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NFL Playoff Picture: Week 18

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PITTSBURGH – (Wire Service Report) – The Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are starting the playoffs one week early.

At least that’s the mindset shared by Broncos coach Sean Payton with Denver (13-3) in line to secure the No. 1 seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AFC by beating the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) on Sunday.

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Week 18 shapes up as a maze for many teams assured only a spot — but not their current seeding — in the postseason bracket.

The Seahawks and 49ers settle the NFC West in a Saturday night game that also decides the No. 1 seed in the conference.

Two other division titles — and playoff spots — are up for grabs in the regular-season finale. The Buccaneers and Panthers play for the second time in three weeks for the NFC South crown in which the eliminated Atlanta Falcons are suddenly a significant factor.

Because of Atlanta’s win over the Rams on Monday night, the Buccaneers now face a two-tiered clinching scenario.

Even if the Buccaneers win Saturday, they would still need the Falcons (7-9) to lose at home to the New Orleans Saints (6-10).

And if the Panthers lose, but Atlanta beats the Saints, Carolina would win the division. Wins by the Bucs and Falcons would create a three-way tie with the Panthers at 8-9. But Carolina would win the first tiebreaker by virtue of their head-to-head record (currently 2-0 vs. Falcons, 1-0 vs. Buccaneers).

AFC North rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh drop the gloves in primetime Sunday for the final spot in the playoff field.

If the Broncos stumble against the Chargers, a Denver loss kicks the door open for the New England Patriots to jump to the front of the pack in the AFC. The Patriots host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Should Denver and New England lose, the Jacksonville Jaguars could claim the top seed with a home win Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

Here’s a look at the current playoff picture by conference:

Clinched AFC playoff and/or division:
Denver Broncos (13-3) — AFC West
New England Patriots (13-3) — AFC East
Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) — playoff berth
Buffalo Bills (11-5) — playoff berth
Houston Texans (11-5) — playoff berth
Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) — playoff berth

Clinch AFC playoff and division with win Sunday:
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Baltimore Ravens (8-8)

Diggs Facing Felony Charges

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing a felony charge of strangulation or suffocation and a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery.

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The charges were announced Tuesday morning in Dedham (Mass.) District Court with Diggs’ attorney, Michael DiStefano, calling in via phone, according to a Boston 25 News report.

DiStefano reportedly sought to have the police report sealed so that the details are not made public. He also shared that Diggs has made a financial offer to the alleged victim in an effort to end the dispute.

The judge is expected to make a ruling on whether the details will be impounded or not ahead of Diggs’ scheduled arraignment on Jan. 23.

The alleged incident in question occurred Dec. 2, the day after New England’s 33-15 win over the New York Giants on “Monday Night Football.”

“The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs. Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon,” the Patriots said in a statement. “We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary. Out of respect for all parties involved, and given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”

The team did not share an update on Diggs’ status for Sunday’s Week 18 home game against the Miami Dolphins. The four-time Pro Bowl receiver could be placed on the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt List and be ineligible to play depending on what the league learns about the alleged incident.

Diggs, 32, signed a three-year, $69 million contract which includes $26 million guaranteed with New England in March. In his first season with the Patriots, he leads the team in catches (82) and receiving yards (970) with four touchdowns in 16 games (all starts).

New England (13-3) enters the final week of the regular season in second place in the AFC, although it could claim the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and homefield advantage to the Super Bowl with a win on Sunday paired with a Denver loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

As of now, Diggs’ arraignment is scheduled for two days before the AFC championship game. However, the judge is considering moving the arraignment to March in order to not conflict with the potentially ongoing Patriots season.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Botch One in Portland

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PORTLAND – (Wire Service Report) – Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe scored 26 points and Deni Avdija added 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to help the host Trail Blazers defeat the Boston Celtics 114-108 on Sunday. Toumani Camara scored 20 points and Donovan Clingan recorded 18 points and 18 rebounds as the Trail Blazers halted a three-game skid. Caleb Love scored 18 off the bench as Portland also snapped a six-game losing streak against the Celtics.

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Jaylen Brown had 37 points and seven rebounds for Boston, which saw a four-game winning streak end. Brown has scored at least 30 in all nine of his appearances this month. Hugo Gonzalez and former Trail Blazer Anfernee Simons added 13 points apiece for Boston. Derrick White scored 12 and Neemias Queta added 11.

