NFL Report Card Week 18: The 2024 NFL regular season comes to an end

The 2024 NFL regular season is over. Now, it's time for players and coaches to focus on the playoffs for those teams that made it, and for front offices to start planning their team's offseasons for those that didn't. We have tried to grade the performances this week based on the context of the team's present and future, but with so many teams choosing to rest starters, it wasn't the easiest. But we hope you enjoy it anyway!

Lamar Jackson would be a worthy MVP winner, and Saturday's game against the Browns showed why. He's faster, more accurate and calmer in the pocket than just about anyone in the NFL, and all of that was on display once again. We expect the Ravens to beat the Steelers in the wild card round and with the amount of talent they possess, who knows how far they can go.

Bailey Zappe also isn't the answer at quarterback for the Browns. Who knew? This was another bad performance and led to the firings of OC Ken Dorsey and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson, per AOL. The Browns now have the second overall pick and should be looking to take a QB, but perhaps their main off-season priority is to convince Myles Garrett to stick around.

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The Steelers have had a terrible end to the regular season, losing four in a row to slump to second in their division. Saturday night's loss to the Bengals was emblematic of their issues as the offense struggled on the air and along the ground as the lack of elite weapons has caught up to Pittsburgh.

It was too little too late for the Bengals, as they missed the playoffs despite a strong finish to the year. The Joe Burrow/Ja'Marr Chase connection was on full display again on Saturday, with both players probably deserving of an end of season award but unlikely to get them due to performances elsewhere.

It was an awesome spectacle of offensive football on Sunday as the Falcons and the Panthers battled it out. Unfortunately for Atlanta, they couldn't make a stop when it mattered most and lost the game and any chance at the NFC South. The Bucs eventually won, so it didn't matter, but it showed that this team has a long way to go before they contend for anything.

We know that the Panthers defense is pretty awful, and it was torn apart by Bijan Robinson and Michael Penix Jr. on Sunday. However, Bryce Young put together perhaps his best performance of his career so far, accounting for five total TDs and playing spoiler against a rival division.

The Titans lost, which was probably the most important thing for them to do. Now, all eyes will turn to the draft and whether they see enough from one of the quarterbacks to take them with the number one overall pick. Will Levis' stats look solid on the day, but his long touchdown pass was more on bad play by the Texans' DB than anything he did. He isn't the future.

The Texans got in and out of the game seemingly without any major injuries, which was the main thing. C.J. Stroud was efficient in his limited time on the field, and now they face an intriguing matchup against the Chargers in the wild card. We have been unconvinced by the Texans for most of this season, but they have the chance to prove us wrong next Saturday.

The Eagles may have found another gem in Tanner McKee, who looked composed and accurate in his first NFL start under center. The Eagles rested most of their starters as they gear up for next week’s game against the Packers. Their backups dealt with the Giants’ starters easily enough, which just shows the depth and talent on this roster.

It was hard to tell if the Giants were playing to win or to just not be embarrassed but take the much-needed loss. The loss has secured them the third-overall selection in the draft which may mean they need to trade up to take a QB, but if they were any lower, the price would have skyrocketed. This is a bad roster with few good players, which was evident on Sunday.

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Anthony Richardson missed the game due to back spasms, per Colts Wire, which is a worrying sign as the young QB just can’t stay healthy. The Colts ground out the win against the Jags, which we think was important as it has been a disappointing 2024 in Indy, and they needed to finish on a high note.

Another season of disappointment in Duval County as the Jags finish 4-13 on the season. They have a top-five pick (again) and should be looking to bolster their defensive line after allowing 5.9 yards per play across the season (30th in the league), per ESPN. Yet again, this team needs a reset.

Trey Lance looked solid on Sunday, which makes us wonder why they stuck with Cooper Rush after Dak Prescott went down with an injury. We know Rush led them to some wins, but it made more sense to find out if they had anything in Lance, whom they traded a fourth round pick for not long ago.

The Commanders got the win they needed to avoid going into Philly in the wild card round, despite Jayden Daniel leaving the game with “leg soreness,” per the Washington Times. The upcoming game against Tampa could be a fun one to watch and a good litmus test for where this team is just one year into their rebuild.

Jordan Love left the game with an elbow injury that reportedly shouldn’t keep him out of the playoffs, per ESPN. A bigger worry should be Christian Watson, who left on a cart with a knee injury. The Packers also lost, at home, to the Bears, which is not the momentum boost you want heading into the playoffs.

