What's at stake in the playoff race in Week 18?Two number one routes, 4 division titles and more.

In this edition of The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha gives you an overview of everything that happened in the final week of the 2025 regular season, plus exclusive rankings of Coach of the Year candidates and must-watch Week 18 games.

In The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha provides snippets of the hottest stories and trends ahead of Week 18 of the 2025 season, including:

But to kick things off, a recap of what happened in the last week of the regular season...

The end is near.After another week in the regular season, everything elevates to a different level.The playoffs we've been waiting for—a postseason filled with more parity and uncertainty than we've seen in more than two decades—are about to make a splash.All that remains is to calculate some final workpieces.

The latest edition of Read First is ready to answer the remaining questions that will roll over next week's work.Not a lot of games are important, but the ones that are important have great effects.Here's what's at stake in Week 18, along with what this writer thinks will happen...

Well.1 seed in the AFC

It's been a long time since there has been this much intrigue about the top seeds in the AFC playoffs.Kansas City has won four of the last seven years, while Baltimore has won it twice and Tennessee once.The race for that coveted honor has not once come down to the final week of the season during that stretch, and certainly not in a three-team contest.round.The 13-3 Broncos have the easiest path.All they need to do is beat the Chargers at home and that's it.Of course, Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh may not be willing to rest his starters in this contest, so it may not be that simple.The Chargers also beat the Broncos in their first meeting, so Los Angeles is well positioned to kill Denver's dream.The Patriots are next in line to grab the top seed if Denver loses, as New England only needs to beat Miami at home (the Patriots lose the tiebreaker to Denver).In the end, Jacksonville has the most difficult task.The Jaguars need to beat the Titans at home and hope that both Denver and New England lose.In a normal year, it wouldn't be wise to think that would happen.This wasn't even close to a normal year, so the Jags should have some optimism.This is obviously a lot to digest, but it doesn't look like Denver is going to blow this one.Coach Sean Payton finds a way to get his team over the finish line.

No. 1 seed in the NFC

The battle for first place in the NFC isn't as complicated as the situation in the AFC because it comes down to what's happening in the NFC West.Seattle is in the top spot at 13-3 and leads San Francisco by one game.These teams will meet on Saturday, meaning it will be winner-takes-all.The Rams still had an outside shot at the start of Week 17, but that door was closed.officially when the 49ers beat the Bears on Sunday night.The Niners already have a win over the Seahawks, but that was back in Week 1 when San Francisco wasn't riddled with the injuries that have once again plagued the franchise.Even the games in San Francisco shouldn't matter here.The Seahawks had a big win over the Rams in Week 16.They will do the same in the season finale against the 49ers.

AFC North title

Pittsburgh could have clinched the division title with a win over the Grizzled Browns, but it wasn't to be.Baltimore is looking for a shot at the finals after turning around a 1-5 start to the season, but it's a team that has dropped three of its last five games.So now we get to see a potential cage match involving two franchises that don't really call: Sunday night of the regular season.Ravens at Steelers in the final game.Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson injured his back in the Week 16 loss to New England and was ruled out last week.Baltimore beat Green Bay on Saturday night thanks to a 216-yard, four-touchdown effort by running back Derrick Henry, but it's hard to see the Ravens winning the season without their star signal caller (who reportedly cut himself for the playoffs).(trying to bounce back).The Steelers faced their own problems after losing to a Cleveland team that has four championships in a year.At times, Pittsburgh seems to be figuring out how to become a viable team - like when it won three straight in Week 17. It's safe to say that these two teams wouldn't be thinking about playing football in January if it weren't for this weak stretch.As he is, Crows 'Better go with them.They've shown they can win without Jackson, and DK Metcalf's extended suspension looks like a huge problem for the Steelers.

