2018 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not compete together as a unit, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who are selected by members of the national media. Walter Camp selected the first All-America team in the early days of American football in 1889.


2018 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans
The 2018 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans are honorary lists that will include All-American selections from the Associated Press (AP), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Both AP and USBWA choose three teams, while WBCA lists 10 honorees.


2018 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans
A consensus All-America team in women's basketball has never been organized. This differs from the practice in men's basketball, in which the NCAA uses a combination of selections by AP, USBWA, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and the Sporting News to determine a consensus All-America team. The selection of a consensus All-America men's basketball team is possible because all four organizations select at least a first and second team, with only the USBWA not selecting a third team.


2018 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans
Before the 2017–18 season, it was impossible for a consensus women's All-America team to be determined because the AP had been the only body that divided its women's selections into separate teams. The USBWA first named separate teams in 2017–18. The women's counterpart to the NABC, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), continues the USBWA's former practice of selecting a single 10-member (plus ties) team. The Sporting News does not select an All-America team in women's basketball.


2018 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship
The 2018 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships were held April 20–21, 2018, at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The UCLA Bruins were the team Champions with a total of 198.075 points. The twelve teams invited were Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma, UCLA, Utah, and Washington.


2018 NCAA men's water polo rankings
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Certes (talk | contribs) at 18:05, 2 December 2019 (unlink character (via WP:JWB)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2018 NCAA men's water polo rankings
The 2018 NCAA men's water polo rankings is a human poll designated to rank the top 20 men's college water polo programs at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels.. The official rankings recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are determined by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), and have released rankings for this competition since 2008. The rankings are updated weekly at the beginning of the season and finalized at the conclusion of the 2018 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship.


2018 NCHC Tournament
The 2018 NCHC Tournament was the fifth tournament in league history. It was played between March 9 and March 17, 2018. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. By winning the tournament, Denver received the NCHC's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.


2018 NCHC Tournament, Format
The first round of the postseason tournament features a best-of-three games format. All eight conference teams participate in the tournament. Teams are seeded No. 1 through No. 8 according to their final conference standing, with a tiebreaker system used to seed teams with an identical number of points accumulated. The top four seeded teams each earn home ice and host one of the lower seeded teams.


2018 NCHC Tournament, Format
The winners of the first round series advance to the Xcel Energy Center for the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. The Frozen Faceoff uses a single-elimination format. Teams are re-seeded No. 1 through No. 4 according to the final regular season conference standings.


2018 NCHC Tournament, Format, Conference standings
Note: GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against


2018 NEAFL season
The 2018 NEAFL season was the eighth season of the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL). The season began on 7 April and concluded on 16 September 2018. The Grand Final was won by Southport, who defeated the Sydney Swans reserves by 55 points.


2018 NEAFL season, Finals, Grand Final
The grand final was dominated by Southport, and at three-quarter time the Sharks led 12.4 (76) to Sydney's 2.4 (16). Then, in the first thirty seconds of the final quarter, Sydney called for a head count, and Southport was found to have had nineteen men on the field due to an error when retaking the field after three-quarter time.


2018 NEAFL season, Finals, Grand Final
In addition to a free kick, the Laws of the Game as written allowed for Southport's entire score to that point of 12.4 (76) to be reset to zero, but did not necessarily require it, with the decision to be made by NEAFL officials.


2018 NEAFL season, Finals, Grand Final
The final quarter continued to be played onfield amid the uncertainty, while the NEAFL officials debated the rules; it was not until the 28th minute that officials confirmed that Southport's score would not be cancelled, concluding that the breach was immaterial to the game and should be treated as a routine interchange infringement, rather than the full too many men on the ground infraction. Southport won the game by 55 points.


2018 NEAFL season, Finals, Grand Final
The national Laws of the Game were amended after the season, removing the penalty under which a team's entire match score can be cancelled, and replacing it with a penalty under which only the score kicked during the quarter in which the infraction occurs would be cancelled.


2018 NEK Ladies Open – Doubles
Ulrikke Eikeri and Elitsa Kostova won the title, defeating Dalma Gálfi and Réka Luca Jani in the final, 2–6, 6–4, [10–8].


2018 NEK Ladies Open – Singles
Iga Świątek won the title, defeating Katarina Zavatska in the final, 6–2, 6–2.


2018 NFC Championship Game
The 2018 NFC Championship Game was a National Football League (NFL) game played on January 20, 2019, to determine the National Football Conference (NFC) champion for the 2018 NFL season. The visiting Los Angeles Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–23 in sudden death overtime to advance to their first Super Bowl since the 2001 season. The outcome, however, was mired in controversy because of unpenalized pass interference committed by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman on Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis near the end of regulation, which would be nicknamed the "NOLA No-Call".


2018 NFC Championship Game
The Saints entered the game slightly favored to win, due to being the NFC's top seed, having homefield advantage at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and previously defeating the Rams in the regular season 45–35. Both finished the regular season with a 13–3 record, with the Saints owning the tiebreaker from their prior win over the Rams. In a tight contest that was tied at 20 by the fourth quarter, the Saints reached the Rams' 13-yard line while less than two minutes remained, but the uncalled pass interference caused their drive to stall.


2018 NFC Championship Game
Had the penalty been called, the Saints could have run out the clock further and/or scored a go-ahead touchdown to virtually seal their victory. Instead, the Saints settled for a field goal with 1:41 remaining, which the Rams matched on their next possession to force overtime. The Saints took possession first in overtime from winning the coin toss, but an interception from Saints quarterback Drew Brees led to Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein scoring the winning field goal.


2018 NFC Championship Game
The no-call was met with backlash, particularly in New Orleans where Saints fans attempted to have the game replayed and boycotted the season's Super Bowl. Although both the NFL and Robey-Coleman admitted that a penalty should have been called, league commissioner Roger Goodell determined that the no-call was an act of human error by the referees and not enough to reverse the game's outcome. The Rams subsequently lost Super Bowl LIII to the New England Patriots, who also defeated them in their previous appearance. Following the controversy, the NFL instituted a new rule for the 2019 season that would allow coaches to challenge pass interference calls. Challengable pass interference calls, however, would not be retained after the season.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Background
The 2018 regular seasons saw both the Saints and the Rams improve upon 11–5 records to both go 13–3. The two teams won their respective divisions for the second year in a row. In the 2017 playoffs, the Saints defeated divisional rival Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round after the Vikings scored a last-second touchdown that would become known as the Minneapolis Miracle. The Rams had fallen to the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Background
In the 2018 season, the Saints and Rams respectively secured the 1 and 2 seeds, ensuring they would get a first-round bye and play in the NFC Divisional Round. In the Divisional Round, the Saints played the sixth-seeded and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Although they fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter after Eagles quarterback Nick Foles scored two touchdowns, the Saints scored 20 unanswered points to win the game, with cornerback Marshon Lattimore intercepting Nick Foles in Saints territory on the Eagles' final drive.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Background
It was the Saints' first NFC Championship game appearance since the 2009 season, when they won Super Bowl XLIV. The Rams played the fourth-seeded Dallas Cowboys and defeated them by a score of 30-22 as running backs C. J. Anderson and Todd Gurley each rushed for over 100 yards and combined for three touchdowns. It was the Rams' first NFC championship appearance since the 2001 season, when they were the St. Louis Rams and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVI, where they lost to the New England Patriots.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary
After a Saints field goal, Rams quarterback Jared Goff was intercepted by Saints linebacker Demario Davis at Los Angeles' 17 yard line. The Saints kicked another field goal, and the Rams failed to get a first down again and were forced to punt. The Saints marched 63 yards down the field and scored a touchdown, making the score 13–0 at the end of the first quarter. The Rams scored a field goal halfway through the second quarter. After two punts by the Saints and one by the Rams, the Rams scored a touchdown on a 6 yard Todd Gurley run, cutting the lead to 3 points at the end of the half.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary
In the second half, the Rams started with a punt. The two teams then traded touchdowns, making the score 20–17 in favor of the Saints. In the fourth quarter, the Rams drove to the 1, but had to settle for a field goal to tie the game with 5:03 remaining.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Controversial play
Prior to the controversial play, the game was tied 20–20. The Saints offense had stalled inside the red-zone at the Rams 13-yard line. The play occurred on 3rd down with 10 yards to go for a first down. Had the Saints picked up that first down, they could have run down the clock to under 20 seconds before attempting a field goal, and likely would have punched their ticket to the Super Bowl. Had they failed to convert, they would have left the Rams with plenty of time to drive down the field with a chance to win the game.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Controversial play
The play occurred with 1:49 remaining in the 4th quarter. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, the announcers on the Fox broadcast, had the following commentary:


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Controversial play
Buck: "Quick snap, Brees. Pass is...incomplete, no flag for Tommylee Lewis. Nickell Robey-Coleman delivered a hit, and the two officials talk to each other...crowd's going crazy as there's no flag right on the Saints sideline". Aikman: "Well, if Nickell Robey-Coleman plays the ball, it's an interception! He's probably going the other way with it. I mean the ball's on the other side of Robey-Coleman and...but that should have been a penalty, and Sean Payton is justifiably upset".