It wasn’t always pretty, and it looked like the Bears had fumbled the game away late, but then Caleb Williams made some nice passes to lead the Bears into position for a game-winning field goal. We desperately hope the Bears choose an offensive coach to lead them next year, as watching Williams in this offense is brutal at times with the number of screens called.

Baker Mayfield didn’t play his cleanest game of the season, but he did enough with his arm and legs to get the win. He also seemed even more fired up than usual as he nearly started about five fights, but there was nothing untoward going on, so it was great to watch. The Bucs nearly slipped at the final hurdle but will now be hosting a playoff game, who knows how far they can go.

Spencer Rattler maybe showed enough to earn himself more playing time next year, which is not something we thought we would be writing. We don’t think he has a chance to be a long term starter in the NFL, but we hope he proves us wrong. This isn’t a good team or roster and needs big changes this off season.

The Pats got the win over the Bills’ backups, which should be worth celebrating. Unfortunately, Jerod Mayo was fired following the game, per a statement from owner Robert Kraft, going 4-13 in his one season in charge. It always felt like a poisoned chalice for Mayo, who we hope will get another coaching gig soon as by all accounts he is worthy of it.

Von Miller got the sack he needed to trigger an incentive bonus on his contract. That might have been the highlight for the Bills, who were just trying to get through the game without any injuries or other issues. Attention now turns to Sunday, where they are set to host the Broncos in what should be a fun game.

A few late-season wins means the Raiders are picking at six in the draft, which probably won’t be high enough to take one of the top QB prospects. Sunday’s game against the Chargers meant nothing to the Raiders, and that’s how it looked on the field. We really aren’t sure where they go from here.

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Justin Herbert threw for 346 yards and a couple of scores, with just eight incompletions. Quentin Johnston had a huge game, reeling in 13 catches for 186 yards. The Chargers have a real chance to make a run deep into the playoffs this season with how well Herbert is playing.

In a game that meant nothing for either team, the Cardinals ran roughshod over the 49ers to at least earn some bragging rights on the season. Kyley Murray looked as good as he has all season as he threw for four TDs en route to 47 points. It was a disappointing season for the Cardinals, but there might just be something to build on.

The Niners got blown out to cap off what has been a disastrous season. Reaching the Super Bowl the season after losing it is very rare, but we didn’t expect it to be quite this bad. Injuries took their toll, too, but they also didn’t play up to their talent level at times.

We know the Broncos ran out 38-0 winners, but let's not get too excited given the Chiefs rested as many starters as they could. Denver needed the win, and they got it, which is a good sign. Bo Nix had a monster game which is another good sign, and the defense got a shut out, which could be a worrying sign for the Bills on Sunday.

Usually when teams get blown out by 38 points and lay an egg on offense, we would be giving them an 'F'. The Chiefs essentially rolled over for the Broncos as they rested as many players as they could. A loss also prevented their playoff nemesis, the Bengals, from reaching the post season, so all in all, it could have been a lot worse.

We don't understand why the Rams rested their starters in week 18 leading them to drop to the four seeds and a matchup against the Vikings. A win would have seen them host the Commanders instead, which feels like a better matchup. Anyway, the backups kept the game close against the Seahawks, which is encouraging.

Geno Smith had a day, going 20/27 for 223 yards and four TDs. It didn't make much difference for the Seahawks, as they were out of the playoffs already, but it's nice to finish the season with a win when you can. Seattle will be an interesting team to watch in the off season.

Aaron Rodgers had maybe his best performance of the season against the Dolphins in week 18 as the Jets ran out comfortable winners. Perhaps the worst performing team in the NFL relative to expectations, the Jets now have some big decisions to make about their next steps.

The Dolphins are another team that will be interesting to watch this off season as they need to reload the defense and decide if they think Tyreek Hill is worthy keeping around. 8-9 is a disappointing season in Miami given the talent on offense.

The Lions got the win they needed to secure the one seed, but their performance wouldn't have struck fear into any of their NFC opponents. Jared Goff threw two picks that could be scary for this Detroit offense. Still, they get a chance to rest up and reload ahead of the division round.

Sam Darnold played one of his worst games all season, consistently throwing thousands over his receiver's heads. The Vikings had a chance to claim the number one seed but crumbled in their biggest game of the season, which is, unfortunately, very like the Vikings. Their game against the Rams is winnable if they perform to their usual standards.

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