NFL Week 18 flex scheduling changes: Titans-Jaguars showdown moved to Saturday night along with Chiefs-Raiders

For the second year in a row, the NFL hosted a Saturday doubleheader in the final week of the regular season, and for the second year in a row, the NFL waited until the end of Sunday’s game in Week 17 to see who would play in that doubleheader. clarified.

The league announced Saturday’s schedule for Week 18 will be as follows:

The biggest surprises are the Titans and Jaguar games. With the AFC South title at stake, there was speculation that the NFL would move that game to Sunday night of Week 18, but the league decided to put it on Saturday night instead. did.

The Jaguars probably won’t be thrilled to hear the game is moved to Saturday. That’s because the Titans get more rest than they do, and not only did the Jaguars play in a shorter week, but Tennessee played Thursday in Week 17, so for the showdown he’ll need three extra days of rest. Given.

The winner of the Titans vs. Jaguars match will dominate the AFC South, but the loser is not necessarily eliminated. If the Titans win Saturday, the Jags will still qualify for a wild card spot if the Steelers lose to the Browns, the Patriots lose to the Bills, and the Dolphins lose to the Jets in Week 18. , then Tennessee’s season ends.

As for the early game, the Chiefs are still in contention for the top seed in the AFC, so they are likely to be picked. No matter what happens Monday night between the Bengals and Bills, the Chiefs go into Saturday’s game knowing they need to win if they want to be top seeded. The Bills-Bengals winner will be in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

In case you’re wondering why there’s a doubleheader this week, it’s now a permanent part of the upcoming schedule because it’s part of ESPN’s media deal.

As for Sunday’s night game, it’s not yet clear which game will end there, as the NFL will almost certainly go with the Ravens-Bengals or the Lions-Packers.according to in at least one report, the NFL is leaning towards putting the Packers game there. Because Aaron Rodgers will be playing prime time when the Packers season begins. The only problem with putting that game in prime time is that if the Seahawks beat the Rams in Week 18, the Lions’ playoff chances could be dead by the time the game begins.

Of course, if the Bengals beat the Bills on Monday, they’ll take AFC North, and if that happens, the Lions-Packers will be the only realistic option.