NFL's final playoff spots will be decided by winner-take-all matchups

The final two spots in the NFL playoffs will be decided by a pair of winner-take-all games between division rivals in the regular season’s last week

The final two spots in the NFL playoffs will be decided by a pair of winner-take-all games between division rivals in the regular season’s last week.

The winner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens' Week 18 matchup will earn the AFC North division title and the AFC’s last postseason berth as the conference's No. 4 seed.

A matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers, meanwhile, will carry identical stakes, with the winner claiming the NFC South division crown and the last spot in the wild-card round as the NFC's fourth seed.

Pittsburgh had an opportunity to end the suspense Sunday while facing 3-12 Cleveland, as a win would have clinched a playoff spot while eliminating Baltimore. Instead, a Steelers offense led by Aaron Rodgers but missing leading receiver DK Metcalf, who began serving a two-game suspension for his interaction with a fan, failed to score a touchdown on 11 possessions.

On their final drive, with Cleveland leading, 13-6, Rodgers completed passes of 15, 29 and 11 yards to move the Steelers to Cleveland’s 7-yard line. But Rodgers threw consecutive incomplete passes, including a near-interception, to force a fourth down and goal with 21 seconds to play.