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Controversial play
The play began at 1:49, with quarterback Drew Brees taking the ball and dropping back to pass. Brees threw the ball toward the right sideline, intended for receiver Tommylee Lewis. Before Lewis could attempt to catch the ball, he was blindsided by Nickell Robey-Coleman around the 6 yard line, knocking Lewis to the ground. No flag was thrown. The Saints head coach Sean Payton was enraged and appealed to the referees for a call, but to no avail. The controversial play appeared to be a violation of two rules from the NFL Rulebook.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Controversial play
Rule 8.5.2(a) states that "contact by a player who is not playing the ball that restricts the opponent's opportunity to make the catch" is prohibited. Rule 8.5.2(e) prohibits players from "cutting off the path of an opponent by making contact with him, without playing the ball". Immediately after the play, Robey-Coleman can be seen looking side-to-side, likely anticipating a penalty flag. He stated after the game that he got away with a penalty, telling reporters "Hell yeah, that was a PI. I did my part. Referee made the call. We respect it."


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Controversial play
Robey-Coleman was also reported as stating that he was intentionally committing a penalty to prevent a touchdown. Lewis, too, was looking for a flag. After the game, he stated "I got up looking for a flag and didn't see one. It was a bad call." Had the penalty been called, the Saints would have been granted a first down on the Rams six yard line with 1:45 left in the game.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Controversial play
The Rams had only one timeout left, meaning the Saints likely could have run the clock down to about 10–15 seconds and attempted a short field goal to take the lead. The Saints' win probability was calculated at 98% if pass interference had been called. After the non-call, their win probability dropped to 78%.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Remainder of fourth quarter
Although the Saints were deprived of a crucial touchdown, they did manage a field goal to take the lead 23–20 with 1:41 remaining. The Rams put together a quick nine-play drive and kicked a 48-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the game to tie the score. The Saints elected to kneel the ball, and send the game into overtime.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Overtime
The Saints won the overtime coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. They picked up a quick 15 yards on a pass interference call, but the drive stalled. On 2nd and 16, just 1 minute into overtime, Brees was hit on the arm by Rams linebacker Dante Fowler while throwing deep and the ball was intercepted by John Johnson. On the ensuing drive, the Rams drove down the field and Greg Zuerlein kicked the 57-yard game-winning field goal, sending the team to the Super Bowl.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Game summary, Media coverage
The game received a 27.1 rating and a market share of 49 for television viewing in the US.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath
The win advanced the Rams to Super Bowl LIII, in which they were defeated by the New England Patriots, 13–3. Saints head coach Sean Payton, who had reacted demonstrably to the non-call on the sideline during the game, delivered strong remarks in his postgame press conference:


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath
"Disappointing way to lose a game...frustrating, you know. Just getting off the phone with the league office. They blew the call. We had a lot of opportunities though, but that call puts it first and ten, we only need three plays, it's a game changing call. That's where it's at".


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath
Payton references a phone call he held directly after the game with the NFL's Senior VP of Officiating, Al Riveron, who admitted the officials had missed the call. Five days after the game, the NFL fined Robey-Coleman $26,739 for the play. A fine issued on a play where no penalty was called is the League's informal post hoc penalty for plays that likely should have been flagged.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath
The fine was an admission that not only was the play a defensive pass interference violation, but it also should have been called a personal foul for an illegal hit on a defenseless receiver. Payton and Saints players, including Brees, receiver Michael Thomas, and tight end Benjamin Watson, grew restless as Goodell was slow to reach out to players who felt like they were owed an explanation, or at least an admission that they had been wronged. Eleven days after the game, Thomas tweeted "He ain't talk to us". The next day, Brees was interviewed on The Dan Patrick Show:


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath
"Do I really want to be in a position talking about this over and over again? No, but I have to stand up and do it because I have to represent my team, represent the Who Dat Nation, and that's my responsibility. It's the commissioner's responsibility to do the same thing, and yet we don't hear a peep for 10 days, and it's because he has to do it now because he's at the Super Bowl and he does his annual press conference".


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath
In Goodell's annual Super Bowl interview on January 30, he admitted that officials were "human," but they had missed that call. While his answer did little to quell players' frustrations, it certainly did nothing for Saints fans, who effectively boycotted the Super Bowl. The game received a 26.1 television rating in New Orleans, the lowest of any market and by far the lowest ever in New Orleans.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath, Legal action
A group of Saints fans and season ticket holders upset with the controversial non-call and the subsequent outcome of the game filed a lawsuit against the NFL on January 27, 2019. The lawsuit, filed by Tommy Badeaux and Candis Lambert "individually and on behalf of New Orleans Saints Season Ticket Holders, New Orleans Saints National Fan Base a/k/a The Who Dat Nation and any party with interest that has been affected by the outcome," named Roger Goodell and the NFL as defendants.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath, Legal action
The lawsuit asked the Louisiana Court "to mandate the extraordinary step of ordering a replay of the NFC Championship Game, and for damages to all putative class member Saints fans. The consequences of ordering a replay of the NFC Championship Game or any portion of the game cannot be overstated". Such an order would have been the first in history. The next day, the NFL publicly acknowledged the missed call for the first time. In the same press release, they asked that the lawsuit be thrown out on the grounds that "this kind of dispute implicates no legally cognizable rights".


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath, Legal action
The court denied the plaintiffs request to replay the game days later. There was also petition on Change.org made requesting that Goodell declare a rematch between the Rams and the Saints on January 27, the Sunday before the Super Bowl. A total of 760,512 people signed the petition, but no such action was taken.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath, Rule change
On January 30, 2019, reports began to surface that the NFL was considering a rule change. Goodell said during his Super Bowl interview that the league would re-examine replay rules, specifically those excluding judgment calls from being reviewable. Further reports indicated that the NFL is considering adopting a rule that would allow a limited basis for coaches to challenge judgment calls, or whether or not a penalty had been called. The rule would include a consequence should the call be upheld.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath, Rule change
In March 2019, the NFL proposed a rule for a one-year replay expansion trial. Under the proposed rule, penalties and pass interference calls would be reviewable. On March 27, 2019, NFL owners approved a trial rule change that would allow coaches to challenge pass interference call on both the offense and the defense. The measure was approved by vote of 31–1, with the Cincinnati Bengals being the only team vote against it. However, this rule change was reverted prior to the 2020 season.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath, 2019 incidents
Another officiating controversy occurred in a Week 2 matchup of the 2019 season between, again, the Saints and Rams. The game was tied 3–3 with 6:11 left in the 2nd quarter. The Rams were at the Saints' 11 yard line, 3rd and 7. As quarterback Jared Goff attempted a pass, Trey Hendrickson stripped the ball from his hand and Cameron Jordan returned it 87 yards for a touchdown. However, the officials called it an incomplete pass. After review, the ruling was changed to a fumble.


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath, 2019 incidents
The officials did not credit Jordan with the touchdown, however, stating that the play had already been blown dead, consistent with league rules. The Rams won the game 27–9. Saints head coach Sean Payton said after the game that "When we get poor officiating or we get an awful call like that, we can't control that." Cam Jordan directed a jab at the referees, saying, "I didn't even hear the whistle. I grabbed the ball, 15, 20 yards down the field. Allegedly a whistle was blown— clearly, I mean, a whistle was blown. Normally you let the play happen. Any Foot Locker — I mean, referee — usually tells you, you let the play happen, then you go back and review the play."


2018 NFC Championship Game, Aftermath, 2019 incidents
During the Saints' wild card playoff game, they saw their season end due to another controversial pass interference no-call against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings won the game on a touchdown pass on the opening drive in overtime from Kirk Cousins to Kyle Rudolph, 26–20. However, Rudolph pushed off on Saints cornerback P. J. Williams to gain separation in order to catch the pass and no penalty was called. Had offensive pass interference been called, the Vikings would have faced a 3rd and goal from the 14 and give the Saints a chance to force a field goal that would have kept the game going.


2018 NFL Draft
The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft to take place in an NFL stadium and the first to be held in Texas. In order to be eligible to enter the draft, players must be at least three years removed from high school. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft was January 15, 2018.


2018 NFL Draft
Five quarterbacks were selected in the first round — Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson — the second highest number of first-round quarterback selections (tied with the 1999 and 2021 drafts) after the six selected in 1983. The draft was also the first to have siblings — safety Terrell Edmunds and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds — selected in its first round.


2018 NFL Draft
The 2018 NFL Draft was the first of two professional sports drafts to be held in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex during the calendar year, as the Dallas Stars hosted the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in June.


2018 NFL Draft, Early entrants
In order to be eligible to enter the draft, players must be at least three years removed from high school. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft was January 15, 2018.


2018 NFL Draft, Early entrants
The following is the breakdown of the 256 players selected by position:


2018 NFL Draft, Supplemental draft
A supplemental draft was held on July 11, 2018. For each player selected in the supplemental draft, the team forfeits its pick in that round in the draft of the following season.


2018 NFL Draft, Trades
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2018 draft.


2018 NFL Draft, Media coverage
Coverage of the draft was broadcast by ESPN and NFL Network, with Fox also simulcasting NFL Network's coverage of the first two rounds of broadcast television (serving as a prelude for Fox's acquisition of Thursday Night Football for the 2018 season). ESPN aired coverage of the last four rounds on ABC. College GameDay broadcast a special edition from outside AT&T Stadium as a pre-show on ESPN, and its panel hosted a secondary broadcast of the first round on ESPN2. ESPN Deportes broadcast coverage in Spanish.


2018 NFL Draft, Media coverage
Telecasts of the first round across all three broadcasters (which included the expansion of coverage to broadcast television) drew a combined Nielsen overnight household rating of 8.4, and total viewership of 11.214 million, making it the most-watched opening round since 2014. ESPN drew the largest single audience, with 5.336 million viewers, while Fox and NFL Network had a combined viewership of 5.74 million across both channels (3.776 and 2.005 million individually).