AFC South Address

Jacksonville and Houston are two of the hottest teams in football.The Texans are on an eight-game winning streak.The Jaguars have won seven in a row, including a 14-point road victory at Denver, one of the most impressive efforts by anyone this season.Obviously, both have strong cases to win this division - and both teams have already clinched playoff spots - but Jacksonville is in better shape.The Jaguars have been strong all season, entering Week 17 with an offense and defense that both rank in the top 10 in the league in scoring.Also, the Titans need just three wins to clinch the crown.Houston feels like a scary team because of a defense that has been dominant all year.they are also the last team to beat the Jaguars this season.Houston is at home against Indianapolis on Sunday, but needs to win and lose Jacksonville to clinch its third straight division title.Given how well Jacksonville has played, that's asking too much at this point.The Jaguars aren't taking advantage of this opportunity right now.

NFC South title

If it seemed like no one wanted to run away with the AFC North, imagine what it's like judging recent events in the division.Not long ago, Tampa Bay impressed with its ability to overcome serious injuries and win games in the final minute.The Buccaneers were so fun to watch that quarterback Baker Mayfield was the early favorite for league MVP.After Sunday's loss, the Miami Bucs have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight.The only reason there is any real optimism in Tampa Bay is because Carolina blew their chances to win the division.There's no shame in losing to the Seahawks (as the Panthers did on Sunday).But the lowly Saints have swept Carolina this season, including a 20-17 win in Week 15. If the Panthers had won any of those games, they would have already clinched the crown.I'm still leaning toward Carolina even with the Panthers heading to Tampa for Saturday's de facto NFC South title game, but this one will be close.

Top leshome NFC West

It's already been discussed.The 49ers' defensive struggles against Chicago on Sunday Night Football are another reason to think Seattle has the upper hand in Saturday night's season finale.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft

The only positive in the Raiders' 34-10 loss to the Giants was the advantage that could come in April.The Raiders now fall to 2-14 and are holding onto the top pick for next year's draft.The main thing for Las Vegas is not to do something in the finals against Kansas City, which will blow this advantage.The Chiefs will start their third-string quarterback (Chris Oladokun) with several backups, so this isn't a given for the Raiders.As Kansas City enjoyed a Christmas Day loss to Denver, the Chiefs may be thinking about getting the best draft pick they can after their own nightmare season.The Giants may be hoping for one last shot at that top pick -- they sit with a 3-13 record against the Jets, Titans and Cardinals -- but the Raiders seem determined to finish what they started.

COACH OF THE YEAR RACE

With the final weekend of the 2025 campaign just around the corner, the Coach of the Year race is one of the most competitive year-end awards this season.

Great coaches like Shanahan -- he's led this franchise to two Super Bowls and four NFC championship games -- usually struggle to win this award.But this year reminded us just how talented he is.the team must consider what to do with another draft pick after losing stars like edge rusher Nick Bosa (torn ACL), linebacker Fred Warner (broken and dislocated ankle), quarterback Brock Purdy (who missed eight games with a bunion toe) and tight end George Kittle (who missed six games with a hamstring injury, most recently with a sprain).names that have disappeared from this team in an injury-riddled season.Shanahan was able to win games by relying on mobile quarterback Mac Jones and a defense that struggled to pressure the opposing pass rusher.More importantly, Shanahan did it while competing with the Rams and Seahawks, both strong threats to win the Super Bowl.The other coaches on this list have lost franchises.Shanahan, on the other hand, gave us more evidence of why the 49ers have been so strong under his leadership.

The Jaguars weren't supposed to be this good this soon.Heck, they weren't even supposed to be that good.That speaks volumes for Cohen's work in his first season leading a franchise that believed a major key to its success was a draft-day trade that led to Travis Hunter undergoing season-ending knee surgery.Cohen deserves credit for helping quarterback Trevor Lawrence become the force many thought Lawrence would be years ago.Cohen also hired defensive coordinator Anthony Campanillo, who has become one of the worst defensive ends in the league and ranked in the top 10.Cohen has created a sense of fearlessness in this team that shows.The Jaguars traveled to Denver in Week 16 and came away with a 34-20 victory against a Broncos defense that has been elite all year.The Jaguars are in contention for the AFC South title and the Super Bowl is certainly not far away because Cohen is the right man for the job.

