THE HFL CRIMSON CHRONICLE
Cincinnati and Denver both finish the regular season 17-0 — the first double-perfect season in league history — Jahmyr Gibbs closes with 3,126 rushing yards to shatter the single-season record, and Joe Burrow throws for 370 yards and four touchdowns to send Carolina into the offseason on a high note.
Denver beat Cleveland 35-28 and Cincinnati survived Baltimore 28-24 in a five-turnover-apiece slugfest, and both teams close the regular season 17-0 — the first time in league history two teams have finished a season unbeaten. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns in the finale, finishing the year with 3,126 rushing yards and breaking Bijan Robinson's single-season record of 2,924 by 202 yards. Green Bay (16-1) and Washington (15-2) round out the league's best records, and Wildcard Weekend begins with six games this week — Cincinnati and Green Bay are the only two teams with the week off.
Week 18 Scoreboard
| Rams | 23 | Seahawks | 14 |
| Vikings | 27 | Titans | 21 |
| Falcons | 24 | Panthers | 31 |
| Saints | 21 | Cardinals ★ | 31 |
| Packers | 38 | Giants | 17 |
| Cowboys | 29 | Eagles | 35 |
| Lions | 14 | Bears | 26 |
| Patriots | 24 | Dolphins | 38 |
| Chiefs | 10 | Jaguars | 30 |
| Raiders | 16 | Chargers | 21 |
| Browns | 28 | Broncos | 35 |
| Buccaneers | 38 | 49ers | 21 |
| Steelers | 14 | Commanders | 41 |
| Bengals | 28 | Ravens | 24 |
| Jets | 34 | Colts | 17 |
| Bills | 38 | Texans | 21 |
All 32 teams were in action for the final week of the regular season.
Brock Purdy threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, and DeVaunte Whitley caught two touchdowns among his 30 receiving yards, as Arizona closed the season with a win. Odafe Oweh had two sacks on defense.
Lamar Jackson threw for 207 yards and ran for two more scores for the Saints, and Rashee Rice caught three passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, but New Orleans came up short. Arizona improves to 13-4, locking in the NFC's third seed. New Orleans falls to 10-7.
Around the League
Trevor Lawrence threw for 171 yards and a touchdown despite two interceptions and ran for 58 more, and Azeez Al-Shaair intercepted two passes on defense, as Los Angeles pulled away from Seattle. Louis Geyer caught four passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns for the Seahawks, but Bo Nix threw five interceptions and it was too much to overcome. Los Angeles improves to 6-10-1. Seattle falls to 1-16, closing the season with the league's worst record.
Broderick Dickens threw for 156 yards and a touchdown and ran for 50 more and another score, and Andre Szmyt made a 50-yard field goal, as Minnesota closed the season with an upset. Dak Prescott threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns for the Titans, and Marvin Daniels caught eleven passes for 141 yards and two more scores, but it wasn't enough to avoid the loss. Minnesota improves to 6-11. Tennessee falls to 8-9, but still locks in the seventh seed in the AFC.
Joe Burrow threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, and Joshua Palmer caught seven passes for 195 yards and two more scores, as Carolina closed the season with a statement win. See this issue's cover. Saquon Barkley caught a touchdown among his 74 receiving yards for Atlanta, and Jalen Hurts threw for two scores, but it wasn't enough to keep pace. Carolina finishes 8-9. Atlanta falls to 5-12.
Jayden Daniels threw for 314 yards and five touchdowns, and Antwon Finley caught ten passes for 124 yards and two more scores, as Green Bay closed the regular season at 16-1. Cam Skattebo ran for 89 yards and a touchdown for the Giants, and Isaac Guerendo added 105 rushing yards and a score of his own, but it wasn't enough to keep pace. Green Bay locks in the NFC's top seed and a first-round bye. New York falls to 9-8.
Caleb Williams threw for 201 yards and four touchdowns, and Jonathan Taylor ran for 198 yards without finding the end zone, as Philadelphia closed the season with a win. Spencer Rattler threw for 217 yards and ran for two more scores for the Cowboys, and CeeDee Lamb caught a touchdown, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback. Philadelphia finishes 12-5. Dallas falls to 5-12.
Mike Perry had three sacks and Dylan Sampson ran for 80 yards and a touchdown, as Chicago closed the season with a win. Ben Ali intercepted a pass and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown for the Lions — the rookie's signature moment of the season — and C.J. Stroud threw for 192 yards, but Detroit ended up on the wrong side of it. Chicago finishes 8-8-1. Detroit falls to 5-12.
