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Week 18 can bring a wide variety of games, from must-win scenarios (Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers) to games key for playoff seeding to games that will only impact the draft order.

Even then, some teams don't fall into any of those buckets; the Los Angeles Chargers, for example, could potentially improve their playoff seeding with a win over the Denver Broncos, but will rest Justin Herbert and several other starters instead.

Long story short, it's never easy to know what to expect in Week 18. Some teams will clearly be looking forward to the offseason, but even for those teams, backup players are looking to put their best foot forward, hoping to catch the eye of a team for next season. We've seen teams with nothing to play for beat teams with their playoff lives on the line, and we'll see it again.

But with 12 of the 14 NFL playoff teams determined, there's a pretty clear picture of who will be in the postseason, if not what the exact matchups will be. As we wait for that to happen, though, we can dream of which ones we want to see most in the wild card round.

Playoff seeds are listed in parentheses for each matchup.

7. Jaguars vs. Texans (No. 3 vs. No. 6)

How it happens:

  • Jaguars win, Broncos win/tie, Patriots win/tie OR
  • Jaguars tie OR
  • Jaguars lose, Texans lose/tie

AND

  • Texans tie, Bills lose/tie, Chargers win OR
  • Texans tie, Bills win, Chargers lose/tie OR
  • Texans lose, Bills lose, Chargers win/tie OR
  • Texans lose, Bills win/tie, Chargers lose

Both the Jaguars and Texans can trace their late-season surges to their Week 10 meeting in which Davis Mills rallied Houston to a stunning 36-29 win. 

Neither team has lost since: Jacksonville has ripped off seven straight wins since, while that win was the first of eight straight for Houston. Trevor Lawrence is playing at a high level, and seeing him go against arguably the NFL's defense led by Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and Derek Stingley Jr. would be a ton of fun. Plus, there's the divisional rivalry aspect.

It's unlikely this wish actually bears fruit, but as we've seen before, wild results can happen in Week 18.

6. Bears vs. 49ers (No. 3 vs. No. 6)

How it happens:

  • Bears tie, Eagles win OR
  • Bears lose, Eagles win/tie

AND

  • 49ers lose, Rams win

We just saw this game, and it was a 42-38 instant classic that came down to the final play of the game. Need I say more?

5. Eagles vs. 49ers (No. 3 vs. No. 6)

How it happens:

  • Eagles tie, Bears tie OR
  • Eagles lose OR
  • Bears win

AND

  • 49ers lose, Rams win

The Eagles and the 49ers have combined to represent the NFC in the last three (and five of the last eight) Super Bowls, and one could argue both have Super Bowl ceilings -- and unsteady floors -- this year. 

The 49ers' offense has been on an absolute heater of late (NFL-best 34.3 points since the start of November), and that's been necessary given the injury-ravaged defense's struggles. The Eagles defense, meanwhile, has rounded into form as one of the NFL's best, but the offense has been stop-and-start.

4. Eagles vs. Rams (No. 3 vs. No. 6)

How it happens:

  • Eagles tie, Bears tie OR
  • Eagles lose OR
  • Bears win

AND

  • Rams lose/tie OR
  • 49ers win/tie

We have to go all the way back to Week 3, but these two teams delivered an absolutely awesome game the last time they met. The Rams led 26-17 shortly after halftime before the Eagles roared back with four straight touchdowns, the final of which was a Jordan Davis blocked kick return score as time expired.

These two teams also gave us a great game in last year's playoffs, when a late red-zone stand helped the Eagles survive, 28-22. If I had to guess, the Rams would want to avoid this matchup.

NFL Week 18 playoff clinching scenarios: Four divisions and both top seeds still up for grabs
John Breech
NFL Week 18 playoff clinching scenarios: Four divisions and both top seeds still up for grabs

3. Bears vs. Packers (No. 2 vs. No. 7)

How it happens:

  • Bears win OR
  • Bears tie, Eagles tie OR
  • Eagles lose

AND

  • Packers are already locked into the No. 7 seed.

Who wouldn't like to see one of the NFL's oldest and most iconic rivalries? Bears-Packers dates back over 100 years, and the teams have met 212 times, the most of any two teams. Only two of those 212 have been in the postseason: a Bears win in 1941 and a Packers win in 2011.

This year, the Packers held off a valiant Bears comeback in Week 14, and the Bears pulled off a dramatic rally in Week 16, with Caleb Williams hitting DJ Moore on a 46-yard game-winning touchdown pass in overtime. The Packers plan to rest many starters in Week 18, with banged-up stars like Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs likely out, so we'd get another data point in the "rest vs. rust" debate.

The Bears have a 62% chance to earn the No. 2 seed, though it remains to be determined exactly how many players their Week 18 opponent -- the Detroit Lions -- hold out considering Detroit is out of the playoff picture.

2. Patriots vs. Chargers (No. 2 vs. No. 7)

How it happens:

  • Patriots win, Broncos win OR
  • Patriots tie, Broncos win/tie OR
  • Patriots lose, Jaguars lose/tie

AND

  • Chargers lose, Bills win/tie OR
  • Chargers tie, Texans win/tie, Bills win

This matchup is overwhelmingly likely. The Patriots will be considerable favorites over the Miami Dolphins, and Trey Lance's Chargers will be considerable underdogs against a Broncos team chasing the AFC's No. 1 seed.

This would pit Drake Maye against Herbert in a battle between two of the most physically gifted, fun-to-watch quarterbacks in the NFL. Maye is the potential MVP, and he could continue his ascent to superstardom with his first career playoff win. Herbert, too, is somehow still looking for his first playoff win, and beating Maye would be a tremendous way to do it. 

There are so many other fascinating facets: How would the disciplined Chargers defense fare against Maye, who loves to hunt the big play? Can the Patriots stop the run, an issue of late, or take advantage of a leaky, injured Chargers offensive line?

1. Ravens vs. Bills (No. 4 vs. No. 5)

How it happens:

  • Ravens win

AND

  • Bills win, Chargers lose/tie, Texans lose/tie OR 
  • Bills win, Chargers lose/tie, Texans win, Jaguars lose OR
  • Bills tie, Chargers lose, Texans lose

This is, admittedly, an unlikely scenario. According to The Athletic's projections, even if the Ravens clinch the No. 4 seed -- which is a big "if" -- there's just a 20% chance the Bills get the No. 5 seed, seeing as the Texans will be considerable favorites over the Indianapolis Colts, and the Jaguars will be considerable favorites over the Tennessee Titans.

Still, it's not impossible, and therefore it's worth wanting. The last time the Bills and Ravens met, Buffalo pulled off a stunning 15-point fourth-quarter comeback to win 41-40 in Week 1. Derrick Henry ran wild, but a late fumble played a huge role in the Bills' rally. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen had a remarkable duel. 

As for the time before that, who can forget the Bills' 27-25 divisional round win last season, when a Mark Andrews fumble and, later, an Andrews drop doomed Baltimore? 

Another meeting would be absolute cinema: two superstar quarterbacks, two of the NFL's best running backs and two teams looking to make a run without Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the way.