Related: Game-by-Game | Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends
Week 18 is here, and the big question on everyone's mind is, who cares? As fans, we care, and the players participating care, but teams have different motivations and a clear picture of what can be achieved in Week 18. We looked through each game to see who has things to play for, either from a team perspective or based on statistical milestones.
A note: "Motivation" is entirely made up and subjective. The players playing will give their all, but teams will make selective choices on who plays and who sits out.
Here's a look at some players with a little extra statistical Week 18 motivation.
All contract information was pulled from Spotrac.com.
QB Josh Allen, Buffalo
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats:355 / 541, 3,947 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 457 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns
Allen is hunting his fourth straight 4,000 passing yard year. With three touchdown passes, he would also have his fourth straight 30-passing touchdown season. Allen's 15 rushing touchdowns sit tied with Jalen Hurts for most by a quarterback in a season.
QB Derek Carr, New Orleans
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 353 / 520, 3,614 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, eight interceptions
Carr needs 386 yards to reach 4,000. Carr's total is the 19th highest in team history. Drew Brees is the only player in Saints history to record a 4,000-yard passing season, doing so 12 times. Two passing touchdowns would give Carr a top-20 season in team history.
QB Justin Fields, Chicago
- Team Motivation: 1/10
- Current Stats: 216 / 354, 2,414 yards, 16 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 630 rushing yards, four touchdowns
Fields is the only player in Bears history with 2,400 passing yards and 600 rushing yards. He is the 28th player in NFL history to accomplish those numbers. If he can throw for 86 yards and rush for 30, the club narrows to 17 other players, hitting 2,500 and 700.
QB Jared Goff, Detroit
- Team Motivation: 7/10
- Current Stats: 384 / 573, 4,255 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
Goff needs 191 yards to finish with the fourth most in a season for the Lions. His career high is 4,688; he would need 433 to hit that. Two more touchdown passes would give him his second 30-passing touchdown season. Four more would tie Scott Mitchell and Matthew Stafford for the second-best season in team history.
QB Sam Howell, Washington
- Team Motivation: 0/10
- Current Stats: 369 / 585, 3,793 yards, 20 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 264 rushing yards, five touchdowns
With 207 passing yards and 36 rushing yards, Howell will record the ninth 4,000-20-300-5 season in NFL history. The list is Josh Allen three times, and then there are Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Cam Newton, Don Majkowski, and Steve Young. Howell could record the sixth 4,000-yard season in franchise history. With 80 more passing yards, he would equal Joe Thiesman's best season.
QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 345/522, 3,803 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 601 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns
Hurts needs 197 passing yards for the second Eagles' 4,000-yard season, joining Carson Wentz in 2019. Two more passing touchdowns would give him 25 and move him into 10th in the Eagles' history. Hurts can enter the same exclusive club Howell is chasing with 4,000 passing yards. Two more rushing touchdowns would tie LeSean McCoy's franchise record 17. Hurts already has the NFL record for quarterback rushing touchdowns.
QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore
- Team Motivation: 0/10
- Current Stats: 307 / 457, 3,678 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 821 rushing yards, five touchdowns
Jackson set his career high in passing yardage, recording his third season with 20 touchdown passes and third season with 800 rushing yards. Jackson and Kyler Murray are the only players with 3,600 passing yards and 800 rushing yards. Jackson's regular season is likely finished.
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 341 / 521, 3,736 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 329 rushing yards, four touchdowns
With 274 yards, Lawrence records the fourth 4,000-passing season in team history. A 377-yard day would equal his career high. One more passing touchdown gives the team their ninth 20-passing touchdown season. Blake Bortles and Mark Brunell are the only Jaguars to record 4,000 passing yards and 300 rushing yard seasons. One more rushing touchdown would tie Lawrence's career-high of five, a franchise record for a quarterback he shares with David Garrard.
QB Jordan Love, Green Bay
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 345 / 547, 3,843 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 248 rushing yards, four touchdowns
- Contract incentive: Love's contract is full of incentives. A breakdown from Spotrac is below:
Pro Bowl Selection: $1M
3 QBs are selected per conference. At this point, it seems unlikely that Love will be one of the Top 3 NFC QBs honored (Prescott, Hurts, Goff, and Purdy likely ahead of him). But it’s not inconceivable.
65% Offensive Regular Season Snaps: $500,000
At the time of this piece, Love has taken over 99% of the Packers’ snaps this season. Barring injury, this escalator should be a lock.
Team Success Escalators
Love will add an extra $1M to his 2024 salary if one of three things occurs
-
- 10 Regular Season Wins (65% snaps) OR
- Playoff Berth (65% snaps) OR
- Top 10 Passers Rating & Top 10 in TD Passes (65% Snaps)
The Packers are 6-6 headed into Week 14, with 5 games remaining. They currently hold a 70% chance to make the playoffs. Love is currently 16th in Passer Rating, and 6th in TD Passes. It seems highly likely that one of these triggers will vest.
Playoff Escalators
The Packers currently hold a 70% chance to make the playoffs, and Love has currently taken over 99% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps this season.
-
- 65% Regular Season Snaps + Playoff Berth: $500,000
- 1 Playoff Win (65% Snaps): $500,000
- Conference Title Win (65% Snaps): $1M
- Super Bowl Win (65% Snaps): $1M
Statistical Escalators
Love is currently 16th in Passer Rating, 28th in Completion %, 6th in TD Passes, & 12th in Passing Yards.
