For the NFL’s elite, Week 18 has a weird feel to it. It’s the final game before the next part of the season. How much do you want to show? To play? What matters the most when four more important games stand between you and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy?
These are questions that seem to have different answers every year, and rightfully so. The Cincinnati Bengals had nothing to play for at the end of the regular season last year, and while they didn’t know it during Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, the case was basically the same this year.