2018 NFL season
The 2018 NFL season was the 99th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 53rd of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 6, 2018, with the NFL Kickoff Game with the defending Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Atlanta Falcons 18–12. The season concluded with Super Bowl LIII, the league's championship game, on February 3, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, between the AFC Champion New England Patriots and the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots defeated the Rams 13–3 for their sixth Super Bowl championship and their third title in five years.


2018 NFL season, Player movement
The 2018 NFL League year and trading period began on March 14. On March 9, clubs were allowed to exercise options for 2018 on players who have option clauses in their contracts, submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents and submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2017 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit.


2018 NFL season, Player movement
Teams were required to be under the salary cap using the "Top-51" definition (in which the 51 highest paid-players on the team's payroll must have a combined salary cap hit below the actual cap). On March 12, clubs were allowed to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the agents of players who were set to become unrestricted free agents.


2018 NFL season, Player movement, Free agency
Over 550 players were eligible for some form of free agency during the free agency period. Notable players to change teams include:


2018 NFL season, Player movement, Trades
The following notable trades were made during the 2018 league year:


2018 NFL season, Player movement, Draft
The 2018 NFL Draft was held from April 26 to 28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This was the first draft to take place in an NFL stadium, and the first to be held in Texas. The Cleveland Browns selected Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick.


2018 NFL season, Officiating changes, Offseason
Four referees retired during the 2018 off-season, the most to do so since records on the statistics have been kept.


2018 NFL season, Officiating changes, Offseason
In total, 10 officials left the league in the offseason, and seven were hired. Four officials were promoted to the referee position.


2018 NFL season, Officiating changes, In-season
Down judge Hugo Cruz was fired for performance-related issues culminating with a missed false start during a Week 6 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Cleveland Browns. It was the first time in the Super Bowl era that an official was dismissed in-season.


2018 NFL season, Rule changes
The following playing rule changes have been approved by the Competition Committee for the 2018 season:


2018 NFL season, Rule changes
The following changes to the kickoff rules were approved at the NFL Spring Owners' Meeting on May 23, 2018:


2018 NFL season, Rule changes
The chain crew was reduced by one member; the "X" marker, usually unseen on television but used to mark the start of an offensive drive, was eliminated.


2018 NFL season, Rule changes
In response to the recent National Anthem protests in the league the past two seasons, any player or staff member who is on the field during the performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" must stand for the duration of the performance. Such players and staff members are not required to be on the field at that time and may wait in the locker room as an alternative.


2018 NFL season, Rule changes
The NFL will not directly fine offending players or staff members for defying the rule, instead fining the teams, who will in turn have power to fine the players or staff members at their own discretion. The National Football League Players Association filed a grievance with the league over the policy on July 11.


2018 NFL season, 2018 deaths
The following people associated with the NFL (or AFL) died in 2018.


2018 NFL season, 2018 deaths, Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Tommy McDonald: A 1998 inductee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, McDonald played 12 seasons in the NFL, the majority of them with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he had the majority of his success. The six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro (first or second team) led the league in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 1961 and was the last non-kicking position player to play without a facemask. He died September 24 at the age of 84.


2018 NFL season, 2018 deaths, Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Jim Taylor: The nine-year veteran of the Green Bay Packers was the first member of the team's 1961–1968 dynasty to be inducted into the Hall as a 1976 inductee. The fullback, who played from 1958 through the first World Championship, appeared in five Pro Bowls, was named first or second team All-Pro six times, and led the league in both rushing touchdowns and yards in 1962, leading the latter category in 1961 as well. He finished his career on the inaugural roster of the New Orleans Saints. He died October 13, aged 83.


2018 NFL season, Preseason
Training camps for the 2018 season were held in late July through August. Teams started training camp no earlier than 15 days before the team's first scheduled preseason game.


2018 NFL season, Preseason
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, in which the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Chicago Bears 17–16, was played on August 2; and was televised nationally by NBC. The Ravens, who made their first Hall of Fame Game appearance, were represented in the 2018 Hall of Fame class by former linebacker Ray Lewis, while the Bears were represented by former linebacker Brian Urlacher.


2018 NFL season, Regular season
The 2018 regular season's 256 games were played over a 17-week schedule that began on September 6. Each of the league's 32 teams played a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team. The regular season concluded with a full slate of 16 games on December 30, all of which were intra-division matchups, as it had been since 2010.


2018 NFL season, Regular season, Scheduling formula
Under the NFL's current scheduling formula, each team plays the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition, a team plays against all four teams in one other division from each conference. The final two games on a team's schedule are against the two remaining teams in the same conference that finished in the same position in their respective divisions (e.g., the team that finished fourth in its division will play all three other teams in the conference that also finished fourth). The division pairings for 2018 were as follows:


2018 NFL season, Regular season, Scheduling formula
Intra-conferenceAFC East vs AFC SouthAFC West vs AFC NorthNFC East vs NFC SouthNFC West vs NFC North


2018 NFL season, Regular season, Scheduling formula
Inter-conferenceAFC East vs NFC NorthAFC North vs NFC SouthAFC South vs NFC EastAFC West vs NFC West


2018 NFL season, Regular season, Scheduling formula
The entire season schedule was released on April 19. Highlights of the 2018 season included:


2018 NFL season, Regular season, Saturday flexible scheduling
When the entire season schedule was released on April 19, the league announced flexible scheduling for Saturday games in weeks 15 and 16. The final times of these games were announced on October 24:


2018 NFL season, Postseason
The 2018 playoffs began on the weekend of January 5–6, 2019, with the Wild Card Playoff round. The four winners of those playoff games visited the top two seeds in each conference in the Divisional round games the weekend of January 12–13. The winners of those games advanced to the Conference Championship games on January 20. (In the event that both Los Angeles teams had advanced to their respective conference championships with both teams as the home team, one of the two games would have been postponed to the evening of January 21.) The 2019 Pro Bowl was held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on January 27. Super Bowl LIII was held on February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.


2018 NFL season, Awards, Individual season awards
The 8th Annual NFL Honors, saluting the best players and plays from 2018 season, was held on February 2, 2019 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.


2018 NFL season, Awards, All-Pro team
The following players were named First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press:


2018 NFL season, Awards, Players of the week/month
The following were named the top performers during the 2018 season:


2018 NFL season, Head coaching and front office personnel changes, Head coaches, Off-season
Wilks was hired on January 22, after serving as a defensive coach for the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, and Carolina Panthers since 2006. Wilks's only previous head coaching experience was at Savannah State in 1999.


2018 NFL season, Head coaching and front office personnel changes, Head coaches, Off-season
Nagy spent the past five seasons as an offensive assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs, the last two as offensive coordinator; the Bears hired Nagy on January 8 and this will be his first NFL head coaching job.


2018 NFL season, Head coaching and front office personnel changes, Head coaches, Off-season
On February 6, the Colts announced that they had planned to hire New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the team's next head coach, however, McDaniels informed the Colts that he had changed his mind and was returning to the Patriots. The Colts then hired Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who was previously a Colts' assistant from 2008–2011. This will be Reich's first head coaching job.


2018 NFL season, Head coaching and front office personnel changes, Head coaches, Off-season
Shurmur was announced as the Giants' new head coach on January 22. He had previously served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2011 to 2012, compiling a record of 9–23 (.281), and an offensive coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings since 2013.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums
Two teams, the Carolina Panthers and Oakland Raiders, entered the final year of their lease agreements with their current stadium.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums, Carolina Panthers
On December 17, 2017, Jerry Richardson, the Panthers' founding owner, announced he was putting the team up for sale. Richardson had previously indicated the team would be put up for sale after his death, but Richardson was accused of paying hush money to cover up questionable conduct, including racial slurs and sexually suggestive requests of employees, hastening Richardson's decision.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers' lease on Bank of America Stadium expires after the 2018 season, which would allow any incoming owner to relocate the team out of Charlotte, North Carolina, to another market if they so desired, only being liable for the remaining debt from stadium renovation. At an estimated $35 million, the debt payment would be a small expense compared to the relocation fee the NFL charged for the two teams that relocated in 2016 and 2017.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums, Carolina Panthers
The two most likely candidates to buy the team as of May 2018 were David Tepper, a hedge fund manager with a higher net worth and a minority stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers but fewer ties to Charlotte; and Ben Navarro, a financial services CEO based in Charlotte who had the backing of Richardson's only living son. Tepper was announced as the new owner on May 16, with the announcement coming in time for the league to vote on his bid at the owners meeting on May 19.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums, Carolina Panthers
The sale closed on July 9 with Richardson-era chief operating officer Tina Becker (who ran the franchise after Richardson stepped away from operations) resigning. Tepper immediately stated the franchise would retain the Carolina Panthers name for the time being, but that a new stadium would likely be necessary; he stated that he hoped to build said stadium in Charlotte but would not guarantee the team remains there, claiming he did not know enough about the situation to guarantee the team stays in the Charlotte area.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums, Oakland Raiders
The Raiders, prior to the 2017 season, committed to relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada, once a new stadium was constructed for them in 2020. In 2016, the Raiders signed a three-year extension with the Oakland Coliseum. In order to secure another season in Oakland, California, Coliseum management indicated in September 2017 that the Raiders would need to offer major concessions to compensate for the financial losses the Coliseum incurs by hosting Raiders games.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums, Naming rights agreements, Arizona Cardinals
On September 4, University of Phoenix Stadium, the home field of the Arizona Cardinals, was renamed State Farm Stadium. The naming rights agreement is for 18 years; however, the cost of the deal was not disclosed.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums, Naming rights agreements, Denver Broncos
On June 20, the Denver Broncos' home stadium was renamed Broncos Stadium at Mile High. The sporting goods chain Sports Authority had held naming rights to the stadium's field (as "Sports Authority Field at Mile High") but had gone out of business in 2016. The previous signage referring to Sports Authority was removed in March. Just prior to the 2019 season, the naming rights were sold to Empower Retirement, ultimately renaming the stadium to “Empower Field at Mile High”.


