Every year, the NFL waits as long as possible before releasing the Week 18 schedule and that announcement finally came on Sunday night.

With no Monday Night Football game, Week 18 concludes with NBC's Sunday Night Football. In a classic rivalry, Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) will visit Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) with their seasons at stake -- winner takes the AFC North, loser misses the playoffs.

The NFL today announced the Week 18 schedule for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 3-4. Week 18 will begin with a Saturday doubleheader on ESPN/ABC. The Carolina Panthers at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be followed by the Seattle Seahawks at the San Francisco 49ers.

The NFL playoffs begin on Jan. 10 with three full rounds before Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. Here is the full schedule and the projected bracket.

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference's seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized Sunday,

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters Week 17 on a 53-37 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders on the Cleveland Browns Week 17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shedeur Sanders on Browns Week 17 win vs. Steelers Quarterback Shedeur Sanders on