Week 18 opens with a Saturday doubleheader on ESPN/ABC, as the Browns at Ravens, and the Bengals at Steelers square off. Come chat with us in our live thread!
Week 18 kicks off with a Saturday doubleheader on ESPN and ABC!
The AFC North, the only AFC division still up for grabs, will be decided today, as the Baltimore Ravens (11-5) host the Cleveland Browns (3-13) at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) at 8 p.m. ET.
Browns at Ravens
Date: Saturday, January 5, 2025
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: M&T Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland
TV: ESPN and ABC
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky, Laura Rutledge (field reporter)
Streaming: ESPN+
, ESPN APP
, NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube
, NFL+ Premium
The folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are heavily favoring Baltimore in this game with the betting line being set at Ravens -17.5 points.
If the Ravens win this game, as expected, the AFC North crown is there’s and the race is over. They’ll lock up the No. 3 seed in the AFC and will await their next opponent at home in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
If the Ravens lose, they’ll still maintain a spot in the post-season—and could even still win the AFC North—but their fate would now be in the hands of the Steelers. Which brings us to the next game in this doubleheader…
Bengals at Steelers
Date: Saturday, January 5, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV: ESPN and ABC
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters (field reporter)
Streaming: ESPN+
, ESPN APP
, NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube
, NFL+ Premium
The folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring Cincinnati in this game with the betting line being set at Bengals -1.5 points.
The Steelers currently sit in the No. 5 seed in the AFC but their postseason options could go a few different directions. First, by beating the Bengals they’ll finish no worse than the No. 5 seed and could jump into the No. 3 seed if they get the win and the Ravens lose. However, if the Steelers lose to the Bengals, they could drop to the No. 6 seed if the Chargers beat the Raiders on Sunday.
Here’s another way to look at it:
- Secure No. 3 seed and AFC North title by: Getting a win over the Bengals + a Ravens loss
- Stay in the No. 5 seed by: Getting a win over the Bengals
- Drop to the No. 6 seed by: Losing to the Bengals + Chargers beating the Raiders
They can’t drop to the No. 7 seed, but we do know that if they land in the No. 6 seed then they’d face the Ravens in the first round, while the No. 5 seed would send them to Texas to take on the Houston Texans .
For the Bengals, they need a lot of help to secure the No. 7 seed. Not only do they need to beat the Steelers, but they also need the Broncos to lose to the Chiefs (who will be resting their starters) AND the Dolphins to lose to the Jets. If any of those three things don’t happen, the Bengals will be eliminated from the playoffs.
If the Bengals overcome the odds and sneak into the No. 7 seed, then they’ll travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in the Wild Card round.