2018 NFL season, Stadiums, Naming rights agreements, Jacksonville Jaguars
On February 16, EverBank Field, the home field of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was renamed TIAA Bank Field, after TIAA's 2017 acquisition of EverBank. The naming rights agreement was for 10 years and $43 million.


2018 NFL season, Uniforms, Color Rush discontinuation
The Color Rush program was discontinued, and teams were no longer required to wear the special uniforms for Thursday Night Football. Teams had the option to continue using the existing Nike designs for the program as standard third jerseys.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Television
This was the fifth year under the current broadcast contracts with ESPN, CBS, Fox, and NBC. This included "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season (regardless of the conference of the visiting team). NBC continued to air Sunday Night Football, the annual Kickoff game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game. ESPN continued to air Monday Night Football and the Pro Bowl. CBS broadcast Super Bowl LIII.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Television
On January 31, the NFL announced that Fox had acquired the broadcast television rights to the Thursday Night Football package under a five-year deal (aligned with the remainder of the NFL's current broadcast contracts). Fox aired 11 games, in simulcast with NFL Network, with the remaining games in the package airing exclusively on NFL Network to satisfy its carriage contracts (with local broadcasts syndicated broadcast stations in the markets of the teams in each game). CBS and NBC had made bids to renew their previous contracts (CBS had held the rights since 2014, joined by NBC since 2016), but were reluctant to pay a higher rights fee due to the league's ratings downturn.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Digital
The NFL agreed to an extension of its digital rights agreement with Verizon Communications under a 5-year, $2.5 billion deal. Unlike the previous deal, it no longer includes exclusivity for streaming in-market and nationally televised NFL games on mobile devices with screens 7 inches (18 cm) or less in size (such as smartphones), in order to account for changes in viewing habits, but still includes enhanced access to highlights and other digital content for Verizon-owned properties.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Digital
In addition, Verizon announced that it would no longer make these streams exclusive to Verizon Wireless subscribers, and would leverage its portfolio of media brands (such as Yahoo!, which it acquired in 2017) to distribute them to a larger audience. All of the NFL's current television partners have added mobile streaming rights (which were previously reserved to Verizon) to their existing contracts for the 2018 season, with telecasts becoming available via CBS All Access, the Fox Sports App, the ESPN app, and the NBC Sports app. Under the terms of the agreement, Verizon must give the majority of the advertising revenue to the broadcast partners.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Digital
On April 26, 2018, the NFL announced that it had reached a two-year extension of its agreement with Amazon for shared digital rights to the Thursday Night Football games simulcast with Fox, with a 15% increase in rights fees. To fulfill a request that the streams be available freely, the games will also be made available on Twitch, an Amazon-owned streaming service that was originally designed for video game streaming.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Radio
Both of the NFL's national radio contracts, Westwood One for English language and Entravision for Spanish language, expired after the 2017 season. Westwood One's parent company Cumulus Media filed for bankruptcy in November 2017 and began terminating national broadcast contracts and sports agreements in January 2018, putting any contract extensions on hold. The company emerged from bankruptcy on June 4, 2018.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Radio
With the release of the 2018 schedule, NFL.com listed ESPN Deportes Radio (which had shared NFL rights with Entravision in 2017 and had carried Super Bowl LII) as the league's national Spanish-language broadcaster. The national English-language broadcaster was still identified as Westwood One, which Westwood One has also confirmed; no press release has been issued in regard to a contract extension with that network, and it is unknown when the current arrangement was signed or when it will end. Additionally, Westwood One removed Sunday afternoon games from their package, instead focusing on the primetime matchups as well as the postseason.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Radio
SportsUSA, Compass and ESPN Radio, which also has broadcast select Sunday afternoon NFL games, will continue to do so. Meanwhile, Entravision extended the Sunday night rights for 3 years, through 2021, and gained two Super Bowls, the entire AFC Playoff package, the Thursday Night Opener, and a Thanksgiving Day game as part of their new deal.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Radio
Only one game into the pre-season, Indianapolis Colts announcer Bob Lamey, who had been with the team for most of the time since their 1984 relocation from Baltimore, retired suddenly after a complaint of him using a racial slur in the 1980s was revealed. Sideline reporter Matt Taylor was named his de facto replacement for the season.


2018 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Radio
Greg Papa, after 21 years calling play-by-play for the Oakland Raiders, joined the San Francisco 49ers as their play-by-play announcer; Papa cited an ongoing feud with Raiders owner Mark Davis for his departure. Replacing Papa with the Raiders is Brent Musburger, who came out of retirement from sports announcing to sign a three-year deal with the team that will see him serve as broadcaster through the team's relocation to Las Vegas (Musburger maintains a side business, the Vegas Sports Information Network, in Las Vegas).


2018 NFL season, Media, Personnel changes
All four broadcast partners will employ rules analysts for the 2018 season, citing changes in the league's rules that have become too complicated for its broadcast teams to handle. NBC hired Terry McAulay to be their rules analyst for Sunday Night Football. CBS hired Gene Steratore to fill their rules analyst position, a position that had been vacant since CBS released Mike Carey in 2015. ESPN hired Jeff Triplette for Monday Night Football. Fox retained both Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino. Additionally, Pereira assists with Fox's Thursday Night Football Coverage.


2018 NFL season, Media, Personnel changes
ESPN introduced a fully new broadcast team for Monday Night Football. Joe Tessitore replaced Sean McDonough as lead play-by-play man; McDonough will remain with ESPN as a college football announcer. With previous color analyst Jon Gruden returning to coaching, Monday Night Football hired Jason Witten and Booger McFarland as their color commentators; while McFarland offers his commentary from the sidelines, he fills a role similar to the "non-football" player position that Monday Night Football has traditionally relied upon in its past three-person booths (such as Howard Cosell, Dennis Miller and Tony Kornheiser). Lisa Salters, the sideline reporter, carries over from the previous broadcast team. Jeff Triplette will replace Gerald Austin as rules analyst.


2018 NFL season, Media, Personnel changes
Fox initially had planned to hire a new broadcast team for its Thursday Night Football, making an overture to Peyton Manning to serve as color commentator. Since Manning declined the offer, the network announced that it will be placing its existing lead broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the package, reducing the number of games the duo will call on Sundays (Buck and Aikman will only call the nationally televised "America's Game of the Week" telecasts on Sundays).


2018 NFL season, Media, Personnel changes
A version of Fox NFL Sunday will serve as the lead-in to Thursday Night Football, without Curt Menefee or Jimmy Johnson; the show will instead be hosted by panelist Michael Strahan from New York City, displacing Rich Eisen, the studio host for Thursday night pregame since the package's inception in 2006. Strahan will be joined by fellow Fox colleagues Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long.


2018 NFL season, Media, Personnel changes
In previous seasons, Buck did not call any NFL games during late October, working Major League Baseball playoff games instead. For 2018, Fox coordinated its schedule with MLB so that none of its scheduled broadcasts would land on a Thursday (Fox carries the NLCS and the World Series), so Buck will continue to broadcast both sports, crisscrossing the country in seven cities over a 22-day period.


2018 NFL season, Media, Personnel changes
In addition, NBC introduced a new studio team for Football Night in America. Mike Tirico, who was the on-site host and secondary play-by-play announcer in 2017, became the show's studio host from Stamford, Connecticut, while Liam McHugh moved into Tirico's former role. Dan Patrick, who had been the studio host for FNiA since 2008, declined to sign a long-term contract and left NBC.


2018 NFL season, Media, Personnel changes
On radio, Kurt Warner replaced Boomer Esiason as the color commentator for Westwood One's Monday Night Football broadcasts, after Esiason had filled the role for the previous 18 years. Esiason will continue as a studio host for CBS.


2018 NFL season, Media, Personnel changes
In a surprise announcement made two days before its first game, Amazon announced it would provide its own broadcast team for its eleven games, with Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer serving as the lead broadcast team. The announcement makes Kremer the first-ever female color analyst for an NFL game, the first time a game has been broadcast with no men involved in the broadcast team, and the first time since the 1987 season of ESPN Sunday Night NFL that no former coach or player served on the broadcast team in any capacity. Amazon will offer the standard Fox broadcast team, a British broadcasting team, and a Spanish language feed as alternate audio choices.


2018 NFL season, Media, Primetime game time shifts
The kick-off times for all three primetime series were moved up to start 5 to 15 minutes earlier to facilitate local newscasts and SportsCenter to start earlier and cause less disruption to late night television schedules in the Eastern and Central time zones. Thursday and Sunday Night games now kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET, while Monday Night games now kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET.


2018 NFL season, Media, Most watched regular season games
After two years of decline, television viewership for the NFL slightly rebounded in 2018, with ratings up 3% as a whole through the first ten weeks of the season, despite a major decline (16%) in other programming on the same networks. The season finished with ratings up 5% compared to 2017.


2018 NFL season, Media, Most watched regular season games
*Note — Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market.


