Saturday marks the return of NFL games following the disturbing events that unfolded Monday night when Bill’s safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the Buffalo-Cincinnati game, leading to his postponement and eventual cancellation.
The 24-year-old’s condition has improved significantly over the past few days, allowing him to address his team-mates on Friday morning. Teams across the league will show their continued support for Hamlin in a variety of ways this weekend, starting with the two games on Saturday.
The day starts with the Raiders harboring the Chiefs who have their eyes open Lock the top seed in the conference. NFL owners on Friday approved changes to the AFC playoffs that could directly impact the Chiefs depending on the results of the Week 18 games.
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Titans and Jaguars meet in Jacksonville with the AFC South title in the balance.
This is an incredible moment for the Jaguars, who have not made the playoffs since reaching the AFC Championship Game in the 2017 season. The Titans, who have won the division two years in a row and reached the postseason in three consecutive seasons, have lost six straight games, including once at home to the Jaguars in Week 14.
Patrick Mahomes is also within 50 yards of a career high-season total. Mahomes could theoretically break the NFL’s all-time single-season mark of 5,477 yards set by the Broncos’ Peyton Manning in 2013 if he threw for 430 yards. He has surpassed that number five times in his career, including once against the Raiders in 2019.