Pro Picks: Lions will beat the Vikings in showdown for the NFC's No. 1 seed

The NFC’s No. 1 seed, two division titles and two playoff spots are on the line in Week 18 of the NFL's regular season.

Game No. 272 on Sunday night between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings is a showdown for the NFC North and the conference’s top spot. The loser drops to the No. 5 seed. The Lions hold the tiebreaker in case the teams tie.

The NFC South will go to the Buccaneers or Falcons. The AFC North will be decided Saturday. It’ll be the Ravens or Steelers. Both teams are in the playoffs either way.

The Broncos are in control of the AFC’s final wild-card spot. The Bengals and Dolphins hold onto slim hopes.

Pro Picks predicts the final week of regular-season games.

Line: Titans minus 1

The playoff-bound Texans are underdogs because they’re locked into the AFC’s No. 4 seed. But coach DeMeco Ryans plans to play his starters after Houston was embarrassed by Baltimore on Christmas Day. The Titans have the second pick in the draft at the moment and could move up to No. 1 with a loss.

BEST BET: TEXANS: 27-12

Line: Eagles minus 2

Saquon Barkley’s pursuit of Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old rushing record got grounded. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni isn't planning to play Barkley and other starters because his team is locked into the NFC’s No. 2 seed. The Giants already potentially cost themselves the No. 1 pick by beating the Colts.

UPSET SPECIAL: GIANTS: 22-20

Line: Ravens minus 17 1/2

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens need a victory to clinch the AFC North and the No. 3 seed. The Browns have lost five in a row, currently hold the third pick in the draft and have a chance at No. 1 if the Patriots and Titans win.

RAVENS: 30-13

Line: Bengals minus 2

The Steelers have lost three in a row and could be eliminated from the division race by kickoff. If the Ravens beat the Browns, Pittsburgh will be either the fifth or sixth seed. The Bengals need a win and the Broncos and Dolphins to lose to sneak into the playoffs.

BENGALS: 24-20

Line: Falcons minus 8 1/2

The Falcons lost control of their NFC South hopes by losing to Washington. Atlanta only gets into the playoffs with a win and the Buccaneers losing to the Saints. The Panthers have improved over the second half, but were routed in Tampa Bay. They hold the sixth pick in the draft currently.

FALCONS: 27-17

Line: Commanders minus 4 1/2

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has led an impressive turnaround in Washington, taking the Commanders to the playoffs. Coach Dan Quinn wants the team to play for the sixth seed so he's not resting starters. The Cowboys got destroyed in Philadelphia after an upset win over the Buccaneers.

COMMANDERS: 27-20

Line: Packers minus 10

Caleb Williams and the Bears haven’t won a game since losing on a Hail Mary pass to Daniels and the Commanders. They could snap that 10-game losing streak if Packers coach Matt LaFleur rests his starters. Green Bay can finish no higher than the sixth seed in the NFC.

PACKERS: 24-20

Line: Colts minus 5

With their playoff hopes on life support, the Colts couldn’t even beat the woeful Giants. The Jaguars currently have the fifth pick in the draft and would be better off losing.

COLTS: 26-16

Line: Bills minus 2 1/2

Josh Allen’s MVP resume is complete and the Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed, so coach Sean McDermott plans to rest some starters. Allen will start his 115th consecutive game and give way to Mitchell Trubisky. The Patriots have the No. 1 pick in the draft and shouldn’t jeopardize that. Benching Drake Maye is an option for New England, which could benefit from trading that top pick for more draft capital.

BILLS: 23-17

Line: Buccaneers minus 13 1/2

The Buccaneers are one win away from their fourth straight NFC South title. Baker Mayfield still has an outside chance to lead the NFL in TD passes. The Saints are wrapping up a nightmarish season and then will begin their search for a new coach.

BUCCANEERS: 34-17

Line: Broncos minus 10 1/2

The Broncos need a victory to clinch their first playoff appearance since winning a Super Bowl nine years ago. Standing in their way will be a bunch of backups led by Carson Wentz filling in for Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed and will be home for the playoffs to continue their three-peat quest.