Love drained a 3-pointer to give the Trail Blazers a 103-100 advantage with 4:30 remaining. Boston later pulled within 109-108 on White’s 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. Clingan’s three-point play with 22 seconds left again gave Portland a four-point advantage.

After a Boston timeout, White turned the ball over with a bad pass. Avdija made two free throws with 15 seconds left to make a six-point margin and the Trail Blazers closed it out to improve to 1-3 on a five-game homestand.

The Trail Blazers made 47.2% of their field-goal attempts and were 18 of 51 from distance. Sharpe made 5 of 8 from 3-point range.

Brown scored 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the first half as Boston held a 63-55 lead. Sharpe had 15 in the half for Portland.

The Celtics led by 10 early in the third quarter before the Trail Blazers responded with a 14-2 push. Avdija’s jumper capped it and gave Portland a 69-67 lead. Simons scored eight straight points to put Boston up by two before Sharpe connected on a 3-pointer with 31 seconds to go and Portland took an 86-85 lead into the final stanza.

–Field Level Media

Maye Tosses 5-TDs in 42-10 Win

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EAST RUTHERFORD – (Wire Service Report) – Drake Maye completed 19 of 21 passes for 256 yards and five touchdowns to lead the visiting New England Patriots to a 42-10 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

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Maye completed his first 11 attempts and tossed TD passes to tight end Austin Hooper (2 yards), running back Rhamondre Stevenson (22 yards), wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3 yards), tight end Hunter Henry (13 yards) and wide receiver Efton Chism (10 yards). It was Chism’s first NFL touchdown.

Maye, who was pulled in the third quarter after his fifth TD pass, became the fourth Patriots quarterback to pass for at least five touchdowns in a game, joining Tom Brady, Steve Grogan and Babe Parilli.

Stevenson also scored on a 1-yard run to help the Patriots (13-3) improve their road record to 8-0. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson led the New England ground attack with 82 yards on 19 carries.

New York quarterback Brady Cook completed 18 of 32 passes for 152 yards with one interception in the loss.

Breece Hall scored New York’s only touchdown on a 59-yard run. The TD helped trim New England’s lead to 42-10 with 14:51 to play. Hall gained 111 yards on 14 carries and became the first Jet to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season since Chris Ivory in 2015.

Nick Folk added a 39-yard field goal for the Jets (3-13), who have lost four games in a row and six of their last seven.

The Patriots were up 14-0 after one quarter, 35-3 at halftime and 42-3 entering the fourth.

New England outgained New York 344-77 in the first half, when the Patriots had a 23-3 edge in first downs.

The Patriots finished the game with a 440-307 advantage in total yards, and had twice as many first downs as the Jets (28-14).

New York defensive back Qwan’tez Stiggers recorded a game-high 10 tackles.

–Field Level Media

Fenway Bowl: UConn vs Army

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Preview) – UConn’s Skyler Bell wants to finish what he started. The Huskies (9-3) enter Saturday’s Fenway Bowl matchup against Army (6-6) with quarterback Joe Fagnano opted out and coach Jim Mora gone to take over at Colorado State.

Despite rumors that Bell — who has logged 1,278 receiving yards and a program-record 13 touchdowns this season — also would get an early start on charting his NFL future, the consensus All-American wanted one last opportunity.

“I never said I wasn’t playing,” Bell said. “Being with this team the last two years, I think the brotherhood thing is super real. … I think I’d be remiss to leave here and look back at that last game and saying, ‘Why didn’t I suit up with my guys one last time?’”

Running back Cam Edwards (1,132 yards, 14 touchdowns) also is expected to help UConn chase a 10th win for the first time in program history. All three of the Huskies’ losses this season have come in overtime.

UConn looks to go back-to-back at the Fenway Bowl after beating North Carolina 27-14 a year ago. Bell made three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in that game.

The Huskies will be led by interim coach Gordon Sammis, the offensive coordinator under Mora who will assume the same role at TCU following the bowl. UConn hired Toledo’s Jason Candle as its next head coach on Dec. 6.

