The final weekend of the NFL’s 2024 regular season will decide whether the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos or Miami Dolphins fill the final opening in the AFC playoff field as the third wild-card team and the No. 7 seed.

Because only one team will advance, at least two quarterbacks with Alabama football roots won’t make the postseason. If the Broncos don’t make it, it’ll be four, although they’re not all quarterbacks now.

Bo Nix, the Broncos’ starting quarterback, is a former Pinson Valley High School star who played three seasons at Auburn. As a rookie, he’s trying to lead Denver into the postseason. The Broncos haven’t reach the playoffs since Nix was a freshman QB at Scottsboro High School in 2015.

“It would mean a lot,” Nix said. “Obviously, it would mean a lot to the organization, everyone who’s put time and effort into this organization to make it what it is. It’s a special place, special fans, special atmosphere. Obviously, we’ve got players here that have worked really hard, and it’d be really important to them, so it goes without saying: It’s a really important thing. It’s a really important opportunity. And we just got to finish. We got to finish the task at hand. And it’s right there in front of us. We just have to go take it.”

As it has been for the previous two weeks, the playoff spot is Denver’s to win. If the Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Denver will go the playoffs.

If the Broncos lose, then the Miami Dolphins will get the playoff spot by beating the New York Jets. If Denver and Miami lose, then Cincinnati will get the playoff spot by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. If all three contenders lose, then Denver gets the spot.

Nix is backed up by another former Auburn quarterback, Jarrett Stidham. Like Nix, two other Denver players are former Alabama All-State selections as high school quarterbacks – cornerbacks Kris Abrams-Draine from Spanish Fort and Tremon Smith from Saks.

Miami’s No. 1 quarterback is Tua Tagovailoa, a former Alabama All-American, but his status for Sunday’s game is up in the air after he missed the Week 17 contest because of a hip injury.

The quarterback with Alabama roots on the Bengals isn’t Pro Bowler Joe Burrow, but cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who played QB for Park Crossing in Montgomery.

Denver has seven players from Alabama high schools and colleges on its active roster, Miami has five and Cincinnati four.

One opening is available in the NFC – the South Division spot, which will go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Atlanta Falcons. If the Bucs beat the New Orleans Saints, they get it. If not, the Falcons can take the position by beating the Carolina Panthers.

Tampa Bay has three players with Alabama football roots on its active roster. Atlanta has one.

They’ll be trying to join the 55 players from Alabama high schools and colleges already heading to the playoffs.

The Chiefs at No. 1, Buffalo Bills at No. 2 and Houston Texans at No. 4 in the AFC and Philadelphia Eagles at No. 2 in the NFC are locked into their postseason positions. The other 10 seeds will be determined by this weekend’s results, headlined by the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions playing for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and accompanying first-round bye on Sunday night.

The Alabama Game of the Week is the New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles contest on Sunday. Thirteen players from Alabama high schools and colleges are on the teams’ active rosters.

The Week 18 schedule (with all times Central and point spreads from BetMGM):

Saturday

• Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-19.5), 3:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
• Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers, 7 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)

Sunday

• Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (-8.5), noon (WIAT, WTVY, WHNT, WKRG, WAKA)
• Washington Commanders (-6) at Dallas Cowboys, noon
• Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-10), noon
• Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts (-5), noon
• Buffalo Bills (-2.5) at New England Patriots, noon
• New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-3), noon
• New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-13.5), noon (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)
• Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (-1.5), noon
• San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (-4), 3:25 p.m.
• Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (-10.5), 3:25 p.m. (WIAT, WTVY, WHNT, WKRG, WAKA)
• Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) at Los Angeles Rams, 3:25 p.m.
• Los Angeles Chargers (-4.5) at Las Vegas Raiders, 3:25 p.m.
• Miami Dolphins (-1) at New York Jets, 3:25 p.m. (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)
• Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (-3), 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.