BRONCOS: 26-23

Line: Chargers minus 5

Jim Harbaugh plans to play to win even though the Chargers are assured either the fifth or sixth seed in the AFC. The Raiders have won two in a row to fall out of the running for Shedeur Sanders unless they trade up in the draft.

CHARGERS: 24-17

Line: Seahawks minus 6 1/2

The NFC West champion Rams will be the third or fourth seed, so coach Sean McVay is resting Matthew Stafford and starting Jimmy Garoppolo. The Seahawks could finish with the same number of wins as the division champs but already lost the tiebreaker.

SEAHAWKS: 25-16

Line: Cardinals minus 4

The Cardinals were in good shape in the NFC West at 6-4, but lost five of six to miss the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons. The 49ers couldn’t overcome too many injuries and inconsistency and won’t be defending their NFC title.

CARDINALS: 26-20

Line: Dolphins minus 1

The Dolphins could go into a must-win game with Tyler Huntley again instead of Tua Tagovailoa, who has a hip injury. The Dolphins would make the playoffs with a victory if the Chiefs beat the Broncos. The season can’t end soon enough for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.

DOLPHINS: 20-17

Line: Lions minus 3

This is the game Dan Campbell and the Lions have waited for since losing to the 49ers in last season’s NFC championship game. Getting the No. 1 seed has been Detroit’s goal and it’ll come down to beating Sam Darnold and the Vikings, who have been the surprise of the NFL this season. A tie also gets the job done for the Lions. Despite a shorter week after playing at San Francisco on Monday night, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and the rest of the Lions have come too far to slip now. Detroit has been depleted by injuries, especially on defense, and keeps winning. Minnesota has won nine in a row and defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ unit presents a difficult challenge for the Lions’ dynamic offense.

LIONS: 30-26

Last week: 13-3. Against spread: 6-10

Overall: Straight up: 181-75. Against spread: 137-115-4.

Prime time: Straight up: 42-14. Against spread: 29-26-1.

Best Bet: Straight up: 10-7. Against spread: 9-8.

Upset Special: Straight up: 9-8. Against spread: 9-8.

Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Graphic shows NFL team matchups and predicts the winners in Week 18 action.

Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold congratulates Cam Akers on a touchdown catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) walks off the field after a win over the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell answers questions after an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians could call abroad on mobile phones Tuesday for the first time since communications were halted during a crackdown on nationwide protests in which activists said at least 646 people have been killed.

Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back. The witnesses said SMS text messaging still was down and that internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally but nothing abroad.

The witnesses gave a brief glimpse into life on the streets of the Iranian capital over the four and a half days of being cut off from the world. They described seeing a heavy security presence in central Tehran.

Anti-riot police officers, wearing helmets and body armor, carried batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers. They stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, the witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, who similarly carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces as well.

Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, they said. ATMs had been smashed and banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, the witnesses added.

However, shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began Dec. 28, was to open Tuesday. However, a witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said the security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media had not acknowledged that order.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Many remain concerned about a possible military strike by the U.S., even as President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington.

“My customers talk about Trump’s reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic,” said shopkeeper Mahmoud, who gave just his first name out of concerns for his safety. “I don’t expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians.”

Reza, a taxi driver who also gave just his first name, said protests also remain front of mind for many.

“People — particularly young ones — are hopeless but they talk about continuing the protests," he said.

Meanwhile, it appeared that security service personnel were searching for Starlink terminals as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in their homes and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.

On the streets, people also could be seen challenging plainclothes security officials, who were stopping passersby at random.

State television also read a statement about mortuary and morgue services being free — a signal some likely charged high fees for the release of bodies amid the crackdown.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing," Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.

“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.

Trump announced Monday that countries doing business with Iran will face 25% tariffs from the United States. Trump announced the tariffs in a social media posting, saying they would be “effective immediately.”

It was action against Iran for the protest crackdown from Trump, who believes exacting tariffs can be a useful tool in prodding friends and foes on the global stage to bend to his will.

Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are among economies that do business with Tehran.

Trump said Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,700 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the latest death toll early Tuesday. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 512 of the dead were protesters and 134 were security force members.

With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government hasn’t offered overall casualty figures.

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)

FILE - Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)