Last updated on March 16, 2022
The final week in the NFL regular season would see some shocking wins by the underdogs, which would lead to changes in who would make the NFL postseason.
For people that took the underdogs on the NFL odds for week 18, you would have made some great returns. Underdogs would go 9-6-1 against the spread for week 18, with seven underdogs winning outright on the moneyline.
The most significant moves came on the AFC side of the playoff picture. Teams like the Raiders and the Steelers, who were outside of the playoff picture, got what they needed to make it into the NFL playoffs.
Teams like the Chargers and the Colts, who were thought to be heading for the NFL playoffs, suffered losses that knocked them out of playoff contention. So what happened in these games that changed the NFL playoff landscape?
Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars
This game was a “win and in” game for the Colts and thought to be an easy win. The Jaguars came into this game with a 2-14 record against a playoff-bound Colts at 9-7.
The Colts came into this game as 14.5 point favorites but would lose to the Jaguars 26-11. So what was it that the Jaguars did to beat the favored Colts?
The Jaguars’ defense stepped up for starters, holding the league-leading rusher, Jonathan Taylor, to 77 yards and no touchdowns. They also kept Carson Wentz under 200 passing yards. He would only pass for 185 yards while throwing one touchdown and one interception while getting sacked six times.
The horrible play by the Colts’ offense would doom their postseason hopes.
The Jaguars would see Trevor Lawrence play error-free football for their offense, passing for 223 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
The offensive line also held up well against a Colts defense that was doing pretty good in the closing games of the season, allowing them only to sack Lawrence one time.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens
Both of these teams had a chance to make the playoffs, but they not only needed a win but some help as well. The Ravens would need more help to get in than the Steelers, but they needed a win even to have any hope to make the postseason.
As 3.5 point favorites at home, the Ravens were looking to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, what would happen would be a team collapse that was the favorite to win the AFC North at the beginning of the NFL season.
The Ravens’ ground game was putting up points and yards. However, John Harbaugh would trust backup quarterback Tyler Huntley to pass the ball.
That proved to be a grave mistake, as Huntley would fumble the ball once and throw two interceptions. Huntley finished the game 16-31 for 141 yards and no touchdowns.
Ben Roethlisberger for the Steelers had a good game, passing for 244 yards with one touchdown and one interception. With this game being his final regular-season game, he went out with a bang in their overtime win against their division rival, the Ravens.
After the Colts loss and the Steelers winning, the Steelers looked to the Sunday night game between the Chargers and the Raiders. The Steelers would need that game to not end in a tie to make the playoffs.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Chargers came into this game as three-point favorites, and by the time this game started, both teams had two paths to the playoffs. Due to the results of the games already played, this game became more than a “win and in” game. The game could end in a tie, and both teams would make the playoffs.
The game would give that possible ending, with the game going into overtime on a last-second touchdown by the Chargers. However, the Chargers would call a timeout, leading the Raiders a chance to get enough yards to kick the game-winning field goal to advance to the playoffs in front of their home crowd.
The game also saw the honoring of former Raiders coach John Madden, who passed away on December 28th, 2021.
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