2018 NHK Trophy
The 2018 NHK Trophy was the fourth event of six in the 2018–19 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held in Hiroshima on November 9–11. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters also earned points toward qualifying for the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final.


2018 NHK Trophy, Entries
The ISU published the preliminary assignments on June 29, 2018.


2018 NHL Entry Draft
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the 56th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 22–23, 2018, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.


2018 NHL Entry Draft
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the second of two professional sports drafts to be held in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex during the calendar year, as the Dallas Cowboys hosted the 2018 NFL Draft in April.


2018 NHL Entry Draft
The first three selections were Rasmus Dahlin going to the Buffalo Sabres, Andrei Svechnikov being selected by the Carolina Hurricanes, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi being picked by the Montreal Canadiens.


2018 NHL Entry Draft
The 2018 draft featured both the first player trained in England to be drafted in Liam Kirk and the first Jamaican-born player drafted in Jermaine Loewen.


2018 NHL Entry Draft, Eligibility
Ice hockey players that were born between January 1, 1998, and September 15, 2000, are eligible for selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Additionally, undrafted, non-North American players born in 1997 are eligible for the draft; and those players who were drafted in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 1998, are also eligible to re-enter the draft.


2018 NHL Entry Draft, Draft lottery
Since the 2012–13 NHL season all teams not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs have a "weighted" chance at winning the first overall selection. Beginning with the 2014–15 NHL season the NHL changed the weighting system that was used in previous years. Under the new system the odds of winning the draft lottery for the four lowest finishing teams in the league decreased, while the odds for the other non-playoff teams increased. The Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens won the lotteries that took place on April 28, 2018, giving them the first, second and third picks overall.


2018 NHL Entry Draft, Draft lottery
The Buffalo Sabres retained the top pick, while Carolina moved up nine spots and Montreal moved up one spot. In the process, the Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes moved down two spots from second and third overall, respectively, while the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders each dropped one spot.


2018 NHL Entry Draft, Selections by round
The order of the 2018 Entry Draft is listed below.


2018 NHL Stadium Series
The 2018 NHL Stadium Series (officially the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series for sponsorship reasons) was a regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game played outdoors, part of the Stadium Series of games held at football or baseball stadiums. The Washington Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5–2, at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the home stadium of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on March 3, 2018.


2018 NHL Stadium Series
This was the only game in the Stadium Series scheduled for the 2017–18 season (as opposed to multiple games in 2014 and 2016), and marked the first appearance of a Canadian team in the Stadium Series.


2018 NHL Stadium Series, Background
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the 2018 Stadium Series game is the start of a unique partnership with the U.S. military in which the NHL plans to host outdoor games at military service academies around the United States. In the fall of 2016, the NHL and the New York Rangers had explored the possibility of holding an outdoor game at Michie Stadium on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.


2018 NHL Stadium Series, Game summary
Washington's Alexander Ovechkin scored his 40th goal of the season, while Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson each had a goal and two assists. With ten minutes left in the third period, a power outage at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium suspended play for about 15 minutes. Despite the power failure delay, the Capitals went on to win the game 5–2. In addition to the Ovechkin goal, the other Capitals players who scored were Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Jakub Vrana. Nazem Kadri and Zach Hyman scored the Maple Leafs' goals.


2018 NHL Stadium Series, Game summary
Number in parenthesis represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season.


2018 NHL Stadium Series, Television
The game was televised in the United States on NBC, and in Canada as part of the Hockey Night in Canada coverage that was simulcast of both CBC and Sportsnet, and in French on TVA Sports.


2018 NHL Stadium Series, Television
To accommodate NBC's preferred 8 p.m ET. start time for the Stadium Series game, HNIC had an irregular schedule on this particular Saturday: the Montreal Canadiens' game against the Boston Bruins was played earlier at 5 p.m., the Ottawa Senators at Arizona Coyotes contest (on City) also took place at 8 p.m. instead of the normal 7 p.m. start time for the early games, and the late doubleheader game featuring the New York Rangers at the Edmonton Oilers was pushed to 10:30 p.m. ET.


2018 NHL Stadium Series, Television
Due to the power outage delay, NBC switched the final minutes of the game to NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET, as to prevent local newscasts and Saturday Night Live from being delayed.


2018 NHL Winter Classic
The 2018 NHL Winter Classic (officially the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Winter Classic series, played on January 1, 2018. The game featured the Buffalo Sabres matched up against the New York Rangers at Citi Field in the New York City borough of Queens, home of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The game marked the 10th anniversary of the NHL Winter Classic, following the success of the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton, Alberta.


2018 NHL Winter Classic
The 2018 game marked the second Winter Classic for each team, following the Rangers' appearance in the 2012 event and the Sabres' in 2008. It was the Rangers' fourth outdoor game, having also appeared in the 2014 Stadium Series. J. T. Miller of the Rangers scored on a rebound in overtime to give the Rangers a 3–2 win over the Sabres.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Background
On March 15, 2017, Arthur Staple of Newsday reported that the game had been awarded to the New York Rangers. The Rangers originally had planned to play at Blaik Field at Michie Stadium on the campus of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York but were unable to come up with an agreement to use that facility in time. Yankee Stadium, which hosted the Rangers' games in the 2014 NHL Stadium Series, was ruled out for the Winter Classic because it hosts college football's Pinstripe Bowl a week before the event.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Background
Instead, the Rangers reportedly reached an agreement with Citi Field, home of the New York Mets baseball team, to host the event. The same article identified the Buffalo Sabres as the Rangers' opponent. The Sabres were also in negotiations to host the event, both because it marked ten years since the inaugural Winter Classic and because the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships had already scheduled an outdoor game at New Era Field for late December 2017, which would have allowed the outdoor ice surface to be used for both that and the Winter Classic.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Background
League vice president Bill Daly argued that having two major outdoor games in the same facility so close together would have stretched the resources of Pegula Sports and Entertainment too thin, hence why New York City was chosen as the host site. The Sabres were chosen as the opponents in a thank-you gesture from NBC and the NHL for taking the risk on the inaugural Winter Classic in 2008, and the team's poor performance and declining television ratings (at a time when the Winter Classic's ratings are also declining) did not concern NBC.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Background
On May 10, 2017, commissioner Gary Bettman officially announced that the 2018 Winter Classic would be played at Citi Field, and feature the New York Rangers against the Buffalo Sabres. In order to maintain the tax-exempt status of the Rangers' home arena, Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are designated as the away team for this game as a legal fiction. The tax exemption stipulates that it only applies if the Rangers do not "cease playing" home games at MSG,  generally interpreted as playing any "home" game outside of MSG. Hence, the Rangers' Stadium Series games in 2014 were also subject to this fiction, and all games that the Rangers play at neutral sites (such as the 2011 NHL Premiere) have likewise listed the Rangers as the away team.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Background
Despite being the designated home team, the Sabres wore a white throwback uniform during the game (current NHL custom has the home team wear color and the away team white). The uniform is primarily based on the Sabres' 1970s jersey and colors, with some elements borrowed from the team's Buffalo Bisons-inspired 40th Anniversary third jerseys from 2010 to 2012. The Rangers wore navy blue jerseys with the diagonal "RANGERS" lettering on the front of the jersey in white, inspired by the lettering worn by the team in the late 1920s, with the sleeve and waist striping inspired by the uniforms of the early 1930s.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
The Rangers went up 2-0 in the first period with goals by Paul Carey and Michael Grabner. Buffalo's Sam Reinhart had a power play goal in the second period, and then Rasmus Ristolainen tied the game early in the third. The game went into overtime, where J. T. Miller scored on a power play goal with 2:17 left in the extra period to win the game.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Broadcasting
The game was broadcast, as it has been since the Winter Classic's inception, by NBC in the United States. In Canada, Sportsnet simulcast the NBC feed, while TVA Sports used NBC's video to dub their French-language commentary.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Broadcasting
The broadcast of the game set a record low for viewership of the game, with 2.48 million viewers and a 1.4 Nielsen rating, both down slightly from the previous year's record low and continuing the game's continuous decline in ratings since the event's peak in 2014. NBC, however, stated that viewership was still two times higher than the average viewership of regular season games in the previous season.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Broadcasting
Audience burnout, the Sabres' poor play (which drove ratings for the Sabres' regional telecasts for that season down 20 percent compared to the previous year), competition from a strong slate of bowl games (including the UCF Knights football team's bid for a perfect season airing on the 2018 Peach Bowl opposite the Winter Classic), and fan hangover after the Buffalo Bills broke their 17-year playoff drought the previous day were cited as factors in the continued ratings decline.


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Pregame/Anthem/Entertainment
During the team introductions, Ace Frehley performed New York Groove


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Pregame/Anthem/Entertainment
The anthem was performed by New York City Children's Choir Every Voice Choirs


2018 NHL Winter Classic, Pregame/Anthem/Entertainment
The ceremonial puck drop was done by first responders from NYPD, FDNY, and New York State Police


2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Season was announced on June 6, 2017.


2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
It was the 63rd season of the National Hot Rod Association's top drag racing competition. There were 24 Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock events, and 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events.


2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Schedule
* Finals televised on tape delay. Ennis, TX race broadcast schedule and channel changed from FS2 to FS1 because of 2018 National League Division Series presented by Doosan Game 3 start times.


2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Schedule, Additional Rules for Specially Marked Races
4 Lanes:  The Four-Wide Nationals in both Las Vegas and Charlotte in the spring will compete with cars on four lanes.