-
- 65% Snaps & Top 10 Passer Rating: $500,000
- 65% Snaps & Top 10 Completion %: $500,000
- Top 10 Touchdown Passes: $500,000
- Top 10 Passing Yards: $500,000
More Statistical Escalators
Love can earn a maximum of $1.5M from this group (or 3 out of 4). He’s currently 16th in Passer Rating, 28th in Completion %, 6th in TD Passes, & 12th in Passing Yards, on track to max out this escalator.
-
- 65% Snaps & Top 16 in Passer Rating: $500,000
- 65% Snaps & Top 16 in Completion %: $500,000
- 65% Snaps & Top 16 in Passing Yards: $500,000
- 65% Snaps & Top 16 in Passing TDs: $500,000
The biggest number Love is hunting is 4,000 passing yards, needing 157. Love would become the fifth Packers quarterback to record a 4,000-yard season, joining Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Don Majkowski, and Lynn Dickey. With two more rushing yards to go with hitting 4,000 passing yards, Love would join Aaron Rodgers as the only Packers to record 4,000 - 30 - 250 seasons.
QB Patrick Mahomes II, Kansas City
- Team Motivation: 0/10
- Current Stats: 401 / 597, 4,183 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions
Mahomes has topped 4,000 yards each of his six seasons as the Chiefs starter. His 27 touchdowns are the second lowest over that stretch, and his 14 interceptions are the most. His passer rating is a career low but his completion percentage is high.
QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 344 / 534, 3,907 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, ten interceptions, 156 rushing yards
Contract Incentives: Mayfield's contract incentives breakdown is as follows:
| Playing Time (Doubled With Playoff Berth) | |
|---|---|
| 66% | $500,000 |
| 75% | $250,000 |
| 85% | $250,000 |
| Mayfield has played all but three snaps. | |
| Passing Incentives (Top 10 NFL/Top 5 NFC) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Incentive | Current Rank | Payout |
| Passer Rating | 9 | $300,000 |
| TD Passes | 6 | $300,000 |
| Passing Yards | 8 | $300,000 |
| Completion % | 18 | $300,000 |
| Yards Per Attempt | 12 | $300,000 |
Mayfield has career-highs in passing yards and touchdown passes. An additional 93 yards makes him the seventh Buccaneer to pass for 4,000 yards in a season, and 183 yards give him the fifth-highest in a Buccaneers season. He is also looking to become the fourth Buccaneer with 30 touchdown passes.
QB Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 292 / 466, 3,164 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions
- Contract Incentive: Minshew has $500,000 incentives for 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% of snaps played. He has played 83% and safely cleared the final threshold for the season.
Minshew can top his career high in yardage with 107 passing yards. With 317 yards, he can equal Johnny Unitas's career high.
QB Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas
- Team Motivation: 0/10
- Current Stats: 193 / 312, 1,974 passing yards, ten touchdowns, seven interceptions
- Contract Incentive: Minshew has $500,000 incentives for 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% of snaps played. He has played 83% and safely cleared the final threshold for the season.
O'Connell is second to Derek Carr in almost every Raiders rookie passing category. The key difference is volume, as O'Connell has barely over half as many attempts. He beat Carr in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating.
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 379/554, 4,237 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, eight interceptions
Prescott needs 212 passing yards for his second-best season and 246 for the third-best season in Cowboys' history. His 32 passing touchdowns are the franchise's fourth most; the leaderboard is Prescott (37 - 2021), Tony Romo (36 - 2007), and Romo (34 - 2014).
QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco
- Team Motivation: 0/10
- Current Stats: 308 / 444, 4,280 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, 11 interceptions
Purdy is the 49ers' single-season passing yardage leader, and Kyle Shannahan pulled him right after breaking the record, likely suggesting we will not see him in Week 18. His 31 touchdowns would finish as the fourth-highest total in team history.
QB Geno Smith, Seattle
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 307 / 471, 3,435 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, nine interceptions
- Contract Incentives: Smith has multiple incentives in his contract, but they are difficult as they are built upon exceeding his 2022 numbers:
| $2 Million Each for the Following | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statistic | Threshold | Current |
| Passing Yards | 4,282 | 3,435 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 30 | 18 |
| Completion % | 69.8 | 65.2 |
| Passer Rating | 100.9 | 91.6 |
| Wins | 9 | 8 |
QB Matthew Stafford, LA Rams
- Team Motivation: 3/10
- Current Stats: 326 / 521, 3,965 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 11 interceptions
Stafford is just short of his tenth 4,000-yard passing season. If he plays and hits the mark, it will be the eighth in team history. His 24 touchdown passes are tied for the tenth-highest in team history.
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 299 / 473, 3,844 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, five interceptions
Stroud has the fifth most passing yards by a rookie, and 156 more yards would make him the fifth to top 4,000 passing yards. His 21 touchdown passes are tied for the 13th most by a rookie. He holds Texans franchise records in both. If he hits 4,000 yards, it will be the sixth season in Texans history.
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami
- Team Motivation: 10/10
- Current Stats: 371 / 533, 4,451 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passing yards and is unlikely to be caught. With three more yards, Tagovailoa will have the third most in a single season for the Dolphins. He can move into the second-best season with 295 yards. Dan Marino's single-season franchise record is 5,084 (Marino holds the top three spots). Two more passing touchdowns would be the fifth 30-touchdown season in team history. Marino's record is 48, with a 44-touchdown and two 30-touchdown seasons.
QB Bryce Young, Carolina
- Team Motivation: 5/10
- Current Stats: 304 / 509, 2,783 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 37 rushing yards
Young has struggled, but with 148 passing yards, he will have the second most for a rookie Panthers quarterback. Three more passing touchdowns would also be the second most by a Panthers rookie.
