Staff AP Saturday NFL Football Preview, Week 18 Predictions and Discussion

The Chiefs play the Chargers on Sunday, but Week 18 begins Saturday afternoon with the Steelers and Ravens.

(5-11) The Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) take on the Kansas City Chiefs at 3:25 p.m. Sunday (beginning of Lent). But the 18th and final week of the NFL regular season begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, with three teams that can face the Chiefs as the sixth seed in the Wild Card round: (9-7) Pittsburgh Steelers ( 9-7) 13 -3 ) Baltimore Ravens 3:30 p.m. – Then the Houston Texans (9-7) visit the Indianapolis Colts at 7:15 p.m. Both games will be televised on ESPN, ABC and locally on KMBC/9.

The Ravens hold the AFC’s No. 1 seed, so they have no choice but to get revenge against Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon with a 17-10 win over Baltimore in Week 5. But there’s more to the Steelers. They come into the game with a one-in-four chance to make the playoffs. A win in the season series against the Ravens would double that chance, but a loss on Saturday could eliminate them from the playoffs. Win or lose, Pittsburgh will have something to look forward to on Sunday. The Steelers could end up as the 6th or 7th seed and watch the postseason on TV.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Steelers are favored by three points. Instead, both the Colts and Texans have everything going for them in Saturday night’s matchup. Winners advance to the playoffs, losers go home. Depending on Sunday’s results, the winning team could win the AFC South title (and the fourth seed) or earn the wild card as the sixth or seventh seed.

For more information on how the postseason changes after Week 18 results, see the AFC Playoff Table. Here are our picks for Saturday’s game: Don’t forget to vote. Discuss the game in the comments!