Baker Mayfield threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns, and Isiah Pacheco ran for 61 yards and two more scores, as Miami closed the regular season with a win. Breece Hall ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots, and Drake Maye threw for 215 yards, but it wasn't enough to keep pace. Miami finishes 13-4. New England falls to 6-11.
Bryce Young threw for 115 yards and a touchdown and ran for another, and Ramon Randolph intercepted two passes — including an 82-yard pick-six — as Jacksonville routed Kansas City. Jalen Milroe threw three interceptions for the Chiefs without a touchdown pass, and George Pickens caught two passes for 64 yards, but it wasn't nearly enough. Jacksonville finishes 7-10. Kansas City falls to 7-10.
Shane Dressler threw for 255 yards and ran for 62 more, and Antonio Gibson ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns, as Los Angeles closed the season with a win. Marvin Harrison Jr and Dontayvion Wicks each caught touchdowns for the Raiders, and Jaxson Dart threw for 247 yards and two scores, but it wasn't enough for the Raiders. Los Angeles finishes 11-6. Las Vegas falls to 2-15.
Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns, closing the regular season at 3,126 rushing yards and shattering the single-season rushing record. See this issue's Feature Story for the full account. Shedeur Sanders threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns despite three interceptions for the Browns, and Malik Nabers caught six passes for 102 yards and a score, and Kool-Aid McKinstry returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown on defense, but it wasn't enough to complete the upset. The Broncos finish the regular season 17-0. Cleveland falls to 2-15.
Justin Herbert threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and Bucky Irving ran for 97 yards and two more scores, as Tampa Bay closed the season with a statement win. De'Von Achane scored twice for the 49ers — once rushing, once receiving — and Cam Ward threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to keep pace. Tampa Bay finishes 10-7. San Francisco falls to 11-6.
Anthony Richardson Sr threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 50 more and two scores, and DeVonta Smith caught nine passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, as Washington closed the regular season with a rout. Wan'Dale Robinson caught a 79-yard touchdown for the Steelers, and Emmett Bennett threw for 184 yards, but it wasn't enough to keep pace. Washington finishes 15-2, locking in the NFC's second seed. Pittsburgh falls to 5-12.
Nicholas Battle threw for 155 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted five times, and Cincinnati's defense had to bail him out — Jihaad Campbell, Derek Stingley Jr, Jamie Saxton and Cam Taylor-Britt each intercepted a pass of their own. J.J. McCarthy threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns for Baltimore despite four interceptions of his own, and Tetairoa McMillan caught six passes for 126 yards and two scores, but it wasn't enough to complete the upset. The Bengals finish the regular season 17-0 — their closest call of the year came in the very last game. Baltimore falls to 3-14.
Riley Leonard completed nine of ten passes for 197 yards and four touchdowns, and Darrius Patterson caught three of them among his 116 yards, as New York closed the regular season with a win. Christian McCaffrey ran for 116 yards, an 88-yard burst included, for the Colts, and Hayden Andrews threw for 293 yards, but Indianapolis couldn't turn it into a win. New York finishes 13-4. Indianapolis falls to 1-16, finishing with the league's worst record alongside Seattle.
Josh Allen threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and Amir Hargrove ran for 63 yards and a touchdown on a single carry, as Buffalo closed the season with a win. Milton Williams had two sacks for the Texans, and Tyler Huntley threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to keep pace. Buffalo finishes 8-9. Houston falls to 11-6, though the loss doesn't cost them their playoff seed.
The All-HFL Weekly Team
Week 18's honor roll, built straight from the box scores — the last one of the regular season.
QB, Packers
HB, Broncos
WR, Panthers
TE, Packers
REDGE, Commanders
SS, Jaguars
K, Commanders
Streaks & Trends
- Cincinnati and Denver both finish the regular season 17-0 — the first time in league history two teams have gone unbeaten in the same season.
- Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns in the finale, finishing at 3,126 rushing yards — 202 yards clear of the old single-season record. See this issue's Feature Story.
- Nicholas Battle threw five interceptions — his worst statistical day of the season — and Cincinnati still found a way to finish perfect.
- Joe Burrow threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in Carolina's win over Atlanta.
- Five different defenders returned interceptions for touchdowns across the league this week — the most pick-sixes the Chronicle has logged in a single week.
- Anthony Richardson Sr accounted for five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) as Washington closed the season 15-2.
Milestone Watch
- Jahmyr Gibbs, HB, Broncos. Closes the regular season at 3,126 rushing yards — a new single-season league record, 202 yards clear of Bijan Robinson's previous mark of 2,924. Gibbs finishes the year averaging 183.9 rushing yards a game across all 17.
Record Book Watch
Jahmyr Gibbs's 3,126 rushing yards is the new single-season record — see the Milestone Watch above. Nothing else in the all-time single-game top fives changed this week.