2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Schedule, Additional Rules for Specially Marked Races
1.5:  The U. S. Nationals and Auto Club Finals will have their race points increased by 50% . Drivers who qualify but are eliminated in the first round receive 30 points, and each round win is worth 30 points. The top four receive 10, 9, 8, and 7 points, respectively, for qualifying positions, with the 5–6 drivers receiving 6 points, 7–8 drivers receiving 5 points, 9–12 receiving 4 points, and 13–16 receiving 3 points. Also, the top four, not three, drivers after each session receive points for fastest times in each round (4-3-2-1).


2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Schedule, Event changes
On January 16, 2018, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey ceased all drag racing operations at the facility due to ongoing safety concerns as well as rising maintenance costs. Two weeks later, the NHRA Summernationals, already scheduled to take place there in June, was announced to be moved to Virginia Motorsports Park in Petersburg, Virginia. The last NHRA professional event at VMP had taken place in 2009.


2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Schedule, Event changes
Because of a series of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series date changes, the NHRA changed the dates of numerous rounds to avoid conflicts. The race in Joliet was moved to early June, as the normal date had been reassigned to the NASCAR meeting at the nearby Chicagoland Speedway, and the Countdown dates in Reading and Charlotte were swapped since the Charlotte date would have been too close to the NASCAR road course playoff race.


2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Schedule, Event changes
2: Due to inclement weather throughout the day, Final Elimination Rounds at the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kansas did not start until around 7 PM CDT on May 20, 2018. After fog began settling in during the second round of pro racing, it was postponed until the following day at 10 AM CDT when the semifinal and final rounds were held.


2018 NLL season
The 2018 National Lacrosse League season, also known as the 2017–18 season, was the 32nd season in NLL history. It began on December 8, 2017, and ending on June 9, 2018, with the Saskatchewan Rush winning their 3rd title in 4 years.


2018 NLL season, Final standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2018 NLL season, Attendance
NLL drew 762,367 spectators to its regular-season matches during the 2018 season. The average regular-season home attendance for each team is shown in the table below.


2018 NPF Draft
The 2018 NPF College Draft was the 15th annual collegiate draft for the National Pro Fastpitch. It took place April 23, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee at Acme Feed & Seed, a downtown entertainment venue. It was available for internet viewing via NPFTV, the league's streaming platform. The first selection was Paige Lowary of Oklahoma, picked by the Chicago Bandits.


2018 NPF Draft, The Draft
Drafting an athlete gives an NPF affiliate team the rights to that athlete for two full seasons.


2018 NPF Draft, The Draft, Draft Selections
Position key: C = catcher; INF = infielder; SS = shortstop; OF = outfielder; UT = Utility infielder; P = pitcher; RHP = right-handed pitcher; LHP = left-handed pitcherPositions will be listed as combined for those who can play multiple positions.


2018 NPF transactions
The following is a list 2018 NPF transactions that have occurred in the National Pro Fastpitch softball league since the completion of the 2017 season and during the 2018 season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick (s), if applicable. Players who have retired are also listed. Per Commissioner Cheri Kempf's tweet, NPF contracts expire in February, therefore the extension of a contract "through 2028" means the player is only contracted to play through the 2027 season, with the contract expiring the following February. "Thru 2028 season" therefore would mean a contract that expires in February 2029, covering only games played in 2028.


2018 NPF transactions, Transactions
Source:Any transactions listed below without a reference were originally announced on


2018 NPSL season
The 2018 National Premier Soccer League season was part of the 106th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 16th season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Elm City Express was the defending champion.


2018 NPSL season
The 2018 NPSL champion qualifies to play for the 2019 Hank Steinbrecher Cup organized by the United States Adult Soccer Association. The NPSL has elected to use results of the 2018 league season to determine which NPSL clubs qualify for the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. The United States Soccer Federation has not yet determined how many berths for the U.S. Open Cup will be awarded to NPSL clubs.


2018 NPSL season
Miami FC 2 defeated FC Motown on the road, 3–1, to win the 2018 NPSL championship. Dylan Mares was named Man of the Match.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
The Atlantic Blue Conference and the Atlantic White Conference were merged to form the North Atlantic Conference. The top four teams in the new conference qualify for the conference playoffs.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
Only three teams in the Mid-Atlantic Conference qualify for the conference playoffs instead of four teams as in 2017. The top team gets a bye to the conference final.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
With the number of conferences in the Northeast Region reduced from four to three, a wildcard team qualifies for the region semifinals. The wildcard team is the conference final loser with the best regular-season record.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
The East and West Divisions of the Southeast Conference are eliminated, and conference playoff qualification is determined on the basis of conference standings.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
The Lone Star Conference is divided into groups: Red, White and Blue. Teams play the other members of their group twice and other conference members only once. Lone Star Conference playoff qualification is based on standings in the group, not the conference. The top two group winners receive the first and second seeds and a bye to the conference semifinals. The remaining group winner receives the third seed and plays in the conference quarterfinals along with each group's second-place team.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
Northwest Conference teams play each other three times instead of two.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
Following the expansion of the Golden Gate Conference, members play each other twice instead of three times.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
South Region Semifinal matchups are predetermined based on pairings of specific conferences and not based on region seeding. The Southeast Conference champion plays the Sunshine Conference champion, and the Lone Star Conference champion plays the Heartland Conference champion. Hone-field advantage for the region semifinals is based on region seeding.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
The Golden Gate Conference receives an additional berth to the West Region playoffs, and the region wildcard berth is eliminated. The Southwest Conference continues to have three berths in the West Region playoffs, but the conference's third seed is determined by a play-in game between the third- and fourth-place teams. West Region Quarterfinal matchups are predetermined based on placing within the conference and not based on region seeding. West Region teams are seeded and bracketed for the semifinals.


2018 NPSL season, Changes from 2017
Greater Binghamton FC Thunder moved from the Keystone Conference in the Northeast Region to the East Conference in the Midwest Region. The move puts the Thunder in the same conference as three other New York state teams: FC Buffalo, the Rochester Lancers and Syracuse FC. The other four New York state NPSL teams, the Brooklyn Italians, Kingston Stockade FC, New York Athletic Club and the New York Cosmos B, all play in the new North Atlantic Conference in the Northeast Region.


2018 NPSL season, Teams
Eighteen new clubs joined the NPSL for the 2018 season, including one that returned from a one-year hiatus, and 16 teams departed. Jacksonville Armada FC replaced Jacksonville Armada U-23, the organization's B squad, after the 2018 North American Soccer League season was cancelled. The Clarkstown SC Eagles merged with FC Motown. The resulting combined team used the FC Motown name and played its home matches in Madison, New Jersey.


2018 NPSL season, Teams
Ninety-eight teams competed in the NPSL during the 2018 season.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Influx of NASL talent
Prior to the start of the season, the NPSL became a beneficiary of the uncertainty surrounding the 2018 North American Soccer League season, since three NASL clubs decided to field many of their Division II-quality players in NPSL matches. First, Jacksonville Armada FC owner Robert Palmer announced that the team would compete in the NPSL in 2018, replacing the club's reserve side, Jacksonville Armada U-23. Palmer said the roster would include five or six players from the NASL squad and that the players would be using the NPSL games as a preseason training opportunity until the then expected start of the NASL season in August.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Influx of NASL talent
The following day, Miami FC CEO Sean Flynn announced the formation of a reserve squad, Miami FC 2, which entered the NPSL as an expansion team. Flynn said that he created Miami FC 2 to provide Miami FC's players with live match action instead of being confined to training as they waited for the start of the NASL season.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Influx of NASL talent
On February 27, 2018, the NASL announced that it had cancelled its 2018 season; it also announced that three of its teams, Miami FC, Jacksonville Armada FC and the New York Cosmos would be fielding teams in NPSL. Shortly thereafter, Carlos Mendes was hired as head coach of the New York Cosmos B, the organization's reserve side, which had competed in the NPSL since 2015. Within days the Cosmos B signed Danny Szetela, Chris Wingert, Bljedi Bardic, Jonathan Borrajo, Alexis Velela and Wojciech Wojcik.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Other developments
Virginia Beach City FC and D.C. United of Major League Soccer (MLS) announced a partnership aimed at creating opportunities for young players in the Tidewater region to develop into professionals.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Other developments
The NPSL became the second U.S.-based league (after MLS) to conduct advanced training for referees. NPSL director of officials Paul Scott said, "[W]e need to contribute in a meaningful way in the training of the officials, if we want our product to improve."


