every game remaining on the 2024-25 schedule is important for Wilson, though. He'll be a free agent in 2025 and needs to snap out of his recent funk to secure his desired contract in the offseason—one the Steelers may not be willing to provide.

According to ESPN's Brooke Pryor, Wilson wants to play "five to seven more years," but the Steelers are unlikely to make that level of long-term commitment. Right now, it's easy to understand why.

Wilson was playing at a high level earlier in the season and helped Pittsburgh secure a playoff berth by mid-December. Over his last three games, however, Wilson has looked a lot like the aging QB who struggled for the Denver Broncos. The Steelers have lost three straight, and in that span, Wilson has thrown just three touchdown passes and committed four turnovers.

Another bad game to end the regular season could obliterate Wilson's chances of earning a lucrative long-term deal—in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.

The Atlanta Falcons can win the NFC South, but they need to defeat the Carolina Panthers and get a loss from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Tampa takes care of business against the injury-riddled New Orleans Saints, Atlanta's outcome will be irrelevant.

Sunday's game won't be irrelevant for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., however. The Falcons won't bench the Washington product if he plays poorly but they still advance to the postseason. They've made it clear that he's the starter for the rest of the season.

"After review, we have made the decision Michael Penix will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward," head coach Raheem Morris said on December 17 in a statement.

However, a bad game could potentially alter Atlanta's quarterback plans heading into 2025.

Kirk Cousins played well early in the season, helping Atlanta notch a 6-3 record by early November. By mid-November, however, he was dealing with shoulder and elbow injuries in his throwing arm. He struggled through four consecutive losses and a narrow win over the Las Vegas Raiders before being benched.

Cousins is under contract through 2027, and there's a non-zero chance that he could reemerge as Atlanta's starter if and when fully healthy. At worst, he could be given a chance to compete if Penix falls flat in the finale.

If Penix wants to ensure that he's the unquestioned QB1 entering the offseason, he needs to shine against Carolina. He's shown flashes in his two starts but has just one touchdown pass, two interceptions and a 73.2 passer rating heading into Week 18.

The Saints, New York Jets and Chicago Bears have already fired their head coaches. For much of the year, it has felt like the Jacksonville Jaguars would be the next franchise to make a significant change at the top.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported in mid-November that Jacksonville was already considering a regime change, though there hasn't been any definitive talk of Doug Pederson's job security since then.

"Owner Shad Khan hasn't tipped his hand and wasn't in the locker room postgame Sunday, which is not the norm after a win," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote on Thursday. "But some people there believe coach Doug Pederson is projecting confidence, so we'll see."

While it may be too late for Pederson to save his job given this year's disappointing campaign, finishing the season with back-to-back wins against divisional opponents could help his case.

While Jacksonville can blame its slow start on injuries, starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence has only appeared in one game since Week 10. The season was essentially lost at that point, but a win on Sunday could show that Pederson has kept his locker room together amid a disaster of a season.

Beating the Colts would earn the Jags a 3-3 record in the AFC South. It would also give Jacksonville a post-bye record of 3-3 with the three losses coming by a combined 15 points. That, combined with an 18-16 record and one playoff victory over Pederson's first two seasons, might be enough to earn the coach an opportunity to turn things around in 2025.

The chances of Pederson sticking in Jacksonville appear slim, but a blowout loss in Indianapolis will almost certainly end his tenure.

The New York Giants, who released former "franchise" quarterback Daniel Jones in-season, will have a new QB of the future in 2025. What's unknown is who the franchise will pick to replace Jones long-term and who will be the head coach.

New York may retain head coach Brian Daboll. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, franchise owner John Mara would prefer not to make significant front-office changes.

"They have really wanted to keep the same thing going here," Schefter said on Monday on Get Up (h/t Bleacher Report's Andrew Peters).

According to Fowler, Daboll will plead his case early next week:

"While Brian Daboll's 3-13 campaign in New York could prove a fireable offense, people there believe he's going to fight for his job on Monday or Tuesday of next week with a detailed plan."

After last week's 45-33 win over the Colts, Daboll has a legitimate chance to end the year with back-to-back victories. New York will visit the Philadelphia Eagles, who are expected to rest starters, on Sunday.

Another win could help Daboll sell his plan for the future. Another good game from Drew Lock could help secure the quarterback's future in New York.

Lock, who will be a free agent in March, hadn't played particularly well as Jones' replacement. Last week, however, he went off for 309 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a rushing score.