Sammis did not address the media alongside his players last Friday as anticipated.

UConn also has not released an updated depth chart. The start at quarterback could go to Nick Evers, who held the role for part of last season after arriving from Wisconsin, where he was also teammates with Bell.

There could be other departures, but the Huskies figure to have a strong roster available.

“This game’s fleeting,” tight end Louis Hansen said. “You’re not guaranteed to get another game.”

Army has won back-to-back bowls — including last season’s Independence Bowl against Louisiana Tech after winning the American Conference title — and seeks three in a row for the second time in 12th-year coach Jeff Monken’s tenure at West Point.

Saturday’s kickoff comes just two weeks after the Black Knights lost only the fifth 1-point game in Army-Navy history, as a fourth-quarter touchdown was the difference in a 17-16 win for the Midshipmen.

“It’s an opportunity to play another game,” Monken said. “For this team, this brotherhood, to be able to go out and play together. For our senior class to play one more time. To play for a winning record, and to play for the opportunity to say we’re a bowl champion.”

Despite the heartbreaking rivalry loss, quarterback Cale Hellums became Army’s first 100-yard rusher against Navy since 2012 and sits just 22 rushing yards shy of becoming the eighth Black Knight to reach the 1,200-yard mark in a season.

Hellums, a junior, leads a roster that consists largely of upperclassmen. Army does things the old-fashioned way — without a transfer portal with which to work.

“We’re tough, we’re competitive, and (the players) develop and they stay in the program,” Monken said. “We’ve got juniors and seniors, for the most part, playing out there. When you grow up in the program and in the system…they play together and play for each other.”

UConn and Army met in West Point, N.Y., in 2021 and 2022. The Black Knights won both of those meetings.

Saturday marks the fourth playing of the Fenway Bowl, with initial installments in 2020 and 2021 canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. Prior to UConn’s visit last December, Boston College beat a ranked SMU team 23-14 in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Ice Indiana Pacers

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Jaylen Brown tossed in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds to help the Boston Celtics overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 103-95 Monday night. Indiana, which led by 20 early in the third quarter, was held to 34 points in the second half and 13 points in the fourth quarter.

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The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White and a game-high 11 rebounds from rookie Hugo Gonzalez. Pascal Siakam tallied 25 points for Indiana and Andrew Nembhard contributed 20. Bennedict Mathurin added 16 points and nine rebounds for Indiana, which has lost five in a row.

Boston forward Jordan Walsh did not play because of an illness that also prevented him from playing in the second half of Saturday’s 112-96 victory over Toronto. Walsh is averaging 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game this season.

Indiana led 30-18 after an Ethan Thompson 3-pointer with 4:25 left in the opening quarter. It was the last of eight straight 3-point shots the Pacers made in the quarter. Boston scored the next eight points, but Indiana led 35-26 after 12 minutes. The Pacers held a 61-41 lead — their largest lead of the first half — with 1:22 remaining in the second quarter. Indiana made 12 of 30 3-point attempts in the first half and led 61-43 entering the third.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters early in the third, and Boston whittled Indiana’s lead to six points, 74-68, on an Anfernee Simons 3-pointer with 3:15 left in the third. The Pacers led 82-74 after three quarters, but misfired on 11 of their 12 3-point attempts in the stanza. The Celtics took their first lead in the second half on a Brown reverse layup that put Boston in front 85-84 with 7:19 to play.

With the score tied at 91, the hosts outscored their guests, 10-0, capped by a White driving layup with 41.7 seconds remaining.

The Pacers missed 19 of their 20 3-point attempts in the second half. Boston outscored Indiana 52-28 in the paint.

The two squads will meet again Friday in Indiana.

–Field Level Media

Pats in Playoffs and “Digg It”

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BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England quarterback Drake Maye completed 31 of 44 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots improved their road record to 7-0 by beating the Baltimore Ravens 28-24 on Sunday night. In doing so, New England clinched a spot in the NFL’s AFC Playoffs.

New England (12-3) trailed 24-21 until Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 21-yard run and Andy Borregales kicked the extra point with 2:07 to play. The Patriots recovered a Baltimore fumble on the second play of the ensuing drive and ran out the clock.

Derrick Henry rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries for the Ravens (7-8).

