FROM THE COUCH XXX
Mike Leitao ~ 01/06/2026
Week 18 of the NFL season is upon us, you know what that means. Lots of meaningless games, multiple players only playing for incentives, and a few games that have a massive impact on both the playoffs and the offseason.
Panthers vs Buccaneers:
Normally a week 18 game between the two teams who are still fighting for their division crown would be the deciding game for the division. In a wacky way, this game only kind of mattered. A Panthers win had them in while a Buccaneers win meant people had to watch the Falcons vs Saints game on Sunday. Everyone knows the refs were shit and that was a large talking point and I get it, I love shit talking refs. If we take a step back though, this complete dogshit division coming down to a matchup between two below 0.500 teams to determine the playoff team who will host a playoff game with a below 0.500 record, it only feels right that the refs fucked everyone over. Both these teams suck but they just so happen to suck the least in a really sucky division and one of them was rewarded with the opportunity to get killed next week in a playoff game, so congrats I guess.
Seahawks vs 49ers:
Other than the Sunday Night Football game, this was easily the biggest game of the weekend. The winner of this game would end up as the top seed in the NFC and get a bye with home field advantage while the loser would end up a wild card team and most likely play on the road for the entire playoffs. The Seahawks simply dominated the 49ers, as the offense was fine but the defense was suffocating. It is hard to not think this Seahawks team is the best team not only in the NFC, but in the NFL. A Sam Darnold Super Bowl run would make the few Jets fans left probably kill themselves.
Packers vs Vikings:
Our first game in the “this shit means nothing” set of games from this week. The Packers had clinched the 7 seed in the NFC and the Vikings were just playing because they had to. You could tell the Packers were playing backups, as their starting QB threw for an impressive 34 yards. Meanwhile the Vikings played their starters and somehow McCarthy still could not throw a TD to Justin Jefferson. He sucks, this game was pointless, next.
Colts vs Texans:
This game kind of mattered, as although the Colts were just playing for pride, the Texans were playing to try and keep the 5 seed which is actually very valuable. Although most of the AFC teams seem flawed, a matchup versus the weak AFC North winner would always be the best draw for any wild card team. Surprisingly, the strong Texans defense let Riley Leonard absolutely torch them and although the Texans escaped with a win, that is certainly not the confidence booster one of the best defenses in the league needed before their road playoff game.
Cowboys vs Giants:
Another game this week where all that mattered was draft positioning. A Giants loss would have kept them in a strong spot for a high pick and the potential to move back in the draft to acquire tons of capital to allow a QB hungry team to move up. Instead, the Giants decided a morale win was more important and ended the season on a win on the field and a loss off of it. The loss along with other results from this week dropped the Giants down to pick 5. Getting a top 5 pick is still very valuable and they should be able to add a very valuable piece to this team to help the future, but losing out on what could have been for a win that will not mean anything I’m sure will sting for management. Meanwhile, the Cowboys season is over in what was a very uneventful season as nothing of note really happened in Dallas once the season started and they seem like they are progressing towards the dreaded no man's zone of being perpetually mid, which would be very on brand.
Browns vs Bengals:
Myles Garrett got his record. It was a disappointing sack to set the record, reminiscent of Brett Favre and Michael Straham for his old record, but Myles Garrett now holds the record for sacks in a season with 23. He was great all year, but I do wonder if we should be treating records differently as with the seemingly consistent change in games played in a season some of these records are more impressive than others. Regardless, it is nice that one of the best defensive players in the league stuck on one of the worst teams in the league got his record. The Browns end the season on a win which also kind of fucked their draft spot which probably means they will be stuck running with Sanders for next season in full. I am sure that will go incredibly poorly but everyone will continue to defend him on social media for some reason.
Saints vs Falcons:
A game that did not mean much originally then turned into the deciding factor for the NFC South crown. A Saints win and the Buccaneers are in the playoffs, a Falcons win and the Panthers take it instead. A back and forth game between two bad teams fighting for others fates made for a very entertaining watch, and with a Falcons win the Panthers got the prize of getting murdered next week. Both of these teams are lame and truthfully I do not care about them for the foreseeable future so nothing more to say there.