While Lock won't play his way into being a long-term answer for New York, another strong performance could earn him bridge-QB consideration in 2025. If the Giants prefer to draft another quarterback highly, they'll want a veteran insurance policy on the roster. Lock could be that bridge, though, if he returns to below-average play (74.3 QB rating this season), the Giants will likely look elsewhere.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce and quarterback Aidan O'Connell are in positions similar to those of Daboll and Lock in New York. Both could be battling for their futures in Week 18.

In Las Vegas' case, however, the quarterback appears more likely to stick than the head coach. O'Connell is only in his second season and will probably be on the roster next year. He's been far from perfect, but has won two straight starts and has posted a somewhat respectable 85.4 QB rating this season.

O'Connell isn't Las Vegas' quarterback of the future, but he could cement his status as a long-term backup and/or bridge QB with a good game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Pierce, it would seem, is likely on his way out. The interim-turned-full-time coach is, at the very least, on the hot seat.

"The belief in league circles continues to be that Antonio Pierce's future as the Raiders' head coach is in serious doubt," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero wrote on December 28.

Pierce may have to beat the rival Chargers—convincingly—on Sunday to save his job. A 5-12 record may still not be enough, but ending the year on a three-game winning streak would at least give Pierce an argument. A loss would likely seal his fate.

While the Raiders have been saddled with unreliable quarterback play this season, there's pretty much no world in which a 0-6 divisional record can be viewed as acceptable.

The Tennessee Titans are all but guaranteed to have a new starting quarterback in 2025. Second-year signal-caller Will Levis hasn't performed well or shown much growth this season, though he'll get one last chance to make an impression—the Titans plan to play both Levis and Mason Rudolph against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

"I am focused on playing quarterback the best that I can and it's a good opportunity to try and end the season on a good note," Levis said, per Jim Wyatt of the team's official website.

While Levis may not start or play significant snaps—the Titans have been quiet about their plan—this may be Levis' last chance to earn any sort of future in Tennessee. He has two years remaining on his rookie contract, but another mistake-filled flop—Levis has had 17 turnovers in 11 games this year—could have the Titans looking to move on entirely in 2025.

If Levis manages to play well, he might be able to stick as a developmental backup for a couple more seasons. That's probably the best-case scenario for the Kentucky product.

Rookie head coach Brian Callahan could also have a lot riding on the game against Houston. According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, Callahan is unlikely to be one-and-done as a head coach, largely because of Levis' struggles.

"My sense is that Tennessee will want to keep Brian Callahan and let him work with a new quarterback, because Will Levis doesn't look like the answer."

By playing both quarterbacks on Sunday, Callahan may have a chance to show just how much of the problem Levis has been. Getting another victory along the way would certainly help his chances of sticking for Year 2. A blowout loss and bad offensive play all around, however, could leave the Titans eyeing other coaching options.

The Jets have nothing to play for against the Miami Dolphins in Week 18, and they're likely to see sweeping changes in the offseason. New York has already fired head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. The general expectation is that it'll part with quarterback Aaron Rodgers as well.

The incoming Jets regime will be eyeing a fresh start, but it will have some pivotal decisions to make regarding a few young standouts—specifically, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, running back Breece Hall and cornerback Sauce Gardner.

Wilson, Hall and Gardner will all be extension-eligible in the offseason. What's unknown is whether they'll receive new deals, continue playing on rookie contracts or become trade fodder for the latest rebuild.

Heading into the offseason, New York is projected to have $30.7 million in 2025 cap space.

It wouldn't be a total shock to see one or more players request a trade in the offseason.

Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press reported last month that "there are rumblings" that Wilson could seek a trade.

It would behoove all three of New York's young starts to go out on a high note against the Dolphins, if possible—Gardner has missed practice this week with a hamstring injury. After last week's 40-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, they'll want to leave a better impression ahead of an uncertain offseason.

And whether they're auditioning for new teams or for a new contract with the Jets, it'll help if Wilson, Hall and Gardner can show that they're still committed to playing hard—which some players, according to Gardner, are not.

"Obviously, we're not going to the playoffs, some people might be checked out," Gardner told reporters after the Bills loss. "That's just me going off speculation."

A year ago, Wilson, Hall and Gardner looked like unquestioned foundational pieces for the Jets. Now, there are plenty of questions surrounding the talented trio's future, and Sunday's finale could play a role in what comes next.

*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.