New England’s Stefon Diggs had nine receptions for 138 yards.

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The Ravens played most of the night without quarterback Lamar Jackson, who left the game because of a back injury with 1:16 remaining in the first half and did not return. Backup QB Tyler Huntley was 9-of-10 passing for 65 yards.

New England running back TreVeyon Henderson also missed the second half with a head injury.

The Ravens struck first on Henry’s 21-yard touchdown run with 12:21 left in the first quarter. It was the 10th opening-drive score the Patriots have allowed this season — tied for most in the NFL — and the seventh time they’ve given up a touchdown on their opponents’ first drive.

It was 7-7 after Maye tossed a 1-yard TD pass to Hunter Henry and Borregales kicked the PAT with 11:17 remaining in the second quarter.

Borregales put the Patriots up 10-7 on a 45-yard field goal with 5:39 left in the first half. Baltimore tied the game on Tyler Loop’s 36-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining in the second quarter for 10-10 at halftime.

Borregales kicked a 41-yard field goal to give New England a 13-10 advantage, but Zay Flowers regained the lead for the Ravens with an 18-yard TD run. The PAT put Baltimore in front 17-13 with 4:35 left in the third.

Henry’s second TD run came from 2 yards away with 12:50 to play in regulation. Loop’s PAT gave the Ravens a 24-13 advantage.

New England answered with a 37-yard TD pass from Maye to Kyle Williams, and was within 24-21 after Maye completed a pass to Stevenson for the two-point conversion with 9:01 remaining in the fourth.

–Field Level Media

NFL SNF: Patriots at Ravens

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New England Patriots (11-3) at Baltimore Ravens (7-7)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Ravens -3, Total 48.5
Series Rewind: The teams have split the past eight meetings after the Patriots won seven of the first eight (including playoffs).

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The Patriots are 6-0 on the road this season and stand one game behind the Denver Broncos in the battle for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. New England will know when it takes the field Sunday night whether it can clinch a playoff spot with a win. Results involving the Indianapolis Colts (vs. San Francisco 49ers) and Houston Texans (vs. Las Vegas Raiders) are in play. Drake Maye passed for a season-low 155 yards in last week’s 35-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The setback ended a 10-game winning streak. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 148 yards — one more than his previous high — and two touchdowns. Baltimore is two games behind the Texans in the wild-card chase so its best bet to reach the playoffs is overtaking the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. Baltimore is one game behind but will play at Pittsburgh in the final week of the season. The Ravens halted a two-game losing streak with a strong 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week. The Bengals had clobbered Baltimore 17 days earlier. Derrick Henry rushed for 100 yards on just 11 carries and ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,125 yards. Linebacker Roquan Smith racked up 14 tackles and leads the squad with 114.

–Field Level Media

Pats Try to Avoid Back-to-Back Losses

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BALTIMORE – (Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots will be looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs when they visit the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

The Patriots (11-3) are coming off last Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Denver (12-2) is the only AFC team with a better record than New England, but the Broncos own the tiebreaker against the Patriots if the teams finish with the same record.

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New England would clinch a playoff berth with a win. Coach Mike Vrabel was asked Wednesday if a team can benefit from a late-season loss.

“I would say that’s TBD,” Vrabel said. “I don’t know. It’s only depending on how you respond, how you prepare, how you practice and ultimately how you play. So, we’ll see. There’s a lot of good things in there and we’ll need all those things on Sunday night against this football team that’s 6-2 after their bye, and really coming off a big win last week. A dominant win.”

The Ravens (7-7) ended a two-game losing streak by beating Cincinnati 24-0 last Sunday. Baltimore, however, will likely need a strong finish to earn a playoff berth.

If the Ravens win their final three regular-season games (New England, at Green Bay and at Pittsburgh), they will win the AFC North, although there are other scenarios in which Baltimore can qualify for the playoffs.

“You just assume that you have to take care of your business,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It would be a stretch for us not to have to win out. So, we’ll plan on that and that’s what we’re going to have to try to do.”

New England is 6-0 on the road this season and will be facing a Baltimore team that’s 3-5 at home. The Ravens were without quarterback Lamar Jackson for home losses to Houston (44-10) and the Los Angeles Rams (7-3) in early October because of a hamstring injury.