Titans vs Jaguars:
The Jaguars committed murder of the Titans and go into the playoffs with arguably the most momentum out of any team in the NFL having won their last 8 in a row and have looked pretty damn good in all those games. I am unsure if the Jaguars will really be able to make any noise, but I am a firm believer that Liam Coen should be the coach of the year and I really do not think it is close. For the Titans, they will have a new head coach leading their hopeful franchise savior at QB as another poor year could demand a full reset of a rebuild that only just started.
Jets vs Bills:
Josh Allen took one snap to keep his active streak alive and the Bills killed the Jets. The real story here is that the Jets finished the season with zero INTs, something that has never been done since the NFL started tracking in 1933. That is legitimately a stat that might stand forever, a true piece of history. To be so bad that you do not luck into a single interception all season is actually incredibly impressive in the saddest way possible. To call the Jets sad would be an understatement, this team is so embarrassing that there is no reason for anyone to follow this awful team. If you are a Jets fan, this is permission to pick any other team to root for, because this team is bad and may never be good again.
Lions vs Bears:
This game did not really matter, other than a Bears loss and an Eagles win to shift around between the 2 and 3 seeds this game had no real stakes other than Caleb Williams fighting to hit the 4k passing yards mark. He tried his hardest, but he just came up 58 yards short. The Bears head to the playoffs to have a matchup versus the Packers that will make them very happy with their historic rivalry and the Lions head into the offseason trying to figure out what the hell happened that caused this team to go from NFC favorite to mid.
Chargers vs Broncos:
With the Chargers sitting starters since they were locked into the wild card game, the Broncos were pretty much guaranteed the win and the AFC 1 seed. Although it was not pretty, a theme for the Broncos this year, they got it done and the AFC technically runs through Denver. With the current crop in the AFC, no one looks unbeatable by any stretch, but the Broncos ability to win games when it seems like they shouldn’t combined with having a big home field advantage makes them the logical pick to win the AFC in my mind. We might get a rematch of this matchup in a couple weeks and it would be welcome.
Chiefs vs Raiders:
The Raiders got a pity win over the Chiefs and got to keep the 1st overall pick and fired Pete Carroll, so it was a very eventful couple of days for Vegas. The clock has officially started and the Raiders will get lots of time to determine what QB they want to be the future of their franchise. Meanwhile the Chiefs get a top 10 pick and the potential to add some real young talent to this team as they attempt to quickly retool and take back over the AFC, which as we have seen with the overall quality of the AFC is certainly doable and feels inevitable.
Dolphins vs Patriots:
Dolphins suck, Patriots dominated, nothing else to say here. I love Drake “Better than Herbert” Maye and think it would be cool to see him take home the MVP but honestly it should go to Stafford.
Commanders vs Eagles:
The Eagles chose to rest their starters this week even with seeding on the line, and that was probably the right call, but it made this a rough game for the Eagles. McKee looked anywhere from mid to downright bad throughout the game, and the pass defense was actually so ass. I remember thinking Kelee Ringo going undrafted to the Eagles was a steal for them, but that dude was so bad they should ship his ass to Venezuela and then bomb him, the football IQ he showed the whole game was probably negative. The Commanders get their pity win and hopefully Ringo gets murdered.
Cardinals vs Rams:
See the Dolphins vs Patriots entry. Seriously, there is nothing else to say.
Ravens vs Steelers:
The AFC North battle between the uneven Ravens and the mid Steelers was sure to be entertaining, and entertaining it was. Logically we can skip to the end, where Chris Boswell, who has been one of the best kickers in the NFL, missed an extra point to put the Ravens only down by 2. The Ravens march down field with an insane catch from Likely to get them in field goal range. With 12 seconds left and a timeout still remaining, the Ravens decide to kneel the ball and go for a 44 yard game winner with their rookie kicker instead of letting one of the best RBs in the NFL run the ball to try and get it as close as possible to the end zone. The rookie kicker comes in and misses the kick giving the Steelers the win and the playoffs. Let’s be honest, this game was really a game to see who wants to lose in the wildcard game the most. The Ravens will have some interesting decisions to make after a disappointing season and the Steelers will get to continue their run of mid.
With the playoffs upcoming it is time for me to make my Super Bowl predictions. I will keep it fun and go with Jaguars vs Rams with the Rams winning the Super Bowl to allow Matthew Stafford to roam off into the sunset with another ring and an MVP as he waits for his call to the Football Hall of Fame.