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Other developments
Cindy Spera was promoted from NPSL director of operations to the position of managing director.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Other developments
The NPSL reached an agreement with Select Sport for the Danish sports equipment manufacturer to be the league's official match ball sponsor.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Other developments
The NPSL announced that A.S. Los Angeles would join the league as an expansion club for the 2019 season. The team will play in the Southwest Conference. Harry Tachian is the club's majority owner and serves as its chairman and president.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the U.S. Open Cup
The United States Soccer Federation's Open Cup Committee initially allocated 19 berths in the 2018 U.S. Open Cup to NPSL teams. NPSL expansion club El Farolito had made it through the open division qualifying process. However, tournament rules require that a participating team remain a playing member in good standing of the same league from the date of the open division entry deadline through the date of the U.S. Open Cup Final. By jumping from the San Francisco Soccer Football League to the NPSL, El Farolito had disqualified itself.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the U.S. Open Cup
As a Division II league, the NASL was entitled to send all its U.S.-based clubs to the U.S. Open Cup in the past. However, the USSF informed the three NASL clubs playing (either directly or through a reserve team) in the NPSL in 2018, that they were not eligible to participate in the tournament, since NPSL teams qualify based on the previous season's results. Neither the New York Cosmos B nor the Jacksonville Armada U-23 were ranked highly enough by the NPSL to qualify, and Miami FC 2 was new to the league. The three clubs appealed this ruling, requesting berths in the tournament. The USSF ultimately reversed its decision and allowed the three teams to participate, bringing the total number of NPSL teams in the tournament to 22.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the U.S. Open Cup
A play-in round was added to the U.S. Open Cup for the New York Cosmos B, the Jacksonville Armada FC and Miami FC 2. Their opponents were selected from NPSL and Premier Development League (PDL) qualifiers based on geographical proximity and a random draw. The three selected teams were given the option to host the matches, which all three elected to do. The New York Cosmos B were drawn against fellow NPSL side the Brooklyn Italians, while the Jacksonville Armada FC and Miami FC 2 drew PDL clubs The Villages SC and FC Miami City, respectively. The Italians defeated the Cosmos, while the Armada topped The Villages, and Miami FC 2 beat FC Miami City.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the U.S. Open Cup
In the first round of the U.S. Open Cup, NPSL clubs had seven wins in 12 matches against PDL teams and won four of seven matches with local qualifiers. One first-round mach pitted two NPSL teams squaring off against each other. The 12 NPSL teams advancing to the second round was a new record high for the league and four more than in 2017.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the U.S. Open Cup
NPSL clubs lost seven of their nine second-round matches against United Soccer League (USL) opponents. Elm City Express defeated Seacoast United Phantoms in the only second-round match featuring NPSL and PDL teams. One second-round match was an all-NPSL Miami derby with Miami United FC beating Miami FC 2.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the U.S. Open Cup
In the third round of the U.S. Open Cup, Elm City Express fell to USL side Charleston Battery, and FC Wichita fell to local qualifier NTX Rayados. Miami United FC secured a road win against fellow Florida NPSL side Jacksonville Armada to become the only NPSL team to advance past the third round of the tournament.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the U.S. Open Cup
Miami United FC hosted Orlando City SC of MLS in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup. Orlando City had 70% of the ball possession and was never really challenged in a 3–0 victory. The Orlando City goalkeeper need to make only one save.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the U.S. Open Cup
Overall, NPSL clubs had 16 wins and 18 losses against non-NPSL opponents in the U.S. Open Cup. They split their eight matches against local qualifiers, won 10 of 15 matches against PDL teams, lost eight of 10 matches against USL clubs and lost their only match against an MLS squad.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the Hank Steinbrecher Cup
The 2017 NPSL champion Elm City Express represented the league at the 2018 Hank Steinbrecher Cup for the title U.S. National Amateur Champions. Matches were played at Veterans Memorial Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut, less than an hour's drive from the Express's home in New Haven.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the Hank Steinbrecher Cup
The Express lost its semifinal match, 2–0, to defending Steinbrecher Cup winner Michigan Bucks of the PDL.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, NPSL at the Hank Steinbrecher Cup
In the third-place match, the Express conceded a goal in second-half stoppage time and fell to the 2017 National Amateur Cup champions Lansdowne Bhoys FC of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, 2–1.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
In the Keystone Conference, FC Motown started the season with nine straight wins before dropping a 2–1 decision at home to West Chester United SC in their final match. The loss eventually cost FC Motown home-field advantage in the Northeast Region Final against the New York Cosmos B. Torch FC occupied the bottom of the Keystone Conference, losing all 10 of their matches and scoring only eight goals while conceding 50.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
The New York Cosmos B dominated the North Atlantic Conference, winning all 10 of their matches and conceding only eight goals while scoring 40. After starting the season 2–3–2, defending NPSL champion Elm City Express won its final three matches, culminating with a 6–4 road win over the Rhode Island Reds F.C. in a winner-take-all showdown for the final North Atlantic Conference playoff berth. In five home matches, the Seacoast United Mariners went pointless, were shut out four times and were outscored, 14–2. The Mariners suffered shutout losses in three of their five road matches but managed draws in the other two.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
FC Baltimore and Northern Virginia United FC entered their final regular-season matches with identical 6–2–1 records. FC Baltimore took the top seed in the Mid-Atlantic Conference with an 8–2 home victory over Charlottesville Alliance FC, while Northern Virginia United lost on the road to Virginia Beach City FC, 7–1. A road draw against Charlottesville Alliance in its final regular-season match was just enough for FC Frederick to win a standings tiebreaker over Virginia Beach City and claim the final Mid-Atlantic playoff berth.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
The Laredo Heat finished with the best overall regular-season record in the NPSL and was the only team in the South Region with a perfect record, outscoring its opponents, 37–4. The Heat conceded only one goal in five home matches while scoring 20. The Shreveport Rafters FC claimed the second playoff berth in the Blue Group of the Lone Star Conference, when Katy 1895 FC suffered a 9–0 home loss to the Houston Dutch Lions FC in their final regular-season match. Tyler FC lost all 10 of their matches, scoring just seven goals while conceding 54.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
In their opening match of the season hosting the Shreveport Rafters, Tyler scored a late second-half goal to cut their deficit to 2–1 but could not get the equalizer. They were never within a goal of the winning score for the rest of the season, and they were shut out five times.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
The top three clubs in the Sunshine Conference made the conference the most competitive in the league. Eventual NPSL champions Miami FC 2, who topped the Sunshine Conference table, had a loss and three draws in its four regular-season matches against second- and third-place finishers Jacksonville Armada and Miami United. However, Miami FC 2 won all eight of their matches against their other four conference opponents. Both matches between the Armada and Miami United ended in draws. At the bottom of the conference, Storm FC scored only one goal all season. It came at home against Naples United FC in a 1–1 draw, the only match Storm did not lose. Storm was outscored 27–1 at home and 14–0 on the road.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
After starting the season 2–3–0, the Little Rock Rangers closed by winning their final five matches. However, it was not enough to catch FC Wichita in the Heartland Conference. Wichita started the season 7–0–0 before stumbling to the finish line with two losses (including one to the Rangers) and a draw in their final three matches. Ozark FC lost all five of their home matches and were outscored, 9–2. Ozark was outscored, 13–2, on the road but did manage a draw against Saint Louis Club Atletico.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
Chattanooga FC went 4–0–3 in the first half of the season and 4–2–1 in the second half to take the top seed in the Southeast Conference. The Atlanta Silverbacks were 4–4–2 in their first 10 matches and 3–0–1 in their final four to take second place. Chattanooga and the Silverbacks met in the final match of the regular season and played to a 1–1 draw at Atlanta Silverbacks Park, but Chattanooga entered the match with a four-point lead in the standings.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
Minneapolis City SC was the only undefeated team in the Midwest Region, posting a record of 10–0–4 to win the North Conference title. They were 6–0–1 at home. LaCrosse Aris FC went winless at 0–13–1. Oddly, LaCrosse Aris earned their only point of the season with a scoreless draw at home against conference champion Minneapolis City.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
AFC Ann Arbor won the Great Lakes Conference title and claimed the second seed in the Midwest Region playoffs with a 9–1–2 record, losing only on the road to second-place Grand Rapids FC. FC Columbus won both of its matches against Grand Rapids, who started the season 5–1–1 in their first seven games but closed by going 2–2–1 in their final five, including the pair of losses to Columbus. Meanwhile, Columbus followed a 1–2–2 start by going 5–1–0 over the next six games to put themselves in position to take the conference's second playoff berth.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
With Grand Rapids having completed their schedule with a 7–3–2 record, Columbus was 6–3–2 and holding the tiebreaker over Grand Rapids heading into their final match at the 2–5–4 Milwaukee Torrent. The Torrent got the better of Columbus, 1–0, with a goal in the 87th minute and denied them a trip to the postseason. The late-season stumble by Grand Rapids cost them home-field advantage in their Midwest Region Quarterfinal match against Duluth FC. At the bottom of the Great Lakes Conference, FC Indiana lost all 12 of their matches, scoring only four goals while conceding 75. Indiana was outscored on the road, 42–0, in six matches. In Indiana's only match decided by a single goal, the Torrent scored in the 78th minute to break a 2–2 tie and held on for the win.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
With the East Conference title on the line, the Erie Commodores FC hosted Cleveland SC in the final match of the regular season for both clubs, who each had identical 7–1–3 records. Cleveland held the standings tiebreaker and needed only a draw for the conference championship, because it had won the first match between the teams, 3–2. Cleveland's 70th-minute goal was not enough to overcome two first-half tallies by the Commodores who held on for the win despite playing more than half the match with only 10 men.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