“The Houston game was probably our worst home game that I can ever remember, (but) our guys were fighting their butts off — the guys that were out there playing, who were playing in the game,” Harbaugh said. “That game is what it was. The Rams game is what it was. Guys are fighting their butts off in that game, too. So, those games are history.”

New England ranks seventh among NFL teams in both scoring offense (27.3) and scoring defense (19.7). Baltimore is 14th in scoring offense (23.9) and 15th in scoring defense (22.8).

“Obviously, someone is coming into our house,” Baltimore center Tyler Linderbaum said. “We have to win games. We have to put on a show for our crowd and end up getting wins like how we’re supposed to.”

Jackson (illness) is one of six Ravens who didn’t participate in practice Wednesday. Linebacker Roquan Smith (knee), linebacker Kyle Van Noy (quadriceps) linebacker Teddye Buchanan (knee), tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee/ankle) and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (foot) are the others.

Five Patriots did not participate in practice Wednesday: cornerback Carlton Davis (hip), cornerback Marcus Jones (knee), linebacker Robert Spillane (ankle), linebacker Harold Landry (knee) and linebacker Christian Ellliss (illness). Defensive tackle Christian Barmore was listed as a limited participant on the team’s participation report, but his situation is non-injury related.

–Field Level Media

Reeling Raptors Host Celtics

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Toronto Raptors are showing the effects of a grueling stretch in the schedule and there is no letup this afternoon when they host the Boston Celtics. The Raptors have dropped four of five after losing 111-86 to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

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The five games have come in a seven-day stretch starting Nov. 29 when they lost 118-111 in overtime at Charlotte to end their nine-game winning streak.

The Raptors are 1-2 to start a five-game homestand with the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday snapping an eight-game home winning streak.

“Mentally, physically, we’ve got to get away, we’ve got to recharge very quickly for Sunday and a 3:30 p.m. game,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “A quick turnaround over here, the schedule is what it is. We’re going to bounce back and find our energy levels and compete.”

The Celtics, meanwhile, romped to a 126-105 victory over the undermanned Lakers on Friday and have won four straight and nine of 11.

They also were playing their fifth game in seven days on Friday.

“I thought we did a good job — tremendous job — of figuring out how to pull out wins,” said Payton Pritchard, who scored 15 points on Friday. “And then in these past two games, we kind of just put our foot on the gas and took care of business. I feel like our team is growing, and we’ve just got to keep growing and keep getting better.”

The Celtics defeated the host Washington Wizards 146-101 on Thursday without Jaylen Brown, who scored 30 against the Lakers.

This will be the first meeting between Boston and Toronto this season. The Celtics won three of four from the Raptors last season with the teams splitting two in Toronto.

The Celtics have made an impressive adjustment to the prolonged absence of Jayson Tatum.

Jordan Walsh is one reason for the Celtics’ surge. He shot 6-for-7 from the field on Friday and is shooting 18-for-19 over the past three games.

He had four 3-pointers and scored 17 points against the Lakers, adding two blocked shots and one steal in 26:17. He posted a team-high box plus/minus of +28.

“He’s been great,” Brown said. “I don’t want to boost his head up too much. I don’t want him to start getting cute. He’s got to still take care of the details. But he’s been doing a good job.”

The Raptors did not get much help from their supporting cast on Friday. Immanuel Quickley scored a season-best 31 points, and Scottie Barnes had 13. No one else had more than Jamal Shead’s nine points. Brandon Ingram, who has been among Toronto’s most consistent scorers, was held to seven points on 3-for-13 shooting. He grabbed nine rebounds.

“Physically, we were worn down,” Rajakovic said. “I’m really proud of our guys tonight. I really thought that we tried. We tried. But when you’re trying and you’re missing layups, and you’re missing wide open shots, it’s hard to keep it up. What I think that we did an outstanding job at was we did not quit. We continued fighting and fighting and fighting.”

Jakob Poeltl, who rested his back injury on Thursday, returned on Friday and had five points and seven rebounds.

RJ Barrett (sprained knee) remained out against Charlotte. Jamison Battle suffered a sprained left ankle early in the fourth quarter on Friday. X-rays were negative.

–Field Level Media