NFL Analysis
1/5/25
8 min read
Biggest Winners, Losers From 2024 NFL Week 18
The final Sunday afternoon slate of the regular season wrapped up today, and it was… a weird one. Several teams were clearly tanking, and there were other games with playoff implications in which teams just didn’t appear all that interested in trying.
It was not the best Sunday in terms of the quality of play, but what do you expect in the season's final week?
However, there were some standout performances in Week 18, and there were a few teams that did not perform to expectations. So, without further ado, here are our winners and losers from the final week of the regular season:
NFL Week 18 Winners, Losers
Honorable Mentions
Winner: Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Loser: Cincinnati Bengals
Winner: Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Loser: Carson Wentz, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Winner: Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There are times when players fulfill incentives in Week 18, and it feels forced or empty. However, that wasn’t the case for Mike Evans against the Saints, who needed 84 yards to cross 1,000 yards on the season. Tampa Bay needed him to have a strong game to clinch the NFC South, and of course, he showed up.
But after the game was all but finished, Evans came up just five yards short of 1,000. Still, Tampa Bay got the ball back with a few seconds left on the clock and managed to get Evans over the hump on a nine-yard reception. Evans was obviously pumped as he tied Jerry Rice’s record with 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons.
That’s not why he makes this list. He makes the “winners” list because of how his teammates reacted to him getting to the 1,000-yard maker.
They pleaded with the coaching staff to give him one more chance to pass the marker, and when he did, they smothered him on the field with praise. It’s easy to see how liked and respected he is among his teammates, and that means so much more than another 1,000-yard season.
Evans is a true professional in every sense of the word, and his teammates couldn’t love him anymore. And with a healthy Evans going into the playoffs, the Buccaneers could be a scary out in Round 1.
Winner: Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
Has anyone in the NFL improved their stock more than Bryce Young in the past two months? Young has done a fantastic job and looks so much more comfortable in the offense. Not only are his numbers better, but the Panthers have been a competitive team and went toe-to-toe with elite teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Young played his best game of his career in Week 18 against the Atlanta Falcons, who needed to win to have any hope of stealing the NFC South. Young torched Raheem Morris’ defense and scored five touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground. He also led the game-winning touchdown drive in overtime, leading the Panthers to a season-high 44 points.
Young finished the 2024-2025 season with three straight games of at least 100 passer rating. Since he returned to the lineup in Week 8, the Panthers went 4-6, with Young scoring 20 touchdowns and throwing just six interceptions.
While it hasn’t been perfect, he has certainly done enough to justify being the starter in 2025. And if the Panthers can do a better job of surrounding him with talent, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Carolina be much more competitive next year.
Young’s development is fantastic news for the Panthers and gives them some hope going into the offseason.
Winner: Joe Milton III, QB, New England Patriots
Drake Maye started for the Patriots, but he threw just one pass before being replaced by Joe Milton. Before Sunday, Milton had not played a single snap for the Patriots all year. In fact, he was never active, but the Patriots wanted to give him a long look in a game they were hoping to lose.
Instead, Milton played so well that the Patriots pulled off the win. Milton completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards and scored two touchdowns. He made several plays down the field and used his athleticism to escape the rush.
Milton is an incredibly raw player, and that’s why he fell to the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, he showed enough traits in Week 18 that the Patriots have to be excited about his potential as a backup.
There just aren’t many players in the NFL that have his combination of size, arm talent, and athleticism, and they were fully on display against the Bills. It’s important to remember that Buffalo was without several starters, but Milton did make enough “WOW” plays to warrant a look as a backup quarterback next year.
Did the Patriots hit on two quarterbacks in the same class? It’s hard to say for sure, but the front office has to be thrilled about their QB room going into the 2025 offseason.
Loser: New England Patriots
It was cool to see Milton play well, but he played a little too well for most New England Patriots fans. This has been a disastrous season, and it ended with Jerod Mayo getting fired after just one season as the team’s head coach.
However, the Patriots appear on our loser list because their Week 18 win cost them the No. 1 pick. In fact, not only did it cost them the top pick, but they will now be drafting outside of the top three selections.
While it shouldn’t be a big deal for a team that already has its franchise quarterback, it’s not like their win in Week 18 was impressive. Three different quarterbacks suited up for the Bills, and the Patriots did everything possible to lose. They started and played a quarterback who had not started a single snap all year, and it still wasn’t enough to lose.
The Patriots will pick at No. 4, and they can still get a top-flight receiver or offensive lineman with that pick. But for a team that was in pole position for that spot going into the week, this was a disappointing win for a franchise that could have used the top pick in this year’s class.
Loser: Green Bay Packers
The goal for the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 was to win and to come out of the week healthy. Unfortunately, neither of those things happened for Green Bay as they lost to Chicago on a last-second field goal.
The loss came after Matt LaFleur made multiple strange coaching decisions and clock management errors. They actually took the lead late after a DJ Moore fumble when the Bears were trying to ice the game. Unfortunately, Green Bay’s defense allowed Chicago to go right down the field and get the game-winning score.
The Packers' bigger issue was the injuries. Jordan Love suffered an elbow injury that forced him to miss a big chunk of the game. After the contest, Love admitted that he wasn’t 100 percent, and the hope is that he’ll be healthy for Round 1 of the playoffs. Christian Watson suffered another knee injury, and his status for next week is severely in doubt.
Green Bay has had a good season, but it is now the No. 7 seed in the NFC and will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles next week. This is a familiar spot for the Packers, as they played on the road against Dallas as the No. 7 seed last year.
Still, in a season where the Packers were supposed to take a major step forward, it certainly doesn’t feel like it, especially coming out of Week 18.
Loser: Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans
The Titans “earned” the No. 1 overall pick today, and that was due to the play of Will Levis, who got the start in Week 18. The Titans have flipped back and forth between Mason Rudolph and Levis but decided to give their second-year quarterback one more shot at proving he could be the guy for the job in 2025.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and Levis played one of the worst games of his career in Week 18. His overall passing numbers were good, completing 9-of-17 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. But the Titans gained just 21 yards on their first four drives of the game and racked up only 74 yards in the first half. The offense just couldn’t sustain drives, and that dug them into a hole too big to climb out of in this matchup.
Levis finished the game with a QBR of 1.2, which was the worst performance by any quarterback this year. That was mostly due to two fumbles by Levis, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Levis turns 26 this offseason and has not shown the type of development you would want from a young quarterback. And now, with the Titans owning the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, you would have to assume they will use that pick on a quarterback, likely Cam Ward (Miami) or Shedeur Sanders.
This didn’t turn out to be the breakout season that many were anticipating for the former Kentucky star.