Cleveland rested four of their regular starters with injuries, all of whom were expected to be available for the opening playoff match. With Ann Arbor likely to win as they finished up their regular season at home against pointless Indiana, the Commodores and Cleveland were nearly assured at game time that they would be playing each other in the West Region Quarterfinals, and the East Conference champions would host. After starting the season 3–3–3, the Rochester Lancers won their final three matches, but it was not enough to challenge the Commodores and Cleveland for a playoff berth. The Greater Binghamton FC Thunder lost all 12 of its matches, scoring nine goals and conceding 66.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
FC Golden State hosted ASC San Diego in a showdown for the Southwest Conference title in the final match of the regular season for both clubs. Golden State entered the match in first place by one point with an 8–1–2 record, losing only at San Diego. ASC San Diego was in second place at 8–2–1, having lost both their matches against Orange County FC. After Golden State built a 2–0 lead, ASC San Diego struck in the 71st, 76th and 79th minutes to win the match, 3–2, and claimed the Southwest Conference championship.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
The first and third goals in ASC San Diego's dramatic comeback were tallied by their leading goalscorer, Amani Walker. Two days later, Orange County, at 7–1–3, had a chance to claim second place in the Southwest Conference and avoid the play-in game, if they could earn a road win against Riverside Coras USA. The second-place team in the Southwest Conference would also have home-field advantage in the West Region Quarterfinals. Orange County's Peter Gregory scored his second goal of the match in the 76th minute to break a 2–2 deadlock that had stood since halftime. However, Coras tied the match five minutes later on an own goal, the second Orange County had conceded in the match, and the game ended in a draw.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
El Farolito went undefeated at 9–0–5 to win the Golden Gate Conference championship. After starting the season 0–3–2, the Sonoma County Sol finished 7–1–1 to claim the final Golden Gate Conference playoff berth. The Sol and the East Bay FC Stompers entered their June 9 match with identical 3–4–3 records. A go-ahead goal in the 68th minute by NPSL leading goalscorer Omar Nuño was the difference in a 3–2 home win for the Sol. Following the win over the Stompers, the Sol outscored its opponents, 16–0, in its final three matches. FC Davis started the season 3–1–5 but lost their final five matches to fall out of the playoff picture.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Regular season
Spokane SC Shadow and FC Mulhouse Portland were the only two teams in the Northwest Conference with winning records and claimed the conference's two playoff berths. The Shadow went undefeated at 7–0–5 to claim the conference championship. In head-to-head matchups of the conference leaders, the Shadow had a win and a draw in its two home matches with Portland, which were played on consecutive days, and the only match played in Portland ended in a tie.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
With some conferences still playing regular-season matches, the NPSL postseason got underway on June 30, with the Southwest Conference Play-in Game. An early goal by Jonathan Bryant put Orange County in the lead, but a red card issued to Michael Bryant in the 31st minute forced them to play down a man. Daniel Crisostomo doubled Orange County's lead in the 70th minute. A dangerous challenge and a scuffle in the 82nd minute resulted in two red cards for Arizona and a yellow card for Orange County. Cody Shelton scored in the 90th minute to seal Orange County's 3–0 victory. Bennett Sneddon kept the clean sheet.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The Lone Star Conference Quarterfinals were played on July 7. The sixth-seeded Shreveport Rafters FC pushed the Houston Dutch Lions FC to extra time with the match scoreless. Jacob Powell got the Dutch Lions on the board in the third minute of extra time. Ángel Lopez followed with a goal in the final minute before the first half of extra time expired. Dylan Armstrong rounded out the scoring in the 115th minute to give the Dutch Lions a 3–0 victory. Sullivan Lauderdale earned the 120-minute shutout.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The Fort Worth Vaqueros FC dominated FC Brownsville, 5–0, in the other Lone Star Conference Quarterfinal. Jamie Lovegrove and Kallé Soné each contributed a brace, and Jesse Miralrio scored the other goal. Grant Makela kept a clean sheet for the Vaqueros.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The West Region Quarterfinals were played on July 7 and 8. El Farolito got a first-half goal from Arnhold Rivas to take the lead over the Sonoma County Sol but had to play with 10 men after Ademar Rodríguez drew a red card in the 62nd minute. The Sol could not get the equalizer, and Camilo Campo provided another goal in the 90th minute to give El Farolito a 2–0 win. Mario Martinez recorded the shutout.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
For the third time in three matches this season, Orange County FC defeated ASC San Diego. San Diego's leading scorer Amani Walker put them on the board first in the 51st minute. However, Jose Montes de Oca and Daniel Crisostomo both scored in the 58th minute to turn the match around. Dakota Collins provided insurance for Orange County in the 84th minute, and Orange County secured a 3–1 victory over the Southwest Conference champions.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The Northwest Conference champions Spokane SC Shadow got a goal from Micheal Ramos in the 7th minute of their West Region Quarterfinal to take an early lead. However, Christian Thyron replied a minute later for FC Mulhouse Portland. Fred Braun gave Portland a 2–1 lead in the 40th minute, and the Shadow was unable to equalize, suffering its first loss of the season.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
FC Golden State got goals from Gabriel Henrique Silva, Allisson, Gustavo Villalobos and Jose Perez-Flores and cruised to a 4–2 West Region Quarterfinal victory over CD Aguiluchos USA. Simon Rawnsley and Anthony De Souza scored goals for Aguiluchos.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The Southeast Conference Quarterfinals were played on July 10. Both lower seeds, who had losing records during the regular season, prevailed with road wins. The Georgia Revolution FC upset the New Orleans Jesters, 3–2, on goals by Ehjayson Henry, Isaac Promise and Jumar Oakley. Oliver Roberts scored both goals for the Jesters. Wesley Sprague saved a Thomas Peers penalty kick in the 73rd minute to keep the Revolution in the lead, 2–1.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
Asheville City SC got goals from Siavash Jamehdar, Elma Nfor and Tyson Hichman to win the other Southwest Conference Quarterfinal over Inter Nashville FC. Jonathan Remond scored in the 90th minute to spoil the shutout.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
Nine NPSL playoff matches were played on July 11. Led by two goals from Christopher Katona, FC Motown beat FC Monmouth, 4–1, in the Keystone Conference Semifinals. Walter Calderon and Christopher Riordan also scored for Motown. Chase Covello scored Monmouth's goal on a free kick from just outside the box that deflected off Motown's wall.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
In the other Keystone Conference Semifinal, Junior Lone Star FC fell behind West Chester United SC, 2–1, when they conceded an own goal in the 41st minute. Three minutes into the second half, Junior Lone Star tied the match on Anthony Allison's second goal of the game. Extra time did not settle the matter, and West Chester United advanced on penalty kicks, 4–3. Charles Wilson's goal in the 12th minute had given United an early 1–0 lead.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The New York Cosmos B and defending NPSL champion Elm City Express each held one-goal leads in the first half of their North Atlantic Conference Semifinal match. Bljedi Bardic scored both Cosmos B goals, and Tyler Carlos had both tallies for the Express. Neither team scored in the second half. The Cosmos B broke through in extra time on goals by Wojciech Wojcik in the 111th minute and Zaire Bartley in the 112th minute. Since the Cosmos B had the best regular-season record in the Northeast Region, the berth in the North Atlantic Conference Final guaranteed them a spot in the region semifinals.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
James Thristino's hat trick led the Brooklyn Italians to a 3–0 victory over Hartford City FC in the other North Atlantic Conference Semifinal. Michael Bernardi kept a clean sheet for the Italians.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
J. C. Banks and Ciarán Kilduff each had a brace to lead the Jacksonville Armada FC to a 4–1 win over Miami United FC in the Sunshine Conference Semifinal. Nicolas Micoli scored for United in the 26th minute to tie the match, 1–1, which was where the teams stood at the half. The four goals was the most conceded by Miami United in an NPSL or U.S. Open Cup match in 2018. The win was the first for the Armada in 2018 over Miami United in their fourth match. Miami United won at Jacksonville in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. Both regular-season matches between the teams ended in draws.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
After Arthur Rogers scored in the 41st minute to give the Houston Dutch Lions FC a lead in the Lone Star Conference Semifinals, the Midland-Odessa Sockers FC temporarily rescued their season, when Maxiliano Galizzi scored in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. Yinka Lawal broke through for the Dutch Lions, scoring in the 113th minute. Jacob Powell added an insurance goal in the second minute of extra-time stoppage time. Two minutes later, Andres Felipe Rodriguez-Becerra scored from the penalty spot for the Sockers, but the referee blew the final whistle shortly thereafter.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The Laredo Heat got a brace from Gabriel Rodriguez, and Rafael Montabes added a goal to lead the Heat to a 3–1 Lone Star Conference Semifinal win over the Fort Worth Vaqueros FC. Declan O'Shea scored for the Vaqueros in the 59th minute to spoil the shutout.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The Little Rock Rangers and Tulsa Athletic were engaged in a scoreless duel in the Heartland Conference Semifinals until Donald Benamna scored in the 90th minute to give the Rangers a 1–0 victory. Walid Birrou kept a clean sheet for the Rangers.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
Matt Clare's brace led FC Wichita to a 4–0 Heartland Conference Semifinal win over Saint Louis Club Atletico. Leonardo Perez and late substitute Teylor Cubero also scored for Wichita in a game free from disciplinary actions. Mark Weir recorded the shutout.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
Three NPSL playoff matches were contested on July 12. Saidou Toure scored in the 60th minute to give FC Frederick, who qualified for the postseason by winning a standings tiebreaker, a lead over Northern Virginia United FC in the Mid-Atlantic Conference Semifinal. Collin Verfurth responded with the equalizer three minutes later, but that was all the scoring for regulation time.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
United went in front in the 97th minute, when Christopher Welsh scored on a penalty kick, but Brian Flatter, who entered the match as a substitute after the Welsh goal, responded for Frederick three minutes later, and the match went to penalty kicks. Bilal Hassane put home the winner on Frederick's fifth kick, giving them the shootout, 4–3. Three of the four players who scored for Frederick in the shootout entered the match as substitutes. Northern Virginia United had won both regular-season matches between the clubs.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The Georgia Revolution FC held top seed Chattanooga FC scoreless in their Southeast Conference Semifinal match, until Juan Hernandez-Mendizabal curled a free kick around the Revolution's wall to give Chattanooga a 1–0 lead in the 73rd minute. Joao Costa added an insurance goal in the 89th minute, and Philip D'Amico kept a clean sheet in Chattanooga's 2–0 victory.