New England's dramatic turnaround has raised a question that has been asked all year: Why didn't Vrabel get the coaching job last year?It's doubtful he'll fill any of the open positions in 2024, but his tenure with the Patriots has solidified his reputation as one of the best players in the business. New England quarterback Derek Meyer hopes to continue his growth, becoming a top MVP candidate. The defense has improved and the offensive line has gotten stronger.(The only reason he's not higher on the list). They also ended Buffalo's five-year streak as AFC East champions and ended a 10-game winning streak earlier this year. Anyone who watched this team play last season knows how much Vrabel meant. The moment he walked into the building, he turned this team into a winner.

There was a lot of hype surrounding Johnson when the Bears hired him, and he lived up to most of it.The same team that won five games and fell completely in 2024 now has its first NFC North title in seven years.Johnson has inspired resiliency (this team won six games after trailing in the final two minutes of regulation) and intensity (Chicago boasts a top-three rushing attack), and help develop second-year quarterback Caleb Williams into a clutch performer.There's still a lot of work to be done here — Williams needs to be more consistent and the defense needs to be more productive to be productive — but you'd be hard-pressed to find many people picking this team to win a division as tough as the NFC North in Johnson's first season.

To be fair to Macdonald, he would have been higher on this one if the season had ended a month ago.He did a great job in molding Seattle into a legitimate contender, as the defense was terrible all year, while Sam Darnold proved that his success in Minnesota last year was no fluke.Macdonald also has his team on a six-game winning streak and poised to win the NFC West.The problem is optics.Seattle went 10-7 in Macdonald's first season and barely missed the playoffs.So, this wasn't a bad team that surprised everyone by going 13-3.The pitch also clears past Macdonald.Shanahan's success against a beaten team in San Francisco hurts.Coen's ability to bring Confidence to the Jaguars is also important, as is the turnaround job Vrabel and Johnson have done with their franchise.Macdonald is brilliant.Luckily, other coaches can do more with less.

Perfect for pro deep dives

- 49ers over Bears.The shootout happened on Sunday Night Football as Caleb Williams almost pulled off a miracle in the fourth quarter.

- A failed two-point conversion by Eagles over Bills quarterback Josh Allen prevents Buffalo from going down by 13 points in the fourth quarter.

- Jaguars over Colts.Jacksonville pulls away in the fourth quarter thanks to two field goals by Cam Little.

WEEK 18 OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE GAME

You know it will never be easy with these two bitter rivals.Given that only one of these players will play in the postseason, this contest -- the final game of the regular season -- should be as bad as it gets.

A simple ranking of the top five prospects, which will be updated weekly based on performance.Here's where things stand heading into Week 18 (DraftKings odds as of 2:00 a.m. ET on Monday, December 29):

- Kurz DraftKings: -230

- Weeks in the top five: 9

- Next game: at Falcons |Monday, December 29

- DraftKings Odds: +180

- Weeks in the top five: 10

- Next game: vs AgiaWednesday, January 4

- DraftKings odds: +15,000

- In the first five weeks: 2

- Next game: vs Titans |Sunday, January 4

- DraftKings odds: +15000

- The first five weeks: 11

- Next match: vs. Jet |Sunday January 4th

- Kurz DraftKings: +30000

- Weeks in the top five weeks: 3

- Next game: at Broncos |Sunday, January 4

My slowly evolving Super Bowl pick, which will also be updated each week depending on the performance: Rams over Jaguars.

- Week 16: Rams over Bills

- 77: Rams on the opponents

- Week 14: Rams vs. Broncos

- Week 13: Rams vs. Broncos

- Week 12: Rams over Broncos

- Week 11: Sheep on the bill

- Week 10: Bills on Lions

- Week 9: Lioness Bills

- Week 8: Bills at Lions

- Week 7: bill on the lions

- Week 6: The Bills over the Lions

- Week 5: Bills over Eagles

- Week 4: bills on eagles

- Week 3: Bills over Eagles

- 2. astea: Bills over the Packers

- Java 1: Ravens mbi-packers