Feature Story: Jahmyr Gibbs Rewrites the Record Book
Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns in Denver's regular-season finale, a 35-28 win over Cleveland, closing the year with 3,126 rushing yards. That's not just a new single-season record — it's 202 yards clear of the old one, set by Bijan Robinson two seasons ago.
Gibbs's finale was his signature performance of a signature season: a 56-yard run, his longest of the season, came inside a five-touchdown day — four rushing, one receiving — that also included 65 receiving yards. He finishes the year averaging 183.9 rushing yards per game, a pace he sustained from Week 1 through the finale without a real cold stretch.
The record chase ran alongside an even bigger story: Denver finished 17-0, matching Cincinnati, which survived its own scare in Baltimore — five Nicholas Battle interceptions — to finish perfect as well. Two teams going unbeaten in the same regular season has never happened in league history, and Gibbs's record-breaking year was the individual story running underneath it the entire way.
Press Row & Transaction Wire
Press Row
No letters reached the desk this week. Press Row stays open into the playoffs — a word about your own team, a shot across the bracket, a prediction you'll put your name to. It runs in the next issue.
Transaction Wire & Injury Report
Nothing crossed the trade wire this week, and the injury report is unchanged from last issue: Derrick Harmon, DT, Bills, Sam LaPorta, TE, Packers, Zach Sieler, DT, Dolphins, Bobby Brown III, DT, Dolphins, Will McDonald IV, LEDGE, Dolphins, John Campa, TE, Vikings, Cam Beasley, FS, Patriots and Kenneth Walker III, HB, Saints all remain out with no change in status.
Rookie Watch
The regular season is in the books, and both rookie quarterbacks finished it exactly the way they spent the whole year — undefeated.
Offensive Rookie of the Year lean: Warren Davis and Nicholas Battle both finish the season undefeated as starters — Denver and Cincinnati combined to go 34-0 in games their rookie quarterbacks started. Davis leaned on Gibbs all year and attempted just 21 passes in the finale; Battle survived his roughest day of the season, five interceptions, and still walked away 17-0.
Defensive Rookie of the Year lean: still no single season-long leader, but Ben Ali gave the race its best moment of the year in the final week — a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown for Detroit.
Wildcard Weekend Preview — Week 19
The regular season is over. Twelve teams open Wildcard Weekend across six games; Cincinnati and Green Bay, the two conference top seeds, have the week off, and the other eighteen are done for the year.
Denver is 17-0; Tennessee is 8-9.
Miami is 13-4; Los Angeles is 11-6.
New York is 13-4 off Riley Leonard's four-touchdown day; Houston is 11-6.
Washington is 15-2; Tampa Bay is 10-7.
Arizona is 13-4 off last issue's Game of the Week; San Francisco is 11-6.
Philadelphia is 12-5 — the best record of any wildcard-round team on the road; New Orleans hosts at 10-7 on a division title.
Jenna's Picks — Final Regular Season Record: 201-68-1 (74.4%)
Twelve right, four wrong in the finale — the Vikings over the Titans, the Jaguars over the Chiefs, the Buccaneers over the 49ers and the Bills over the Texans were the four the desk missed. The season closes at 74.4%, a mark that barely moved over the second half of the year.
Fan Mailbag
No letters reached the desk this week, so the Chronicle wrote the questions it's confident somebody in this league is asking. The real mailbag is open and runs with your name on it.
League Poll
Results from last issue's poll are in, and it split three ways: "Cincinnati finishes 17-0," "Denver finishes 17-0," and "Riley Leonard and the Jets keep rolling" each took a third of the vote. All three came true. The fourth option — Gibbs breaking the rushing record — got zero votes and turned out to be the biggest story of the week.
Eighteen weeks down. Cincinnati and Denver both finish 17-0, Jahmyr Gibbs closes the year as the league's single-season rushing king, and twelve teams open the road to the championship this weekend while Cincinnati and Green Bay wait on a bye.
Press Row is open, the mailbag runs with your name on it, and the poll is live — vote, and the Chronicle will see everybody back here after Wildcard Weekend. A special season-in-review issue runs before then, looking back at all eighteen weeks.
Until next week, the Chronicle stands with all 32.
— Jenna Tulls, Senior HFL Correspondent
Beat Jenna
Every Game of the Week pick, scored. Jenna is 7-1 on the 8 games she has called.
| Member | W | L | Beat Jenna | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MrPlanters NE | 7 | 0 | 1/5 |
| 2 | luke2612 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 3 | skeem__ | 0 | 1 | 0/0 |
| — | Jenna Tulls DESK | 7 | 1 | — |
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