The final week of the regular season is regularly an original slate in the NFL. On the one hand, you have massive matches that can determine division titles, playoff spots, and standings. However, there are also situations in which teams already have their playoff position locked in, making the upcoming weekend unimportant. In these situations, we often see teams resting starters, especially quarterbacks.
As we look ahead to Week 18, we’ll keep an eye on quarterback situations for playoff teams that decide to keep their stars on the shelf.
Head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Wednesday that MVP favorite Lamar Jackson will not play against the Steelers on Saturday. Tyler Huntley will get the nod with Josh Johnson as his backup. Baltimore has already clinched the AFC North and is the No. 1 seed in the conference, so the next time Jackson takes the field will be in the divisional round.
The 49ers will start Sam Darnold in the regular season finale against the Rams, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Wednesday. That puts Brock Purdy safely on the bench, with San Francisco already having the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the NFC West title in its hands.
“Brock is the only guy I don’t plan on playing with,” Shanahan said, via Mercury news.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are emphasizing health over standings as Sean McVay will start Carson Wentz and rest Matthew Stafford in the regular season finale against the Niners, according to NFL Media. Currently, Los Angeles sits in sixth place in the NFC playoff standings. Although the Rams have a playoff spot clinched, they could fall to seventh place if they lose and the Packers win, so this decision has some consequences.
Wentz signed with the Rams in November. After getting the start on Sunday, Wentz will have started for four different teams over the past four seasons.
Patrick Mahomes’ regular season is over. With the Chiefs as the third seed in the AFC, head coach Andy Reid announced Wednesday that he will rest Mahomes in Week 18 to prepare for the playoffs and will start Blaine Gabbert at quarterback against the Chargers. Gabbert’s last NFL start came in Week 17 of the 2018 season, when he was a member of the Tennessee Titans.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski noted Wednesday that Joe Flacco would not play in the regular season finale and the team would start Jeff Driskel. PJ Walker will be Cleveland’s top backup. The Browns are locked in as the No. 5 seed, so Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals holds no weight for them. Driskel was cut from the Cardinals’ practice squad a week ago after rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson was placed on injured reserve. The veteran has 11 starts in his career through Sunday.